A/N: Another? Yes, another~! POW! (Laughs) Is it just me, or do these keep getting longer… -_- Oh well, long chapters are wonderful~! I love long chapters~! Sorry for any typos, I've been realizing a lot more of them, so I'm apologizing in advanced. XD Also, double digits! 8D
Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan in any way or form.
Chapter Ten
I shifted in the futon lazily, still in the middle of my hour sleep haze; an hour – or sometimes a lot longer – full of doing nothing but thinking. Thinking about everything and anything; thinking of the truth of the world, or the real reality of things, thinking about falsity, thinking about justice, thinking about everything the world has to think about. My sister had told me once that I think too much about everything when we had been discussing the threads of the universe and different dimensions that had different versions of ourselves. I had to agree with her; thinking too much brought up bad thoughts. But, it was a habit of mine that wasn't going to break anytime soon, so might as well embrace it.
Currently, I was going over the Detective Conan timeline. Since Heiji had just met Shinichi and the gang, and Shinichi had his first 'revival' to himself, a lot of things still haven't happened. Heck, the FBI weren't even here yet. Vermouth hasn't yet made her move on Sherry, Mizunashi Rena hasn't appeared yet, neither has Eisuke, or Bourbon, or Okiya Subaru – though, he's a special case. So much hasn't happened, and I'll most likely be here to watch it. Maybe it was just my sick way of entertainment, but I was really looking forward to the Clash of Red and Black arc where lots of trouble comes to light.
But, today was Friday, and it wasn't even close to anything super important besides Heiji finding out about Conan in a few files, so I had nothing to worry about. There's no significant murder cases between that time, though that Library murder case would be coming up very soon, though I won't be nearby. That was a refreshing thought . Though, it'd be best to not let my guard down. After all, a lot of other incidents probably happen where Shinichi isn't present, and there could also be cases that they just didn't show in the anime or manga, for some reason. Best to keep on my toes.
Hmm, I wonder when I'll meet the main Detective Conan cast – so far, I've only met the main Magic Kaito characters. An ironic smile appeared on my lips. With my luck, I'll probably run into them at the most inconvenient time, I thought. I stopped short when I realized that I could possibly be jinxing myself. Great…
I let out a soft groan, turning to lie on my stomach and smother my face with my pillow. I let out a sigh before I brought my knees up and put my hands to the side of my head and pushed myself up into a crawling position. I hadn't really wanted to get up, but I couldn't exactly sleep all day here either. I had things to do and things to see; people to meet. Unlike in my world, I actually have to do things. In my world, I really did nothing important or anything significant. Every day was the same thing over and over again. Suddenly having things to do was a change of pace, but it wasn't exactly bad. Just tiring.
I sluggishly pulled my hair from my face, twisting so I could sit. Glancing over at Kaito's bed, I realized he was gone; probably left for school a short while ago, if the sun outside was any indication. It was high and bright and I brought a hand rest on my cheek, leaning against it while gazing out the window lazily. Better start to get ready…
With a sigh, I got to my feet, stretched, and walked out of Kaito's room, not bothering to fix the futon yet or to move my teddy bear back into my bag. The smell of breakfast lured me into the kitchen first and I saw Chikage bustling around, making eggs and bacon. I blinked slowly; you would think that she would have been long finished with making breakfast. Perhaps, she had slept in like I had and Kaito had had to make his own breakfast.
"Good morning…," I mumbled, taking a seat at the dining table – really, Kaito's house was very westernized. Chikage looked over her shoulder, saying her own good morning, and giggling before turning back to cooking. Eh, can't blame her for laughing. My hair was probably a mess. I shrugged it off, before slipping off the chair and pushing it to the front of the cabinets. I got on it, standing, and opened the cabinet, taking out a cup before getting off, opening the fridge and pouring myself some milk, before I placed my cup on the table and moved the chair back; sitting back down as if I hadn't done anything at all.
The sounds of Chikage cooking in the background faded away as I zoned out. I felt like I was forgetting something – something very important; something that I hadn't wanted to forget. What was it? Some parts of Akako's conversation kinda cut off, too. I remember her telling me about how I got here, and that she made me a bracelet, but there was something missing. Something…Off. Right before she told me that the bracelet wasn't free, there's a big, black, blank spot in my memory. My brows furrowed in frustration. What was it? Maybe I wrote it down in somewhere, I write down everything I don't want to forget because of my bad memory…
I was startled out of my thoughts when a plate was placed in front of me, an omelet and bacon covering the white porcelain. I looked up to see Chikage sitting down in her own chair already, a plate in front of her, too. "Ah, Thanks." I gave her a smile and she gave me on in return. "You're welcome."
We chimed together 'thank you for this meal' before we ate. It was, once again, a comfortable silence. The silence was broken by Chikage, "Alice-chan, your milk is probably getting warm." Ah, that's right! I got milk! I hurried to grab the cup and chug down the contents, not really caring that I was probably acting my current physical age. "Thanks for reminding me, Ch–Okaa-san." I gave her a grin.
She giggled at the childish display, before reaching over with a napkin to wipe the side of my mouth. I flinched in surprised, and she pulled pack after she was done. "You had a milk mustache." She explained. Oh… I gave her a sheepish look.
We finished breakfast, happily chatting after we had broken the silence once again. We talked about everything, but I avoided the subject of family, knowing it'll probably be a touchy subject for Chikage, and also for me. Couldn't exactly tell her I was feeling kinda lonely. No contact with my mom or sister in four and a half days – well, five and a half, if I included today. I found it strange to be eating breakfast, too, because I never really ate it. If I had to, yes, but if no one was actually there to tell me to eat it, I wouldn't. Usually didn't eat lunch either, just dinner. It wasn't because I was worried about my weight or anything, it just…Was an annoyance to sit down and eat when I could be doing much more productive things. Guess I was like Shinichi in that aspect; skipping meals if I was too into what I was doing.
After breakfast, we washed up the plates together, and then I went to get ready for the day. Dressed for the day, Chikage joined me as I was heading out of the bathroom, my hair still a spiky mess. She gave me a giggle and a wide smile and she picked me up to bring her to her room. I let out a surprised yelp, looking over her shoulder with wide eyes as the world bounced with her every step and the ground was far away. Wow, now I know why Shinichi hates getting man-handled; it's disorienting and it hurts the pride… I could practically feel it being ripped to shreds. Ow, ow, ow.
I was placed gently on Chikage's bed and she left me in a flurry of happiness, darting off to what seemed to be her personal bathroom. Her bed was soft and her room spelled of faded roses. Not an overpowering smell, but one that made you feel nostalgic, even if you didn't know why. I noticed a large portrait, much like the one in Kaito's room, but instead with Chikage and Toichi smiling with flowers petals falling around them. They were near a Sakura tree, it seemed. Chikage was wearing a white gown that flowed beautifully around her, simple but elegant, and Toichi was wearing a white tuxedo. It looked like a wedding picture. A small smile made way to my lips. Figures Toichi wouldn't wear black on his wedding day. He looked better in white, anyways.
"That's my husband; he passed away eight years ago." Chikage's soft voice cut off my musings. I turned to see her looking at the picture, her eyes slightly sad but happy at the same time.
I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. I didn't actually think he was dead, after a certain conversation my sister and I had one night, but instead was in hiding. He was a master of disguise, after all, and seemed to be prepared to die, leaving Kaito a cassette tape and an eight year lock on the 'lair' door. I even had a vague idea of who he might be. But, I wasn't about to tell her that.
"He seemed like a wonderful person." I intoned, my voice just as soft. She turned to give me a bright smile, her eyes lighting up as she remembered things. "Yes, he was." She said. "He was always smiling and seemed unreliable, but he was very capable." She giggled, taking a seat next to me and I noticed the box she had brought with her. She opened it, revealing a bunch of hair products, brushes, and hair ties. My face paled a bit – she wouldn't…
She turned me around and my theory was confirmed as she started to brush my hair slowly, continuing to talk. "When we went on dates, he would pick me up in the strangest ways. Always showing up extravagantly, and giving me a flower before we went on the date. He always seemed to know the perfect places to go, too, that we would both enjoy." I relaxed into her ministrations, my eyes returning to their normal size in comfort. I listened very carefully to what she was saying, interested.
"And the way we met is a funny experience. Back then, he had given me a sweet comment and a kiss, and that's how we had started dating. Now that I think about it, we hadn't known anything about each other at the time…," She trailed, trying to find the right words. "…We just clicked." She decided on, and I almost cooed at the cuteness. Soul mates, that's what they were.
I winced as she hit a tangle in my hair, and I waited for her to get it out, my hair pulling painfully. Once the knot was gone, she put the brush down, done with brushing my hair. She twisted to grab a few hair ties from The Box of Things and turned back to me, splitting my hair down the back and pulling one side into a ponytail. Oh no, she wasn't gonna…
Yup, she was gonna, I deadpanned as she pulled the other side into a ponytail as well, setting my hair into two short pigtails. She brushed the pigtails carefully, and then twisted to get out two blue ribbons the same color as my transformer bracelet string – now that I looked at it, it was actually a very dark blue, not black like I had thought in the dark chamber of Akako's – and she tied them in bows over the hair ties, making it looks like my hair was being held by ribbons instead of the hair tie.
"There we go." She announce happily, picking me up and bringing me into her bathroom so I could look in the mirror and see the results. I guess it didn't look bad. In fact, it looked quite well with my young image, but it was still embarrassing. My cheeks were tinted a dusty pink. "Thank you, Okaa-san~!" I chimed, though, wanting to please Chikage.
She gave me a wide smile. "Now, then." She stated, placing me on the ground and going to pick up The Box of Things and returning it to under her sink. While she was closing the doors to the cabinet, I noticed a big makeup kit, too. I really hope she never uses that on me, I absently thought.
"Why don't you and I go buy some groceries? I'm going to be leaving to travel a bit more, so we should get enough food so that Kaito doesn't have to go get them. He's bad in grocery stores." She chuckled, most likely thinking about how he was 'bad in grocery stores'. Well, there were a lot of fish in super markets…
"A trip? Where are you going?" I asked, curiously, walking with her down the stairs and to the front of the house where we both donned light jackets and our shoes. Thankfully, I had shoes that fit from that social worker lady.
"I'm going to Paris~! I have some work to do there, so I'll be gone for a while." She stated, and my eyes narrowed at the lie. Work in Paris? But, she just travels for fun, according to Kaito… But, work. She could be working, but what type of work? What is she really doing? She was The Phantom Lady, so maybe she knows about the organization that killed Toichi and is looking for Pandora, as well, just more discrete than Kaito. Or, is it possible that she's…? No, that's a stupid thought. She should know that that would be too dangerous. Then again, Kurobas do seem to disregard that they're in danger and rush into it, anyways. Maybe she was, then…
"Ah, I see. Paris, huh? It sounds fun~! Have you been there before?" I questioned, digging a bit more; heh, it was kinda easy to get information when you're small. When you're older, people just immediately label you as a nosy person who likes to get involved in everyone's business. Well, I am, but no one really needs to know that, right?
We walked out of the house, Chikage locking up the door, and grabbing my hand as we began to go to the super market that – I assumed – was nearby. "Yes, I have. It was a while ago, though, so I decided that I should check in to see how the situation is." Check in to see how the situation is, huh? Definitely sounds like she's doing what I thought. I mentally face palmed. Darn Kurobas; always doing things that endanger themselves.
"Ah, well, I hope you have a good trip." I smiled at her. "When are you leaving?"
"This afternoon, an hour before Kai-chan gets back from school. I told him this morning, so he told me that he'd take good care of you while I'm gone. He'll enroll you in school this weekend." She explained, turning a corner and leading me to the super market that was just across the street. Funny, I didn't notice that on my way here – then again, the station was on the other side and I was only going through the neighborhood, never got this far. Wait…Did she just say…? Damn it all. Enrolling into school means that I'm going to have to do first grader things again….
We got into the store and I shivered at the sudden temperature drop. But, this was enlightening. When she leaves this afternoon, I'll have a whole hour to myself. I smirked. Perfect.
ooOOoo
I waved as Chikage left after she had gotten me situated and made sure I would be fine on my own. A reassuring smile was on my lips as I wished her a good, safe, trip. She closed the door behind her and I waited in silence, the clock the only noise, for ten minutes. Once ten minutes were over, I grinned sharply to myself; time to get to work.
I hurried into Kaito's room, grabbing my bag and digging through it until I reached my watch. I placed it on the floor next to my futon and grabbed a notebook – if I was going to do this, I'm going to record how many times I've done it. She said it'd have the same effect on the body, I just won't feel the pain. That means I could be ruining my heart and I wouldn't feel it until it's too late. No, thank you. That was too risking in my book; recording everything might help, even if just a bit.
I grabbed the book, a sense of déjà vu hitting me. I…Did this yesterday night. What did I write, though? I couldn't remember. I quickly flipped through the filled pages, watching as the dates progress from the beginning of the year and stopped at the most recent entry. Yesterday. My eyes darted across the words, taking in the writing that was clearly my handwriting – not really unique, but I had a habit of switching between three types of A's – and when I was done reading, I laughed. Nice thinking, past-self. Well, at least I know that I had been in contact with my sister; couldn't remember, but she could remember. And, I could quite possibly contact her again… Hm.
I snapped myself out of my thoughts, glancing at the clock. I didn't have time to be thinking, I needed to get ready! I hurried to grab a pen and write down the day's date, inputting that I'd be the first time to turn back to my normal body. After that, I grabbed the notebook, my clothes – the ones I had been wearing when transported here – and my watch, heading into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me, turning to the center of the room. I stripped my clothes, and looked down at the bracelet.
Okay, on the way here, I asked Akako how to use it. She said she hadn't programmed it with a command word yet, so we had decided on the way here. She said that even if the word/words was/were spoken, if it wasn't said by me, it wouldn't work. Even if someone imitated my voice. Good – with Kaito and Shinichi, that would just be asking for shit to hit the fan. I sucked in a deep breath, afraid that it would hurt, before I said the command words.
"Wake me, if you're out there." It was said as a whisper instead of the strong voice I had been going for, but it worked all the same; the words were laced with magic, making them sound powerful despite being quiet.
A warm pulse echoed through my body as it began to change slowly. It wasn't painful, like Akako said it would be, but it was more of a feeling that I was overexerting myself. My skin was getting warm, and I was sweating a bit, my heart rate going a mile a minute.
After a couple long minutes, I was back in my original body, leaning against the bathroom counter on my forearms, panting. God, it feels like I had just run through the desert without water for days without stopping – but, it was admittedly better than the pain. Once I caught my breath, I looked up, seeing my original face staring back at me. A smile broke across my face and I hurried to get dressed, stumbling a bit in my haste. I made sure to fold the kiddy clothes and leave them on the counter. My hand snapped on my watch and I checked the time. I had three days in this body everytime I changed, but I'd have to be back in 45 minutes. Enough time, if I was quick.
Ready to go, I went back to Kaito's room to record how the process went, then slung my bag around my neck and went to the door. I reached in my bag, taking out my fitting shoes and quickly put them on. I was really glad I had changed the bracelet back to its original size when I had, otherwise it'd be cutting off the blood circulation in my wrist. I made sure to put my hat on my head, shadowing over my eyes, as I headed out of the house, not bothering to lock it behind me. I had left the TV on, so people should think that someone is home.
I pulled out the map I had found in my bag – how did that get there? – and started towards the nearest clothing shop. If I was to do this correctly, I'd have to go to several different ones to buy each article of clothing, just so they can't track me down. I had some money with me, too, so I should be able to pay for everything – that had also been converted to yen when I was transported here; darn gem was thorough.
Well, at least it comes in handy. A happy grin was on my face as I made it to the store; it was a simple place where they kept various clothing choices. I immediately headed to get my first purchase, a nice pair of black silk gloves, comfortable and flexible; also handy for hiding incriminating fingerprints…
-I know, I know. Those were the worst command words ever. Could you blame me, though? I couldn't think of a thing… (Laughs) This was going to be longer, but I decided to cut it in half, so it was two chapters. XD
-Edit: The word 'bad' somehow was written as 'back' a lot in this chapter. There was even a part where I wrote, 'then I slung my back around my neck.' Whoo. Sounds painful! XDD