Man, I've been waiting to post up the next part,
and I know you readers are getting antsy over what will become of Conan.
I bet many of you are also wondering why they took Aoko, huh?
Well, it'll be answered shortly.
Anyway, let the curtain rise on my puppets!
[Who I do not, officially, own outside of Pierre and the Kawasakis of course-]
...
"We're his little henchmen and we take our job with pride. We do our best to please him and stay on his good side"Mr. Y's attributes sang, dancing in spirals and flowing flames abroad.
"I've got something, listen now, this one is real good, you'll see. We'll surround them and snatch them easily," Fleck suddenly began, appearing from beneath the dragon that had swirled into the crowd of spectators.
"Upon their place there will be a note. Telling their families we have took them now, give them a map to where to go"
"And then we'll have them all in One, two, three!"
In that instant the over-sized dragon whirled around Conan, Ran, Aoko, and Kaito, causing a huge confusion amongst them.
"Tantei-kun-!" Kaito suddenly hollered as he was shoved over to one side.
"Get off me!" Came another voice.
"Kidnap the Phantom guests, beat them with a stick. Lock them up for ninety years, see what makes them tick."
"Kidnap the Phantom guests, chop them into bits, the great O'master Mr. Y is sure to get his kicks."
"Kidnap the Phantom guests, see what we will see. Lock them in a cage and then throw away the key! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
The whole area suddenly lit up in lights and smoke, confusing the whole lot and causing a few kids to scream.
When it had dispersed, the attributes were all lined up ready for their bows, but the dragon was no more.
The crowd applauded, laughing and cheering happily, not taking notice of the fact that the group of four that had been surrounded were now only two.
Kaito looked around, whirling his eyes to see his tantei-kun.
"Where did they go?" He asked in both anger and shock.
The brunette next to him simply looked at Kaito, with the all so obvious answer in her eyes.
Kaito now peered at the girl,
he had at first thought it was Aoko but it was Ran...
"Wheres Aoko?" The thief suddenly asked his voice becoming hoarse.
"They took her" She muttered with a cry. "And Conan"
'And Conan' Kaito thought bitterly, his heart clenching tight.
The magician suddenly stood tall, storming over to the attributes who were now dispersing before the crowd.
"Where are they?" He asked bitterly, seizing one of the trapeze females.
"Who?" She asked all so casually despite his manner.
"You know who" The thief answered with a glare.
The girl simply smiled and then glanced over to the floor, Kaito followed the gaze and found himself staring at a note by Ran's feet..
...
"Where are we, where are you taking me?" Conan asked a bit roughly, as he was escorted through a tunnel of some sorts.
When that dragon had gone around them, he had been snatched up and placed into a sack, now he had no idea where he was.
But from what he deduced,
he was underground, possibly under the amusement park itself, at least that would explain all the slight noises from above.
'Dammit' He thought, his eyes following the attributes who were leading him to who knows where, 'What am I going to do?'
"As you know, I am Miss Fleck" Fleck began singing as musical notes began soaring through the dark tunnel.
"The Mighty Squelch" The second, unfamiliar, attribute sang.
"Skeletonal" The third stated, this one being the familiar tattooed skeleton.
"At your service" All three declared, Fleck turning to glance at him, and the other two making sure to barricade an exit behind him.
"And his..." Fleck added, full of adoration.
"Come along and follow us" Skeletonal began, his voice rising.
"Come and follow faster" Fleck continued.
"Come along and follow us" Squelch sang.
"Come and meet the master" All three sand in harmony. "Hurry up and follow us, hurry if you care to, soon the dark will swallow us...follow if you dare
to..."
"...is this where Mr. Y lives?" Conan began, following the trio, making sure to be on his toes.
'If he is here...' He thought, eyes glaring halfway, 'Then I could knock him out with a sleep dart and hopefully escape and get the others in time...' The boy continued to think as he glanced up at Fleck, 'But with them here...it's a risk...'
"This is where he works" Skeletonal answered.
"Step lively child" Fleck stated, her voice sounding a bit sinister.
"He is waiting" Squelch ended, ushering him into a massive doorway.
The boy stepped forward, the door closing behind him, leaving him alone in the massive room,
or at least that had been his first impression.
A figure of a man sat by an organ, one that reflected a resemblance to the one beneath the opera house, in fact,
this whole place seemed to be an exact replica of it, only more up to date and even stranger...
"What is this place...?" He asked slowly, knowing that the other man already knew he was there.
The figure stood, turning to gaze at him through the familiar black mask, his eyes peering at him in wonder.
"This is my realm, my illusion domain..." He answered, looking about to glance at every detail. "For music and beauty, and art..."
Conan glanced at the man, making sure to look un-suspicious to it all.
"So...this is where you live now?" He inquired earning a slight chuckle from the other.
"Well, I couldn't exactly remain where I once was, now could I?"
"True" The shorter one answered, moving about the room to stare at the many trinkets about.
"You may look around if you wish" The man stated, causing Conan to half glance at him. "I hope everything here is to your interest and liking"
The boy slightly nodded at that and actually looked about, eying the man's many creations.
Before him sat countless music boxes, each different from the one before it, but when played it was the same tune...
"Look with your heart..." Conan whispered as the tune started up.
"Yes" The man stated, peering over the table, "It is a favorite among many"
Conan nodded once again and then glanced at a switch on the table.
"What is that?" The boy asked, feeling quite nosey.
"Why don't you pull it and find out...?" The man asked, amusement in his voice, as if he had been waiting for him to ask him that very question.
Conan was very suspicious of the man,
but the switch was irking at him, daring him to pull the lever,
and hadn't this man said he would never harm him...?
He hadn't tried anything thus far...
Yet, still...
It was a risk...
The inner Shinichi of him was screaming at him to leave it alone,
yet the inner Conan/Detective was telling him it wouldn't hurt to find out.
So, he moved hesitantly forward,
stepping slowly towards the lever, his breath hitching.
"Go ahead" the man encouraged as his hand reached up towards it.
'Just do it' A voice within him whispered, as he paused in his actions.
'Do it!' It screamed as he pulled the trigger down.
Instantly, a blast of music enveloped the room,
igniting a brilliant radiant show of light and sparks all around.
"Have you ever yearned to go, past the world you think you know?" The man began singing to the rock beat that had enveloped the whole room. "Been
in thrall to the call of the Beauty Underneath?"
"Have you let it draw you in, past the place where dreams begin? Felt the full breathless pull of the Beauty Underneath?"
"When the dark unfolds it's wings, do you sense the strangest things? Things no-one would ever guess? Things mere words cannot express?"
"Yes" Conan felt himself answering, his voice becoming light and a bit hoarse.
"Do you find yourself beguiled, by the dangerous and wild? Do you feed on the need for the Beauty Underneath?"
As the man continued a chandelier of golden hands suddenly appeared from the ceiling, grip onto levers that sat above,
"Have you felt your senses surge, and surrendered to the urge? And been hooked as you looked at the Beauty Underneath?"
A large mechanical Gorilla suddenly began playing to the beat, it moving and working seemingly on it's own accord.
"When you stare behind the night, can you glimpse it's primal might, might you hunger to posses?"
"Hunger that you can't repress?"
A smoke screen suddenly became apparent as it danced about the room, swirling to every beat,
reflecting every light that bounced and shimmered.
"Yes" Conan answered once again, not being able to begin to wonder what was going on.
His mind seemed to feel light, his thoughts running obscure...
"It seems so beautiful...so strange yet beautiful" He whispered. "Everything is just as you said..."
His eyes wandered over to a panel that was now moving and reflecting a room of mirrors, each one swirling and casting a different ghoul within it.
"And the resemblance, the all so resemblance, I know inside you can't be, and yet you and he see the very same way!"
"When it lifts it's voice and sings,"
"And sings" Conan repeated,
"Don't you feel amazing things?"
"Amazing things" He repeated, watching another auto-bot move about the room and and spew small fireworks.
"Things you know you can't confess? Things you thirst for nonetheless?"
"Tell me you need it to, need the beauty underneath" He whispered.
"You can feel it?" The man asked in tune.
"Yes"
"Come closer!"
"Yes"
"You've no fear of the Beauty Underneath- You can face it!"
"Yes"
"You can see it!"
"Yes"
"You see through to the Beauty Underneath!"
Conan stepped forward, moving towards the figure as his vision began to blur,
'What's happening...?' He was barely able to ask himself.
"- To The Splendour!"
"And The Splendour!" Conan repeated.
"To The Glory!"
"Glory!"
"To the truth of the Beauty Underneath!"
"The Beauty Underneath!"
"You'll Accept It."
"Yes!"
"You'll Embrace It!"
"Yes!"
"Let Me Show You The Beauty Underneath!"
"The Beauty Underneath!"
"To The Splendour!"
"Splendour!"
"To The Glory!"
"Glory!"
"To The Truth Of The Beauty Underneath!"
"The Beauty Underneath!"
"You'll Accept It."
"Yes!"
"You'll Embrace It!"
"Yes!"
"Let Me Show You The Beauty Underneath-!"
Conan fell unconscious, his mind racing through every thought before it turned black.
His tiny small body fell to the floor,
causing the man to smile to himself.
"We will be a family soon..." The man whispered to Conan, pulling him into an affectionate hug. "Once Mouri Ran sings tonight, I will snatch her away and then you and I, and her, can be happy..."
From across the room, Fleck peered into the man's domain,
her eyes staring at the man who never seems to notice the real her, always looking at the person presented instead.
"You may fear me now, for all I've done...but I am a good man, and all I want is my family back..."
"Is there music in your head? Have you followed where it lead? And been graced with the taste of the Beauty Underneath...?" She sang in a whisper,
her heart clenching.
"What is it that you want?" Came Mr. Y's voice, as he placed Conan on the small sofa that adorned his new room.
"I wanted to inform you that Mouri Ran has been captured, and that she is resting, we will prepare her for her performance soon..." Fleck answered, moving forward slowly.
"Great" The man said back, barely casting a glance at the bird woman.
"You are very found of this boy...?" Fleck answered slowly,
frightened that the man may yell at her for being so nosey.
"Indeed..." he answered calmly, looking at the boy.
"He is a bit strange" The woman stated back, earning a low chuckle.
"Aren't we all?" Mr. Y asked, finally turning to look at her.
Fleck stared at the man, and then looked at the boy.
"If only I had a family..." She whispered slowly, perking the man's ears up unknowingly.
"If you had a family...?" The man asked back after a quiet minute or two.
"I would cherish them, and give them all I could" She answered.
"How so...?" He asked back, slightly sounding uninterested now.
"I would, well...do you really want to know?"
"Yes, yes, of course" The man answered in a bored fashion.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes, I do, I do."
"I've always had this dream... ever since I was a skinny little slip of a thing and my rich Aunt Kettie used to take me down to the seaside, August Bank" She
began in a fond tone, reminiscing to a time where she was once very happy. "Holiday... the pier... Makin' little castles in the sand...Ooh, I can still feel me toes
wigglin' around in the briney!"
"By the sea, Mr. Y, that's the life I covet, by the sea,
Mr. Y, ooh, I bet you'd love it! You and me,
Mr. Y, we could be alone" She sang, only to be outright ignored by the man before her.
"In a house wot we'd almost own, down by the sea"
"Wouldn't that be smashing?" She asked him, who now finally looked up at her.
"Yeah, sure" He told her, still outright ignoring her. "Could you please let be?"
The woman stared at the man hurtful but then nodded and composed herself.
"Of course"
...
And done.
Just realized,
I didn't mention Aoko really,
unless you got that little hint there,
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed,
Please review and stuff,
and...
- Peace.
(Oh, and sorry for grammar.)
