Remember when I said that the chapter length would depend on the length of the case? Yeah, that was a complete lie. The next case is actually one of the shortest cases in the entire series and I have some how managed to make it the longest chapter yet. I'm still not done writing it and the actual canon case isn't brought up until the very end so I've decided to cut the chapter in half. This first half is everything that happens before the "Perfect Alibi" case (which is the next case in the manga). Think of it as a filler if you want. I'm almost done with the final half, which I will post as soon as I can (probably tomorrow). Anyway, here is a lot of what I've got so far.
MidoriEmerald13: I'm glad you liked it so much! I tried to make the Fujie scene as realistic as possible. Mama Fujie will probably make some more reappearances in the future, but I haven't planned too far yet. And as detectives, I'm sure they know a million and one ways to kill each other and get away with it, haha. Thanks for another great review!
turquoise ninja 012: I shall! I shall write till the end of my days! I'm glad you liked her hidden obsession with 'sappy' romance, it is always entertaining to think and write about :) Thanks for reviewing!
Amaranthais: I am touched that you like my story even though it has an OC! As a heads up, there are a few more of them in this chapter that will be showing up frequently, so I hope they don't turn you away. I just needed more people as part of Megure's team and they popped into my head. And I myself am looking forward to her reactions with the rest of the Detective Conan cast! It is going to be so much fun! Thank you for the wonderful review!
JarayZ: Haha, well here is another 'short' chapter for you (remember, it was originally going to be even longer)! In my mind's eye, Shizuka is a naturally cold person on the outside but extraordinarily caring. She hates interacting with people but if she sees a way to help with practically anything she will without hesitation (much like Avelia, though he is far more open about it). I loved the idea of her having prisoner pajamas, I just couldn't help myself ;). If you ask for the manga version, so shall it be! I was still flip flopping between the two, so that helped me decided. She is very, very determined to keep her love of the romantics a secret :). Thanks for the lovely review, it made me smile!
908-03: Your review is impressive in terms of length! It made me extraordinarily happy (I'll admit, I'm a review hog. I simply can't help myself). And trust me, Shizuka is definitely an adrenaline junkie, just in a far different way than Shinichi (who I totally agree with you about. In the beginning of Detective Conan he's kind of a brat). She is just more of the 'adrenaline pumping, high speed chase, death defying acts' type of person. It makes her feel alive. Avelia is a big old worrywart when it comes to his subordinates and Shizuka was one of the youngest he ever had. I always kind of thought of Agasa (and later on Kogoro in a way) as a father figure for Shinichi since Yusaku was gone all of the time. The same is for Avelia to Shizuka. He is very protective of his people and especially Shizuka because he believes she doesn't really have anyone else looking out for her (which is kind of true). He insisted because Shizuka has a habit of getting into trouble and it was around one in the morning at the time. Hope I cleared that up alright. As for the humor, I love dramatic comedies, so I always try to lighten the darker stuff up with humor without taking away the emotions behind it. Life if full of both after all. The romance will definitely play a part in the future, but I'm not sure who should find out first. Avoiding spoilers for canon, can you imagine Shizuka and Subaru Okiya watching romance movies in their off time? The image makes me fall over, cackling like mad! In response to the Ran-neesan instead of chan… Dang it! Don't worry, I'll make sure not to make that mistake again. Thank you for pointing it out! Thank you as well (especially) for the amazingly fantastic review. Your feedback was very helpful!
On with the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 7: Hunter Vs. Ninja
-00-
Shizuka loitered around the gate in front of Teitan elementary school. Ran had karate practice and couldn't pick up Conan so she had volunteered to go. She was on her lunch break anyway, and the station had been feeling far to crowded.
It had only been a few days since her day off and somehow in that time she had managed to go from being avoided by most of the force unless absolutely necessary (she still didn't know why but she wasn't complaining) to being followed around and constantly questioned.
Apparently Megure had made a good impression on the newbies that had come in the day she was gone and they had come to him for advice. Megure had been too busy at the time to answer any questions so he directed them to speak his consultant. He later told her it was supposed to be a valuable learning experience for her, to which she replied, "Bullshit. I know you just want me to keep them out of your hair so you can get out of here faster."
She was starting to get quite comfortable working with the detective, either due to her starter attempts at friendliness, his amiable personality, or a mixture of both. Either way, she was feeling comfortable enough around him to let loose a bit more. She still played the innocent card often enough, but more and more sarcasm and sharp words were beginning to filter into their conversations.
Shizuka only acted that way around Megure, however. When dealing with anyone else on the force she was 'nice and sociable' with a penchant for being in the right place at the right time. Which of course meant that when a herd of unfamiliar greenies surrounded her she had to play the part.
It started out as well as she had expected it to. Shizuka was very aware of how people saw her. She was small, painfully so, and she looked as though she would barely be able to move a rock with how flimsy her arms and legs appeared. Shinichi and her had gotten their mother's lighter bone structure, but her brother had the added benefit of his height. She didn't look younger than she was, but her height and stature made people believe she was just a kid.
This is why the rather poor and shocked reactions of the newcomers did not surprise her in the least.
"You're the consultant?" one of the five gapped at her. Three of them were men while the other two were women. The one that had spoken first was the tallest of the group; a young looking, brown haired man with dark brown eyes. "But you're just a kid!"
One of the girls, the one with the blue eyes and long brown hair, elbowed him in the stomach. "Nathan!" she hissed.
Shizuka simply looked them over with a confused smile, doing her level best not to allow her face to twitch. She was seated at one of the tables in the office area, going over the most recent files on the Kazimir case. The papers were spread out before her and she had been just about to write down some side notes when they had approached her. "You must be the newcomers I've heard so much about. Is there something I can help you with?"
They all gave her varying levels of uncertainty. She figured they were all around their early twenties, and they seemed comfortable around each other. Academy buddies?
"Uh, maybe," the other man, this time with shaggy black hair and narrow brown eyes, rubbed the back of his head. "We were told that we would be accompanying Inspector Megure on cases in order to gain experience and we were wondering what to expect."
"…You're what?"
"This is pointless," the second woman rolled her eyes. She had sharp green eyes and black hair tied up into a tight bun. "I'm sorry, but we really need to speak with someone who has a little more experience than you do."
Shizuka stared at her, sighing internally. "Rest assured Hazuki-san I have had years of experience working with the department and dealing with cases." The woman blinked in shock at the use of her name. They had yet to introduce themselves. "I was simply surprised to hear you would be joining us on what is sure to be a regular basis. Was it Avelia who decided on this?"
The final member of the group stepped forward. He was just a few inches taller than Shizuka, which made it easier for her to look him in the eye. "T-the Chief told us himself," he stuttered nervously, twisting his hands together. His slightly long red hair shadowed light blue eyes and freckles were spattered across his nose and high cheekbones. He looked younger than the rest of them, perhaps even younger than Shizuka.
"Of course," Shizuka let out a little huff of air. "Well, the Inspector deals with whatever case he is needed on. He is one of the best detectives of Division One so his skills are usually in high demand. Any incoming calls often go through him first, which gives him quite the caseload. A lot of his cases deal with robberies and murders, so if you are not used to seeing blood and dead bodies I would suggest preparing yourself ahead of time in case of nausea and dizziness. Seeing as how the five of you are new you will most likely be in charge of crowd control, securing the scene, and gathering witness statements. There will be senior officers on the scene if you are not sure what to do and I would be happy to help in gathering statements until you get the hang of it, just be sure to go to whoever your assigned senior officer is first."
They seemed shocked at the sudden information, eyes glued on her as she listed off what she thought was important.
"Inspector doesn't like idiotic mistakes so if you aren't sure what you are supposed to be doing or how you are supposed to do it then ask. Don't feel embarrassed or ashamed, everyone will understand and they will be much happier if you ask before you possibly mess up something important. Mistakes happen all of the time, but you should do whatever you can to decrease the rate at which they happen. You should also have a spare uniform ready for you in the lockers. You never know what could happen and you'll be grateful to have a change of clothes when you are covered in trash or blood."
Shizuka tapped her chin with her pen. She had never been in their shoes and there was little chance that they would be doing things the way she did. All she really had to go on was common sense and what she had seen other officers do during cases.
"Do not be surprised if you are asked to help gather evidence. As you start out it may be hard to differentiate between what is evidence and what is not, they can often be the oddest of things, but rest assured that as time passes you will get better at it. You are very fortunate and unfortunate to be assigned to the Inspector. He is constantly moving from case to case, which will give you a lot of experience, but it will also be stressful and you won't have much time to relax until you get into the swing of things. You will often miss meals due to the erratic schedule so I would suggest keeping a few snacks on you and eating whenever you get the chance. Always bring a water bottle with you as well. You can clip it onto your belt for easy access." Shizuka tilted her head. "I think that covers the basics at least. There isn't much I can tell you until we are on the field but I will do my best to answer any other questions you have."
Shizuka folded her hands underneath her chin as she waited for all of the information to process. Just as they were starting to regain their bearings Megure rushed out of his office.
"Shizuka-san," he called, tugging his jacket on.
She stood up quickly, shuffling all of the papers she had been going over back into their file. Tucking it into her backpack she pulled the straps over her shoulders and motioned for the group to get moving.
"You should have gotten your senior partners already. Find them and they will take you to the scene."
Once she had turned away from them, Megure just ahead of her, she allowed herself to scowl. This was going to be annoying.
And annoying it was.
Shizuka rubbed at her temples angrily. The entire morning had been filled with far to many questions and irritants. She wouldn't have minded answering their questions if they were actually asking to learn (only the dark haired boy and the brown haired girl seemed truly curious) but most of the questions seemed to be purely to test her own abilities. Hazuki Natsuki had already made a poor impression, but Shizuka could forgive her for questioning her experience.
At first.
There were only so many condescending questions Shizuka could take before she dropkicked the woman and her brown haired friend. The other three she could deal with (the ginger one avoided talking to anyone like the plague) but those two grated on her nerves and reminded her of why exactly she hated dealing with people.
Still, she had long since learned that people tended to target her if she got angry with them. If she could keep up the approachable demeanor then the idiots would eventually lose interest. If she let them get to her then they would keep coming back. It was just easier to be the amiable coworker that never picked fights unless it was necessary. If they didn't leave her alone after a week she would change tactics and scare them away instead. She hadn't used her phone tazer in weeks.
"Ugh," Shizuka rolled her shoulders. Thankfully, before she could get lost any further in her thoughts, a loud cheer drew her attention away from the sky and towards the small soccer fields just outside the school.
There was a mock game going on between what looked like a group of first graders. Shizuka assumed they had just had gym before school had gotten out because they were all still wearing their gym uniforms. A familiar cowlick caught her attention immediately.
Conan was dribbling the ball skillfully, kicking it up in the air so that he could bounce it atop his head. A small gaggle of girls cheered him on excitedly. Shizuka smirked and snapped a picture. Her darling little brother was such a lady-killer.
Conan dropped the ball back on the ground and rushed towards the goal. Shizuka felt her eyebrow rise when he stopped a fair distance away and bent down to mess with his shoes.
"What is he doing?"
Conan suddenly grinned. His shoes let off an odd little spark as he pulled his foot back. The grin fell off his face to be replaced with shock when, after hitting the ball with all of his strength, it shot through the air like a bullet and flew past the small goalie's head. Shizuka felt her mouth drop open as it tore straight through the net and slammed harshly into a tree behind it, leaving a sizeable dent in the wood.
The field fell into complete silence until the child the ball had almost hit started bawling.
"W-what on earth?!" the young female teacher shrieked.
Conan jumped up and stared at his shoes in shock. "Uh," he muttered. Taking in the shocked expressions of everyone around him he scrambled for an excuse.
The teacher rushed over, gathering all of the children away from the tree.
"T-the net must have had a hole there," she reasoned, trying to think of what could have possibly caused such damage. "A-and that tree is very old…"
Conan was perfectly content to let her form her own conclusions as long as they didn't turn against him somehow. He laughed hollowly, turning his head away. His eyes grew wide when he spotted the familiar figure by the gate.
"Shizuka?!"
She looked at him and the tree respectively, mouth wide open.
Conan grabbed his bag quickly and waved goodbye to the teacher, who could only wave back in a daze. He jogged up to his sister, an amused smile breaking through at her dumbfounded expression.
"…Are you taking steroids?" she asked him seriously, eyes glued to the tree he had hit.
"What?" he scowled at her. "No! Professor made these for me. They're supposed to strengthen my kicks so I can defend myself but he obviously has no idea how to use moderation."
"I'll say," Shizuka shook her head in disbelief. "That kind of power could seriously hurt someone."
Shinichi nodded, but he couldn't help but feel overjoyed. With his super powered shoes he would actually be able to take care of himself. He wasn't just a wimpy kid that couldn't do anything.
Shizuka tugged at the end of her ponytail, attempting to dispel the image of her brother running through the city and attacking criminals with overinflated soccer balls. "You're lucky I was the one to pick you up, I can only imagine what Ran-chan would have thought."
Shinichi shuddered. "I'll be careful not to use them in front of her. And you didn't have to come get me, I can walk back just fine on my own."
Shaking her head to push away what had just happened Shizuka tucked her hands in her pockets. "I know, I just needed an excuse to get out of the station. Besides, I'm hungry and we haven't had lunch together in months."
Shinichi stared at her skeptically before movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.
Kogoro was standing just across the street, leaning against the wall with a newspaper in hand. Instead of reading it, though, his gaze was focused on something down the street.
"Did you not tell him you were coming by?" Shinichi wondered. He couldn't see Kogoro coming to pick him up, but Ran might have threatened him.
"I called and left a message just in case," Shizuka shrugged.
"Might as well tell him to head home," he muttered. Pasting a bright grin on his face he waved his arm wildly. "Oji-chan!"
Kogoro flinched violently as they walked towards them, eyes wide. "Shh! Shhh!" he flailed.
The Kudo siblings paused, tilting their heads in confusion. Their eyes drifted to the side where a man was making his was down the street. Kogoro had been staring at him when they saw him.
"Are you shadowing that guy?" Conan pointed at the stranger. Shizuka almost smacked him on the back of his head. You don't point out someone being followed, not if you didn't want them to know they were being followed.
"What if he hears you?!" Kogoro growled. He turned to Shizuka. "You're both bothering me, just take the brat home! And brat! Tell Ran I'll be home late so don't bother making dinner for me!"
They both snorted as he moved to follow the man once more and tripped over a trashcan in his haste.
"The master of stealth," Shizuka muttered, ushering Conan away.
Shinichi chuckled. "Well, if he wants to spend his whole day doing that then he can go right ahead. I'll have the apartment to myself."
"After we get lunch of course," Shizuka stated.
"Sure," he agreed easily. "I forgot how early lunch was in elementary school. I'm starving."
"Then lets go."
The two chatted amiably as they walked down the street. Shizuka belatedly wondered how that poor teacher was going to explain the beaten tree and torn net.
-00-
"Ah, there you are Shizuka-san!" Megure greeted her the moment she returned. One of the new officers was next to him, juggling a pile of folders. Shizuka was relieved to notice it was the nicer girl with the long brown hair.
"Inspector," Shizuka nodded and lifted up the box in her hands. "I brought dumplings."
"Oh~!" his eyes lit up as she walked over and set it down on his desk. "Thank you Shizuka-san!"
"No problem. Anything happen while I was gone?"
Megure already had one of the slightly steaming dumplings in his mouth. "Just a false alarm. A young college student thought someone had died but it turned out they had just taken some medicine that made them drowsy and hard to wake up."
Shizuka rolled her eyes. She honestly wondered why schools never taught students how to check for pulses and how to do CPR when they were such important things to know in cases of emergencies. It wouldn't even take long, one class a month and she was sure the information would stick.
"Not much then," she said simply, returning to her usual post at the small table off to the side of his office. There were still a few more files she needed to go over for the Kazimir case before she could move on to ground work.
Megure simply nodded, munching on the dumplings at a quick pace. Shizuka had been able to escape for lunch, he hadn't. "I need to finish my case reports but the witness statements and evidence haven't been organized yet. Would you mind walking Toyama-san through the steps until she gets the hang of it?"
Shizuka looked over at the struggling officer and shrugged. She could multitask.
Toyama Kiyo sighed in relief and hurried to join her at the table. Shizuka scooted her chair to the side as the taller girl snatched a chair and plopped down in it. She dropped the files onto the table and stretched her arms out to relieve the kinks.
"Thanks!" she chirped. "I know we probably got off on the wrong foot this morning. Sorry about that."
Shizuka stared at her, not expecting the apology. "…It's fine. It happens all of the time. Besides, you never actually spoke against me so you have no reason to apologize."
Kiyo grinned and held her hand out. "Yeah, but I was pretty much thinking the same things so I'm still in the wrong. Can we start over?"
Shizuka grabbed the girl's hand in pleasant surprise. "That sounds fine. I don't think I ever officially introduced myself. My name is Kudo Shizuka, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Kiyo's eyes went wide but she didn't hesitate to follow through with an enthusiastic handshake. "Toyama Kiyo, but you can just call me Toki, everyone does eventually. It's nice to meet you too Kudo-senpai!"
Shizuka twitched. "Just Shizuka is fine."
"Alright Shizuka-senpai!"
Shizuka deadpanned, not sure what to think of the energetic girl. Now that she got a better look at her, and they weren't rushing around from case to case, she realized she barely came up to Toki's shoulder. She was very skinny, the standard police uniform hanging off her frame. Her blue eyes were very bright, almost startlingly so and there was a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
"What would you like to start on first?" Shizuka gestured to the pile of files.
"Hmmm," Toki tapped her chin with her index finger. "Witness statements? There are a lot more of those."
"Alright," Shizuka nodded, pulling the file on top towards them. All of them were color coded along the spines so that it was easy to tell what the contents held. "Right now all you need to do is make a copy of the statements from the notes other officers took at the scene. Try to put them in order and then organize them with the written statements from the witness themselves. Once you are done with that all you need to do is make sure they are all in the appropriate file, you can see the name on the inside cover, and place them in the basket on Inspector Megure's desk. The blue one. Someone will come by later to take them to Tech so we can get electronic copies as well. You might be assigned down there another time and it will basically be the same job just with a computer. Try to write as legibly as possible."
Toki was nodding her head, expression focused. Once Shizuka was done explaining she saluted her. "Alright! I'll finish this in no time!"
"Good luck with that," Shizuka shook her head. The job was far more time consuming than most believed and it gave the most terrible hand cramps. While Toki began to work she pulled out her own files and started to take notes. Every few minutes Shizuka would glance over the new girl's work to make sure she was doing it right. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the graceful handwriting appearing on the papers. Her own often resembled chicken scratch and she had to focus very hard to make it readable.
Megure was at his own desk, finishing off the last of the dumplings as he worked. He glanced up at the two women and smiled triumphantly. Avelia had asked him to try to get Shizuka to interact with the new comers so they could get on friendly terms with one another. The morning had been a disaster, but it seemed things were working out better now.
Nearly an hour later Toki dropped the pen and shook her hand with a slightly pained sigh.
Shizuka glanced up, concentration broken. "Hand cramp?"
"Yes," she whined. "I'm guessing this is going to happen a lot?"
"You'll get used to it."
"Ugh."
Shizuka just shrugged. It was the truth. "Just massage you hand for a few minutes and stretch it out. It'll feel better."
"Okay," Toki nodded sharply, as though she had just been given an order. She stared at her hand intently as she began to clench and unclench it.
Shizuka shook her head and returned to her files. She wasn't seeing anything in Kazimir's files that could be connected to the men in black. She new he had given them a large sum of money but nothing in his personal or company accounts showed where exactly that money had come from. She was sure it most likely came from the funds he got from smuggling weapons but there was no evidence of any outlying bank accounts. Nothing on paper was giving her what she needed.
"Inspector," Shizuka called, closing the file with a defeated sigh.
"Hmm?" he paused, looking over at her. "What is it Shizuka-san?"
"I most likely won't be coming in this weekend. I need more information on another case so I'm going to try visiting the scenes myself. Are you going to need me at any point?"
Megure scratched at his chin in thought. "I don't think so. We don't have any long-term cases right now so it should just be a typical weekend. As long as you keep your phone on you just in case it should be fine. I'll call you if you are needed."
"Thank you," Shizuka bowed her head slightly. As Megure turned back to his work she decided to look over everything Toki had done so far. When she turned to look at her, Toki was doing a poor job of hiding her curious glances. "Is something wrong Toki-san?"
"Toki-chan is fine!" she immediately corrected before a sheepish smile broke out across her face. "Uh, I was just a little curious. Do you choose what days you come in on Senpai?"
Shizuka shook her hand from side to side. "Kind of. I'm expected to come in every day Inspector Megure does but as long as I inform him and Avelia ahead of time I can take extra days off. I'm a consultant so my schedule is a bit different from others."
Toki suddenly leaned forward, making Shizuka lean back. "But you're working on a case on your own?"
"Uh, yes?"
Shizuka really didn't like the sudden sparkle in the other girl's eyes.
"So the you really are Kudo Shizuka? Like the Kudo Shizuka? As in daughter of Kudo Yusaku and Yukiko? Sister of Kudo Shinichi?"
Shizuka felt completely justified in staring at her like she had just grown an extra head. "…Please don't be one of mom or dad's crazed fans," she prayed desperately. Out loud she simply agreed. "That would be me, yes."
Toki suddenly jumped up, letting out a high-pitched squeal. Megure coughed loudly, making her blush.
"Sorry Inspector," she bowed and took her seat once more.
Under the man's careful eye she picked up her pen and went straight back to work on the files. Megure gave Shizuka a questioning look but she simply shrugged unsurely. He decided to leave whatever situation had popped up to Shizuka.
"What was that about?" Shizuka wondered as Megure refocused on his work.
Toki glanced at Megure from the corner of her eye before leaning in once more. Shizuka was impressed when she continued to write accurately at the same time. "Are you kidding me? You are Kudo Shizuka!"
"You don't say," she allowed the sarcastic quip to slip through.
"You and your brother are practically legends," Toki was jumping slightly in her chair. "Every one knows you two! Well, everyone in the legal force at least. I mean, your brother is the great Detective of the East! And you! You're the Hunter!"
Shizuka did a double take. "I'm the what?"
Toki didn't appear to hear her, too lost in her own world. "Man, they are gonna feel like such idiots! I mean, we never expected we'd get to work with anyone in the Kudo family. You guys are like lone wolves that only appear when someone turns on the Bat Signal!"
Shizuka was dumbfounded. Was this one of the rumors Megure had mentioned? "What the hell are you talking about?"
Their conversation was cut short by the shrill ring of the phone. Megure answered it quickly, face growing dark. "I'm on my way. Shizuka-san, lets go!"
Shizuka packed her things away quickly, eyes never leaving Toki as she did so. The other girl was stacking the files together as fast as possible.
"I've got to tell the others!" she cried, finally finishing. She dashed out of the office as Shizuka moved to follow Megure.
"What the hell just happened?"
-00-
"Inspector," Shizuka fastened her seatbelt once she was in the car.
"Yes?"
"Do you know if anyone calls me the… the Hunter?"
"Ah, yes, if I remember correctly that is what the younger officers on the force have taken to calling you."
"…Why?"
"Hmm, I think they said something about camouflage and 'tracking your prey'. They have quite the analogy going as I recall. I never really understood it. Everyone else just thinks of you as a modern day ninja."
"What?"
"Ahahaha, don't worry about it Shizuka-san. Either name people use, they are meant in a good way."
Shizuka looked forward with a dumbfounded expression. Why was this the first time she was hearing about all of this?
-00-
Shizuka wasn't really surprised when the man made a break for it. More than %75 of the criminals she met tended to run the moment they realized they had been or would be found guilty. Still, it was the first runner that day and he was much bigger than the usual murderers she dealt with. He was almost as big as Avelia and he was desperate to get away, which was never a good combination. It didn't help that they were standing outside with a crowd just past the barricade.
Shizuka dropped her backpack and shoved her camera into the nearest person's hands, praying that whoever it was wouldn't break it in any way. She grabbed a baton out of one of the many officers' hands as she ran past, the surprised squeak making her realize it was Toki.
"Barrowing this," she called back as her way of apology.
She shot towards the bulky man, pushing her legs to move faster before he reached the crowd. Two officers were standing just in front of it, but she recognized them as Hazuki Natsuki and Miura Tetsu, two of the newcomers from that morning. Natsuki had reacted quickly for a newbie and she already had her baton out and at the ready, but her stance was off and Shizuka had no doubt the man would plow through her without a second thought. Tetsu, the scrawny red head that he was, was looking around for anything he could use to stop the escapee, which Shizuka commended, but there was nothing within arms reach that would help them.
Pushing herself even harder, Shizuka dove forward the moment she was within just a few feet of the man. She timed his steps and shoved the baton through between his ankles. His feet locked awkwardly around the baton and he fell forward, smashing into the ground. Shizuka wasted no time in flipping onto his back and twisting his arms behind him. She made sure to leverage herself so that she could fight against his strength if he tried to break free.
For a moment she was worried that she had left her handcuffs in her bag, but she didn't have to worry for long as Tetsu appeared next to her with a pair of his own. He helped her hold the murderer down, cuffing his wrists as quickly as possible.
"You have the right to remain silent," Tetsu barked coldly, far different from the nervous mess Shizuka had met that morning. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
The man bucked underneath them and Shizuka felt her patience snap. She reached forward and grabbed his ear, twisting it harshly so that his face scraped against the concrete as it turned to the side where he would be able to see her.
"You either shut up and stay still or I put a bullet through your legs to make sure you can't run anymore," she growled mercilessly.
"Ha!" he barked, but his face grew paler. "You can't do that, you're a cop!"
"No, I'm not," she hissed, eyes narrowing so that only a sliver of sharp blue could be seen. "And you just killed a mother of two because she wouldn't go out with you. I'm far more tempted to shoot you a little higher than your legs if you push me any further."
He opened his mouth to speak but she twisted his ear even further.
"Be. Quiet. And. Stay. Still."
When he grew still she gave his ear one last warning twist before letting go and leaning back. Megure was at their side in an instant, a few more officers at his back, to help contain the man.
"He's all yours Inspector," she moved out of his way, grabbing Tetsu by the arm and pulling him with her. It was best to let the senior officers deal with the lunatic in case he decided to fight back again.
Once they were an acceptable ways away she let go of him and massaged her shoulder. The baton had almost been ripped out of her hand when she had tripped the asshole and her arm was already sore.
"U-uh," Tetsu muttered, his hands twisting together nervously. "W-where you really g-going to s-shoot him?"
Shizuka laughed slightly. "No. We already had him down, there wasn't really any need. I would have just tazed him if he didn't shut up, but that wears down the battery on my phone really fast so I decided a little threat would work just as well."
"Y-your phone?"
Before she could respond they were suddenly surround by a small sea of blue.
"Tetsu! Are you okay?!"
"Holy crap man, we didn't expect to see you helping to take that guy down. Way to go!"
"You reacted far quicker than I did. Well done."
"How'd it feel to cuff your first bad guy?"
Shizuka blinked as the same group from that morning surrounded Tetsu and, due to the proximity, her as well.
Tetsu looked overwhelmed by the attention, his face turning bright red to match his hair as he ducked his head. "I-I didn't really do a-anything. I-it was mostly S-Shizuka-san."
"Oh great," Shizuka cursed as they turned to her instead. "Way to throw me to the sharks."
Toki was clapping her hands with a brilliant grin. "Don't sell yourself short Tetsu, you looked so cool! But Kudo-senpai, that was amazing!"
"We're back to surnames now?" Shizuka wondered. Perhaps Toki was angry about losing her baton.
"K-Kudo?!" Tetsu squeaked, making Shizuka look at him.
"Ah," she thought back, recalling their encounters. It was no wonder the overly shy boy had used her first name. That was what Megure called her and no one else ever really talked to her. "I don't think I ever properly introduced myself. My name is Kudo Shizuka. Thanks for the assist."
She frowned in concern when Tetsu looked ready to faint. What was wrong with this kid?
"You're Kudo Shizuka?" Natsuki asked with no small amount of disbelief.
Shizuka could feel her eyebrow twitch. "Yes. I am. Is that a problem?"
"Nope! No problem!" one of the boys cut in. It was the dark haired one that Shizuka liked more than the tall male. "We've just heard a lot about you is all. Did we ever introduce ourselves to you? I don't think we did. We should! My name's Takahito Shiro, age twenty two, and aspiring detective!"
"Uh," Shizuka felt slightly claustrophobic with all of the attention.
"And you already know me!" Toki waved her hand around enthusiastically. She gestured to the slightly shorter girl next to her. "And this is Hazuki Natsuki!"
"Nathan Coll- I mean, Collin Nathan," the tallest of the group was staring at her in shock.
Shizuka could only nod along as they introduced themselves. She had already known their names, Avelia bragged about them endlessly whenever she saw him. They were apparently the best of the best at the academy, but he spoke about his officers, new or old, like a proud mother so she had learned to take everything he said with a grain of salt.
"M-Miura T-Tetsu," the last of them stuttered, his voice reaching an odd, squeaking pitch. "I-It's an honor to m-meet you."
"Nice to meet you all," Shizuka managed to get out. This was just weird.
"Shizuka-san!" Megure called, waving her over. The officers behind him were shoving the murderer into the nearest squad car.
She gladly took the escape route. "Well, I'll have to save this conversation for another time. Great work Miura-san, keep it up."
Shizuka ducked past Nathan and hurried over to her mentor. She noticed her camera in the grip of one of the officers next to him so she snatched it out of his hands with a murmured "thanks" before continuing on. The day just kept getting weirder and weirder.
-00-
It was late by the time Megure and her got back to the station. She only had a few more minutes before she was officially off for the night and she was anxious to return to the normalcy of home. The day had been one surprise after the other and all she wanted to do was curl up and read a book.
"I think I get off early tomorrow," she thought to herself as she packed her things back into her bag. She was waiting outside of Megure's office in hopes that if she wasn't in the room her family's curse wouldn't bring in another case before she clocked out. "Maybe I could start investigating early," she mumbled. The weekend wasn't for another two days, but she could always scout out the buildings she needed to visit just in case.
"Why don't you go to the Fire Festival tomorrow?" Avelia appeared behind her, making her jump.
Shizuka glared at him for what felt like the millionth time (how many times did she have to tell him not to sneak up on her before he actually listened?!) before realizing what he had said. "That's tomorrow?"
Avelia nodded. "It is. Megure is getting off earlier than usual tomorrow so you will be too. Why not go to the festival and relax a bit before the weekend?"
She considered it. She hadn't been to the Fire Festival, or any festival really, since she was thirteen. The only times after that were when she was chasing someone through one or that one time she took a part time job at a mask selling stall in order to spy on an elusive business owner that was taking his young son around the festival (she had been very desperate for any extra information she could find on him and she was well rewarded when he answered a phone call as his son perused the Kamen Yaiba masks). She could always invite Shinichi to come with her too. It would help distract him for a bit and he could be himself while they were there as long as Ran and her father weren't going.
"Are you going to the Fire Festival too Shizuka-senpai?"
Shizuka turned to see Toki and her friends walking into the office area.
"Maybe," she shrugged.
Shiro grinned widely. "Cool! We were actually planning to go as well and we've been asking everyone to see who wants to join us. It'll be a good way to get to know people!"
"Ugh," Natsuki rolled her eyes, and Shizuka shared the sentiment.
A heavy hand grabbed her shoulder, as if to keep her from running away.
"That's a great idea," Avelia grinned and the group froze, having not noticed him until they were fully in the room. "I'm sure Kudo would love to join you."
"Actually I-"
"Great!" Toki cheered. She turned her attention to Avelia. "Will you be going as well Chief?"
Nathan and Natsuki elbowed her in the sides for her impoliteness but Avelia just shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. Kudo, you'll have to take pictures for me."
"No, I don't-"
"What time are you all getting together?" Avelia cut her off, his deep voice drowning her out.
"We were planning to leave right after our shift sir," Natsuki stated in a business like tone. The only one that seemed at ease with conversing with Avelia seemed to be Toki. "The plan was to change here and head over as soon as possible so that we would not miss too many of the activities."
"Ah," Avelia nodded. "You'll have to bring your yukata to work Kudo."
Shizuka scowled. "I wasn't planning on wearing one, and I don't-!"
Toki let out an affronted gasp. "Not wear a yukata? To a festival?! But Senpai, it's practically a requirement!"
Shizuka tried not to sigh. "No, it-"
"You have to wear one!" Toki demanded, rushing forward to grab her hands. Shizuka wanted to back away from the crazed woman but Avelia's hold was like a steel trap. "You absolutely have to!"
"You should listen to the girl, Kudo," Avelia advised, a hidden smirk in his words that Shizuka wanted to punch with a vengeance. "When else would you get to wear one?"
She was surrounded. Any other time she would have been able to wiggle out of whatever anyone wanted to drag her into but Avelia new her all to well. She doubted the man would drop it, especially when it involved spending time and… bonding with people in her age group.
"I…" she trailed off, allowing herself a moment to mourn for her free time. "I think I have one that might work."
"Yay!" Toki squealed, jumping up and down with Shizuka's hands still in hers, making the consultant's arms shake. "This'll be so much fun! We've got to get back to work, but we'll come get you as soon as we're ready to go tomorrow, okay Senpai?"
"…Sure," Shizuka gave her a weak smile. Toki grinned in return and practically skipped back to her friends. They all saluted Avelia before moving towards their respective areas.
Once they were gone she slapped Avelia's hand away and whirled around to glare at him. "Must you ruin everything?"
"Ruin?" he gave her a hurt expression but she wasn't fooled. "I just thought you could spend some quality time with your new friends!"
"My god, you're almost as bad as my mother!" Shizuka pointed at him threateningly. "I don't need you or anyone else to pick my friends for me. I don't need anymore friends nor do I want any!"
"Come on Shizuka," Avelia patted her head. "Just spend the night having fun before you go off into whatever conspiracy you've gotten yourself wrapped up in this time. Besides, those kids could use a role model like you. I put them with Megure for a reason you know, and it's not just because he's practically number one. They'll be amazing detectives one day, I'd bet my life on it. Just get to know them a bit, okay?"
She ducked away from his annoying hair ruffle and sighed. "It's not like I have a choice now. I've already agreed to it you manipulative bastard."
"And the nice and sociable, quirky consultant just can't stand them up can she?" Avelia laughed as he turned to walk away.
"Screw you!"
-00-
The next day
Shinichi couldn't help but laugh as his sister glared daggers down at him. It was early in the morning and Shizuka had shown up on the Mouri doorstep offering to take him to school. Ran had no problem with it and Kogoro was still sleeping.
"So you got suckered into going," he snickered.
"Shut it," she scowled. "You lose out too, you know. I was originally going to take you."
"No thanks," he calmed down, still highly amused. "I would much rather stay home and read a book."
"You and me both," she grumbled as they crossed the street.
Shinichi just continued to grin. "Just bring your camera and do what you always do," he shrugged. "You said you would go with them, not stay with them. Find some place to take pictures and I'm sure they'll wander off on their own once they get bored."
"That's the plan," Shizuka nodded. "Avelia keeps trying to get me to interact with them in the precinct but he can't control anything outside of it."
Shinichi started laughing again. He had only met the Chief a few times over the years but he could see how the man would get on his sister's nerves.
The man obviously cared about his subordinates down to a personal level, which was good in a way he supposed, but both Shizuka and himself were very independent people. They didn't like to rely on anyone for anything and when they did it was like pulling teeth. It was simply the way they had become after taking care of themselves for so many years but Shinichi was able to handle it better because he was used to Ran's worrying and Shizuka's badgering.
The only person Shizuka ever really turned to was Agasa and himself, but even those instances were rare. It was just how she was, which is what made getting along with Avelia so difficult for her. The man was a worrier to the highest degree and ever since he had pulled Shizuka into being a consultant for his department he had become determined to get her to branch out in the world.
It was amusing to watch.
"Maybe you should just stop trying to fight him," Shinichi offered, ducking to avoid a slap to the head. "Hey! It'd be for the best! You got get away with not really knowing anyone before because you were gone so often, but now you're working there all the time on a daily basis. You know he isn't going to stop and the only real consequence that would come out of letting him win is bragging rights on his part. Besides, I thought you said we needed to lay low? What do you think the men in black will think when they notice the sister of the guy they killed suddenly returning and looking into cases she has never taken an interest in before? If I need friends to look normal then you do too."
Shizuka tried to keep the glare on her face but she couldn't hold it for long. She sighed. "I hate it when you use your reasoning against me. It's a fair point and it makes sense, I guess. I'll try, but with little steps. Tonight I'm still going to focus on taking pictures. It's been forever since I actually went to enjoy a festival."
Shinichi threw his hands behind his head smugly. He loved winning arguments against her. "Don't you have to wear a yukata to that? I'm sure you haven't outgrown any of your old ones."
This time he wasn't fast enough to avoid the cuff to the forehead.
I apologize for suddenly throwing a group of OC's at your face! There is a reason for it! I needed more people on Megure's team and they were the first ones to pop up in my head. Obviously the canon team of Sato, Takagi, Shiratori, and Chiba are going to be around but they are detective in their own right and I needed officers. There are always some in the background of almost every crime scene and they bring the important information. I don't want to just keep saying some random officer burst into the room so I created the newbies. I hope you guys like them, they'll be around for quite some time. Their profiles are also at the bottom if you're interested.
Thanks for reading!
Toyama Kiyo (Toki):
Age: 22
Eye color: Light blue (have you ever met someone with eyes that were so blue they seemed to glow? That is how I picture her eyes.)
Hair color: Dark brown hair that goes past her shoulder blades
Height: 5'9
Occupation: Police officer for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
Personality: Very hyperactive and positive. She always looks at the brighter side of things and is a bit of a spazz. Because of this people often underestimate her but she is very passionate about her job and wants to make a difference in the world. She cares dearly about her friends and is always willing to lend a helping hand when it is needed. If she sees someone being left out she will do her best to include them.
Hobbies: Often goes on runs early in the morning to burn off a bit of excess energy. She loves puzzles of all kinds and she goes to the shooting range whenever she can to brush up on her skills. She loves hanging out with her friends and looking up old cases that strike her as odd or mysterious. Enjoys eating whenever she possibly can due to her high metabolism.
Hazuki Natsuki:
Age: 22
Eye color: Dark green
Hair color: Black (most often in a tight bun but in the rare chances it is down it goes down just past her shoulders)
Height: 5'6
Occupation: Police officer for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Personality: Very cold and straightforward. She rarely has a filter for her sharp remarks and is not afraid to tell people exactly what she thinks they are doing wrong. Due to past events she is very hateful towards criminals and is determined to put as many as she possible can away. Cares for her friends but believes they could further their skills much more so she constantly pushes them to try harder. Is deathly afraid of losing them.
Hobbies: Keeps a rigorous training schedule to keep herself in shape. Enjoys meditation and reading mysteries when time allows. Often bakes to relieve stress but can never eat everything she makes, which is how she befriended the group when they were in the Academy.
Takahito Shiro:
Age: 22 (almost 23)
Eye color: Dark brown
Hair color: Black, often looks disheveled.
Height: 6'0
Occupation: Police officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Personality: Easy going and relaxed. Works diligently when on the clock but the moment he is home he is extraordinarily lazy. Used to be very lax in his efforts to be an officer but after meeting his friends he forced himself to work harder so that he could graduate with them. While very uncaring towards competitions, if it is something he enjoys he will become extremely competitive and hates to lose. Adores his friends but often feels his own skills are lacking compared to theirs.
Hobbies: Loves playing video games of all kinds and is a great fan of hockey. Hates working out but Natsuki constantly badgers him to keep in shape so that he doesn't fall behind, so he does the bare minimum he can get away with. Loves to draw and is often doodling in the margins of all of his notes, regardless of if the notes are on simple day-to-day things or crime scene notes. Tests himself mentally whenever he can in hopes that it will improve his detective skills so he might catch up with his friends.
Collin Nathan:
Age: 21
Eye color: Dark brown
Hair color: Dark brown, kept short and carefully combed to the side
Height: 6'2 (slightly taller than Avelia but very scrawny)
Occupation: Police officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Personality: A complete nerd when it comes to old cases, especially unsolved ones. Is often very serious but relaxes around his friends. Diligent in his work, he refuses to leave a job unfinished and is the main reason Shiro is able to finish all of his work in time. Tends to stay near the back of the group and watches over them as best he can. Feels it is his responsibility to make sure they are alright and helps them whenever one of them makes a mistake. Often termed the mother hen of the group. Very organized, almost to the point of being OCD.
Hobbies: Often writes short stories or simple journal like events involving his friends. On days off he likes to go to public areas and people watch, trying to guess what they may be thinking. Loves TV dramas and detective shows.
Miura Tetsu:
Age: 19 (I looked up what age most officers were in Japan and I found an article that said the youngest age you could apply was seventeen.)
Eye color: Light blue
Hair color: Dark red (long enough and straight enough to cover his eyes when he looks down)
Height: 5'4
Occupation: Police officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Personality: Has a deeply ingrained fear of talking to people that used to be so bad people thought he was mute. After meeting his friends he was able to overcome his fear slightly though he still avoids speaking unless one of them is with him. When it comes to criminals, however, he almost has a complete personality switch. He loses his stutter and speaks very coldly. Despises murderers of all kinds and is completely willing to throw himself at one in order to catch them. Is a genius when it comes to solving crimes but fails so badly in communication that his thoughts are often overlooked. Extraordinarily smart. Looks up to Shizuka greatly.
Hobbies: Loves being out on the streets and exploring, only really returning to his home in order to sleep and eat. His friends rarely leave him on his own for long, dubbing him the baby of the group, and he often prefers to just be around them whenever he possibly can. Loves music and they way it allows people to express themselves and often tries to teach himself how to play new instruments though he rarely has the time. Maps out the city based on the paths he takes whenever he has the time.
And those are all of the OC's! Again, sorry for throwing them all at you so suddenly, though I hope you like them!
