A/N: This thing gave me an headache and half. Honestly. While written up relatively quickly (only in a day) the characters were being a pain. And then I should make a decision whether or not to fudge up timeline. Because the school year ends in this chapter. I need to decide whether or not to loop it before starting with DC canon. Or should I alternatively make the next year Shugo and Ekoda group's second one while it would be the first year for Beika group. Meaning that I'd imply Shugo skipping the last year of middle school and gone straight to high school(or to state the Heiji and Kazuha are a year older than Shin and Ran since Shugo went with them to middle school). Or that Shugo was a year older than them in the first place but still the same age than Kaito, but because of the dimensional mess, he attended with Shin and Ran the first year. Damn, this is some complicated. Anyways, please enjoy reading this and tell me what you think about the timeline thing. Anyways, the New York cases will be in the near future.
The fourth file: Year of Magic
Sub-file five: White Knight moves across the board
The new year began with uncertainty and sorrow. Shugo was fixing their school's announcement system(his reputation was spreading outside the elderly ladies of neighbourhood) after hours when his cellphone rang. As the lessons were already over, he'd switched on the sounds.
With a frown Shugo answered it as he didn't recognize the number. Officially he'd had a cellphone only for three years so there weren't that many people who knew his number. Usually they called the house phone or Yamato's cell.
"Moshi, moshi? Midorikawa speaking…" The boy said.
"Ah… Shugo-kun…" A female voice spoke hesitantly. It was very familiar but the phone and the fact it sounded like she'd recently cried, made it hard to recognize.
"Yes?" Let her speak some more so he'd get a better chance at recognition.
"I got your number from Ishikawa-san… And Ishikawa-san's number from Akira-san." The woman continued. Akira-san? Wait a minute. The only person trying to contact them around this time could only be…
"Yui-san?" Shugo asked in shock. "Is that you?"
"Yes…" A hiccup. "Have you… Have you heard anything from Kan-chan?"
"No… When we left, Akira-san was the only one to have our contact information. Why do you ask?" He had a bad idea about this.
"Kan-chan has disappeared. He found some lead in regards to Kai-san's murder but I haven't heard of him since. I thought that maybe he went to check in person some parts of your statement since you are the only witness but…" Yui sounded to be near tears again.
"Yui-san, breathe. Take a deep breath and calm down. Please." Shugo spoked quickly. "When did you last see Yamato-keibu?"
"…Two weeks ago. We tried to look into it but the higher ups are closing the case now. Morofushi-keibu isn't happy about this either. But I just don't know what to do."
Shugo remained quiet. There wasn't exactly much he could do. Yamato Kansuke had been caught in avalanche and was currently in a hospital in coma. Morofushi would eventually find him.
"You continue investigating the way you can. You said that Yamato-keibu had his own lead?"
"Yes, a parole jumper that possibly held grudge against Kai-san." Ah yeah, no. The real culprit had much stupider motive.
"The guy is probably a long gone by now. But instead you get your own lead. You know when the accident-slash-murder happened. You know who were present at the village. Can you think of anything unusual?"
"Everything in that village boils down to the Torada-Tatsuo feud. If anything happens, they're right in the middle of it."
"There you go. Go to the village and get to know the people again there." And get married… Yeah, that wasn't something he'd tell her.
"Thank you Shugo-kun."
"You're welcome, Yui-san. And do call me again if you need to talk with someone."
The call ended. Shugo let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. It surprised him thought that Yui hadn't asked him about additional statement about anything he saw. Maybe it was because she was so distraught. Or maybe she remembered him panicking at the hospital when he'd recalled for the first time what had happened and what he'd done.
"A year until Fuurinkazan…" Shugo sighed and turned back to fixing the announcement system.
February. Shugo had just read the news about a British high school detective was solving cases in Japan and becoming more and more famous. A year or two before Shinichi would gain fame.
"Hakuba Saguru… Why do I have the feeling you're going to be a pain…" Shugo sighed. Well, at least the detective would have entertainment value. Even without the inverness cape as he was obviously lacking it in the newspaper photo.
Adam's Smile was the name of the painting that was Kid's target. Frankly, Shugo didn't care about it. It was said to be a Picasso and probably it was in this world. It just…
"What an ugly painting…" The boy muttered from the rows of policemen. He'd slipped in with a fake ID badge unlike Kaito who'd disguise as an actual officer. Shugo simply used makeup to change his skin tone and add a bit wrinkles and contours to make himself look older. Brown contact lenses and thick-rimmed glasses helped too as did the shoulder pads slipped inside the cop uniform. All in all, Shugo was fairly confident that Hakuba wouldn't recognize him once in school again.
"Listen up! Kaitou Kid's notice has the heist occurring at 10 pm on the dot!" Nakamori shouted. "Let's synchronize our watches. Let's see, the current time is…"
"Tuesday, February 3rd, 20XX AD, 20:50:16.05." A smug voice interrupted. "My watch only drift by a maximum of one millisecond per year. Just for your reference."
"Oh well, my watch doesn't drift at all as it gets its time from a satellite like my computer does…" Shugo thought as he took a look on his watch along with the other officers around him. It was like Mitsuhiko's watch from movie 17.
"You're that London brat!" Nakamori spoke to the interrupter.
"The name is Hakuba Saguru. Yoroshiku." The high school detective introduced himself.
"Go on, get out of here! A crime scene's no place for amateurs! Shoo! Shoo!" True. Hakuba was practically invading. And his father's interference didn't help the matters at all. At least Shinichi would have the advantage of Inspector Megure actually knowing him and having reference and experience with Yusaku helping out during the earlier years.
"Oh, Nakamori-kun. Don't be so harsh!" And there was the… highest ranking person of Tokyo police forces. Person that's only seen this one time in the entirety of MK and DC. And not really giving a competent impression. Then again, Magic Kaito was a gag manga.
"H-Hakuba-keishisokan-dono?!" Nakamori stuttered in surprise.
"As a matter of fact, he's my son. Unfortunately, all this media attention has gone straight to his head. Could you put up with him just this once? Maybe teach him how tough a real crime scene can be?" Shugo wasn't sure what to think about that statement. Subtly insulting one's own son, flattering/bribing the head officer on the scene… Well, at least he wasn't pulling a rank though… giving a praise as such a high ranking person probably equaled to giving an order. At least if Nakamori's reaction was anything to go by.
"In that case you can leave it to me, Nakamori Ginzo!" The inspector saluted.
"Right! My great inspector!" And the superintendent general left. Nakamori approached the teen detective.
"If there's anything you want to know, fell free to ask." Oh, you did not just do that.
"I'll take you up on that." Hakuba replied. "What's Kaitou Kid's gender?"
"Huh? He's probably a guy… I think…"
"What's his age?" Approximate could be quite good at this point of investigation but Kid was too good to fake his age.
"Huh?"
"What's his date of birth?" Okay, how could they know that if they don't know his age either?
"What's his blood type?" Kid didn't get injured or left any piece of evidence behind, how could they know?
"What's his taste in women?" He was a gentleman to any woman and what relevance did this question have?
"What fragrances does he like?" Well, be a target(or a test target) for one of this sleeping or paralyctic gases and find out!
"What's his height?" Approximate would be good here too, though it could be faked.
"What's his physique?" Faked but in general slim and athletic.
"What is his hairstyle? What are his hobbies? What baseball team does he support?" What do those matter?!
"No idea…" Nakamori finally admitted.
"If you'll excuse me…" Hakuba dismissed the inspector then and walked away.
"Rude much?" Shugo thought, starting to patrol the hall. An hour to go…
The announced time closed in. Shugo heard Nakamori to herd the police officer that was actually Kid into the formation. Hakuba had disappeared off to somewhere. Waiting was tense but Shugo kept his composure. Thankfully he had layers of make-up and not a fullmask. Maybe that was why Kaito came in so late…
At ten o-clock the baubles by the painting shot some pink gas. Shugo instinctively turned and covered his mouth even if he'd been the one to trigger the mechanism. It was a good way to deal the responsibilities. Kaito handled the performance and actual stealing while Shugo rigged the place and put things in motion. And it left Kaito with less stuff in his pockets instead of just the necessities.
"What is that?!" Nakamori shouted. Other officers let out shouts of alarm too. "What's going on?"
When the gas/smoke cleared only one message was left in the place of the painting.
This painting is mine!
Kaitou Kid
"He got us! He must still be nearby! Find him!" Nakamori instructed. The officers(and Shugo) followed him out while Kaito remained behind. While Shugo wanted to help the boy, he still had another role to play once Kaito himself was out. And for that Shugo needed to leave first.
The wind blew. Shugo watched Kaito jump to the air. The hacker sighed from his spot at the skating rink. He had changed into a very general winter outfit, cheapest and dullest he could find, and had a pair of special skates. Those had just the skate blades attached to his winter boots. He could easily take them off once off the ice.
And considering how much Aoko had teased Kaito yesterday about his poor skating skills, the boy would need all he help Shugo could give to him.
And the thief crashed. Shugo pulled his knitted hat down to his eyes and his scarf up to cover his mouth and nose, and skated up to the other teen.
"Let's go, Kid-kun." He told the boy.
"Mi-Mi-?" Kaito stuttered.
"Yeah. Now don't go shouting my name." Shugo brought an arm behind Kaito's back and forced him to hold onto his shoulders. "Let's go. You just keep your feet on the ground and I handle the moving part."
"Alright…"
"It's Kid! Catch him!" Nakamori shouted somewhere behind them. Kaito released a smoke bomb and gave them a dummy to chase. Meanwhile Shugo practically hid behind Kid's cape as he guided the other teen to the solid ground. It was a bit wobbly but at least it made look like an unstable dummy.
"You're under arrest!" The police officers dogpiled the real dummy. Shugo clipped his skates off and the pair of them ran to the car parked a block away. The good thing about the heist being so late in weekend (and the weather being so cold) was that there wasn't much people around. A winter coat to cover Kid's outfit and tophat hidden, no one batted an eye as Shugo took the wheel and tossed the skate's on the backseat, while Kaito sat on the passenger seat.
"Traffic cameras?" Kaito asked when Shugo turned the key in ignition.
"Hooked onto my laptop and being shows footage from last week as they had similar weather. I recorded the entire week just to have many options for today."
"I love you, Shuu-chan." Kaito sighed, slumping on the seat when they sped away (within speed limits though). "With that Hakuba guy in town, we need to be more vigilant.
"Love you too, Kai-chan." Shugo grinned. "But you're right. You didn't hear the way he interrogated Nakamori-keibu. Though, I'd say that he will definitely underestimate you. He was underestimating you even before the heist started."
"You think so?"
"Yes. All the questions… While some made sense, it was like he hadn't grasped the concept of 'phantom thief' or the fact that you regularly use disguises so there is no definite information about you or your motives yet. And that's even without taking account of the fact you and the previous Kid are two different people."
"I see…" Kaito muttered. "He is very observant though. Cut off both of my escape routes. We shouldn't underestimate him either."
"Even if his arrogance might get better of him."
"True."
"To hell with your 'Great Detective Returning from London'! He still let Kaitou Kid get away!" Kaito muttered as he read news from his phone. Shugo decided not to comment when he saw the new student to step into the classroom.
"Come on, that's enough!" Aoko sighed.
"As of February 4th, 20XX AD, 09:00:32.41, I'm a transfer student here from London Bridge High School. The name is Hakuba Saguru. The truth will always come to light." The half-Brit introduced himself. Seriously, he said his own catchphrase too? Well, the girls liked it if the squealing was anything to go by.
At Blue Parrot, Jii inspected the Adam's Smile. There indeed was a gem hidden in there. A pretty blue one. It was a Pandora though.
"Can I keep that one? I mean, people don't even know this painting had a gem in it, right?" Shugo asked.
"Why would you want it?" Kaito frowned from the window where he'd been inspecting the gem in the moonlight.
"Because it's not too bit nor too small, perfect in color and shape and… I just want it. Sort of reward of the hard work we're doing." The hacker grinned.
"Shuu-chan, you are not a magpie." Kaito chuckled. "Nor are you a thief."
Shugo looked away from the magician with an undecipherable smile on his face. "No, I'm much worse."
"Ohayoo, Kaito! Guess what! I entered a contest for Sekai no Mawari concert tickets! And guess what happened!" Aoko asked Kaito right in the next morning.
"You… won?" The young magician guessed.
"That's right!" The girl smiled happily. "A pair of tickets!"
"It's pretty obvious you won when you're smiling so much, barou."
"What was that? Keep saying stuff like that and I won't invite you!"
"You seem to be distressed, ojou-san." Hakuba joined the conversation.
"H-Hakuba-kun?" Aoko said in surprise.
"My height: 180cm. Weight: 65kg. Birthday: August 29th, 199X. Star sign: Virgo. Blood type: A. If you don't mind, would you allow me to accompany you?" Hakuba asked and brought Aoko's hand to his lips. Shugo arched his eyebrows while Kaito frowned. Hmm, maybe he should intervene.
"Did you use some dating site for tips? Because that introduction certainly sounded like a recitation of such profile. Only thing missing was your hobbies, likes and dislikes." Shugo grinned. Hakuba looked up and smiled wryly.
"I can assure you, I did no such thing." The half-Brit intoned. "Besides, a man who waves off an offer from a lady so easily, doesn't deserve someone like Nakamori-san here."
"Or maybe he isn't just mature enough to stop teasing her all the damn time." Shugo deadpanned. "Besides, I think if Kuroba would consider the offer for a moment, he just might accept it. And then it would be up to Nakamori-san to decide which one to pick."
"Well, a detective who can't catch a Kid and daughter of inspector who's failing at it too… You surely make a fine pair." Kaito laughed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aoko frowned angrily.
"Well, he sure seems partial to Kid." Hakuba smiled genially and brought Aoko closer to him by her shoulder. "How about this then? If I catch Kid tonight, then would you agree to invite me?"
Aoko looked between the two boys before smiling.
"Sounds good. If you catch Kid, then we'll go to the concert together."
"Heh." Kaito chuckled. "As if the great Kaitou Kid would be caught by someone like you."
"Well, Kid is also a genius, unlike you. It certainly won't be a walk in the park. If by chance I do lose, I'll leave you to escort Aoko."
"Sounds fun! I don't really wanna go, but you're on!" Lightning clashed between them. Shugo sighed and turned to talk with Aoko.
"Nakamori-san, if either of those two are unable to come, I can be your back-up companion."
"Sure. We had fun last time too." Aoko nodded with a smile, remembering the time they went to the Bar American.
Kaito was on his own. It was good that he'd pulled some heists without Shugo's assistance before so he wasn't completely dependent on the hacker's help. Besides, Jii was still on the sidelines to keep an eye on things.
Instead, Shugo was watching the heist from television at Aoko's with Keiko. And to be honest, it was even more nerve-wracking than being there and participating.
"Look at all these officers. And Kid intends to steal this goddess statue, right, keibu-san?" The reporter spoke.
"'Steal'?" Nakamori laughed. "That's impossible! Not even a rat could crawl in here, much less Kid!" More laugh.
"Oh, my. A rat…"
"You idiots! Catch it!"
"Your father never changes, does he?" Keiko smiled to Aoko.
"G-Guess not…" Aoko laughed nervously.
"I think it's amazing how he is still so spirited and not upset at his failures." Shugo remarked. "That's some serious dedication."
"Thank you, Shugo-kun." The said inspector's daughter smiled at him.
"Let's get an interview with the detective who's been in the limelight lately, Hakuba-kun!" The reported was back on the screen. "Um, he's… What are you doing, Hakuba-kun?" She asked the detective who was crouching by the foot of the statue.
"You can never be too careful. Let's just say that tonight's showdown is personal." Hakuba told the camera.
"And that's… some dedication too, I suppose." Shugo muttered when Keiko began giggling much to Aoko's embarrassment.
"Only 4 minutes left! Will Kid really show up?" Were they seriously asking that?
"Nee, Aoko. Which side are you rooting for? Hakuba-kun? Or Kid?" Keiko asked her friend.
"H-Hakuba-kun, of course!" Aoko answered.
"Are you sure? If he wins, you won't be able to go to the concert with Kaito-kun."
"So what? Who cares about him?"
"Not to mention that we added some guidelines to the bet once the heat had settled down." Shugo spoke up. "If Hakuba-kun catches Kid, he will be the date. But if Kid makes it away with the statue, Kaito will be the date."
"So? Isn't that what was originally agreed?" Keiko tilted her hear in confusion, he pigtails flopping.
"Nope. It leaves space for the condition I fit in." Shugo smirked. "If Kid gets away but fails to get the statue… then Nakamori-san can invite me."
"True." Aoko nodded. "Kaito was being jerk today… but in the other hand I don't really know Hakuba-kun that well…"
"Oh, that makes sense." Keiko nodded too.
"Ten seconds and counting!"
"Keibu! There are intruders in the basement!"
Nine… The wait was tense.
Eight… Shugo couldn't help but sweating.
Seven… What if something went wrong?
Six… What if he was causing some changes to happen indirectly?
Five… What if the world would punish him by making Kaito fail this time in order to keep some sort of twisted balance?
Four… After all Shugo had been helping him to come to even better success.
Three… Deep breath.
Two… Inhale…
One… And exhale…
"Zero!"
"Keibu. I caught Kaitou Kid." Hakuba's voice said. But was it him or Kid in disguise? Shugo clenched his hands into fists to stop them trembling.
"What?" Keiko gasped.
"No way!" Aoko protested.
"It's not game over yet." Shugo said, glaring daggers at the screen.
"Really? Well done, Hakuba-kun!" Nakamori complimented the detective.
"Hakuba-kun, tell us how you feel about catching Kid." The reporter asked.
"Oh, it was quite easy." And then the high schooler whipped out a cane that started blowing a balloon out of it. Shugo let out a sigh of relief. It was Kaito after all.
"What's that balloon?" Nakamori asked.
"Well, I guess… I'd better take my leave now." Kid answered, his voice changing in the middle from Hakuba's into his trademark one.
"Keibu! The person in the basement isn't Kid! It's Hakuba-tantei!" Came from Nakamori's radio.
"That mean you're…" The inspector pointed at the fake-Hakuba now on top of the statue. "KAitou Kid!"
The girls squealed in delight before Aoko coughed and muttered: "That Kaitou Kid is pretty good."
Shugo just chuckled at her antics.
"I-It's Kid! He's finally appeared!"
From there the heist went as expected. Kid tried to get away with the statue, the chain Hakuba had put in place prevented the statue from leaving, and finally Nakamori shot the balloon Kid had, causing him to fly through the roof (literally) and crash somewhere.
And so, with Hakuba and Kaito both lost their parts of the bet and were in the hospital, Shugo got the honor of accompanying Aoko to the concert. They both had great fun there. It might not have been Shugo's first choice of music but the atmosphere of the concert hall was something else entirely. And the occasion also served in getting him and Aoko closer and getting him to finally call her by her first name.
Once again a new heist. Kaito escaped with a jewel necklace while Shugo lurked on the background in his police officer disguise. It was amazing how Hakuba was so wrapped up in catching Kid that he didn't pay attention to the police officer who bore a passing resemblance to one of his classmates.
But it was thanks to this that Shugo found out about the hair Hakuba obtained and thus managed to slip a miniature microphone to the pocket of the detective's suit jacket.
Half an hour later Shugo was able to listen in to the conversation going on at Hakuba Research Facility.
"What is this place?" Nakamori asked.
"My grandfather's research facility." Hakuba replied. "Here's the information I've gathered on Kid so far. Take a look."
"Height is 174 cm. Weight is 58 kilograms. 2.0 eyesight in each eye, an IQ of 173 and many voices…" And the report went on. Then the lab report came. Hair of a Japanese male who had blood type B+. And the age… approximately 15-17 years old.
Nakamori taking the news badly was an understatement, he shouted and left the research center immediately. Hakuba in the other hand…
"Get me the high school database. I'm going to need information on every high schooler in the country."
Shugo swallowed. He'd better prepare for the next heist. There was no stopping Hakuba from investigating, especially when Shugo didn't have his computer available so he couldn't hack and interfere with the database. How and why did the Hakuba Research Centre even have one of high school students?
Shugo was tired and half-asleep the next day. Three heists after another took their toll. Even Kaito was sleeping at his desk. And thus Shugo barely noticed when Hakuba invited Kaito and Aoko both to the Ochima Art Museum where the next heist would be. It would be the fourth consecutive night of staying up then. Towards the 'end of school year' they'd been doing back to back heists again.
"NO!" A voice interrupted and effectively woke Shugo up too. It was Akako. "Don't go with him, Kuroba!"
"Akako…" Kaito muttered in bewilderment.
"Come with me!" The witch tugged the boy towards the classroom door.
"Hey, where are we going?" Kaito protested.
"Just come quietly, okay?"
Aoko went to follow them but returned quickly. When the lesson was about to start Kaito and Akako returned. While the magician simply went to his seat, the Kagemiya caught the Koizumi's eye. An understanding passed between them. They'd do everything to keep Kaito from being arrested.
"I can dress up as Kid. I've done it before once." Shugo suggested when he and Akako walked from school.
"Can you use the hang glider?" The witch asked.
"…No. There wasn't need for it as I changed the disguise and thus escaped." Shugo held his chin against his palm when he pondered the situation. "I do know the floor map and thus I can device and alternative route. As long as I get away with the gem, I should be able to escape." Thanks to Yamato's training. Besides that broom was definitely not an option. Too much of a target. At least inside the building.
"I need to see the floor plans so I can help you the best. Diverting suspicions away from Kuroba is the main objective for us."
"Yes. That's why everyone, even Hakuba needs to be convinced that I am Kid and no one else in the room."
"Perception amulet?"
"You are the witch here, not me."
"You go and get whatever you need and come to my place, Kagemiya-san. I'm going ahead already."
"Yes, Koizumi-san."
It was a bit strange. To have a cordial conversation with the witch. Oh well… Shugo shrugged and turned towards his and Yamato's apartment at the next crossing.
It was show time. Shugo was dressed as a police officer. It was funny how they weren't pulling the masks yet. Maybe that only came after Ruby Jones did it at Cat Eye heist… Actually that was very much possible. Shugo didn't remember mask pulling happening in the majority of Magic Kaito but in almost every Kid heist in Detective Conan. Interesting.
"Keibu! It's time!" One of the officer's told Nakamori.
"Alright! Everyone get into position!"
Silence. Shugo let Hakuba stew a bit and just when he was about to gloat, with Kaito handcuffed to his own wrist, the hacker let out a mocking laugh. It wasn't quite like Kaito's Kid laugh but the tiepin Shugo wore was actually a perception amulet from Akako that washed away doubts from everyone but the one who had steel-clad certainty to Kid's real identity (Kaito, Shugo, Akako).
Shugo flipped a switch in his pocket that opened all the windows and allowed March-y spring air blow into the room. And he shed the disguise and jumped on the platform in full Kid-regalia. One that fit him perfectly as the original one was a tad too short for him. Blame his European blood for him being taller than Kaito.
"Kaitou Kid!" Nakamori shouted.
"How is this possible?!" Hakuba asked in disbelief.
"As said in the notice, I'm taking this jewel with me." Shugo spoke, wrapping his gloved fingers around the large stone on display. Honestly, it was practically begging to be stolen. "Sayonara!"
The hacker dropped a smoke bomb and jumped to one of the windows. The wind may have blown and swirled the smoke but it was still enough of a distraction for him. The police threw the rope-attached handcuffs at his direction but they either missed or were deflected by his cape. Catching Kaito's eye, Shugo nodded his head just a bit to the direction of the breakers. The magician got the message and when everyone was distracted by the 'Kid', he shot a card at the breakers, making it short-circuit and explode, darkening all the lights. And in the darkness, Shugo finally disappeared, sitting behind Akako on her broomstick and flying away.
It was a truce. Sort of.
School year turned to end. The end of year exams came. Kid took a little break. Shugo slept late on weekends and took occasional job in the neighborhood. Once Aoko asked him to fix her father's work computer that had gotten some obscure virus. That led to him taken to the station to check the computers from the rest of Kaitou Kid Task Force. Oh well, at least he wouldn't get bored. And it was also a good opportunity to bug the network.
"Oh, Kaito, I'm not a thief… I'm much worse. I'm a spy of my own making." Shugo muttered as he gazed at the photos taken of him and his friends and acquaintances during the years. Beika, Osaka, Nagano, Osaka, Ekoda… All so purposeful. All leading to one goal.
"To help my sister to survive and bring the Organization to its knees."
A/N: Okay, I changed some things in this file again. For example the IQ of Kaitou Kid that Hakuba mentions. The original file says it's 400 which is frankly ridiculous. So I changed it into 173. Very high still but more beliavable and 7 and 3 are magical numbers. Other thing is replacing the dates that Hakuba mentions with XX's since the time is so vague here. Otherwise I didn't have much to alter.
In relation to my author note on top: Yes, Shugo states that it's only a year until Fuurinkazan even if I might make it so that it's actually two years or something. Put it into timeline fudging.
Replies to Reviews:
-Grace F:
You got it. But I'm going to be more... delicate with the situation than your suggestion.
Thank you. There are still a lot of chapters for Shugo as I'm going through all the story arcs. After Tsukiko wakes up, much fewer though. The fact is though, that Shugo has made a lot of connection during the years that it'd be weird not to include him. And when he keeps meeting old faces again(Yukiko and Yusaku during Yukionna case) it's harder to avoid them. Green River is like Moonfiles. But when Moonfiles were about Tsukiko, Green River is about Shugo. And he avoids them in order to prevent spoiling and the fixed point he mentioned happening in Doctor Who.
I know. The main problem is that I've been working with it so long and I sometimes got an idea that I implemented but then might've forgotten it later on. Like pizzeria Yutaka joke. The Kagemiya family is very recent thing and I fully blame certain character because I fell in love with him. And I also blame the beach flashback because it was way too cute. But you probably have seen in this fic too how I've gotten an idea then the fixed it(like when Shugo has been making background for himself and Tsukiko and keeps editing it) or forgotten it (Shugo began doing the technical help already in Osaka to get money and not just in Ekoda).
Oh, and Tsukiko didn't really envision Kagemiya's at all. It is true that the original Midorikawa Shugo and his family is her/mine creation but it's definitely not Kagemiya family.
Tsubaki... She is constantly being reassured by Shugo that Tsukiko is alright. But in the other hand Hoshi/Tsukiko left Kyoto just a bit after her mother died. Didn't stay for funerals or anything. She Tsubaki assumes, the girl wants her own peace right now. She took Tsukasa's death hard too. Besides we can put this into timeline mess too. And yes, Shugo will meet with Tsubaki at some point.
-Zeladious:
Thank you. :)
-Mystery0028:
Yeah. Well, soon we'll have New York case so that probably counts?
()
Alright, thank you for the reviews and new readers. They make me happy. Please tell me what do you think about the timeline matter or if I should just cut it and be done with it and blame it on the looping years.