A/N: This oneshot takes place after "First Day of Detective Training!" Please read, review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Kiki's Investigation!
"Very good, Naegi-chan." Kyoko nodded approvingly at her daughter's answer. "I think that's good enough for today. Gather your things and meet me at the car."
Kiki and Shuichi nodded before Kyoko left the two aspiring detectives alone in her office. "So, should we get out of here?" He asked as They began packing up their things.
Kiki nodded, commenting excitedly "Yeah, I bet Akamatsu-chan will love to hear all your detective training stories when you get home." It was just a flash, but Kiki caught a saddened frown on Shuichi's face, concerning the girl. "What…what's wrong, Shuichi?"
"…Ano…"
"Shuichi…" Kiki realized "Every time I've mentioned Kaede, you've gone quiet before you tried to hide it with a smile. Did…something happen between you and Kaede?"
An uncomfortable silence passed between the two, the blue-haired detective seeming to resemble a statue as he froze in the face of Kiki's deduction. At last, he sighed and made a painful confession.
"Kaede and I…broke up a few months ago."
Kiki gasped, her eyes widening in shock as she brought her hand to her lips. "You and Kaede…broke up…?"
Seeing Shuichi nod painfully, Kiki asked "Why though? My memories are a little fuzzy, I'll admit, but I remember how cute you two looked together at that wedding we attended together when we were in elementary school!"
Shuichi smiled in amusement at the memory before he frowned once more. "It happened before I enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy. I had just gotten my acceptance letter, and Kaede came and told me of her acceptance to that fancy overseas music school. I congratulated her, but…then she started talking about how it was gonna be hard to maintain a long-distance relationship. Next thing I knew, she said that she wanted to break things off. I…I froze. I didn't know what to say…"
Shuichi averted his gaze to wipe the tears from his eyes.
"And…she didn't explain why…?" Kiki asked hesitantly, her heart going out to the heartbroken detective.
Shuichi shook his head. "I…I was too stunned to press her on it. By the time I had gathered my wits, she had already walked away."
"Shuichi…"
"I'm sorry, I can't talk about this anymore." Shuichi brushed past her towards the open doorway. "Your mom's waiting for us. So let's…just forget this conversation ever happened, okay?"
Kiki furrowed her brow before she reluctantly followed the saddened detective. Shuichi…you haven't moved on, have you? You haven't gotten the answers you need…so your broken heart hasn't been able to heal. I…I can't let this continue! And if you won't look for the answers yourself…then I will!
*Knock Knock*
"Kiki?" Kyoko gently peeked her head through the door, frowning in concern as she saw her daughter typing away at her computer. "Kiki, dinner's ready."
"…Give me a minute and I'll be right there." She replied as she wrote down some notes in a notebook by her mouse.
Kyoko frowned as she approached her daughter, concerned by her reluctance to come to the dinner table. "Kiki, what's wrong? You're usually one of the first to come to the dinner table." Kyoko caught a glimpse of Kaede on Kiki's monitor and deduced the truth. "You're investigating Kaede Akamatsu?"
"…I have my reasons." Kiki grunted.
"Why though?" Kyoko pressed "Why are you investigating a girl that you've only met once, when you were just a little girl?"
Kiki sighed and confessed "She…broke up with Shuichi before she started attending some fancy music school in France. Shuichi still doesn't have the answers he needs, so…"
"So you thought you'd track her down and get the answers yourself." Kyoko sighed. "Kiki, it's sweet that you're doing this for Shuichi, but isn't this going a little far?"
"That what should I do, Mom?!" Kiki turned to her mother with frustrated tears in her eyes. "Shuichi's stil heartbroken; he hasn't healed or begun to move on, and I can't let him stay like this. He's my partner! I can't just leave my partner to suffer like this!"
"Kiki…" Kyoko muttered as she wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes. "Are you sure about this? Are you that determined to seek the truth of Shuichi's heartbreak?"
"Yes! Even if I have to do this investigation myself, I'll do whatever it takes to help Shuichi find the answers he needs!"
"I see…in that case, you'll need this."
Kiki's eyes widened in shock as Kyoko flashed a ticket in front of her. "Mom…what's…"
"A plane ticket to Paris, leaving this Saturday." Kyoko smirked as she reminded her daughter "Did you forget who hired Kaede's mother to play at Maki's wedding?"
"But…how…?"
"Shuichi's uncle told me and your father about how he and Kaede had broken up, and her mother confirmed the story to me. I had a feeling that you'd want to do everything you could to make things right. That's just who you are." Kyoko smiled wistfully as she mused "You've inherited that from your father, after all. Though I'm guessing you hadn't figured out how you were going to get to France yet."
Kiki bit her lip, confirming Kyoko's suspicions.
"The amount of progress you made with your investigation is impressive, especially working on your own…but it never hurts to ask for help from others you trust."
"So you…"
"Of course, I can't let you fly off to Europe alone. So I'm going to accompany you."
"You…you mean it…?"
Kyoko nodded. "Of course. I can tell how important this is to you, how much you value your partner's feelings. And since this is for the sake of the truth, I'll consider this to be a practical detective exercise."
"…Thank you! Thank you thank you THANK YOU!"
Kyoko giggled as her daughter practically tackled her. "Alright, alright. In the meantime, why don't you head to the dinner table?"
Kiki nodded enthusiastically and raced out of the room. Kyoko shook her head in amusement as she followed her daughter to the dining room.
Kiki yawned as they entered the hotel room Kyoko had reserved. Kyoko smiled as she watched her daughter drop her bags and collapse on the bed.
"I remember the first time I felt the effects of jetlag." The former detective commented. "Your great-grandfather Fuhito took me around the world often during my detective training."
Kiki mumbled unintelligibly, too exhausted to follow along with her mother's words. Kyoko walked over and rubbed her daughter's back, soothing the aspiring detective.
"I'll tell you the story another time. For now, rest, and tomorrow we can track down Kaede."
Kiki nodded against her pillow and closed her eyes. As she fell into slumber, she dreamed of Shuichi's saddened face, increasing her determination to get the truth out of the young pianist.
"So, how do you plan to find Kaede now that we're at the Paris Conservatory?" Kyoko asked as they strolled through the grounds.
"Well…" Kiki swiped her finger on her cell phone as she scanned Kaede's twitter feed. "She always posts these photos of meeting with her friends around this vicinity." She looked up at the sky, noting the sun's position. "And the brightness is indicative of this time of day, so she should be passing by any minute."
Kyoko nodded approvingly, smiling proudly at her daughter's deductive reasoning. "I see, well, excellent deductions. All we have to do is wait, and…"
"That melody was amazing, Kaede!"
Kiki and Kyoko turned their heads to see the smiling pianist waling absentmindedly towards them, flocked by a group of teenage girls.
"Yeah, Kaede, you're the best pianist in the school!"
"Yeah, you're like an Ultimate Pianist!"
"Caroline, Charlotte, you're exaggerating. I'm no master, I still have much to…oh, sorry, I didn't see you two there."
As Kaede bowed respectfully, Kyoko smiled. "Bonjour, Akamatsu-chan."
"You…you know me?" A startled Kaede stammered before Kyoko nodded.
"It was a good five years ago or so, so you might not remember, but I hired your mother to play at a friend's wedding. You attended with a friend, remember?"
"Hmm…wedding, wedding…" Kaede hummed before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Mrs. Naegi! Sorry, it's been a while." She turned her gaze to Kiki and continued "And you were that girl I met. Let's see…what was it again? Kagami…Kairi…Kaki…"
"…It's Kiki."
Kiki sweatdropped as Kaede smiled apologetically. "Right, sorry, like I said, it's been a while. So, what are you doing here? It's a long way from Tokyo, after all."
"Indeed." Kyoko nodded. "My daughter had wanted to speak with you, actually. So we took a flight after your mother told me you were studying at the Paris Conservatory."
"Really?" Kaede cocked her head in confusion. "You wanted to find me?"
"Kaede…I think we should walk away now." Charlotte suggested nervously.
"Yeah, this is très méfiant!" Caroline agreed.
"Hey, it's not like that!" Kiki defended.
"Caroline, Charlotte, relax. I'm sure they don't mean any harm." Kaede assured her friends. "Sorry, they just get protective. Anyway, you said you wanted to talk to me, right? Why don't we take a walk? There's a bench not far from here."
"Sure, I'm okay with that." Kiki agreed.
"Good. Charlotte, Caroline, why don't you head to our next class? I'll catch up when I'm done with Naegi-chan."
Though the two friends still looked apprehensive, they reluctantly complied, walking away from the pianist and the Naegis.
"I think I'll take a bit of a walk myself." Kyoko told them. "Call if you need me."
"Okay, Mom." Kiki nodded as Kyoko walked away, giving them ome privacy.
"Okay!" Kaede clapped her hands. "Follow me, and we can talk."
Kiki nodded and followed the pianist, feeling her nerves tense as the conversation she had been waiting for was finally at hand. I can't…I can't run away now. I promised I'd search for the truth, and I will find it! For Shuichi's sake, I have to find the truth!
"So…" Kaede began once they both sat down on the bench. "What did you come all the way to Paris to talk to me about?"
"…Saihara Shuichi."
Kiki's words caused Kaede's smile to immediately droop into a melancholy frown. "Oh. I take it you two are classmates, right? He did say he was attending Hope's Peak Academy."
Kiki nodded. "We're training to be detectives together, under my mother's tutelage. Anyway, whenever I happened to mention your name, he's become sad. He told me recently that you two broke up."
"I see…" Kaede fiddled with one of the music hair clips in her blonde locks. "Did he…tell you why?"
"He…said that you didn't want to keep a long-distance relationship, and you broke it off. But…that's not the full truth, is it?" Seeing Kaede avert her gaze, Kiki pleaded "Please, Akamatsu-chan! Shuichi hasn't been able to move on! He hasn't had closure because you haven't told him the truth! I can't just leave my detective partner in pain like this, so please…tell me the truth! Why did you break up with Saihara-kun?"
A tense silence passed as Kaede hesitantly looked into Kiki's determined, fiery eyes. At last, she let out a heavy sigh, conceding defeat to the aspiring detective.
"Alright, I'll tell you." Kaede wiped her teary eyes before she began her confession. "Shuichi and I started dating in middle school, when we were both thirteen. It was…a happy relationship. We never argued, we did a lot of fun stuff. It was…nice…" Kaede smiled wistfully, recalling how happy she felt with the shy detective.
"Then…what happened to make you break up? Saihara-kun said you had some kind of an argument."
"It…was a long time coming." Kaede explained "You'd think the fact that we didn't argue was a good thing, but that wasn't the case." Kiki's brow furrowed curiously at the pianist, trying to make sense of her explanation. "You see, Shuichi was happy to do what I wanted him to, but he never vocalized his own desires. He never really suggested things he wanted to do or tried to take charge at all. He just went along with whatever I did, let me drag him along for the ride."
Kiki frowned, finally understanding what Kaede was trying to say. "So…you broke up with him because he wasn't being assertive?"
Kaede nodded. "Yeah, I realized Shuichi needed someone who could help bring out his self-confidence, make him more assertive and be an equal partner in a relationship. And as much as I loved him…I realized I couldn't be that person."
"…And that's when you got accepted to this school?"
"Yeah…I used the fact that we'd be attending different schools as an excuse to break things off. I won't deny it; I was a coward for not telling him the truth. If anything, this only proved that I didn't deserve to be his girlfriend…"
"No, that's wrong!" Kaede gasped and looked into Kiki's fiery eyes. "Not telling Saihara-kun the truth was a mistake, but I could tell by talking ot him how much he loved you! He treasured you, Akamatsu-chan! All you have to do is tell him that, and he can move on and find closure!" Kiki's lips drooped into a frown. "Believe me, it'd mean a lot more coming from you than from me."
"…You…you're right…" Kaede gave a hopeful smile as she realized "You're right. I'll give him a call tonight and tell him the truth. Thanks, Naegi-chan, for setting me straight."
"Oh, no problem." Kiki assured her with a soft smile. "I was just…helping a friend."
"…More than just a friend, I'd wager." Kaede smirked and elbowed the blushing Kiki teasingly. "I'd say you're the partner he needs."
"Not you too…" Kiki groaned, burying her embarrassed face in her palms. "I swear, I'm already getting teased enough by my friend Tsumugi about that!"
Kaede giggled and relented "Alright, alright. Anyway, I…kind of owe you for this, so why don't I give you and your mother a tour?"
"Sure, that sounds nice." Kiki agreed, lowering her palms as her cheeks receded to their normal pale complexion. "Alright, let's go find her."
Kaede smiled as Kiki pulled out her cell phone and tapped on her contacts list. Naegi…Kiki… The pianist thought as she watched Kiki hold the phone to her ear. Thank you…maybe…we could be friends too…
"Hey, Mom? I think we're about done here. Kaede agreed to give us a tour, wanna meet back at the entrance?"
"And, this is my room!"
Kiki and Kyoko looked around curiously as Kaede opened the door for them. "Wow…" Kiki commented "You certainly play the whole pianist image quite well."
"Indeed, I don't think I've ever seen someone's room have so many music-themed decorations, and I went to school with an Ultimate Pop Sensation and an Ultimate Musician." Kyoko mused.
"Yeah, kids used to call me Piano Freak back in elementary school." Kaede chuckled. "I have a borderline obsessive relationship with the thing. I even keep one in the back over there."
The trio approached Kaede's shiny, black piano before Kyoko gently rested her hand on top of it. "It's well-maintained."
"Yeah…" A curious twinkle sparkled in Kiki's eyes as she asked "Can…I give it a try?"
"I don't see why not. Here, have a seat and have fun." Kaede smiled as Kiki sat down, wiggling her fingers excitedly.
Okay, here goes! How hard can it be to play the piano, anyway?
"Wow…" Kaede uttered in amazement. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone suck more at playing the piano than you, Naegi-chan. And trust me, Shuichi's tries weren't pleasant to listen to, either."
Kiki groaned, complaining "This thing just hates me! How is it so hard?!"
Kyoko smiled in amusement as Kaede giggled, assuring the girl "It's okay, truthfully, this takes a lot of practice to get good at."
"Yeah, I guess…you think if you visit Japan again, you could teach me?"
"Hmm…I don't see why not. Just promise me we won't be riding any bicycles." Kaede shuddered. "I hated riding bicycles. I always fell down and scraped my legs…and my arms…and my face…"
"Yeah…the falling down part wasn't fun." Kiki admitted. "But still, once you can keep yourself up, it's really fun to feel the wind flying in your face!"
"Well, to each their own, I suppose." Both girls then giggled as Kyoko shook her head in amusement.
"Alright, girls, I hate to break up the fun, but I think we've monopolized Akamatsu-chan's time enough. Exchange phone numbers if you must, but then we have to leave."
"Oh, okay, Mom. Akamatsu-chan, you wanna exchange numbers?"
Kaede nodded before she took out her cell phone. "Sure, and please, call me Kaede."
"Okay, Kaede. Yoroshiku!" Once they finished putting each other's numbers in their respective contacts lists, the two girls smiled at each other. "Well, see you another time, Kaede. Thanks for being honest with me."
"You too, Kiki, and thanks for setting me straight."
Kiki waved at the pianist one last time before she followed her mother out of the room. Once her door was closed, the pianist scrolled to another contact and tapped it.
Better do this now before I chicken out… She thought as she held the phone up to her ear. "Hey, Shuichi? Can we…can we talk?"