A/N: Okay, one of my favourite cases is here now... I remember the first time when I read the chapters I was like 'what? Akai is alive?!' Back then I believed about everything I read and wasn't that familiar with all those theories and what we know to be true now. Those times are gone now. 'sniff' *wipes an imaginary tear*
But I'm happy to be the fan I'm now. One part of the brilliance of DC is that the fans can make all those theories themselves and solve the cases and story arcs because all the clues are there for us to find.
But now to the chapter itself!
Chapter 34.
Tsukiko sneezed. She hated cold. Winter was fine but cold was horrible. Especially when her winter gear wasn't as good as back home in Finland. And the Japanese school system – or society or something – definitely tried to kill her when it forced her to wear that too short skirt during winter.
"At least I can put thick cotton tights under it so I don't need to struggle in mere knee socks…" The blonde muttered, pulling her dark blue beanie better over her ears and wrapping her ruby-colored scarf tighter around her neck. She let out a slight yawn then. Staying up plate the couple of previous night didn't do any good on her sleeping rhythm. Tsukiko still didn't get how Subaru managed with his irregular sleeping rhythm.
"Bloody ninja…" She rubbed her eyes a bit before placing her glasses back on her face.
"Hmm… It's right after the New Year now… Doesn't that mean..." The girl looked up to see an achingly familiar person walking towards her, holding an umbrella against the slight wind and snowfall. Well, not exactly a familiar person but the face was familiar. It was a face Tsukiko hadn't seen since Haido Central Hospital because her supposed 'brother' wore that disguise of his all the time, even in her presence because one could never know when someone decided to ring a doorbell…
Tsukiko kept her gaze fixed on the ground and fumbled for her phone in her pocket. She wasn't really going to call or text to anyone but she needed to at least seem to do something to avoid looking at the scarred face of her good friend and important ally. And she didn't want to draw Bourbon's attention on herself by being associated with Akai. She couldn't know for sure how much the detective of a Raven knew about her. She didn't know if Vermouth had told him anything.
So she sped her steps slightly and passed the person who had baffled so many people back in the girl's home world and spurred up several theories. Scar Akai. That's what he'd been named back then.
"Did something happen!? I don't remember parking my car around here…" Tsukiko heard suddenly via a nearby side street. The voice echoed slightly in the structures of the narrow alley but allowed her to hear it clearly. She hadn't heard that voice for a while. James Black.
"Don't tell me you saw someone from the Organization?" Camel joined. Tsukiko decided not to grit her teeth.
"N-Nothing like that! I just lost my way, that's all…" Jodie replied a bit nervously. "That aside, did you get some good alcohol?"
"No… I couldn't use my card at that store, so…" Black explained.
"And I also didn't have much yen with me…" Camel added.
"Sorry, Jodie-kun, but could you pay for me first?"
"Ehhhh? I thought I was relieved of paying today, my wallet's empty!" Jodie exclaimed.
"Jodie-san!" Tsukiko stepped on the street and acted like she had just heard their voices. The three agents turned to look at her as she jogged forwards.
"Tsukiko-chan, I didn't know you were on the area today." Jodie smiled. Tsukiko had stayed the two previous nights at Subaru's so the woman could spent some time with her colleagues outside the work.
"I decided to take a walk in the snowfall. It's pretty. And nii-san wanted me out of the way while cleaning up." The girl smiled, pulling her beanie once again lower to her head. "Konnichiwa, Black-san… Camel." The latter name was said a bit icily and bitingly. "Long time no see."
"Hello, Okiya-kun. I see you are well today." Black smiled back to her. Camel in the other hand was a bit baffled how his greeting had been obviously less polite and very reluctant. But since he had a good idea why it was so, he decided not to comment. Jodie hid her smile behind her palm. The girl surely knew how to hold a grudge.
"Yes, I am. I see you are well too." A yawn made its way on Tsukiko's face again but she hid it quickly. "Sorry, I haven't slept that much lately." She lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes with her right hand. "I swear I look like a panda bear…"
"Tsukiko-chan, you should take better care of yourself." Jodie berated the girl.
"Nah, I am. You should take a look on Subaru-nii's sleeping schedule. I swear he never sleeps when normal people do…" Tsukiko shrugged. "How about yourself? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Ah, nothing like that…" The female agent gave out a nervous smile. "Anyways, I need to take a trip to a nearby bank. Do you want to come with me?"
"Sure. I have nothing to do anyways."
"Okay, please wait for me at the store." Jodie told Black and Camel then, and she and Tsukiko hurried off.
The whole way to the bank Jodie was deep in her thoughts.
"Say, you came from right to that alley, didn't you?" The female asked suddenly.
"I made a left turn, yeah." Tsukiko nodded thoughtfully, trying to map out the route she had walked.
"You didn't see… anyone familiar did you?"
"No. At least I don't think so. Why do you ask? Did you see anyone then?" The girl tilted her head.
"I thought I saw." Jodie's gaze lingered on Tsukiko scarf and beanie for a moment before she looked forwards again. The girl glanced at her scarf too then.
"Oh, right… Red… Akai… and this dark beanie too. Dammit, why did these have to appeal my eye so much? And mention of panda eyes too. And asking about seeing a ghost. I'm such an idiot…" Tsukiko made a mental headdesked facepalm.
They got to the bank just when Haibara and professor Agasa stepped out. Tsukiko greeted them briefly but followed Jodie then. The agent stepped on the line to the ATMs and the girl took a look around. She didn't really fancy being a hostage.
"Umm, Jodie-san, I need to use the bathroom. I'll be here shortly though."
"Okay…" The woman nodded but seemed to be deep in thought once again. The girl hurried in the corridor leading to the bathrooms and got around the corner just when the group of five robbers arrived.
Hiding in the bathroom wasn't fun but at least she didn't need to wait for long.
Bang!
The first shot was fired now. Next one came a bit later. The blonde girl sneaked out of the bathroom and found Conan peering to the main area where the hostages were giving up their cell phones. And there was a two familiar faces besides Jodie and Scar Akai.
"Eh? Is that Miyoshi and Ishihara?" Tsukiko noticed, when crouching on Conan's level. She touched gently the boy's shoulder, making him jump but she shushed him quickly.
"Let's go back…" She whispered and they hurried to the men's toilet where the rest of the Shounen Tantei-dan was hiding.
"Eh, Tsukiko-oneesan was here too?" Ayumi asked.
"Yeah, I came here with a friend of mine who had to use the ATM." Tsukiko explained with her 'Okiya-smile'. "But now we need to hide in the case someone comes to check here too. We need to be really quiet, okay?"
"Yes." The three nodded and went to hide in the stall nearby.
"Who did you come with?" Conan asked with a low voice.
"Jodie-san."
"Okay…"
"Hurry up! Walk quickly!" Was heard from the corridor. Tsukiko and Conan slipped into the stall with the rest of the kids just when the door opened.
"Ok, call me when you finish!" The robber told Jodie who was bound with the duct tape.
"Hnn-hnn!"
"Huh?"
"Hnn-hnn!"
"Oh, right… Your arms have been tied up, so you can't move your underwear… Allow me!"
"Pervert…" Tsukiko gritted her teeth but didn't need to worry about the robber when Jodie kneed him right on the face. The man flew on the floor and the agent got rid of the tapes on her face and wrists. At that time Conan stepped out of their hiding place.
"As expected of an FBI investigation officer…" The boy stated. "You did it…"
"Why are you here!?" The woman exclaimed quietly. Tsukiko peeked out of the stall.
"When I heard the gun shot, I found these four hiding here and decided to stick around." She told, taking off her scarf and beanie and wrapping them up before putting them in her shoulder bag. "As for them… I didn't get to ask. Why are you here, guys?"
"We came here with Mitsuhiko to make a deposit, but had to take Genta to the bathroom because of his stomachache." Conan explained.
"Then, we heard a loud sound, 'bang'!" Ayumi continued.
"That's why we've been hiding in the bathroom." Mitsuhiko added.
"A-Although me stomach has already calmed down…" Genta decided to mention.
"And? How many robbers are there?" The only non-kid asked."
"Five. All of them have guns." Jodie answered.
"Sure enough, are they after the money then?" Tsukiko frowned as the three of them casted a glance on the unconscious robber.
"Yeah, they said they would pack the money in the cases they brought along… Though it's doubtful…" Jodie told. "They sorted out the ones with companions and used only the branch chief to pack the money… If so, why does everyone seem oddly concerned with the time…?"
"Uh, Jod-." Tsukiko had heard steps. Just then the agent's whole behavior changed.
"Who cares? If I can defeat one of them, nothing is impossible! I'll go for it, all by myself! The game starts here!"
"It's fine! You don't need to try…" An unfamiliar voice said behind the woman. She was hit by a Taser and slumped on the ground. The other occupants of the bathroom had already hid.
"Pfft, I was right deciding to come here…" A third robber snickered at his own brilliant idea.
"This guy…"
"Don't… There's nothing we can do… Carrying him may prove troublesome…"
"We don't have time for that! Take off his mask and jacket, then arrange him so he's sitting on the toilet! He'll appear to be a customer that was discovered hiding in the bathroom and beaten by the robbers, right?"
"But this woman knows who he is…"
"True…"
"Well, no one knows who she is or where she's from, right?"
"Yeah, she'll quickly vanish…"
"That's right!"
And the robbers left. Conan opened the stall door and the kids jumped off the lid of the toilet seat they had been standing on. Tsukiko climbed down too: she had been sitting on the water tank.
"What should we do? They got Jodie-sensei…" Ayumi asked in worry.
"Let's go outside and beat those guys up!" Genta suggested/ordered.
"But aren't there five of them?" Mitsuhiko pointed out while Conan checked that the way was clear for them. Tsukiko looked into the stall where the unconscious robber was seated.
"No… There are four." She smirked.
A/N: This is a bit short... But I wanted to cut this into two parts... the next chapter is coming on Sunday because I'm going to be away from my computer for the weekend. Oh, by the way, I'm in the DCTP Cbox now. I'll be using the name 'Tsukiko' or 'Akai Tsuki' there. The Akai-thing is a joke going on there so...
Review-replies:
-chibianimefan26:
Boo, yourself. Fillers are important. Otherwise this'll be running from one case to another.
Oh, yeah. Miyoshi is starting to figure things out. In the next chapter she gets a new clue. And about Tsukiko... Well, Mai needs to ask her first. We'll see then what Tsuki will answer.
I'm glad you like my EiTsuki pictures. At the moment I'm a bit stuck what to do with those two though... Don't get any ideas! But I can't wait to see you drawing and attempt to convince me. :)
Red Robbery is this. I'm sure you recognize it now. :)
-xKANAN:
I'm glad you like this fic. Iron Tanuki was really fun to write and Mai... We'll see what'll happen. ;)
And yes, I'll keep it up!
-Akai4Ever
Oh yes. Sera is definitely coming in! And what'll happen... Well, you'll see. I can say that Sera and Tsuki will get along brilliantly! And Tsuki will feel guilty for calling Subaru 'niisan' in her presence...