Fade to Darkness

Title: Fade to Darkness
Rating: M
Fandom: Detective Conan
Summary: Reincarnation only existed in fanfiction, yet Michael Leo Field was reborn as Akai Senichi, the younger twin brother of Akai Shuichi. However, his new life takes a dark turn; at the age of ten he is kidnapped and at twelve, he is forced to join the organization. [OC Insert as Akai Sibling] [Family/Angst/Drama/Crime]

Arc IV
Chapter XIII
Coma
Warnings: None

Absinthe was hospitalized in Haido Central Hospital and with the help of James' friend, the director, kept his hospitalization of Leo Vineyard a secret. He was deemed to be comatose. Jodie was released from the hospital within a few days. James brought her to the hospital room Absinthe was kept in where they found Akai sitting beside the unconscious man. His eyes were red and puffy from crying.

Jodie took a seat beside her friend. "Shuu, are you alright?"

"His name's Senichi Soren Akai," He managed to say. "He's my younger twin brother,"

Both Jodie and James let out audible gasps. "Akai-kun, is he really your brother? How did he end up in the organization?"

"Through a series of unfortunate events," Akai answered.

"Did you think that I didn't want to go home!? Of course I wanted to go home! I had been crying for help for the two years I suffered in that hellhole! You have no fucking idea what I've been through!" He took off his jacket and shirt, revealing the various scars across his body. "Nearly all of these scars are from Mad Dog Arena, not from the organization!" He pointed at his shoulder where the brand still stayed. "I was branded like I was some cattle and not a human! I was forced to kill other children! I had to kill my own friend! I was poked and prodded with needles and experimented on!"

"I don't want to talk about it," He added.

Senichi activated his polar bear traits. His mouth became wider and filled with sharp teeth. His entire muscle mass increased. He kicked off his shoes as his hands and feet became larger, clawed, and covered in white fur. He grabbed Akai by his throat and brought him close to his face. "Nobody wants a monster in their family!"

"It's not my place to say," Even though he could tell the two all about Senichi's past, he wasn't going to do so without his brother's permission. 'I failed you again! It's my job as an older brother to protect you, even if I'm only older by a few minutes! I'm so sorry Senichi! I should've pulled you out of the organization all those years ago! Then you wouldn't be like this!'

Jodie picked up the necklace she had given to Senichi and noted how it was still in pristine condition. 'Senichi is actually Absinthe. But he is also Shuu's brother. I don't know if he really loved me. He never received any information from the FBI and everything was so genuine. But he was trained by Vermouth, a master actress. The Senichi I dated may have looked different, but these two have the same presence,'

XXX

"Shuu," Jodie sat down beside her friend. "Do you think…everything he and I had in the past…was a lie?"

"No," Akai shook his head. "Senichi really does love you. If it was all an act on the order from the organization, he would've tried to get to know more about the FBI,"

"I never told him that I was an FBI Agent and he never seemed interested about the FBI," Jodie recalled. "He only wanted to about me personally as if we were just two normal people dating each other. When I mentioned his name, did you know that he was your brother?"

"Soren is his middle name," Akai nodded. "I learned that Absinthe was actually Senichi when he, Bourbon, Scotch, and I had a mission in England,"

"Did he recognize you?" Jodie asked softly. "Does he know that you're his brother?"

"He does," Akai nodded once more. "Do you know the nickname he gave me in the organization? It's Nalabaga. Senichi sometimes used Ilocano phrases. I never gave it much thought but looking back, Nalabaga is Ilocano for red. He knew all along that I was his brother. He knew that my name wasn't Moroboshi Dai, but he never ratted me out. He allowed me to keep infiltrating the organization," 'But I was unable to recognize him until I overheard his conversation with Dad,'

"Can…can you tell me more about him?" Jodie requested. "I want to confirm whether he told me the truth all those times or if he was lying,"

XXX

"Both Absinthe and Calvados are dead," Vodka said. "The news says that both kidnappers committed suicide,"

"They never found Absinthe's corpse," Gin pointed out.

"It fell into the sea, Aniki," Vodka reminded. "It was probably far away by the time the cops arrived,"

'Polar bears are great swimmers,' Gin thought. "He wouldn't have killed himself. He would've fought 'til the end," 'He's not dead. He's been through worse. He wouldn't break. He wouldn't die,'

"I'm Senichi Akai,"

Gin's eyes widened upon the realization. 'Senichi's surname wasn't Field. We lied about our surname at the academy. His surname is Akai. Is he related to Akai Shuichi? Did he betray the organization? I heard from Vermouth that Akai was there. Does that mean Senichi sought out sanctuary from the FBI?' He exhaled. 'No, what am I thinking?'

"The organization saved us," Leo pointed out. "They took us away from that hellhole when the world had abandoned us. We owe our lives to the organization,"

'He's loyal to the organization,' Gin told himself. 'He would never betray the organization. The organization saved us. Besides, he showed no sign of recognizing Akai when he infiltrated the organization and vice versa. People could share the same surname but not be related by blood. He's a valuable member just like Curacao and me. We need to retrieve him alive,'

XXX

"Shuu, you need to eat," Jodie held a bento box out to him. "It won't do you or Senichi any good if you starve,"

"I'm not hungry," Akai shook his head.

"Eat," Jodie opened it and held a spoonful of rice to him.

"I said I'm not hungry," Akai repeated.

"Then at least get some fresh air," Jodie sighed. "I understand that you're worried about Senichi. I am also worried about him, but you need to take care of your health too. Do you want him to wake up to a zombie?"

"Alright," Akai exhaled loudly. "Some fresh air won't kill me,"

"And food," Jodie shoved the bento box to his chest.

The two headed to the rooftop where Akai and Jodie ate in a brief silence. "Jodie," Akai asked. "Do you hate Senichi now that you know he's Absinthe?"

"No, he's never lied to me," Jodie answered honestly. "Everything he said was the truth. Technically his name really is Senichi Soren, he just never told me his full name. All of his interests and dislikes were the truth. All of the experiences he mentioned were real. When he went on missions for the organization, he claimed they were business trips which could be considered the truth if you claim they were the organization's business trips,"

"He stopped fighting and threw Calvados' shotgun to me once he realized you were at a disadvantage in your fight against Vermouth," Akai said. "He really does love you, Jodie," There was another awkward silence. "Do you think the hospital gift shop sells plushies?"

"I think they sell dog plushies," Jodie told him. "But I'm not sure if any of them will look like Sable. It's worth a shot though,"

XXX

'It's been weeks and there's been no sign of Absinthe,' Gin cursed. 'I know he's not dead. He wouldn't commit suicide like the police report said. Why hasn't he made contact with the organization yet? Does he not have his phone with him? Or worse, did he betray the organization?' He shook his head. 'He would never betray the people who saved us,'

'Should I track him down by scent?' Gin immediately dismissed that idea and took a sip from his alcohol. "I don't need those bastards' help finding Absinthe! We can live on just fine without them! Those abilities are a curse! They're what killed Ahren!" He took another sip. "I don't need these animal attributes. None of us do. I don't understand why Curacao and Absinthe use them sometimes. We're humans. We don't need the power of a wolf, tiger, or a polar bear,"

'They're lucky that I wasn't on the mission to destroy Mad Dog Arena,' Gin poured himself another glass. 'I'm sure Absinthe wanted to rush things. I would've made sure those bastards suffered for as long as possible!' He finished the rest of the alcohol in his cup.

Velgamidragon:
Ooh, awesome! I didn't expect Senichi to be at the docks during the Vermouth showdown, and I think this one really worked. When I started the chapter and realized what was going to happen, you actually have no idea how excited I was since both Shuichi and Jodie were here and Absinthe obviously has deep personal connections with the two. I was hoping so badly that Absinthe would be the one to break Calvados' legs since he was already there with him and wants Conan, Haibara, Jodie, and Ran to live, and it did! And Absinthe encountered Shuichi and Jodie, she's now wondering if Senichi is the same Senichi she dated, and was taken to the hospital by the FBI away from the Organization which would make the Organization think he was captured and have to decide about either trying to rescue him (like with Kir) or kill him if they think he'd talk.
(Regarding the review reply) Oh, I agree, but that's why the "Contact with the Black Organization" and "Black Impact" chapters/episodes are two of my most favorite BO cases because Conan recklessly charges ahead with no backup plans in place to get out of a bad situation if something goes wrong and constantly underestimates Gin which nearly got him and Kogoro killed. I can forgive Conan's arrogance in "Reunion with the Black Organization" though because this is the first case he's been in where the Organization is on the offensive rather than neutral (Akemi's murder, the bullet train case, and Tequila's accidental death), so he's unaware of how smart and intuitive Gin is at this point. I don't think there's anything wrong with characters hating suits or crows, it was just specifically the whining part of it that surprised me.

Skai:
I was originally going to write him being captured without being comatose, but it was easier for me to write him being unconscious. As for Absinthe's inner turmoil upon awakening in FBI custody…it's badly written in this version. I don't even know if I'll keep the whole comatose thing in the revamped version.
My problem with Conan's arrogance is it's what got him into his current situation in the first place. He rushed after Vodka and didn't even stay aware of his surroundings, resulting in Gin knocking him out and poisoning him with APTX 4869. Also, I'm sure Haibara would have repeatedly warned Conan that Gin is very dangerous.
As for Sen's whining…it just shows how familiar he is with Vermouth.