Disclaimer: Detective Conan © Aoyama Gosho. RavenShooter and I own nothing except this story.
A/N: Hello again guys! So far thos chapter is the longest! 11 page! Wow, I'm so proud with you Raven! Hmm...I don't know what else to say, so I just give a special thanks to Ai Queen, Enji86, Kaze-rei, Ninada, haibaraai4869, FairPhoenix for the reviews, and for you guys who put this story to story alert and favorite list. Hontou ni arigatou!
Conan and Ai has a new name, you know, because they are hiding from B.O. What is their new name, it's still a secret. You just can find 'Minoru' for Conan.
Sorry if there's any mistake like grammar, tenses, etc. English is not my native language.
Hope you enjoy this chapter ^^
Our Battle For a New Life
By: RavenShooter
Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius
Chapter 2: Unknown
~America 18 00 hours, 14 February~
We're here.
I wonder what will happen now.
I never really thought about it.
"Co-Minoru!"
I spun around at the mention of my new name. Camel was rushing towards me carrying our luggage. I waited for him to near me before I asked, "Where are we going now?"
Camel started at my command in English. I sharpened my English over the years, getting rid of the Japanese accent and the pronunciation problems. Ai had helped me with it- she was amazingly good. She mocked and pushed me, riling me up sometimes but finally, I could speak English fluently. As soon as I realised that I had no accent, I hurriedly learnt to inject some British accent into my speech. I'm not called a Sherlockian for nothing.
I gave Camel a grim smile, urging him to answer my question quickly.
"Um… We're waiting for somebody now," he answered shortly.
"Who?"
No answer. Instead, he raised his finger and pointed at the opening automatic glass doors at the entrance of the airport terminal. A woman and a man walked in and to my surprise, Jodie-sensei and James Black hurried towards us. Jodie-sensei was ecstatic. She hugged Camel and I hard, only releasing us when Black interfered.
"There, there Jodie," he said in English, looking around suspiciously. "Don't create a scene. People are looking."
And they were. I should note that I wasn't at Japan anymore. A flustered, blonde woman hugging a Japanese child and a huge, bald American would raise some eyes. I glared at those busybodies, irritated that they noticed. I had no time to worry about such minor troubles that might turn out to be a huge problem. I gritted my teeth. There're too many problems here. I was still unsure of the safety of America.
"Daijoubu Cool Kid," Jodie whispered very softly to me in Japanese. She winked and continued, "We're going to a very special place."
"Where?"
"The FBI's headquarters of course."
~Japan 07 00 hours 15 February~
"Moshi moshi."
"They're gone."
"What do you mean 'gone'?"
"They're not here. She's not there."
"Well find out where! They must be found! Especially… her."
"Yes sir."
"Do your job then."
"Well?"
Gin glared at Vodka, irritated that he was actually asking such a stupid question. He threw his mobile onto the dashboard and focused on his driving instead of his blockheaded partner. Vodka shuddered slightly, hurt from Gin's obvious disgust and Gin visibly relaxed, glad that Vodka knew that he felt revulsion of Vodka's slow mind. He threw the unlit cigarette from his mouth out of the Porsche's window before pulling another cigarette out of its pack. He placed it in his mouth and pressed down the car lighter. He leaned back to wait for the lighter to come back up.
"Well?"
Gin glanced sideways to look at his bumbling partner and muttered a curse under his breath.
"They're not here," came the short reply, "Gone."
"Damn…" Vodka banged his hand on his meaty lap and glared at something that Gin couldn't see.
"So what now?"
"Click…"
Gin glanced at the street, making sure he wasn't going to hit anyone before reaching down to pick the lighter up. He pushed the hot insides of the lighter to the front of the cigarette, lighting it up. He took a deep breath of the addicting fumes, placing the lighter back at the same time. The fumes burned his lungs, giving him a sudden burst of energy. A ring of smoke escaped from his angular nose and hovered around him before vanishing. Satisfied that he had a good smoke, Gin looked at Vodka to give him a nasty grin.
"Find them of course."
Kogoro sat up on his bed. He had a bad dream again. Rubbing his eyes, he sighed as his mind wandered to the dream he had for quite some time now. In his dream the freeloader was being chased by some crows and he was watching, unable to help the kid out. The kid stood in front of the little girl that he had taken a liking to, what was her name again, protecting her from the hungry-looking crows. They were attacked by the vicious beasts, their cries of pain loud and shrill. Everytime the scene proceeded to more blood, he woke up.
He sighed again, the pitiful screams of the two children still echoing in his ears. He never told the boy about his dream, only asking if he was scared of crows. The boy whitened slightly but when Kogoro pointed at the noisy crow standing at the windowsill, he laughed and shook his head.
"I don't fear crows Occhan," the boy assured the elder man cheerfully.
But when he turned away, a dark shadow fell upon the child's well-defined face. "But there are those who are deserving of such fear," he whispered so softly that Kogoro nearly didn't catch them. "Only some but they need to be shot down."
Kogoro shuddered at the sudden flashback. The crow at the windowsill cawed exactly when the boy muttered that as though in protest and the child shot the black bird a look that caused it to shut up and fly away. It didn't strike him as odd but after a while, Kogoro felt that the boy was not telling them something.
He turned to look at the empty floor beside the bed. That was the place where the kid usually slept but now he was gone. He just called them to tell them that he wasn't coming back as he wanted to take care of the girl that he had taken a fancy to- Ai was her name if he remembered correctly. He offered no other explanation except that Ai was in a comatose and he didn't trust the Japanese doctors to help her. He said that he was going back to his parents who would get the best doctors for her but didn't say where he was going. He did say that he was never coming back and that he was not going to pick up the things he left at the agency. After saying goodbye to Ran, he ended the phone conversation and never called again.
Kogoro frowned. It was too sudden but when was the kid ever normal? He was probably the most abnormal kid after that cold girl called Ai. He was way too smart and everytime he was caught for being too smart, he acted childishly. And he was always running off to goodness-knows-where for no reason without any explanation given. This might be one of those times that he runs off to satisfy that never-ending curiosity of his. It was weird but it was not as weird as the ice cold princess. She was always like an adult, so unlike any child. Even the brat could be a little childish at times but she was never a child. Even the hakase could not disobey her especially when it comes to food. She was especially strict on his diet. She was a like a little Eri. He shuddered again when he wondered about how the girl would grow up to.
"DING DONG!"
Groaning, Kogoro flopped his feet to the floor and slid on his fluffy, blue bedroom slippers before standing up to stretch his body. Much to his displeasure, he heard a few bones crack. Those cracking sounds symbolised his aging. He sighed and scratched his thinning hair. He was getting old- there was no denying it. He was over forty now and his over-obsessive habit of drinking had accumulated a nasty disease over the years. Liver failure. He was so sure that he had the strongest liver in the world after so many years of drinking and nothing happening to him. The moment his reached the age of forty, his liver began to break down. He was forced to stop drinking immediately by Ran and Eri. They didn't want to be an orphan and a widow respectively when they were still young. But all of them knew that they couldn't stop his liver from breaking down bit by bit. The end was inevitable. It was just how much time left that would make a difference.
"DING DONG!"
Sheesh… Kogoro muttered, irritated as he stumbled towards out of his room and to the door that would lead to the stairs of the apartment. He straightened his pyjamas, even more incensed that he could not even change into something more respectable before greeting the people outside the door. But those people were already ringing the doorbell even more insistently, each ring urging him to hurry up. Kogoro muttered a curse before placing his hand on the doorknob to pull open the door.
A woman was standing outside, her finger hovering at the doorbell, ready to press it again. She ceased the ringing when he opened the door. Her eyebrows narrowed as she took in the haggard appearance of the old man in front of her. Her hand flopped down and she dug into her pocket to offer him a card.
She gave it to him wordlessly and he took it. It read:
GOTO CHIYO
Attorney at Law
Kogoro looked up to inspect the woman. She didn't look anything like an attorney. Her legs were trembling, unable to balance on such precarious high stilettos. She looked stiff in her office clothing, not elegant like how Eri would in her office clothes. A black tight skirt, black shirt, black handbag and a black jacket, they looked normal but her orange hair destroyed her professional image. It was short and it looked as though it was messily chopped by a pair of shears instead of scissors. The tattoo of a butterfly at her left eye also looked out of place. The woman was trying very hard to dress like an attorney. Even a child could see that.
"Ahem," she coughed, getting his attention fully, "I am Goto Chiyo, attorney for Edogawa Conan."
An attorney for Edogawa Conan? Kogoro thought, surprised, that child has his own attorney?
"May I come in?"
He nodded absent-mindedly and stepped aside to allow her to come in. She appraised him with a raised eyebrow before turning away with a small huff that showed her disgust at his shabby appearance that was terrible even when compared to her weird combination of clothes. She kicked off her heels and slipped on the slippers provided and entered the living room without any invitation. Kogoro raised his eyebrow at her and shook his head, a little loss for words at the attorney's lack of manners.
He walked over to the sofas and sat exactly opposite her. "Do you want a drink?" he offered, hoping that she'll say now as Ran was not here and he had no idea how to make something nice for a respectable woman to drink.
To his relief, she shook her head and looked around. "Where is the child?" she asked.
"He went back to his parents," he answered, a hint of surprise in his voice, "You didn't know?"
"I know," she answered quickly, "Just asking to make sure he told you."
"So why are you here Goto-sensei?"
"I'm here to ask you some questions that his parents wanted me to ask you about his behaviour and manners while living in your home."
"That's a weird request."
"I'm just the attorney and I don't ask questions," she snapped, "I suggest you do the same."
"Okay…" Kogoro muttered sullenly.
"Alright then," she said briskly, pulling her skirt straight beneath her, "How long was he staying here?"
"You're supposed to know that aren't you."
"Just answer the question!"
"Okay!" he answered, shocked by her snappish response, "Three years!"
"And what do you feel about him living here?"
"Nothing. He's a freeloader but I guess he can be a nice boy sometimes."
"Do you think him as a son?"
"Um..." thinking hard before answering, "yeah maybe. He's like a son I never had."
"Do you think he's too smart sometimes?"
Kogoro nodded. "Yeah, he's awfully smart for a kid. He was smart even when he was seven and he's still too smart for his age when he aged to ten," he explained.
The attorney nodded and took out a notepad from her handbag to jot down some notes. "Do you know where he is now?"
"No. He never told me."
"Why's that?"
"How would I know? You're the attorney! You answer that question!" Kogoro snapped at her, annoyed that she was asking irrelevant questions.
The woman then snapped her notebook shut and stuffed it in her handbag. She stood up and said, "That'll be all. Bye."
Shocked, he turned to watch her as she walked across the room. He felt uneasy as she watched her fitting on her heels with a sullen face. "Are you really an attorney?" he blurted out, unable to keep it back any longer.
She swirled around and stared at him angrily. He gulped slightly when he noticed that she looked glaringly madder than she first appeared to be. Her tattooed left eye scared him slightly; he never ever saw an attorney with a butterfly tattoo so prominently inked into the skin of the face.
"I am an attorney!" she hissed slightly, "Just cos I have a tattoo on my face doesn't mean I'm not one!"
Abashed, Kogoro hung his head and muttered an apology as he watched the furious woman stalk off to the shoe rack, step into her heels and tottered unsteadily out of the door. He looked at her and wondered hard. She was an attorney or so she claimed. But why was he suddenly feeling so scared and worried for that little boy that had once lived under the same roof as him.
Take care Conan, he thought worriedly, his mind wondering off to the child, I don't know why but someone's looking for you. Be careful.
~Teitan Elementary School, 12 30 hours, 15 February~
Ayumi sighed as she faced the empty chair a few seats behind her. She still couldn't get over the fact that two of her best friends had migrated to overseas. She was still in shock. First, it was Ai who was in an accident and she was sent overseas for better treatment. She didn't even get to see the girl who was her best friend and the older sister she never had. After that, she was even more surprised and horrified to hear that Conan had left with Ai as he wished to take care of her as she was still in a bad condition. He called her the night before and their conversation lasted a mere three minutes. He quickly informed her that he was leaving and might not be returning.
I'm gonna leave for a while, he had said, take care Ayumi-chan! It was nice knowing you and being your friend.
Those were his last words before he hung up the phone, disallowing her from uttering a single word of protest. When she heard the 'click' that indicated that he had hung up, her heart was filled with worry. She couldn't get over the feeling that he was leaving forever. His words made her tremble all over as she wondered about the meaning of the short conversation they had. It was like a goodbye- no, a farewell. As though he would be gone forever.
She was upset. She could not see life without them. They were like the leaders of the Shounen Tantei, smart and mature, very unlike the rest of them. She had always loved both of them; Ai as a big sister and best friend while she could not deny that she had feelings for Conan. He was smart, athletic and charming- a boy who had the mind of an adult. She always felt that he was the one for her and was broken hearted when she realised that he was more interested in Ai than her. They were close; closer than he and Ayumi would ever be and sometimes, Ayumi felt jealous of the bond they had. But since both of them were her good friends, she let them be, watching their relationship grow as she wallowed up her sadness and self-pity.
She sniffled and tried to stop some unbidden tears from leaking out of her tear ducts. She was ten; an age where most girls should become mature. She wanted to be like Ai. She was sure that when she was just like her, he would notice her and perhaps even return her feelings. It was a dream- an aspiration that she knew that might never be achieved.
"Ayumi-chan."
She jolted out of her miserable thoughts and spun around to see her two other close friends approaching her. Genta was waddling towards her while Mitsuhiko walked straight and stiffly towards her. She nodded at them to acknowledge them but turned around to stare at the seat that belonged to Conan. It seemed too quiet without him. It wasn't the same.
Mitsuhiko stood behind Ayumi, unsure if he should disturb her from staring at the empty seat. He waited for her to notice him but after a few minutes of not being noticed, he cleared his throat.
She turned around to face the freckled boy and her large eyes looked questioningly at him. "Yes?"
"There's someone we need to see Ayumi-chan," he said, "Have you forgotten?"
"Oh. The case that we just got this morning."
"Yeah. The client's waiting already. Let's go."
Ayumi reluctantly pushed back her chair and stood up. Genta and Mitsuhiko stepped aside to allow her to walk pass before falling to her side and they walked out of the classroom side by side as they always do. The only difference was now; there weren't a boy and a girl walking behind them, whispering to one another.
~Tokyo University, 13 25 hours, 15 February~
"Ran."
Ran turned around. She had dozed off as she was staring out of the window. Shocked, she looked up at her best friend Sonoko who was staring at her worriedly. Their other classmates had left the room. Looking up at the clock above the blackboard, she was surprised to find that it was already lunch time. She had daydreamt for half an hour and she didn't notice.
"Are you okay Ran? You've been quiet since the beginning of school."
Ran stood up and collected her books in her arms. She smiled sadly at Sonoko and replied, "I'm fine Sonoko. Just a little sad."
"Why?"
"Conan left."
"The little brat left? Why?"
They walked down the steps of the lecture theatre side by side, carrying their heavy books. They walked out of the huge glass doors and into the crowded hallways. Students milled around, pushing past each other without so much as a word. Ran watched the depressing, lonely sight and sighed. She was still not used to university life. It was very different from high school where she was greeted left and right by classmates and other acquaintances in the hallways. But now, everyone seemed so alien and distant. The only one who wasn't was Sonoko who had followed her up to a local university despite her father's strenuous objection.
"Why did he leave?" Sonoko asked again as she gave an evil look to a girl who had pushed pass her.
Ran stepped to her left to avoid a large guy walking down the corridor. "He wanted to follow Ai-chan to ensure that the doctors overseas would heal her. He said that he didn't have faith in the Japanese doctors and was looking for a more specialised doctor who can help her."
"Arrogant brat. Japanese doctors are fine," Sonoko huffed as they walked to their lockers, "So where did he go?"
Ran didn't answer. The words 'I don't know' just stuck to the tip of her tongue, unable to be voiced out. Sonoko noticed her depressed look and realised that she had no idea. Sonoko patted on Ran's back, comforting her slightly.
"Don't worry Ran!" she chirped cheerfully, "That brat will be back in a few days saying that he misses you and he'll stay again! Don't worry. That brat loves you too much."
Ran went red slightly. She knew that Sonoko meant that he loved her like an elder sister but she sometimes couldn't shake the feeling that he meant it differently sometimes. He seemed too much like Shinichi who had never returned for three years. She never saw him after he told her that he loved her in London and despite her asking him to return countless times, he refused, saying he can't.
"Excuse me."
Ran turned around to find the huge guy she stepped aside was standing behind her. He loomed over her, throwing her into his huge shadow that was just as black as his clothing. He was wearing a dark, tight shirt and a pair of black trousers. His head was bald and eventhough he was in the school, he was wearing dark sunglasses that made her unable to see his eyes.
"Yes?" she answered politely.
"Are you talking about Edogawa Conan, the child detective?"
Ran smiled slightly, mocking herself silently to forget that her young ward was pretty famous in the police force. He was called 'Holmes Junior' by many fans. "Yes I was," she replied, "why?"
"Do you know where he gone to? I was trying to contact him but I can't seem to reach him."
"Why are you looking for him?"
"I have a little case for him to solve."
"Oh…" she muttered, "I'm sorry but he left the country at the very last minute."
"Did he go with the red haired girl?"
When the man saw her surprise, he quickly explained, "I found out that she was checked out of the hospital by him when I went to find him there."
"Well too bad!" Sonoko cut in, her voice snappish as she glared at another student who had banged into her unceremoniously without an apology. "He's gone and we don't know where he is," she continued.
"Sonoko!" Ran reproached her as she noticed that the man was staring at Sonoko.
"Okay, did he say anything when he left?" he asked instead.
"No. He just said he was leaving to get a better doctor for Ai-chan, the red haired girl."
"Did he say anything about you?"
"What?" Ran asked, shocked at his question.
"Did he say he's coming back to see you or anything?"
"No," she answered swiftly, "But why do you ask?"
The man nodded and muttered something under his breath that they weren't able to catch. He looked at them for a while and said, "Thank you for your time."
He turned around and pushed through the crowd, cutting through them easily despite his huge size.
"Chotto!" she cried, calling out for him to stop but it was too late. He had disappeared into the sea of people, no longer able to be seen.
Ran stared at the crowd, thinking about the man who had asked her such weird questions. Why did she feel like she had done the wrong thing to answer his questions? The man had given a weird vibe, scaring her a little. She wondered what he truly wanted and her thoughts wandered to Conan, worried about him.
"Um Ran?"
She turned around to see Sonoko clutching onto her sleeve tight. "Yes, what's wrong?"
"Can we move? I'm sick of being poked, shoved and glared at by nerds."
Ran laughed, her worries lessening slightly. She glanced back to see if the man was still there. He wasn't. Turning around, she grabbed Sonoko by the arm and laughed, "Let's go then."
Then they both moved with the crowd, carefully avoiding incoming pokes and shoves.
~New York, FBI Headquarters, 19 07 hours, 14 February~
"Welcome to the headquarters Conan."
I stared at the mass of FBI agents who in turn stared at me. I couldn't believe that I was inside the FBI headquarters and I certainly couldn't believe that I was allowed to roam around in it. It was so different. The police headquarters were not like this. The headquarters here was much more advanced, the people working here looking tougher than the policemen at Beika.
Jodie stood in between me and the curious agents. "Alright people!" she announced in English, "This is Edogawa Conan and you would probably heard his name as one of the people that helped us against the Organization."
Whispers broke out throughout the entire room as their curiosity intensified. I felt a little uncomfortable under their sharp gazes. I felt as though I was being treated as a special experiment.
Jodie hushed them and turned around to face me. She smiled widely and asked, "You ready?"
"Whatever for?" I asked, surprised.
"To be one of us and bring down the Organization, duh."
I broke into a smile, something that I have never done since Ai got into that accident.
"I've never been more ready," I answered in, "When can I start?"
"Well, how about right now?"
I grinned. "That'll be great. Lead the way then Agent Starling."
Chapter 2, End
Translation:
Daijoubu- It's alright/ Don't worry.
Moshi moshi- Hello?
Occhan- Conan's nickname for Kogoro, like 'Uncle'
Hakase- Professor. Agasa is usually referred to as hakase by most people.
Chotto- Wait
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