Author's note: Hello all! Below is my first attempt at fanfiction. This is my take on a Meitantei Conan/Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo crossover. You don't need to be too familiar with Kindaichi, as I've tried to include as much explaination as possible. The story will focus on all the characters listed below, and have plenty of Conan for all you Conan fans out there. So anyway, please enjoy.
"The Case Within a Case"
Cast of Characters
Meitantei Conan: Edogawa Conan/Kudo Shinichi , Mouri Ran , Mouri Kogoro ,Hattori Heiji , Toyama Kazuha , Agasa Hiroshi , Haibara Ai/Miyano Shiho
Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo: Kindaichi Hajime, Nanase Miyuki, Inspector Kinmochi, Takato Youichi
Original Characters: Yamagawa Hiromi, 43, innkeeper; Takeda Masahiro, 50, owner of Yuki Mansion; Miyazaki Shinya, 32, pharmacist; Miyazaki Meiko, 29, housewife; Ogata Yukiko, 53, doctor and professor of medicine; Sato Shotaro, 35, reporter; Arisawa Ryo, 47, antiques dealer
Chapter 1: Introductions All Around
Nanase Miyuki leaned against the railing of the ferry, allowing the summer wind to blow across her face. 'This feels nice,' she thought to herself. It was summer vacation and she was on her way to an island south of Okinawa for a four day trip. The weather was beautiful and the water was clear. It had the makings of the perfect vacation. She glanced over at her traveling partner and couldn't stop the giggle that tried to escape. Kindaichi Hajime never could handle a boat ride as long as she'd known him. He was slumped over the rail, and the expression on his face clearly stated that he was not feeling well. Every now and then he would moan, and Miyuki found that she just had to tease him.
"Mou, Hajime-chan. You'd think that with all the boats you've been on in your life that you would be used to it by now."
"If you're not going to say anything useful, like how one rids themselves of seasickness, then keep your lousy comments to yourself and leave me alone," Kindaichi Hajime replied. He attempted to glare at his long-time childhood friend…er…girlfriend. He still had problems thinking of the two of them in that way, because nothing had really changed between them.
Hajime thought back to a couple of months ago when the two of them had finally gotten past their shyness and admitted their feelings for each other. They had been friends for so long that changing the status of their relationship had just been a matter of changing titles from 'friends' to…what? He knew how they felt about each other, and Miyuki had started introducing him to people as her boyfriend, but they were hardly 'lovers.' He had been waiting for the day that they would finally cross that line, but he was beginning to think it would take years. Miyuki may want to be his girlfriend, but she was still pretty shy. And, he had to admit, he wasn't much better.
Which was why he had such high hopes for this trip. It was the first vacation that they were taking together as a couple, and he knew that it was important to Miyuki. He had received an invitation to visit Yuki Mansion, which was an odd name for a house in the southern part of Japan where there was no snow, from Inspector Kinmochi, as thanks for helping out with a murder case.
Actually, Hajime thought, it ought to be thanks for helping out on a number of cases. For if there was one thing that Kindaichi Hajime was good at, it was investigating crimes. His grandfather was the famous Kindaichi Kosuke, a great detective that had solved many difficult cases in his day. Obviously deductive thinking ran in the family, and along with his 180 IQ, Hajime found himself more often than not in the middle of a murder case that only he seemed to be able to solve. He could only hope that the next four days would be crime free. Things tended to happen when he and Miyuki traveled together. He wanted to put his dazzling IQ to good use and work on advancing their relationship.
Just as he thought he was feeling a tad better, Miyuki put her hand on his arm and looked at him with concern. "Are you sure that you're okay? I may have some crackers that might make you feel better."
Hajime smiled. "I'm okay. In fact, I think I'm feeling a little better."
"I don't know. I still haven't figured out what shade of green your face is," said a voice from behind them. Hajime and Miyuki turned to see Inspector Kinmochi approaching them with a smirk on his face.
"Where have you been, ojisan? We thought you might have fallen overboard."
"Now, now, Kindaichi. Such concern. I was just talking with some old friends from college. It turns out that they were invited to stay at Yuki Mansion as well. It has been a long time since I've seen anyone from my school days. It'll be nice to catch up."
"Didn't you say that an old friend of yours from college owns Yuki Mansion?" Miyuki asked.
"Not so much owns as runs. My friend Yamagawa Hiromi has been working for the owner for a number of years. He rents the place out when he's not using it, so Yamagawa-san has become sort of an innkeeper. She was visiting her uncle in Tokyo last month when I ran into her. She said that her uncle and some of his friends were coming to stay, and asked if I would care to join them."
"How did you get us invited as well?" Hajime asked.
"Well, I was telling her about you. It turns out that she had heard of you from her uncle. Apparently he keeps up with the ongoings of the Tokyo Police. She said that her uncle's party included some young people around your age and thought it would be nice if you could all meet." As he said this, Kinmochi pointed in the direction of another group of ferry passengers.
There was a tall man, with a thin mustache and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, talking to a younger girl who looked like she was his daughter. He looked rather irritated. The girl was clearly ignoring him and was pointing out to sea, bending to speak to the small boy beside her. The boy himself was grasping the railing, standing on his tiptoes trying to see better. Another couple of teenagers was standing on the other side of the boy. The girl was pointing rather violently at the darker skinned boy, who had his hands up to ward her off.
"The man with the cigarette is Mouri Kogoro. He is a private detective, but he used to work for the Police Department. He and I were in college together. The young girl is his daughter, Ran. I think you guys are about the same age."
Hajime looked the group over. "I think I've heard of Mouri Kogoro. Isn't he some famous detective?"
"Yes," Miyuki answered. "I know I've seen him on the news. He's solved a number of murder cases that have stumped some of the best police officers."
Hajime poked Miyuki in the arm. "Now, doesn't that sound like someone you know?"
"I couldn't imagine who."
"You know, I've solved a number of crimes that have stumped the best police officers, but you don't see my face all over the TV. Which is too bad, considering I'm at my handsomest after I've solved a difficult case."
Miyuki's elbow found with alarming accuracy Hajime's stomach. "Don't flatter yourself. You may be a genius when it comes to solving crimes, but you had better not let it go to your head, Kindaichi Hajime!"
"Your name Kindaichi, is it?" a voice with a strong Osaka accent asked. Miyuki and Hajime recovered from their mock argument to see that the young couple who had been arguing themselves only a few minutes before had wondered over to where they were standing. Up close, they looked to be high schoolers, the boy's dark features even more prominent when he stood directly in the sun. The girl was standing just behind the boy, her long hair pulled up to keep it from her face.
Hajime regarded the two. Sometimes he was weary of people who had heard of him, with good reason. "Yeah, I'm Kindaichi Hajime."
"Any relation to Kindaichi Kosuke?" the boy asked.
"He was my grandfather. You've heard of him?"
"Sure. I've even read a few of his case files."
"You're interested in my grandfather's work?" Hajime asked, getting interested in the conversation.
"Detective work is sort of a hobby of mine. The name's Hattori Heiji. Do you mind if I ask you some questions about some of your grandfather's cases?"
"Oh, here we go," the girl standing behind Heiji whispered loudly to Miyuki. "We can't go anywhere without him going off about murder and mayhem."
"Lay off, Kazuha. I just want to know some things about the cases I read about, that's all. You got a problem with that?"
"Only if it's all you talk about," Kazuha turned to Miyuki, clearly dismissing Heiji. "Would you like to meet my other friends? We could leave the two of them to their mysteries."
Miyuki smiled, always interested in meeting new people. "I'd love to. When Hajime-chan starts talking about his grandfather, it takes a lot to get him to quit." Miyuki turned towards Hajime. "I'll be right over there. Enjoy yourselves." With that, Miyuki and Kazuha walked over to the other side of the ferry.
Hajime shook his head. "I didn't even say anything and I still get the look. I can't figure her out."
"Girlfriend?" Heiji asked.
"Er…um…yes." The blush on Hajime's cheeks betrayed any denial he was about to make out of pure habit.
Heiji just laughed. "I've discovered that there are more interesting things to try to figure out than girls," he said, glaring at Kazuha's back. "So, you really Kindaichi Kosuke's grandson?"
Hajime smiled, glad to be back on more familiar ground. "Yep. And I've studied just about every case he ever worked on. So, what do you want to know?"
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"My name is Toyama Kazuha. Where did you say you were from?"
"I didn't, but I live in Tokyo. I'm Nanase Miyuki. And you must live near Osaka."
"The accent gives it away, doesn't it? Well, can't be helped." Kazuha pointed to the young girl standing by the rail. "My friend Ran lives in Tokyo. Maybe you know each other."
Miyuki laughed. "I doubt that. Tokyo is a fairly large city. But, isn't that man Mouri Kogoro? I've seen him on the news, I think."
"I'll let Ran introduce you. Ran-chan," Kazuha called, causing her friend to turn. "Come meet my new friend, Nanase-san."
The other girl made her way over, trailed by the little boy Miyuki saw earlier. She was tall, and her long hair flowed down her back. "Pleased to meet you," Miyuki said to the approaching girl. "Please, both of you call me Miyuki."
"Hello, Miyuki-san. Are you going to the Yuki Mansion, too? I'm so excited. My father says that it's really impressive."
"Yes, that's what I keep hearing, too. I'm looking forward to spending some time on the beach."
"Me, too," Kazuha chimed in. "Oh, by the way, Ran-chan, will Kudo-kun be joining us?"
The disappointment on Ran's face was not lost on the other two girls. "I talked to Shinichi a couple of days ago. He said he was too busy to come. Something about a new break in the case and he couldn't afford to leave now."
"Ran-neechan, who is this?"
"I'm sorry, Conan-kun. This is Nanase Miyuki. She'll be joining us on the island. Miyuki-san, this is Edogawa Conan. He stays with my father and I."
Miyuki bent down to the boy's level. "It's nice to meet you, Conan-kun. Are you looking forward to a nice vacation?"
"Uh-huh. Are you all by yourself, Miyuki-neechan?"
Miyuki pointed over to her party. "No. I came with Inspector Kinmochi and my boyfriend, Kindaichi Hajime. He's the one talking to…I'm sorry, Kazuha-san, but I can't remember your boyfriend's name…"
"B..boy…boyfriend?!?!" Kazuha's face began to turn an interesting shade of red. "Hattori Heiji is not my boyfriend. We're just old friends," Kazuha exclaimed rather violently. Miyuki had given the same explanation about herself and Hajime so many times that she clearly recognized the signs. It was just a matter of time.
"Kazuha-chan, I don't understand why you always get so upset when someone suggests that," Ran teased. "It's not like you don't like him…"
"That's enough out of you, Ran-chan. I could say the same about you and Kudo-kun, you know." No one noticed Conan's reddening face.
Kazuha had touched a nerve. "Well, at least I admit my feelings to myself, even though I don't know why I bother with him." Ran replied, sounding a tad bitter. "What's going on, Kazuha-chan? I know something has changed between you and Hattori-kun since last I saw you."
"If you're talking about that cliff incident, don't."
"I just don't understand why you don't tell him how you feel while you have the chance!"
Kazuha's expression softened as she heard the desperation in her friend's voice."Things are not that easy, you know that," she replied softly.
Miyuki felt she had accidentally stepped into an on-going argument between the two friends. "Ano…" she wanted to say something, but a voice cut her off.
"Ran-neechan, please don't be upset. We're on vacation, remember?" Conan said rather quietly.
Ran sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry, Kazuha-chan. I guess that I've just been missing Shinichi more than usual lately. That boy is going to drive me to the brink of insanity."
'If you don't get yourself there first' Kudo Shinichi thought inside of Edogawa Conan's head.
"Is everything okay over here? I thought I heard you two arguing." The three girls turned to see Heiji and Hajime.
Miyuki took the opportunity to distract everyone. "Hajime-chan, let me introduce you to Mouri Ran and her friend Toyama Kazuha. This is Kindaichi Hajime."
As pleasantries were exchanged, Conan took a good look at Hajime. 'Yep, I thought that was him. He's just as I remember. I wonder how he's been.'
Hajime sensed he was being scrutinized and turned to find a small boy looking at him as if he knew him. Thinking this was odd, Hajime bent down and said, "And who is this? Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not polite to stare, boy?"
'Shimata!' Conan thought. 'I forgot how perceptive he is.'
"I'm sorry, Kindaichi-kun. This is Conan," said Ran. "And he does know that it's not polite to stare. He can be too curious for his own good."
Heiji looked directly at Conan. "Just like someone else we know, eh Ran? Every time I see Conan he reminds more of Kudo." Conan glared back at him, not appreciating the joke.
"Kudo Shinichi?" Hajime asked.
Ran looked at Hajime in surprise. "Do you know Shinichi?"
"I've met him a few times. We know a lot of the same people in the Tokyo Police Department." Hajime looked at Conan. "You know, he's right. You do look like a small version of Kudo."
Both Conan and Heiji winced at this comment. Wanting to draw attention away from himself, Conan said, "Miyuki-neechan, do you like the beach? Ojisan says that the Yuki Mansion is right next to the beach. I really want to go swimming."
"So do I, Conan-kun. I even bought a new swimsuit just for the occasion."
"Oh, so did I," Ran said. "Where did you get yours?"
"There's a great little shop in Ginza that has some nice things at cheaper prices. I usually go there if I have the time."
Kazuha pouted. "The best shopping is in Tokyo. You can't ever find anything good in Osaka."
As the girls delved into a conversation about where the best deals could be found, they missed the deadpan expressions on the faces of Hajime and Heiji, who knew that once girls started talking about shopping, there was no stopping them. But, Hajime did notice the same deadpan expression coming from a small boy who was probably too young to contemplate the complexities that were women. At least in the way that himself and Heiji did. He dismissed the behavior as odd, but his instincts told him to watch Edogawa Conan very closely.