A/N: This chapter references heavily stuff happened or mentioned either in Dream or Not or then in Takuya one-shots.

I try to pick up the pace with writing this in order to catch up with the manga... I'm so excited about the recent spoilers. Though I have low standards... Any Nagano Trio and Scotch content is wonderful to me.

Chapter 6

Tsukiko closed the suitcase full of her own clothes and sighed. Packing away everything accumulated during the past few months was surprisingly hard. Most of it was clothes though so they were easy to pack.

She had been continuing cleaning the apartment in the past week and it was finally well enough to actually live in. Necessities were packed into cabinets and all it needed anymore was Tsukiko's personal effects. Clothes, souvenirs, schoolbooks and other stuff she'd managed to collect.

Clothes fit into the two suitcases that she'd found at Tsukasa's – Hiromitsu's – house and the rest fit into three boxes. Jodie had gotten Black's car for the day so she helped Tsukiko to get everything to the house.

"I'm going to miss you, Tsukiko-chan. If we happen to run to each other, don't be a stranger though." The American smiled.

"I won't." Tsukiko grinned back. "Unless you are in the middle of a shadowing operation."

"Good point." Jodie chuckled. "And you have my number in the case you just want to chat."

"Yes. Here is the extra key I used." Tsukiko gave Jodie back the apartment key she'd been given first week in at the woman's apartment. "Thank you for everything you've done to me, Jodie-san."

"You're welcome."

The two females embraced each other briefly before the older one returned to the car and the younger one closed the door and looked down on the boxes in the hallway. Tsukiko let out a sigh. Now unpacking then. And she should put some dishes to wash in the meanwhile.

It was strange to live on her own. While Tsukiko really liked her own space and the apartment was wonderful to live in, it was still… strange to be alone. She now had to take responsibility of an entire house in the terms of upkeep and manage entirely her own groceries. With Jodie they'd split duties occasionally and negotiated what to do on which day. And what Tsukiko could glean from Japanese culture as well as Hoshi's impressions on things, Tsubaki had still largely managed the house even though Hoshi had been helping her with the upkeep. Tsubaki had made the decisions and Hoshi had made sure those decisions would come to fruition.

School had not batted an eye on the change of address and neither had Beika administration office. The name plate outside the house still read Kagemiya after all. Tsukiko friends had asked stuff a bit but been satisfied after she informed them of being welcome to visit once she'd settled down.

Tsukiko frowned when she turned the omelet. She was pretty good at making western style food even though markets lacked some ingredients but she probably should learn how to make Japanese style as well… Maybe she could ask Ran for cooking lessons. While Subaru was moderately good, he wasn't that good at explaining the steps.

"Ah, you couldn't answer… That's okay Tsukiko-chan, I'll just leave message for you to listen to later…" Thus begun the first voicemail. Tsukiko barely held back tears as she listened to Hiromitsu's voice. But she held back. She needed to concentrate and take notes on anything important mentioned. After all, according to the flashback about the Shinkasen bombing, PSB was very curious about the contents of her voicemails.

The first five voicemails were short and sweet. No secrets in there. But in the next ones there started to be… places, names, times… Some of it was outdated and Hiromitsu had no doubt given the info to his superiors as well but… Everything she heard was so very dangerous.

And at first Tsukiko hadn't paid much attention to the dates of the voicemails but…

"There is a contradiction…" She realized as she opened the fourteenth one. It was from September alright… but from the year before Hiromitsu's death. "I thought Hoshi met him first time at her 13th birthday and voicemails came after then until his death…"

But no, they'd apparently started in July of the year before and… ended in March of the next year. The year of his supposed death.

"So from July to March there are voicemails… April 13th Hoshi meets him on her birthday. Then there are phonecalls and visits until October… And in November nothing. Finally, Tsubasa comes to Kyoto with news of Tsukasa's death…" An impossible thought crept to Tsukiko's mind as she finished the timeline according to what she remembered.

Was he alive after all?

With shaking fingers Tsukiko opened the last voicemail that had come from different number than the rest yet had been logged behind the password after all. It was dated last winter.

"Hisashiburi, Tsukiko-chan… It's been a while. I'm in Kyoto as I call. My friend advised me to leave you a message just in case you figure things out and realize not everything is as it seems." The voice was the same than in previous messages though accent and choice of words differed. Amusingly, it almost sounded like Morofushi Taka'aki had decided to use Kyoto-ben. "I'm alive, Tsukiko-chan. My friend arrived in time and with the help of his colleague and Tsubaki-basan's contacts, they managed to conceal my survival even from my employers. I met you after first stages of rehabilitation. Surviving and healing from a bullet wound isn't easy but you gave me strength to go through it. Our contact broke in between October and November when I was finalizing my joining to Kyoto Prefectural Police under the name Miyagawa Sakuya and afterwards with the death of my other friend. Do you remember him? Matsuda Jinpei, whose Timing you predicted when we graduated. -"

Timing? Something to ask Tsubaki about probably…

"- You predicted Timing for all three… Hagiwara, Matsuda, Date… And were right though I sincerely wish you hadn't. But Kagemiya can't help their nature so I do not blame you for this. Anyways…" There was a sigh. "I'm sorry I've let you believe I was dead. But then again, I've let Zero in this belief as well. I regret that fact even though I don't regret leaving PSB like this."

Ah… So canon grudge from Furuya towards Akai still held. Now Tsukiko just needed to find out who was the friend saving Hiromitsu if it wasn't Furuya…

"I hope to one day see you again. And I dearly hope you aren't endangering yourself despite holding onto these voicemails. I still continue working towards dismantling the organization even though I'm not inside it anymore and have to be even more discreet. But I got the Kagemiya backing and I'm sure with time we can get through this… Call me when you are ready, Tsukiko-chan."

The message ended. Tsukiko lowered her phone. Tears were falling freely from her eyes and she was biting her lip to muffle her sobs.

He was alive. Her uncle-cousin-whatever… Tsukasa was alive. He was Scotch and he was alive after all. Tsukiko was so happy. She was so damn happy and relieved to hear he was alive. But all the same, she was not ready to call him back either. Instead… she probably should call Tsubaki about this matter. And maybe ask who was Tsukasa's friend that had helped him.

Tomorrow though. She needed to process this first.

Mai liked Tsukiko. She really did. Had liked her ever since they'd talked for the first time when the new girl had noted how fake Hanajima was and how ridiculously stereotypical their entire class was. Tsukiko had straightforwardness that was lacking from many other girl's that Mai knew. But maybe that was a cultural thing in the end. Tsukiko was half-European after all.

But there had always been a bit of a tension in the other girl which bled into her behavioral tics. Like the insistence to use glasses just so she would look more like her 'adoptive brother' who apparently wasn't adoptive after all but a family friend. Then there was the… submissiveness to go along with Suzuki and Sera's schemes with hair dyeing even though she was obviously uncomfortable with the entire fact until she adjusted to the change month later and afterwards kept dying the roots of her hair.

Tsukiko seemed to have calmed down and relaxed now though. It had begun at the shrine visit when she met with another family friend, Ishikawa Yamato, and referenced being from Kyoto even though her expression told of her uncertainty. Then came the amnesia diagnosis. And the appearance of Midorikawa Shugo (or was it Kagemiya Daiki after all?) who was apparently Tsukiko's blood brother that she hadn't seen in ten years. Mai wasn't sure about the facts as she hadn't been present at the reunion… But with whatever Tsukiko discussed with the older boy and whatever she found out when visiting Kyoto, it all seemed to have lifted a weight from her shoulders. She didn't need to hold onto half-strangers like Saintemillion and Okiya and others in order to have a place. She had family now and contacts and even a place to stay.

The Kagemiya family was a big responsibility though and Mai guessed that Tsukiko would start managing some part of it in next few years before taking over as it seemed that Shugo had stayed away from the family for the past ten years of absence. But at the same time it suited Tsukiko. She had sureness in her actions that was missing from before when she just floated through days and made snarky remarks like she was an observer to it all. Now though… Now she thought more carefully. Paid attention to lessons properly and took note of cultural ticks she'd forgotten.

Mai was glad for her. Tsukiko was finding her own place.

Jodie was worried for Tsukiko. Don't get her wrong, she was glad the girl had found her family but at the same time she was worried for the amount of lies Tsukiko had resorted to in order to remain under radar. In retrospect it was strange how she'd inserted herself to the operation against organization but the whole situation around her had been unconventional and it had been better to keep an eye on her just in case. Especially with her own declaration of seeing the Organization as an enemy even if the given reason was vague. But then things just had escalated. With Jodie offering a place to stay, then the complicated story about her brother's moving habits, then her general involvement with cases around Beika and outside as well and couple of more hospital visits for her.

And in a sense Jodie should be relieved that Tsukiko had more people to watch her back but… it still made her uneasy. There were just so many loose ends that bothered her. Whether it was the way Tsukiko kept organization related information from Jodie or then the blasé way she regarded Shuu's death and vehement denial of his possible survival… Yes, Jodie knew now thanks to Conan that it had been Bourbon in disguise, seeing her and Camel's reactions but still… Tsukiko had gotten along well with Shuu, what little she had interacted with him. There was something in her eyes that told she trusted him over other agents gathered… so why was she so unbothered by his death?

"Bakai wa Bakai. Even if it's him, at least he knew to expect this all. Or at least I hope so…"

"So you are saying he knew he'd be killed?! Are you?!"

"Why not? He's bloody smart and apparently worked within the Organization for years. Of course he knew getting killed was a possibility. I'm not saying it was the only one but…"

"Don't say it ever again! Never!"

It had been a rough beginning. And one topic that always led to an argument. Especially after what happened in Touto Department Store.

"Tsukiko-chan… why you are so strongly against the idea of Shuu being alive?"

"I'm not against it. I simply see it impossible that he'd be walking around just like that and thus endangering Rena-san. What I understood is that… You saw him during the robbery and concluded that he had amnesia. But don't you think that even then he'd stay more hidden, subconsciously protecting what he was ready to sacrifice his life for. And now you think he has his memory back… Wouldn't in that situation he has even more reason to hide? Especially when he left you the message that the department store was a dangerous place. Why would he walk into a trap he obviously foresaw?"

"But what if…"

"Use your own common sense, Jodie! It isn't like his behavior and you know it too. You just refuse to believe it! You refuse to accept that he isn't coming back!"

"But the message on the coaster was on his handwriting! And who else would it be then?"

"I know nothing about the message since I have never seen Akai-san's handwriting and not even this message you mentioned. About this… Ghost you're chasing after… I suspect it's one from the Organization trying to figure out if there was something fishy in Akai-san's death. Someone not believing that he's ready to sacrifice everything by walking into a carefully crafted trap."

"You saw him in the floor with the bomber, didn't you?"

"And what if I saw? Maybe I wanted to protect you. You ran straight into the ambush after that fake. Did you even consider that it would be all trap? Not for him but for you or any other FBI agent."

"Fine… Be that way then. I'm going to find him anyways and get the truth out of him. If it's Shuu, he shall tell me what exactly happened and if it's someone from the organization, I'll make him spit why he's been walking around disguised as Shuu!"

"Good that this matter has been solved. I rather not discuss about this again… Since our opinions differ so much."

"Yes, I completely agree with that. But tell me, what makes you so strongly against even the possibility that Shuu is alive? I remember that you got along with him even back at the hospital surprisingly well."

"I'm merely using ice cold logic to this situation while you throw yourself into danger without looking around properly. If it appears that Akai-san is indeed alive, of course I'll be happy. He was a good ally after all."

So it worried Jodie. Tsukiko had friends but there had been a certain uncertainty in her actions for a long time. She knew a lot of what was going around her but bottled the information and remained mum about it.

"Hmh… Bakai, tell that Scar-face to stop wandering around…"

Now, Tsukiko had family at her back but she had always moved out of Jodie's apartment. She was alone now. Was she used to being alone? How would she cope? Was she in danger after all with everything she knew and had experienced?

But Jodie held no authority over the girl anymore. She wasn't required to look after Tsukiko and the girl was not obligated to inform her of anything anymore.

"I wouldn't have minded you staying, Tsukiko-chan… You didn't need to escape us. Just keep your eyes open now and be careful… Especially with Bourbon around." Jodie sighed.

Rei had always had a sense of familiarity when it came to Okiya Tsukiko. But he had dismissed it in favor of keeping an eye on Mouri Kogoro and Edogawa Conan. He had just placed her in the box with the boy's other allies and only noted her familiarity with the FBI woman.

They had met for the first time when he was disguised as Akai for the first time. She had recognized him but not reacted with anything but something akin to surprise. Had not approached him, had not questioned his presence… Rei had dismissed her… until she called the FBI woman by name. Until she threatened the bank robber with a metal tube. But it hadn't been that special. Maybe she was intern for FBI, keeping an eye on Teitan High school now that Vermouth and the FBI woman were gone. That would explain why she recognized Akai even if she'd been kept out of loop regarding his death. She probably had been instructed not to approach the man while in Japan as the man had been one of FBI's best. She'd even had blond hair to match the other Americans.

Then was Teito Department store. They bumped to each other. She had been Kage and distracted Chianti, giving him the seconds needed to escape. Mysterious and annoying back then. But not yet connected to the girl.

They finally met face to face at Restaurante Sundayrino. Rei didn't connect Tsukiko to the girl from bank robbery. She had black hair and wholly unimpressed by everyone's insistence that Banba Raita was the culprit. The look she gave at Rei when rebuking his claims was achingly familiar. He dismissed it. He needed to get closer to Mouri Kogorou after all in order to proceed in his investigation. Though the expert way she had solved the case did deserve an extra note of respect.

Kidnapping of Conan. Rei found out that Tsukiko knew Vermouth.

"Let's just say that I've zero intention of cooperating with her, no matter what she happens to think." It had been dangerous thing to say to him. But in retrospect and with information Rei now had… She had trusted him. Even without memories she'd trusted him. It humbled him a bit. She was Hiro's cousin and last time they'd met was eight years ago. But even when she knew only his false name and the fact that he was connected to Vermouth… She trusted him and continued to glue herself at his side in the continuing months. Tsukiko was at ease with him while they were alone and had even admonished Conan for panicking about his presence when they met up for tennis game after the events of Mystery Train.

Then came the amnesia diagnosis and Hibiki baiting Tsukiko with information about Kagemiya Michiko. Rei hadn't said much back then because he couldn't be sure that they were the same Kagemiya than who were Hiromitsu's aunt's family.

But then Tsukiko had gone to Kyoto and come back with hair cut short and…

"My name is Kagemiya Hoshi, I'm the daughter of Kagemiya Tsubasa and Lucas Ahola, sister of Kagemiya Daiki who goes by the name Midorikawa Shugo. The file I showed you weeks back… Michiko was a fake name my mother used."

Rei hadn't been at Poirot when Tsukiko initially showed up with her new haircut and told Miyoshi Mai about something called protector's jacket. But with the name and then coming face to face with her at the café… It was like looking at young Hiromitsu. Some differences naturally but the eyes… God, their eyes were identical. Kagemiya family and Kyoto Prefectural Police might've blocked investigation routes to her but he didn't need them to know this was the same little girl that had come to their graduation with her grandmother.

"Zero-san." She called him, as an acknowledgement of what she knew. And Rei didn't know what was more troublesome… The fact that she was Hiromitsu's cousin/niece or the fact that she was Kage, the leader of Hunters. But it certainly put him into a spot of indecision. To protect her in order to honor Hiromitsu or to inform PSB about her and her associates and put an end on these murders.

After all there wasn't any other way to protect her if the way she'd thrown herself in front of a bullet meant for Conan was any indication.

Rei sighed. Tsukiko and Hiromitsu were so alike. Frighteningly and alarmingly alike. He'd remain on the background for now though and keep an eye on her. He'd be there for her if she needed him but all the same, Rei had his mission which he needed to prioritize. And maybe she'd be linked to it considering that she'd been in contact with Akai before Raiha Pass and the man's apparent death.

Speaking of which, Rei probably should ask Takuya about Mai's investigations…

Conan was… uneasy with Tsukiko. She had been a trusted ally for a long time but with the recent revelation of her activities… Conan frankly trusted Sera more and that was saying a lot about the situation.

The boy didn't know nearly enough about Kagemiya family to make decent conclusions about Tsukiko's upbringing but he was inclined to think that there was no way Kagemiya Tsubaki did not know about her grandchildren moonlighting as vigilantes. What the old woman thought about the matter, Conan did not know. There simply wasn't enough information.

Tsukiko had always been strange with her easy acceptance of everything. From helping FBI, to knowing Conan was Shinichi, to figuring out Akai was alive. She had triggered Haibara's BO sense but so did Akai. She just went along with Conan's plans when needed and offered insight from an alternative point of view, sometime solving cases even before him. Even if it seemed now that she'd had her own goals all along.

Conan did not like being left out of the loop. And it wasn't like he could do anything to stop them. Even if he called Megure with Kudou Shinichi's voice, there was no evidence on his claims. He had no doubt that Tsukiko, Yamato, Shugo and Saya all had alternative places to hide anything incriminating.

And frankly… He could not afford losing the girl's trust either. He shuddered to think what she could come up with in retaliation or what plans she concoct in secret that'd take him off guard. No, it was better to keep Tsukiko where he could see her. Even though he couldn't ask Jodie about the girl as she'd moved out of the agent's apartment.

It was… a difficult situation. And Tsukiko's insistence of hanging around Bourbon didn't help matters either though Conan was certain she would not sell Akai out.

If only he could be certain about everything else as well.

There was an acoustic guitar against the wall. And a synthetic piano in the room. There was a shelf filled with music sheets and books containing notes. The more Tsukiko looked around there, the more it seemed to her that Tsukasa had tried to copy the piano room at Kyoto house.

Instead of walking to the piano, Tsukiko lifted the guitar up and settled on the armchair in the corner. A notebook filled with chords was placed on the music stand in the room. Back in her own world, she'd learnt some chords on guitar in middle school and high school music lessons. Some she'd forgotten since but…

"Let's start with something easy…"

While holding the guitar, Tsukiko had the impression of Hoshi holding it once too. Maybe during one of Tsukasa/Hiromitsu's visits to Kyoto and the man teaching her.

"Well, the easiest is G major with only one finger." The girl chuckled, playing to chord. And from there on she went through the major and minor chords that were written on the first pages of the book. Trying some simple songs that she remembered from those lessons.

Such a nice way of spending the evening, reminiscing.

A/N: Feels weird not to answer to reviews here... Anyhow, reminder to you all that the Kagemiya-Midorikawa family tree can be found from my deviantart where my name it tsukiko75014