Heya for the next chapter : )

Let's dive a bit deeper in Akako's world ! ; )

(I should have kept those chapters for Halloween, would have been funnier xD)

o.O.o

Laury Rose : Wow 3 reviews ? :O That's quite the catch up xD Chap 4 : Yup, alive and kicking! : ) Hmm, yea, it was a bit easy, don't you think... ? *evil smile* Oh yea, that's going to happen pretty soon, careful Shinichi, Ran is going to be angry xD Chap 5 : Haha, nah, they didn't but never underestimate Kaito... or his mother ; ) Yea, I like the idea of a Shinichi who had his mother's skills that rubbed on him ^^ And see how he ca be a drama queen as Conan, of course he'd still be able to as Shinichi xD Uhh since you read 3 chapters in a row, I guess my hypnosis is a bit too high, still xD Chap 6 : Happy, of course, yes ! :D I don't think we ever saw Shin / Conan try to drive... So was fun to imagine him as bad (or shouldn't we say gifted ? xD) as his mother ^^ Maa, of course, Shin is their biggest fan, see how he encourages them as Conan in the manga ! ; ) But yea, he waited a bit til Heiji was a bit more in shape, he knew he'd need loads of energy to deal with Kazuha xD Yea, I was motivated enough to start the French translation ; )

YJV : Thanks you ! : )

crimson sana : Naaah, better tell you that now, I know it's usual to pair those 2 in the MK fandom so they don't end as singles but that's a no go for me. I can't picture a Cartesian as Hakuba to be able to pair with a witch as Akako. Even her existence is something his mind can't comprehend so I don't see anything that could bring them together. The only thing they have in commun is their egocentrism and that doesn't help pairing people, not at all. And with Akako being able to charm the boys, wouldn't there always be the question of him being willingly with her or not ? And since she has a thing on Kaito also, how to be sure she doesn't turn to Hakuba out of heartache ? Nah, I've seen some nice stories with that couple but that's too many impossibilities for me, sorry : )

Anilover : Yup, a bit of Akako for next adventure ; ) Ah, this comes from the Spider Mansion case : Heiji explains he goes all the way there to solve the case, of course, but also to give the money back to the guy. That's where he says he'll never accept even a cent as a high school detective and will not get paid for solving a case. So I wanted to refer a bit to that : after serval years saying "no" to money, I imagined it would be a bit hard for him to get used to being paid : )

emmahoshi : Ah, well, he's always been obsessed with it, right ? ; ) Ah, I used only easy words, I'll put 'subtitles' if one day I want more french in my stories xD I won't complain about that, Poirot can speak as much french as he wants xD Ah yea, but he had no choice, eh ? And a crazy speedy driver is the one you need to escape the police so he has to deal with it and be grateful :p Hmm it's just that when you talk about life-endangering wounds, it's always about chest's wounds (well except the ones with extreme bleeding) so yea, I guess I love lungs for that xD Was fun having Hakuba mentioning it, it brought a reference to the former story : ) Hmm let's say it's getting better between the both of them, I wouldn't say it's for the best yet. But yea, those two love each other, that's sure but with their clumsiness sand their fear to hurt the other, I don't think it would be easy everyday for them^^; Yup, no good will come from Akako xD This chap is... a bit cliffy, but nothing too hard ; )

JarayZ : Ah well, my chapters are around 2k-3k words so yes, some can end quicker : ) Yes, I wonder... Maybe by his looks ? :p Lol, yea, let's say it was intentional xD Yup, it was fun mentioning both mothers, I know our heroes are adults but our parents influence our grown up's lives more than we could imagine ; ) Of course, I HAD to feature Akako in that story, she's a big part of MK and indeed, she probably knows or can learn far more than the others about Pandora : ) Ah, we're speaking of Akako the great red witch, she's due to be portrayed as a badass, at least by me xD


Chapter 7 - Haunted Manor


"- Oh, this place is so gorgeous !" Ran said as she saw the old mansion at the end of the alley she was walking on, a crimson colour on its high walls with the last rays of the evening sun.

"- Totally ! Looks like it's coming out from an old European movie !" Kazuha agreed with a delighted face.

"- Don't forget it's supposed to be full of ghosts..." Shinichi reminded her with a malicious smirk.

"- Killer ghosts even... Ya sure ya'll be able ta spend a night here ? "Heiji added, mirroring his best friend's expression.

"- Uhhh stop it..." The long-haired girl pledged, her happy face fading quickly.

"- Ya both know we don't like those..." The female Osakan scolded, stopping to take her friend's hand, as if each could protect the other of the cold chill that ran along their spines.

"- Eh, ya could've said no... I told ya ta, it could be dangerous...

- What about ya ? Ya're barely healed... And didn't ya said yerself the client encouraged ya ta bring more people ?

- She said 'useful people'...

- What are ya implying ?!"

Kaito smiled as he saw from behind the two Osakan snapping at each other, back so soon to normal after just a few days of cohabitation. He was walking a bit behind the four friends, with Aoko and Saguru by his side.

"- So ? What did she really ask for, Saguru ?

- Exactly as I said previously. She asked for both your and my help me and anyone we trusted and who could be strong enough to defend himself. I guess I understand now why she needed some additional manpower, this place seems indeed quite wide...

- What was the problem you said ? Something about someone stalking her ?" Aoko asked with worry for her former classmate.

"- Not exactly..." The blond-haired answered, taking his notebook out. "This place is a heritage, from an old aunt apparently. Before that woman died a few years ago, two of her maids disappeared. Koizumi-san didn't pay attention to these rumours and settled here ten days ago but her servant has also gone missing. She waited a bit but the girl didn't come back, neither here nor by her family, she therefore started to worry...

- I'm a bit surprised she couldn't solve this by herself..." Kaito pointed out, aware of her powers and wondering with apprehension what kind of formidable opponent could trick that magic of hers.

"- Well, she's living alone, you can't ask an ordinary girl to play hide and seek with a what could be a killer ! " His wife stated with a "but-that's-so-obvious" face as she turned to him.

"Haha, she's no ordinary girl..." The Thief snorted in his mind, amused to imagine the witch's face if Aoko told her she was "ordinary".

"- She didn't seem the type that can be scared easily to me..." Hakuba stated, having noticed the girl wasn't someone to meddle with though he couldn't pinpoint why he felt that way.

The blond haired eyed the door, noticing with a small grimace it had been decorated with very bad taste, the wood panel being recovered by what looked like carved miniature skulls.

"- Dear, that's cliché..." He pointed out as a crow flied over them, cawing in the evening's sky.

"- Clearly... " Heiji smiled, seeing the two female friends were getting closer and closer, noticing that the "beautiful manor" was looking more and more like a haunted house now that they were close to it and the sun was setting.

"- Anyone's here ?" Aoko asked, knocking on the door vigorously.

The door slowly opened on a small old man in a suit, with slicked-back hair and a curved back. His face was less than pleasant when he eyed the group in front of the door.

"- Good evening." The half-brit stated, being the first to be able to go over the repulsion that seized them as they saw the man. "My name is Hakuba Saguru, I'm a detective, Koizumi-san hired my services.

- I am aware of it. Come in, young lords and ladies..." He said with a small bow, his face barely lighter now that he knew who the intruders were. " Ojou-sama is waiting for you in the morning room."

Most of them jumped when the door closed with a loud noise, blocking the last rays of the sun, leaving them with only the faint light of some old bulbs here and there, as if made on purpose to strengthen the gloomy atmosphere.

The group followed the old man, coming closer to each other unconsciously as they crossed the house's hallways, its decoration matching the doors', with old armours in the corners, dark-coloured tapestries and apparent stones on all walls, old paintings, mostly centred around the theme of fire, with flames on almost each canvas. Some had more... suggestive subjects, mature ones even for a few.

"That's a red witch for you..." Kaito smirked in his mind.

Though he wondered how Akako could have changed the decoration of the place so fast for it to match to her tastes... Or was it like that before ?

It was with a visible relief that Kazuha and Ran reached the morning room, with its gentle light and its fireplace lightened even in summer but, with its humidity, the place was as cold as a cave and it was clearly needed.

"- Good evening... ?" Ran tried, clearing her throat to bring some strength in her voice to greet the woman sitting in an armchair facing the flames, back turned to them.

"- Oh, good evening !" The black-haired said with a warm voice, getting up to welcome her guests.

Heiji and Shinichi stayed with their mouths opened as the woman came closer to them with a faint smile on her face. They had already met her, at Kaito's wedding, but the girl was even more stunning in the red flickering light of the fireplace, her mysterious and mature aura even more reinforced. Her face was perfect, with her almond shaped brown, almost red, eyes, and her lips of a deep red, like a cherry. Her long jet black hairs were falling along her back, reaching her hips now, emphasizing their curves, fluttering with her every move like some black velvet. Akako had grown in a very gorgeous woman and she knew it.

"- Hum..." Kaito coughed, feeling most of his male friends were fascinated by the witch, trying to have their attention before they humiliated themselves any further in front of the girls they loved. "Hello Akako, it's been a long time ! I don't know if you remember my friends so I'll introduce them again : here are Kudô Shinichi and Hattori Heiji, they are sharing an office with Saguru now. And their respective girlfriends, Mouri Ran and Tôyama Kazuha." He pointed with the hand every person he named, and was glad to see the sound of his voice had gotten his friends out of their daydream.

"- Nice to see you again..." The witch smiled, after an exchange of nods. "And thank you all for coming to help. I thought it would be more pleasant to talk around a meal, so, if you don't mind, let's move to the dining room. You can leave your belongings here, Igor will bring them to your respective rooms later."

The group did as told and started to follow the small man, trying not to leave too much distance, a bit afraid to get lost in such a wide place.

"- Hmm, Akako, a word please ? " Kaito asked with a smile of embarrassment as he saw the others left the room and she was going to follow them.

"- Isn't it a bit early for that, Kaito ? I know I'm irresistible but..." She winked, her tone clearly implying she was talking about nightly occupations... mature ones.

"- Tsk, I'm a married man now... And don't forget your charm doesn't work on me..." The Thief snorted with a smirk.

"- Mah, it's ok, I'll have fun with your friends... That Kudô really looks like you, I could...

- Akako..." Kaito sighed, looking at her with bored eyes.

"- I don't need your permission you know..." She added with a malicious smile.

"- And you don't want to angry Ran... Powers or not, her kicks are strong enough to break stones, not to mention your head...

- Oh, I like a good challenge..."

The indigo-eyed facepalmed with boredom. He knew she was just taunting him but she could be pretty tiring sometimes. "I guess you didn't hire Saguru only to find new preys to add to your list of conquests... What's that about ?

- As I said to Hakuba-kun..." The witch started with a darker face. "I very probably have a murderer under my roof and I'd like to get rid of him. But, since I couldn't find any corpse, the police wouldn't come... Detectives were the best option and I happened to know one...

- You couldn't find him with those powers of yours ?" Kaito asked, a bit surprised, knowing the extent of the girl's abilities.

"- I tried but... Well, this house is the one of my former mentor and the red magic is pretty strong here. It seems to interfere with my powers. Randomly strengthen them or weaken them...

- Oh, that explains why the decoration was fitting you so well after only 10 days here..." The Thief smiled, remembering what he thought when he stepped first in the place. "Could it be another witch ?

- I don't know... Clearly not one of my kind, sacrifices are useless to red witches, it's clearly more efficient with a consenting victim and ... Well... A long night to absorb some vital energy in the most agreeable way possible..." Akako said with a wink. "Only black magic implies sacrifices and they are pretty rare... Seeing how the culprit moves in the house, using the secret passages by night to steal food or kidnap... I'd say it's an ordinary human, familiar to the place, perhaps part of the former staff. But I clearly can't cover that place by myself, and with my maid who disappeared, I had to do something...

- So you called us...

- Yes. Detectives should be able to do a great work in finding the secret passages I don't know... Though I didn't expect you to bring any girl, I thought you'll bring more firepower... This could be dangerous, with someone who very probably killed at least three persons...

- Oh don't worry. Ran has her karate, as I told you. Kazuha is as good as her but in Aikido and Aoko... Well, you know her and her... delicacy, she's able to defend herself..." The Thief finished with a proud smile.

"- Haha, I'm not sure that's really a compliment for a woman...

- It is for my wife, and she knows I mean that as one when I say it..." He denied, not losing his smile.

"- What a pair... Well, if we're finished with that little chat, let's head to the dining room ?"

o.O.o

After a last thank to Igor for his surprisingly more than appreciable cooking, the group settled back in the morning room, the girls chatting together and the boys speaking about the case with the witch.

"- So, apparently this place has quite the reputation..." Shinichi started, getting his notes out. "And that before even the kidnappings occurred...

- Ah well, my... aunt was a bit loony and solitary, so I don't think it helped... I bet she was accused to eat children or things like that ?

- To be honest, it was more about a... kinky side of her..." Saguru admitted, slightly blushing as he remembered the articles he could read.

"- Haha, look at that cherry boy..." Heiji laughed at the half brit's face, noticing his embarrassment.

"- Says the man who isn't even allowed to drink alcohol or even vote by the law... you're more the "boy" than I am." Hakuba coldly stated with a glare at the Osakan.

"- Gents, you stopped this ages ago, it may sound nostalgic to you to fight but it's annoying to us... " Kaito said with a smirk towards his two friends, wanting to stop them before it ended in one of those quarrels they were so good with.

"- Though there was something about a missing teenager..." The Tokyoite pointed out, back to the main subject. "The manor shouldn't have been yours, Koizumi-san, right ?

- Indeed, there was a son in the family. I met him a few times... He and Reda-san were disagreeing a lot so one day, ten years ago, he just left. I won't tell you to drive away the idea he could have been one of the victims but I don't think it's really likely.

- Or ya could have killed him ta have the house...

- Of course. And I asked you all to come to bury you near his body..." Akako stated with irony at the Osakan's remark.

"- That was perhaps a bit straightforward, Heiji... " Shinichi sighed with a grin of apology. "The fact remains that, after ten years, he has been officially declared as dead, according to the law, and the house was legated to you, that's it ?

- Exactly.

- Could you describe the supposed victims ?

- When Reda-san was living here, she told me she lost two of her maids, one was 24, the other 18. Mine is 19. The three of them were efficient and discreet workers, not far away of what I'd call 'pretty'. Not the kind to have problems. They disappeared at night, but the police didn't accept to come and investigate due to the lack of proves that they had been kidnapped and - or murdered. I don't think anything happened here during the 10 years no one lived in the house but I didn't really bother to ask the neighbouring villages.

- Noted..." The blond-haired nodded. "I suppose you haven't any map of that place ?

- I could roughly draw the main hallways but as to hidden passages... I know some but I'm sure there are many others.

- We'll take the sketches." Heiji accepted : incomplete or not, they would help them to find their way here, the place being too big for them to master all the corridors in one single night.

"- How do you want to proceed ?" Kaito wondered, turning to look at Akako.

"- I was thinking in making two groups, me on one side with the master key and maybe you on the other, your... magician's skills should do a great work to open the doors if you're stuck somewhere. And we'll dispatch the detectives in the groups, to find the hidden entrances...

- Sounds good to me." Shinichi agreed. "I suppose we won't be able to use our phones to stay in touch ?

- No, sorry. The phone network doesn't work well in this mountain, so behind these walls of stones, nothing can go through.

- Great..." Heiji sighed, knowing that'd mean they'd have to stay in packs as a safety measure, unless they wanted to get lost in the place and that would mean lose a lot of time in the search.

"- I'll be drawing some maps, just in case we get separated, though I hope it doesn't happen. We'll be leaving soon after."

o.O.o

"- Did anything happen ?" Ran asked with a raised brow as she saw that, for the second time, Shinichi looked embarrassed when Aoko accidentally touched him as they walked.

"- Uhh..." Shinichi hesitated, not wanting to lie to her anymore after everything that happened as he was Conan. But he still hadn't been able to talk to her about what happened when Kid got arrested, as he would have been forced to unveil Kaito's secret identity.

"- This is so stupid... " Aoko sighed, rolling her eyes. "I kissed him, that's why.

- Don't..." The detective wanted to stop her, a bit too late.

"- Shoo ! Go with Kaito at the front, I'm dealing with that. "The magician's wife drove him away with a move of the hand, under Ran's blank expression, unable to believe what she just heard. "No need to beat around the bush, this really starts to annoy me, it's been going for too long.

- Going for too long... ?" The law student finally managed to articulate, paling several shades as she imagined the worst betrayals.

"- I'm sorry Ran, I didn't want to hurt you or mess with your couple but I had to do it. This was necessary to convince my father that Shinichi was Kaito and this was the most efficient way. So, sorry about that, but if I had to do it again to save Kaito, I would.

- But why would you... Convince your father ? Where was Kaito ?

- Kaito was here also, but he was in the Kaitou Kid's clothes.

- Why would he... ?

- Because he's the Kid.

- What ?!" The long-haired girl looked at the other with eyes wide with startle, as she was trying to process the information.

"- Sorry we hid it from you. The boys and I found out 4 years ago and decided not to speak about it. It was stupid finally, there was really no need, we should have trusted you back then.

- And your father ? Does he ...

- He's the only one who should never hear about that. It would hurt him so much..." Aoko admitted with a small guilty smile.

Ran looked at her, silent, her head full of questions, not really knowing how she should react.

"- Kaito has his reasons... Good ones. You can ask Shinichi for more information."

The girl turned her head to look at her boyfriend who had stopped a bit further and was looking at her with expectation, expression Kaito seemed to mirror.

She felt some anger, of being tricked once more, and to learn it because Aoko had...

"- Shin. !" She growled, coming closer to him, seeing with satisfaction the detective was stepping back and now leaning against the wall, trying to look as small as possible as she approached him.

"- Ran, I..." The Tokyoite stopped as the girl slammed her fist against the stones just near his head with a menacing glare.

He couldn't finish his sentence as he felt something moved in his back, and he slid on the floor, taking Ran with him, as the panel he was leaning against turned on itself.

A cloud of dust erupted as they hit the floor and they coughed, unable to see anything.

"- Ran, are you ok ?" Shinichi was finally able to ask, rubbing the dust out of his crying eyes to look at his girlfriend.

"- Yea..." She coughed, rolling on the side as she was still on the top of the detective.

He smiled at her with relief, but saw her expression wasn't encouraging. "Hey, I'm sorry but this secret wasn't mine, I couldn't...

- Blame it on me if you want..." Kaito said as he approached them, holding his hand to help the woman on her feet.

"- I'm indeed not finished with you..." Ran said, eyeing him with a cold look, though she nevertheless took his stretched hand. "But since I found this secret passage way, let's focus on that."

Shinichi got up and switched his old good torch-light watch on, to give them a bit of light. He carefully walked into the passageway, after checking the others were following him.

The floor was dusty but there were some footprints here and there, clearly indicating the way was in use and that very recently.

"- Be cautious... Someone is using this passage..." The Tokyoite warned his friends.

Following the trail of steps for a while, the group finally went down a tiny staircase, and ended in a gloomy place, with a few doors, some opened, some closed, but the place was giving the chills to everyone, even if they couldn't pinpoint why...

Shinichi tested a door but was unable to open it. "Kaito ?

- I'm on it..." The Thief said, grabbing some tools in his pocket to force the door.

It opened on a creaking noise, and the detective stepped in, using his light to see the inside, Ran near him, ready to defend them if they met anyone.

Feeling something against his shoe, the Tokyoite lowered his watch and stopped, an icy chill along his spine at the sight of what was near his foot.

He wasn't apparently the only one to have noticed what was on the floor, according to Ran's horrified yell, echoing in the whole passage way.


I don't think Akako's servant had a name, so I made it up… Igor is really the name of all dark forces' servants xD