Case Closed AU
By: FunahoMisaki
(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)
Irene sighed slightly a month later, she now had two therapy sessions a week to help her muddle through all the crap…and it annoyed her when her friends and 'siblings' treated her like a porcelain doll and kept apologizing for never noticing her unstable mind before her breakdown.
"Are you alright Irene-san?" Kobayashi-sensei asked looking at the small girl who gave a single nod.
"Yeah. Today's one of my 'therapy' days…I fail to see how finger painting is considered therapy." Irene said boredly as she looked out the window, waiting for her police escort to arrive. Given all of the people trying to either worship 'Deaths Favored', kill her for that reason, trying to get her autograph, or the paparazzi trying to get to her for scoops… she had at least one two-man police team with her at all times, usually it was Sato and Tagashi unless they had an important case during which they were replaced with normal uniformed cops...who generally took her to Sato and Tagashi. They stood guard outside her shared apartment with her kaa-chan and jiji…or wherever it was she stayed the night at overnight... they already stopped more than twenty assassination attempts on her at last count.
"Depends on the therapist but it can help sometimes. Is that what you're doing today?" Kobayashi said shrugging her shoulders slightly and causing Irene to frown slightly in thought.
"That's what she usually has me do but she said we'd do something different this time. Something to make me feel like a 'normal kid' in her words." Irene said shrugging her shoulders slightly. Since most of her friends played soccer, solved crime, and watched Masked Yaiba she had no clue what so called 'normal' kids did.
"Perhaps she'll take you to a park or something for a day off?" Kobayashi offered with a small shrug of her shoulders, causing Irene to give a small snort and wry smile.
"The last time I had a day off and went to the park I ended up bruising two of my 'family's egos by playing soccer against them before stopping a would be double murder and arson." Irene said dryly earning a wince from her teacher.
"Can't you do anything without getting caught up in a murder or crime of some sort?" Kobayashi asked sighing as she looked at the tiny girl who gave another snort.
"If I could I would." Irene said with a wry smile as she crossed her arms under her chest.
"And some people wondered how your mind became so strained." A worried voice said from behind, causing Irene to tense and spin around, pulling out her wire on reflex before relaxing as she saw that it was just Kazue with her normal dark shades on over her eyes and a small frown on her lips.
"Nice reflexes." Kobayashi said although she smiled sadly. No child's first reflex should be to pull out a lethal weapon and be ready to use it.
"You don't like it that lethal defense is my first reaction, and you aren't the only one but it's a necessity." Irene said bluntly making the teacher sigh slightly.
"Yes, and I know it is but it shouldn't be." Kobayashi said not even bothering to try and deny it. The girl could see through a lie like a sniper through a scope.
"Shouldn't and isn't. Two things that aren't necessarily mutually exclusive…but often times are." Irene said causing the two adults to wince slightly at how cynical she was. Not that they could blame the girl but…
"Come on kid. Time for you to be a normal kid for a little while at least." Kazue said smiling sadly at the girl who gave her a deadpan look before looking up at Kobayashi.
"If I have to solve a mystery on my day off, it's going to suck rotten eggs and I will say I told you so." Irene said bluntly earning a small smile and nod from the teacher. It was nice to see that the girl still had some kind of sense of humor, even if it was a little twisted.
Thirty minutes later and Michiru, Kazue, Kaoru, and Irene were all wearing some disguises as the five month pregnant woman held Irene's hand and led her around the park. They just looked like a pair of old women out for a day at the park with a young mother and her child, which was the point.
No one would be looking for the tiny genius detective here cause when one thought of Park they thought of the bigger more complex Tropical Land.
The only thing that might draw attention to the group of four was Michiru's portable oxygen tank that Kazue was carrying for her… and the fact that Kazue's free hand was holding Michiru's hand as they followed behind Kaoru.
"You two rest here. I'll be right back with some food. You want to come with Irene-chan?" Kazue asked as she helped settling Michiru and Kaoru on a bench when both women were beginning to look a little exhausted.
"Su-" The noise of some minor explosions had all four women tensing and looking around alert, Kazue standing in front of the two sitting women protectively until they noticed what it was.
"Masked Kaiba. Why don't you stay here and watch it Irene-chan? It looks like they're about to start the second showing." Kazue said relaxing with a smile when she saw the play going on a little ways away, easily within watching distance.
"Something seems off though." Irene noted to herself as she observed the play, noticing the Kaiba striking a Y pose with his fists closed and a boy with what looked like a bad attitude wearing a ball cap leave.
"Can I just go ahead and tell you I told you so or should I wait for the body to be found?" Irene asked with a sigh as her 'Killer Instinct' pinged again, giving a flat look to Kazue who tensed at this.
"Why do you think there's going to be a murder?" Kaoru asked frowning at the little girl who gave her a bored look.
It was both horrible and sad that they couldn't refute her dryly stated words.
"I'm 'Death's Favored' remember? There's always a murder around me."
