CHAPTER NINETEEN
Conan hung his head while Marie had placed a hand on his shoulder. Another death, another fail. She hadn't gotten visions from this one. Her brother seemed to be taking it much like she had the first time it had happened.
"It's not your fault, you know", she whispered to him.
Blue eyes, filled with shimmering sorrow and anger at himself, looked at his sister with something akin to disbelief. Fingers twitched into two words.
'I knew'
Marie's eyes searched his, and smiled sadly, "Me too, for almost all the other murders. I know I tried to prevent them but it…", the smile faded, "still happened. Remember how I said it felt like something doesn't let me save them? I think that's why. Not because we weren't good enough"
They stared at Doujirou's sword impaled form in dismay. Marie clearly remembered how they planned to take the murderer out before he could do it but that just didn't happen. She knew they were closely listening for any signs there was anyone coming but… some kind of force seemed to make it so they couldn't interfere. In the end the man who hired Mouri Kogoro to check his wife's love affair had died.
Conan seemed to think about it for a while and conceded the point. It didn't make it less painful but it made it easier to deal with. Lightened the load they had on their too tiny shoulders. And made a small burning anger spark at the stupid 'it has to happen' force that made them fail.
"We won't stop trying", he said finally and checked the room for the clues he had heard Marie tell beforehand.
Her small hand squeezed his shoulder in silent support as she whispered, "I know we won't"
Then they got to work, walking the police and Kogoro through investigation with practiced ease and lines forged beforehand.
xXXx
"So, did you get the Detective Badges?", she asked as Conan dropped his bag on his desk.
Her brother hummed a yes as he dug out the envelope. Marie watched as the soon-to-be detective group pestered her brother for just that as they had won him in some arcade games. He dropped the badges out as the trio 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed. She blinked as she noticed there were five of them instead of four. She frowned. There was no way she would go with the trio to announce the newly formed detective group to the whole school via radio they weren't supposed to use. She liked her head unbanged, thanks. She knew that after receiving a few knocks on the head from Kogoro-ojisan.
"Hey, let's go announce that we're the Detective Boys at lunch break!", came Genta's brilliant idea.
Marie fiddled with her badge as she replied, "I'll pass. You guys do as you please"
Conan cocked an eyebrow at her. She signed 'teacher' and 'ow'. He winced.
"I'm going to stay behind on this one too", he said to them.
They gave protests and threatened not to include them to the group but finally relented and went by themselves. So, at lunch break they heard the announcement by the radio, only Mitsuhiko said something like 'and the Edogawa siblings' to the end of their introduction. Moments later the trio came back with bumps on their heads, anime style. Marie still wondered how no one but her seemed to notice. Perhaps it had to do with how she wasn't from this world… Oh well. No matter. Right now they were trying to prevent another murder.
It was very strange how no matter what they searched with, the murder sites seemed to avoid their notice until it happened. So, Conan had went and placed a tracker on the cat they were going to search for and who would guide them to the murdered man. Marie had a suspicion that said it would be somehow 'mysteriously lost' like anything she tried to pre-empt the murders. But she wouldn't stop trying and wouldn't stop hoping. They would just have to wait until school ended. She glanced at Conan, noting the serious expression on his face. They wouldn't stop trying to save everyone they could.
xXXx
Her stupid suspicions were right. Conan hit a wall with his hand as he saw the cat run to them, covered in the blood of the man they'd tried to save.
"...So stupid!", he muttered before turning to her with an understanding look.
She wasn't quite up to giving him a smile for that. He was feeling sympathetic for how she felt when she failed another life. The transmitter was found on an alley far from the murder site. Marie felt a bit bitter about it. Maybe if they had put it on a bit more securely… But no. Now was not the time.
"I'll go check", she said and jumped up with a boost from her shoes.
Others went to follow her but Conan stopped it. They didn't have to see the body. Only twenty seconds later she was running back and hushedly told them the scene she already knew they'd find. Discreetly she shook her head at her brother to tell nothing had changed. Less than a minute later Conan was calling the police. And their 'game' of 'lead the police to the truth' started over again.
About three hours later the whole ordeal was over, the man who had killed his brother arrested and the kids praised for quickly contacting them. It wasn't a feeling of victory for either of the shrunken teens.
xXXx
Conan and Marie sat in silence in Ran's room after the third murder that had succeeded under their watch. It had been a festival. A dark skinned writer had come and asked them to take pictures. He was the one they'd wanted to stop. But then it had been too late.
Conan rubbed a hand cross his face, tired, "I'm starting to believe you about that 'force that doesn't let them be saved'", he admitted.
Marie grimaced. She'd had to alter her brother's world view a lot this past month. A week after the 'big revelation' she'd told him she sees some future happenings. He, predictably, hadn't believed her. Not until she made it clear it happened all the time through the day ('A red car is going to turn around the corner. It's driver will be listening to rock music so loud you can hear it outside' and 'She's going to fall down in three steps, just in time to avoid a flying baseball' or 'Three birds will fly past the window'). She'd never been able to control it and had started to put these 'visions' in two categories. The 'Look Out' and the 'Change This'. The first was those she would get only a very short time before it happened, or then something so vague she didn't understand. It was like a neon sign announcing this is going to happen and that's that. Then the Change This. They were longer and very often something she didn't like was happening. And she could alter the outcome. Usually for the better.
She hadn't gotten a vision like that from murders. Ever. The ability hadn't appeared until after Miyano Akemi.
Who they had went to meet and introduced their plan for getting Shiho out more safely. He added some things and made it a bit easier to execute. She was so glad he was a detective! A smart one at that. But that wasn't important right now.
"I know", she said, "Let's keep trying to save everyone we can"
Conan nodded, but right now they both needed a break, "Let's go play soccer"
Marie smiled and stood up, "Do we call the others?"
The boy shrugged and smirked, "I get Ayumi and Genta"
Marie pouted as they walked towards the door.
"No fair! Three on two!", she exclaimed.
"No, it's three versus an impossible-to-get-past goalkeeper and a moderately accurate striker"
Marie huffed and conceded the point but- BUT-!
"But I have to be up against someone who captures murderers with his soccer skills on daily basis!"
Conan snickered, "Says the girl who uses her acrobatics to jump flips on said murderers"
"This is no gymnastics competition, you soccer freak"
"Really? But you use them in soccer!", was Conan's mock-bewildered reply.
Marie's pout grew but she didn't refute it.
Later that day the girl got another future vision. A Change This. About a murder. Three murders to be exact. Made by a doctor pretending to be a female on a small island. She felt a thrill of hope go through her.
They could save Asou Keiji's son.
xXXx
Congratulations! You have reached the end of this one. Unfortunately the next one may take even more time to write. School starts next week. Ugh for homework. I've been told it's going to be an even harder year than the last and my grades may drop drastically. Especially noting how I'm going to a new school. And I know absolutely zero people there. Well, wish me luck! Thank you for reading and reviewing! And for all the follows and favoutites! Hopefully I continue before Christmas. Bye again!