From the day he picked up A Study In Scarlet, Shinichi knew he wanted to be a detective. He wanted to be just like Sherlock Holmes. His dad was so cool, too. He made up detectives and then solved real cases in real life. Mom said it was dangerous, but Shinichi just thought it was awesome.

He thought his mom was funny, even for a fox. Mom never frowned when Dad was home, but sometimes she cried when he didn't come home for awhile. He never said anything to Dad. Dad knew everything. So of course Dad knew that Mom was sadder whenever he wasn't home.

Sometimes, Shinichi got to see his dad's picture in the paper. Whenever he solved a big mystery, the kanji on the top said Kudou Yusaku Does It Again! and it always made Shinichi smile. He showed it off at school to Ran, saying, look at how cool Dad is. He never fails a case. For some reason, though, Mom didn't like it when Dad solved a case. She lashed her fluffy tail back and forth as she stormed through the house, and she never waited for Dad to come home before she made dinner.

He heard them yelling at each other sometimes after that funeral they went to. There was a nice boy at the funeral who Shinichi thought looked just like him, but the boy had scales and a tail just like the pictures of the man who died. Shinichi had Dad's ears and wings and Mom's bright orange fur.

Shinichi had really good hearing, too. Mom and Dad didn't know. It was Shinichi's secret with Ran. Shinichi could hear when Mom and Dad yelled at each other. But it was more like Mom getting really upset and yelling and Dad not saying anything. Even if Mom and Dad were on the other side of the house and they played music in the kitchen to cover up the noise, Shinichi could still hear them fighting. He didn't like it, so a lot of the time he went to the professor's house next door. Even if the professor was tinkering with loud machines and making things blow up all the time, Shinichi always thought the professor's house was quieter.

Mom left somewhere one day in what looked like a "hissy fit." At least, she was acting how Shinichi did once or twice when she said that. She left with a little suitcase and didn't say goodbye to anyone.

"Is she coming back?" Shinichi asked Dad.

Dad barely looked up from the case file in front of him. "She'll be back, don't worry. She just needs some air."

Shinichi stretched his wings nervously. "Does Mom not like you working on cases?"

Dad smiled just a little, but he looked sad. "No. She doesn't."

"Are you gonna stop doing them?"

"No. It helps more people than I think she realizes. Once Yukiko understands, she'll come back home."

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It was three months, one week, and two days before Mom came back home. Dad was gone, and Shinichi told her so when she asked. Dad's out working, he told her, and so the professor was going to come by later to help with dinner. But then Mom's eyes got wide and her fur got all fluffy like when Shinichi startled her late one night, but this time her fear smelled sick. Mom dropped her bags and said to go to the professor's.

But Shinichi didn't want to go to the professor's. It's was too loud and too bright at night.

Shinichi slept alone in the attic that night. He liked the attic. Other bats (full bats, not like Dad's parents) sometimes came by and made Shinichi feel better, but nobody came by. Not tonight.

He was cold.

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Detective Kudou Yusaku Attacked! Will He Ever Fly Again?

On Tuesday, world-renown detective and mystery writer Kudou Yusaku was rescued by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Kudou had been captured three days before his rescue and tortured by the criminal, Kuraki Yuta.At the hands of Kudou's ruthless deductive skills, Yuta was nearly convicted of first-degree murder; however, thanks to a technicality in the judicial system, Yuta escaped all charges. Yuta invited Kudou out under the pretense of making amends.The extent of Kudou's injuries are unknown, but his wings were torn and damaged nearly beyond repair. Fans and friends alike wonder if Kudou will ever fly again. One expert said…

Shinichi couldn't read anymore. Dad would never fly with him again. Never. He came home with his wings wrapped like a mummy. He wouldn't fly.

Late that night, Shinichi heard Mom crying. "This is why I said to stop. People get hurt. What would we do if we never found you?"

"Yuta wouldn't kill me," Dad rasped.

"Yusaku, you can't keep doing this. Think about Shinichi. Think about Kaito. You know what Kaito did after Toichi died."

"Shinichi is smarter than-"

"Please."

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Dad's wings became infected. He lost them a week and a half later.