AN: And with this, chapter seven, we're back to where we began in the first chapter, all caught up in time! Hopefully I made it pretty clear within the chapter itself, but there's a time skip within this chapter itself- in between the first section and the second section, to be exact. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys, and thanks for reading!

As always, if you could be so kind as to leave a review, that would be great! Let me hear your thoughts!


Twist of Fate

Chapter Seven

Where East and West Cross Paths


She woke up with a jolt, half expecting to be dead.

It was the sound of her own beating heart that convinced her that she was still very much alive. Glancing around her surroundings, she quickly realized that she had found herself into what appeared to be someone's living room. Although her white lab coat had been removed, alongside her shoes and socks, whoever had brought her in from the rain hadn't dared to remove the rest of her wet clothes, instead opting to place as many warm, dry towels around her as they could. Finding a towel that hadn't been soaked by her damp clothes, she carefully wrapped it around herself, all but burying herself in it's warmth.

Though she still felt somewhat feverish, she was still very much alive- and considerably drier than before- even her hair felt as if someone had taken the time to blow dry it she noted, carefully swinging her feet off the couch. Keeping an ear out for any strange sounds, she tried to recall exactly how it was that she had gotten here, and where exactly here was. Following her memories down the rabbit hole, it didn't take her long before she remembered where she was- and only then did allow a breath of relief to escape her, her shoulders slumping.

Not only had she somehow gotten away, but she'd also managed to make it to her destination. She didn't need to look towards the photographs on the mantelpiece to determined that she had found herself in the home of the famed high school detective, Kudo Shinichi. The last person that she was certain who had seen her sister alive- aside from the likes of Gin and Vodka, that was, the ones who had murdered her in the first place.

Hearing that her sister had been fed the very poison that she'd been instructed to make by that Organization had been like a bullet to her heart. Placing a hand over it, she somehow wondered how it still managed to beat in spite of that, feeling as if she surely should be dead herself- wondering why she was still alive in a world where her beloved older sister was no longer.

At the very least, Gin and Vodka were certain that she was dead- even if her death itself hadn't as of yet been confirmed. And it was in that lack of confirmation that the thinnest of threads of hope had spun itself, and it was one that she had no intention of letting go- not until she saw her sister's body for herself.

Her beloved sister, who had worked so hard to free her from the Organization that she had found herself caught up in, held prisoner not with bonds and shackles, but rather, with something far worse. Her beloved sister, who she was unable to see as much as she liked, and yet nevertheless cherished with all of her heart. Her beloved sister, who might very well be dead because of her, because of something that she created. A tight grimace formed on her face as she recalled the results that the poison had shown in the lab tests, recalling the way the mice that it had been fed to withered in pain and suffered tremendously before their eventual deaths.

To think that her sister had gone through something like that- the shudder that made it's way down her spine had nothing to do with her damp clothes.

No, she couldn't allow herself to think that way- not yet. Within those same lab results was the smallest beacon of hope, and she would hold onto it with everything that she had until reality proved her wrong. She was a scientist to the very end- and although there was no proof that her sister was still alive, without her body, there was also no proof that she was actually dead. That was why she had dared to come here, to this place, escaping her death sentence.

Glancing down at her wrist, she couldn't help but notice that first aid had been applied to it in the form of a rudimentary splint and bandages- she'd had to dislocate it just to slip out of where she had been held captive after she'd refused to continue making any more of the dreadful poison that might have very well stolen her sister's life. It may very well be that the only thing that she was doing now was just delaying the inevitable, and risking dragging an unrelated party into all of this- but she'd already come this far, and she wasn't willing to back down or run away now.

"Are you awake?"

Nearly jumping at the sound of the voice, she rose to her feet, spinning around to see who it was- and felt a sense of ease wash through her once she realized that it was none other than the high school detective that she had sought out. He switched the light on with a small smile, carefully approaching her with two warm mugs of what seemed to be hot chocolate, judging from the aroma. Placing one down in front of her, he took a chair himself, pulling it up closer.

"I'm Kudo Shinichi, but I figure you probably already know that much, miss." Shinichi introduced himself, giving her a small smile, trying to put her more at ease. He watched as the slightly older girl slowly took a seat, casting a suspicious eye on the hot chocolate- before she slowly took it, using her good hand to hold it, taking a moment to relish in it's warmth, letting it seep through her body. "I've already set aside a change of clothes for you. They're from my mother's wardrobe, so I hope that they fit alright. Well, you can take a nice, long hot shower before that if you want. But I get the feeling that before you do any of that, there's probably some things you want to discuss with me."

"You didn't call an ambulance." The young woman noted, carefully setting down her mug. "Why?"

"You asked me not to." Shinichi told her with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "I assumed that there must have been a good reason why. In the meantime, I did my best to treat you. Is there any chance I can ask you for your name though, miss?"

There was a slight pause, as she seemed to debate the question- before she let a long sigh escape from her lips. She'd already decided before coming here that she would entrust this young man with everything that she knew- although it wasn't as much as she would like. Someone like him, someone unconnected to any groups or organizations, and yet someone who still had access to the police and police records, was about the only person she could think to turn to. She already knew he'd twice crossed paths with the Organization, and had lived to tell the tale both times. There was also the fact that he was the last person she knew had dealt with her sister before her untimely death- the last person who was still alive, that was. Like her sister, her two partners had both been killed.

Those of the Organization were skilled at covering their tracks.

"I'm Miyano Shiho." Shiho told him finally, locking gazes with him. "That's not a name to be repeated outside of this house. Nor is my codename."

"Codename?" Shinichi asked, slowly lowering his mug. He had a niggling feeling that he knew where this was leading, and she had now managed to more than catch his attention.

"Sherry." Shiho told him, feeling that he'd understand more than a few things just from that alone, if his skills really were as good as she'd heard. "I prefer my own name, though."

"Miyano-san it is then." Shinichi said simply, slowly taking in and letting out a breath. Gin, Vodka, Tequila, and now Sherry. There was no doubt that this woman was related to those mysterious men in black whose shadows he had been trying to chase. Given that she'd turned up in front of his house in such a state, he had a crawling feeling that they didn't know she was here- and given the way she'd forbade him to speak her name outside of his home, he had a feeling that if they knew where she was, she'd likely be dead.

And he himself with her, he could only assume. What a charming notion.

"And what exactly is it that brings you to my doorstep this evening, Miyano-san?" Shinichi asked, his tone gradually becoming more serious. "From the sound of your codename alone, I get the feeling that you're mixed up in something big."

"I came because I want your help, Kudo Shinichi." Shiho told him plainly. "But I will tell you this much before I begin. If you do chose to involve yourself with me, know that it carries with it the risk that you and those around you might be put into harm's way, and that accepting the case I bring you carries with it the risk of your death. There's a dangerous lot that will be chasing after me very soon, if they are not doing so already. If you still want me to continue with my story, then I will, but if you want nothing to do with that sort of danger, then I will take my leave from here and you can forget that I ever came."

"That's not really a question, is it?" Shinichi asked, a hint of a smirk crossing his face. "Even if it's dangerous, if you cast a case in front of me as big as the one you're holding, there's no way I'm going to run away from it."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Shiho responded simply, closing her eyes and letting out a long breath, before she opened them once more, her gaze meeting his own. "Well then, Kudo-kun. Let me start from the very beginning."


"You're up early as usual, Heiji." Letting out a loud yawn as she made her way into the kitchen, Kazuha rubbed the last traces of sleep out of her eyes. It was just the two of them in the kitchen for the moment, so she allowed herself the use of his real name. "You don't even have school for another hour."

"I'm used ta gettin' up early." Glancing up at his childhood friend, Kaname flashed her a small grin. He'd actually already been awake for an hour now- when he was his normal size, he'd always wake up early in the morning to take a jog, before practicing his forms out in the yard- and even though he could only still do the latter without anyone trying to stop him, he still hadn't broken the habit of waking up early yet. "Ya know what they say about old habits."

"Are ya sure yer just not excited about bein' able ta go ta Tokyo?" Kazuha asked him, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to him, giving him a small smile. "Ya were practically glowin' last night when ya got the call from your father, after all. Are ya really excited that you might be able to meet that Kudo guy?"

"That's not it." Shooting her something of a dirty look, Kaname quickly turned away from her. "I'm just excited that I might finally be able ta find a lead on those guys, seein' as the one that Nanako had didn't really pan out."

"I really do hope her sister's alright." Kazuha said with a small frown. She couldn't forget the look of despair that had crossed the shrunken woman's face when she'd learned that there had been a fire at a pharmaceutical research lab- one that upon studying the story more closely, she'd become certain was where her sister had worked. No traces of any bodies had been found, providing her some cold comfort that her sister might have gotten away from them and was still alive, but even with that, she couldn't fight off the feeling of dread that everything that she might have done might have been in vain.

Another month had passed since then, and nothing had turned up- no traces of Nanako's younger sister, whose name she had given as Miyano Shiho, and no further traces of those men in black. While they hadn't been able to go investigate the site of the fire themselves, Heiji's father had pulled the records- while the local police had concluded that it was an accident due to faulty wiring, the truth was likely very different. From what little Nanako knew about the shadowy Organization that she had existed on the very edges of, it was that they always erased their traces very thoroughly when there was a risk of a possible leak, and that they would often make it look like an accident in the process.

Although on the surface, Nanako seemed to be dealing with it well, Kazuha suspected that she just wasn't letting how worried she was for her sister show on her face, trying her best to keep up her cheerful demeanor so as to not trouble anyone. It didn't lessen her resolve to help them any, however- if those men in black had really killed her sister, then she would never forgive them, and she would do anything that she could to ensure that they would pay- even if it wasn't very much, she'd admit, all while glancing down at her own shrunken form.

"Yes, yes, I understand." Kazuha said, casting a slightly fond smile at her shrunken friend. It was a bit strange to think how surreal she'd found this situation only a few scant months ago- but now she'd completely gotten used to having her childhood friend living in her home, with a child's appearance- and voice. Sometimes she actually forgot what his real voice sounded like- she just knew that she missed it. "Well, hopefully everythin' works out, Heiji. At this rate, yer gonna wind up missing class advancements."

"Well, although I suppose that's not entirely true." Kazuha said after a moment, letting a faint chuckle escape from her. "After all, you'll still move up a grade- ta second grade."

"Don't remind me." Casting her somewhat of a surly look, Kaname heaved a long sigh. "Honestly. At this rate, I really will get held back. Who's gonna take a detective who got held back seriously?"

"An' then you'll have ta call me Kazuha-senpai." Lightly teasing him, a joking smile flashed across Kazuha's face, which grew all the more as Kaname's glower only grew. Anything he would have wanted to say in retort was cut short by the sound of the kitchen door opening up, and her mother entering the room. "Oh, good mornin', mom."

"Good morning, you two." With a smile, Kazuha's mother greeted the both of them, pausing briefly to ruffle the hair of the young freeloader they'd picked up, which earned her a faint grumble. She could only give a faint laugh in response- she'd become rather attached to the child that Kazuha had brought home with her late one evening, telling her that he was a relative of Heiji's, and that he needed a place to stay for awhile. "Are you all packed for your trip to Tokyo? The two of you are leaving with that Hanasaki girl after school, right?"

"That's right." Giving her mother a quick nod, Kazuha beamed at her. "I'll pick up Kaname-kun an' Nanako-chan from school, an' then we'll be headin' ta the station. I'll call ya when we get there."

"Good. I hope the three of you have a good time, and don't run into any trouble." Her smile not quite faded from her face, she reached out to lightly pinch one of Kaname's cheeks, ignoring the protests that it got from the seven year old. "Considering that this one seems to be just as much of a magnet for it as Heiji is. Honestly though," Finally releasing Kaname's cheek, Kazuha's mother slightly puffed out her cheeks. "Where exactly did that boy run off to? What case could possibly be so important that he's missed three months of school for it?"

"Well, ya know how Heiji is, mom." Kazuha told her with a slight smile, doing her best to mask her laughter as Kaname rubbed his cheek, brows furrowing together in a sharp glare. Come to think of it, her mother had doted on Heiji the same way when he'd been an actual seven year old the first time around, so somehow, it didn't really surprise her that she was doing it again on his second go-around- even if she had no idea that Heiji and Kaname were actually the same person. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Well, I don't doubt that much at least. He's got a remarkable talent for escaping the trouble he finds." Folding her arms in front of her chest, a considering look crossed the woman's face. "Honestly, I don't know if that boy is lucky or unlucky. He finds far too much trouble for a young man of his age, it's frankly a miracle that he hasn't gotten badly hurt yet."

"I'm goin' ta get ready fer school!" Speaking up sharply, Kaname grumbled to himself as he jumped down from his chair. Honestly, they didn't have to talk about him when he was right there! And here Kazuha was, encouraging her mother to go on and on about him. All but stomping out of the kitchen, Kazuha snorted a little as he tried and failed to slam the door behind him.

If Hattori Heiji at full size was a hotblooded, raging inferno, then little Tsukiyama Kaname, Kazuha decided, was an temperamental little firecracker.


"Ah, by the way, Miyano, I'll be a little late coming home from school today." Glancing up across the breakfast table, Shinichi cast a quick smile towards the young woman who had wound up taking up residence in his home. This was, of course, largely a secret- outside from his parents, the only other person who knew about this freeloader he'd picked up was the Professor that lived next door. He hadn't even told Ran about the matter, not wanting to involve her in something that could be dangerous. "I've got a client to meet after school."

"Is that so?" Shiho asked simply, taking a bite out of her toast, otherwise casting a disinterested look towards him. As much as she was grateful to him for not only agreeing to help her, but also to graciously allow her to hide herself in his own house, she wasn't the type to outwardly show it much. She hadn't quite expected that he'd be more than willing to allow her to live with him, however, having expected that after she made contact with him, she'd end up finding her own place to hide, out of the line of sight of the men in black.

Perhaps out in the mountains somewhere- someplace where they wouldn't be likely to look for her. Living in an actual home, even if it were one that she couldn't step outside of for fear of discovery, was definitely the better alternative, she'd admit.

"Well, hopefully it shouldn't take too long, but if anything comes up that stretches it out, I'll give you a call and let you know." Shinichi told her. As much disinterest she showed in his words, he knew that every time he came back home later than planned without warning, she worried- not necessarily for him, he didn't think the two of them had managed to become that close. But he knew that it was those sorts of inconsistencies that triggered something of a paranoid reaction in her, one that was more than perfectly understandable given how fully aware she was about what those men in black were capable of.

The lab she had been working out of had been destroyed, and even though she didn't say it in so many words, Shinichi had a feeling that she was supposed to be in it at the time. Thankfully, her wrist had properly healed in spite of not having a real doctor look at it, but he'd gathered that she'd done that to herself in order to escape.

She blamed him, he knew, for not looking into the matter of Hirota Masami- who had turned out to be her older sister, Miyano Akemi- deeper. If he had, she'd said, then her sister might still be alive today. While her body had never been found, she'd been given a deadly poison, she had told him- and there had been a very visible pain that flashed through her eyes when she admitted, almost in a whisper, that it had been one that she designed herself.

He couldn't imagine what kind of burdens she was carrying on her shoulders. She might have been a year older than him, sure enough, but that was still far too young to carry such weight. He'd come close- far too close, to carrying such a weight himself- if he hadn't made it back to the community center at that time, he might have not been able to rescue the culprit behind the Tsukikage Island murders from the fire they had set to kill themselves.

It had been a very near thing. The inferno was already raging, the flames that licked the night sky as bright as they were hot.

"I'll keep it in mind, Kudo-kun." Shiho noted. "Have you gotten any leads in regards to them, speaking of cases?"

"No, nothing yet. I've been looking, though." Shaking his head, a frustrated look crossed his face. While he got the feeling that there were still things that Shiho wasn't telling him in regards to the men in black, he didn't think she was purposefully withholding any information from them that would have allowed his investigation to move forward. "Just like you said, they're good at covering their tracks."

He'd gone back to reinvestigate the one billion yen robbery, the one that Shiho's older sister had been involved in- though he'd turned up nothing new. He knew that she was right, though- if he had looked into the mystery of Hirota Masami a little bit deeper at the time, he might have been able to save her from her fate. That weighed on him, more than a little.

He wouldn't make that same mistake twice, he vowed.

"Well, I didn't think it would be that simple." Shiho admitted after a moment. "Do take care of yourself, Kudo-kun."

"Don't worry about me, Miyano." His smile meant to reassure, Shinichi stood up, pushing back his chair. "I'm not called the Heisei Holmes for nothing, you know."

"Yes, I know. You've told me that an endless number of times now." Came Shiho's dry reply, as she took a sip of her coffee, her gaze briefly flickering over towards him. When she had agreed to his offer of living with him, she hadn't expected that it would come along with an endless amount of utterly inane chatter in regards to the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.

It was in those moments, Shiho privately thought, that living in the mountains almost sounded like the better of the two options.


"The reservation for Toyama? One moment." Watching as the woman behind the front desk carefully typed a few things into their computer, before smiling broadly at the teenager girl in front of her, Kazuha found herself returning her own smile. Although Kaname had wanted to dash off towards Shinichi's address first thing, she'd managed to restrain him and drag him to the hotel they'd be spending the night in, so they could at the very least put their things down first. "Ah, here we are. How many room keys will you need?"

"Three." Kazuha said, holding up the matching number of fingers. Watching as the woman bowed her head, she quickly made three key cards, which she slid over towards Kazuha. Taking them from her, she carefully passed two down to the not-children that waited by her legs. Thankfully nobody so much as questioned why she was traveling with two children that she very clearly appeared not to be directly related to. "Thank you very much."

With their hotel registration taken care of, Kazuha turned around on her heel, smiling down at Kaname and Nanako. "Now then, you two. Let's go check out our room, an' then we can go find Kudo-han's house. Ya did bring the directions, didn't ya, Kaname-kun?"

"Of course I did!" Beaming brightly, Kaname gave his own bag a pat. His usual travel duffel looked almost comically large hanging over his shoulder, but if he had any trouble carrying it, she didn't notice. Certainly, his strength had taken a hit since shrinking down to his current size- but even as a child, Heiji had always been pretty agile and physically gifted. Nevertheless, she made a mental note to purchase him a more child sized bag when she had the chance, as attached as she knew he was to that particular design.

"Good." Nodding her head, Kazuha couldn't help but smile a little. This was a pretty nice hotel, after all, and it wasn't often that she got to stay in such places. She'd accompanied Heiji on a number of trips before, but they usually just ended up freeloading at someone else's house if they ended up staying overnight. "Then, let's go."

Leading the pair towards the elevators, the trio just barely missed a young man wearing the blue jacket and green tie of the local high school enter the hotel, searching for the client that he was supposed to meet there. Nor did he himself pay any attention to the teenage girl stepping into one of the elevators with two children in tow, as he quickly spotted his client, and made his way over towards him. Unaware that the one that they had come to Beika to look for in the first place was in the very lobby, the three blissfully stepped into the elevator, heading up to their room. Exchanging a small nod with the hotel employee who was getting off on the same floor as them, they let him get off first, pushing his wheeled cart ahead of them.

Once in the room, Kazuha cast a quick assessing eye over it- and grabbed Kaname by the shoulder before he could dart in, trying to claim one of the two beds for himself. "You," she began, glancing down at him, before turning her gaze towards the room's fold out couch. "...get the couch."

"Wait a second, why!?" Kaname protested, watching as Nanako effortlessly moved past the two of them, carefully claiming one of the two beds for her own.

"Because yer the smallest out of the three of us." Kazuha said- and with a playful grin on her face, she all but scooped her shrunken friend up into her arms, holding him fast against his squirming, carrying him over towards the aforementioned couch and plopping him down on it. "Besides, it folds out into a bed anyways."

"This is unfair." Glowering up at her, Kaname folded his arms in front of his chest. "Why can't I just share a bed with ya then, Kazuha?"

"Because underneath that adorable seven year old appearance, yer a seventeen year old boy, that's why." Kazuha told him, planting her hands on her hips, hoping that her point wasn't undermined by the faint red tint that crept it's way to her cheeks- the fact that she caught the look that Nanako cast her way out of the corner of her eyes sure didn't help matters. The fact that he was even bringing that up as suggestion made it pretty clear to her that he still didn't see her as anything but a childhood friend- honestly, what was it going to take to get her feelings for him through his dense head?

Not that she could do anything about them when he still looked like a child, but it was still nevertheless frustrating.

"I'm not sharing with you either, Hattori-kun." Nanako noted lightly, casting a glance over towards him as she briefly adjusted her glasses. She couldn't help but look at the pair as if they were her younger siblings as well- even if she only looked older than one of them. "Just accept your fate already. I'm sure it's a very nice couch bed."

"The two of ya are both unfair." Grumbling to himself, Kaname nevertheless slumped his shoulders, accepting his regulation to the fold out couch bed. "Just ya wait, Kazuha! When I get my real body back, I'm gonna make sure ya remember which one of us is actually the taller of us!"

"Well, right now it's me." Kazuha observed, taking a quick step back to avoid the leg that shot out towards her, a light hint of laughter escaping from her as she tossed her own bag on her bed. "Now, now, now, Heiji! Bein' grumpy all the time is goin' ta stunt yer growth!"

"Oh shut up, idiot." Getting down from the couch and dumping his bag on it, Kaname shoved his hands into his pockets. "Now are we gonna go find Kudo's place or not, Kazuha? We've dropped off our stuff, so how much longer are ya gonna make me wait?"

"Have patience, Heiji. We just spent over an hour on the train, I'd like ta freshen up a little bit first, given the chance." Kazuha told him, a slight frown on her face. "Why don't ya just take a walk around the floor fer now? Get yerself some juice or somethin'. By the time ya come back, we'll both be ready ta go, I'm sure."

Heaving a long sigh, Kaname rubbed the back of his neck, before slowly nodding his head. "Alright. Then, I'll see ya in a bit, Kazuha." With a quick wave of his hand, Kaname ducked outside of the hotel room, letting another sigh escape his lips as he shut the door behind him.

Honestly. It felt like Kazuha's entire way of treating him had completely changed lately. He couldn't get his real body back soon enough- and he could only pray that his fellow high school detective had some kind of lead. If that guy was anything like him, there was no way he wouldn't have been intrigued by his two brushes with those guys in black, and there would be no way that he wouldn't want to know more. If everything went well, maybe they could even work together!

Provided that he took him seriously, Kaname thought to himself, glancing a slightly skeptical glance down at his small form. Hell, even he wouldn't take him seriously in his current state if he didn't know the truth, as loathe as he was to admit it. He'd gotten so used to people listening to him once he'd started to get a bit of fame as a high school detective, that he had almost already forgotten all the trouble he went through when he was still in middle school, when people were chasing him out of crime scenes left and right. And right now, he looked even younger than that- it was no small wonder that so many people just thought of him as a little brat.

He couldn't help but wonder if this Kudo guy would even believe him if he told him the truth- that they were really the same age, and that he was a detective, the same as him. He'd always wanted to meet Kudo Shinichi- but he'd also wanted to do it at his actual height and his actual age, not as a fake seven year old child living underneath a made up name. It sounded like an absurd tale even now. He certainly wasn't about to forget his actual age any time soon, but he'd already started to forget what it was like to view the world from his actual height, having adjusted to coming up to most people's waists now- and he hated it.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone with such thoughts for very long- as he couldn't help but take notice of the same hotel employee that had gotten off the elevator in front of them. He was standing in front of the doors of one of the other rooms, and judging from his demeanor, Kaname quickly deduced that he'd likely been standing out there ever since coming up here.

"Is somethin' wrong?" Kaname asked, peering up at him.

"Ah, the guest in here ordered room service for this exact time, but I've been knocking on the door over and over again, and she still won't answer." The man told him, a slight look of worry on his face, half not certain why he was telling this to a child. Something in his tone of voice, he thought. "I'm quite certain that I can hear the alarm clock going off in there as well."

"Don't ya think that sounds a little bad?" Kaname asked, narrowing his eyes. There was a small gap between the door and the floor, and dropping down, he tried to peek through it. He couldn't make anything out, but he did hear the sound of the alarm clock in question. Pushing himself up back to his feet, he felt a pull at his instincts, telling him that there was going to be something rather unpleasant inside once this door was opened. "Shouldn't ya get a key or somethin' ta open it up? Somethin' might have happened."

"Ah, you're right." Slowly, the man nodded his head. "Then, if you don't mind, boy, do you think you could stay right here while I do that? If I leave the cart unattended, I might get in trouble."

"Yeah, I'll stay right here, don't worry about it!" With a sharp nod of his head, Kaname watched as the man hurried towards the elevator. Watching him step inside, Kaname paused for a moment, before he reached into his pocket, pulling out his handkerchief. With it wrapped around his hand, he carefully gave the door's handle a wiggle, confirming that it in fact, was locked. Since he hadn't heard the sound of the hotel door locking behind him when he'd left his own room, he could only assume that the doors in this hotel didn't auto lock.

And as much as there was a bad feeling brewing within him, he couldn't help but feel the hint of a grin appear on his face for that very same reason. If his instincts were right, then...


"Oh?" Blinking a little as he noticed a familiar face enter the hotel, Shinichi couldn't help but be distracted from the story his client was telling him. Taking notice that the familiar portly Inspector had a number of police officers in tow with him, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong.

Thankfully, Inspector Megure took notice of Shinichi as well, and made his way over towards him, after briefly conferring with some of his fellow officers, who headed towards the elevators without him. "Oh, Kudo-kun! Fancy running into you here like this!"

"Did something happen, Inspector Megure?" Shinichi asked, blinking a little. He had noticed that there seemed to be something of a fuss at the front desk out of the corner of his eye, and he knew without even having to ask that whatever that had been about was related directly to why the Inspector was here. Had there been an accident? A robbery or a theft? A case of assault? Or perhaps...

"Ah, actually," Dropping his voice and glancing around the lobby, Megure leaned in towards the young man. "Just a little bit ago, a corpse was found inside one of the hotel rooms here. A young woman was found strangled in her bathtub."

"Then, it's a murder?" Shinichi whispered, before narrowing his eyes, glancing back towards the client that he had been speaking with. Come to think of it, he'd been telling him about how his wife was behaving oddly lately, as if she were worried about something- and he'd mentioned that she was here with him as well. It couldn't possibly be...

"What room?" Shinichi asked.

"Room 406." Megure recalled off the top of his head, watching as a spark shot through the young detective's eyes, as he slowly turned towards the man he was with.

"Miyahara-san, what room did you say you and your wife were staying in?" Shinichi asked.

"Room 406." The man replied, blinking slowly- but even amidst his confusion, he could see the rising sense that he'd realized something might be wrong, as the man himself rose to his feet. "Um, did something happen to my wife?"

Glancing between the young man and the high school detective, Megure's eyes narrowed, putting two and two together himself. "I think it's best if you come up with us, sir. I'm afraid that it's not good news." He didn't want to risk the man making a scene in the middle of the lobby- the police entering the hotel had generated enough of a buzz already. As he lead the both of them upstairs, joining the officers that had already arrived, he lead them towards the hotel room in question.

Shinichi couldn't count the number of times that he'd watched someone fall to their knees upon seeing the corpse of their loved one- he'd learned to not let it effect him after awhile, tragic though it was. It seemed that consulting with a detective had come too late for the young woman who lay sprawled out, still fully clothed, in the bathtub, the marks left behind on her neck the only traces of whatever had been used to strangle her. A quick glance at the bathroom door told him that it had been broken open, probably having been locked before that. If he didn't miss his guess, the hotel room itself had been locked as well- and there was a key card lying on the bedside table. He already knew that this hotel had doors that didn't auto lock- he'd worked a case at this very hotel before, in fact. If that was the only key card the couple had, then this was a locked room murder within a locked room murder.

The somewhat solemn scene was quickly broken however, by an exchange that occurred back at the front door, drawing everyone's attention away from the corpse.

"Wait a second, you can't come in here, kid!"

"What are ya talkin' about, old man? Sure I can, I'm the one who found that Neechan in the first place!" Glowering up at the officer who had tried to impede his path was a dark skinned child, a baseball cap tugged snugly over his dark hair and turned forwards, so that the brim shadowed his face, though not enough to conceal his blue eyes and thick eyebrows from view. Based on his appearance, Shinichi determined that he was somewhere around seven years of age, and based on his accent, he could easily guess that he was from the Kansai region.

He couldn't decide if the skull and crossbones on this kid's shirt was either entirely fitting for the situation, or horrendously inappropriate. Either way, it wasn't as if the kid had picked out his clothes that morning knowing that he was going to wind up finding a corpse.

And what Shinichi understood even less was the look of brief surprise that crossed the unknown child's face as he turned his attention towards him- before that expression quickly changed into what he could only describe as a challenging smirk. Locking eyes with Shinichi, the child looked equal parts elated and smug, a rather baffling mix of emotions, considering that he'd just found a corpse, given what he'd just said. Weren't children usually upset by that sort of thing?

It would be the first time that Shinichi would cross paths with the one known as Tsukiyama Kaname- and by no means would it be the last. At the time, however, he had no way of knowing that it was also the first time he would cross paths with the one known as the detective of the west, the one who had been dubbed his rival by the papers- the one known as Hattori Heiji.