Heya !
Look at who has been hot-blooded, like always ^^;
Time to pay for it, I'll have Heiji being lectured by both Saguru and Ayanokoji ! Nah, joking, see, I'm not that mean with him xD
o.O.o
emmahoshi : Heh, yea, that's cruel to like to see people cracking :p But I think I guess why, those are always intense moments... : ) Though Heiji is a bit more 'human-sided' than Shin, in my opinion ^^ Haha, well, you see the guy half the movie so he isn't that much of a side character ; ) It's just that his face changes pretty much in the final scene + the fact he wore a mask a lot so I don't think it's easy to link all those faces of him ^^;;; Ah, see, I told you I was going to show it a bit ; ) And yea, I liked the idea of Conan punching Heiji. I think he has been scared and lost his cool. For once ^^ Hmm Shin did kick one of his weapons with a ball but it was dark, I don't think the guy even noticed where it came from. So nah, I'm not going in that direction... There'll be something else though ; ) Uh, thanks for noticing that, I corrected it ^^; I don't know why word doesn't point this out as a mistake... So I let it in French ^^; I taught you a word then xD Same prononciation that English, easy, right ? ; )
Anilover : Yup, after "Sunflowers" that was pretty much lacking of Heiji, I had to go back to my first loves xD Yup, it's quite used in the mangas/animes, that's why I though it as a bit poor but pretty fun to use such a title xD Ah well, that bad guy from the 7th movie was a bad ass... Kicking Heiji's ass in Kendo, shooting arrow from long distances or on a bike... That guy is a killing machine ! So it was fun to use him again^^ Hehe, well, with "cold drugs" and "sunflowers", I was taking a slight break : I wanted to write some stories where the BO wasn't the culprit, since I felt I was always using them as bad guys... As to this one... I won't say anything ! Nah, well, we'll see them, as to in which role and which importance, time will tell you :p And nice too to have you back ! ; )
Chapter 4 : Back home
"- Hei-chan !"
I turned my head towards the entrance when I recognized the familiar nickname my favourite policeman used to call me.
So he was the one they sent, well, I couldn't say I was surprised. Kyoto's police station had called Osaka's for them to send someone to retrieve me since they didn't want me to leave without any escort. I still thought I was big enough to take care of myself but a certain little detective sitting right next to me on that bench didn't agree. He had thrown to me a glare so dark my cheek started to hurt again at the reminder of his previous punch so I had given up and sat like a good boy while waiting for my babysitter.
"- Ya ok ?" The officer asked as he came to meet us and noticed my dirty cloths and the bandage around my left elbow.
"- Yea, yea, just scratches..." I said with a shrug as I got up.
Otaki-han's eyes nevertheless stayed on me, slightly suspicious. Well, he knew me well enough to be aware that 'scratches' in my vocabulary could go from bruises to broken bones so no wonder he was trying to guess if there was more behind what I said. But nah, my back stung a bit and my elbow was twisted but we were just talking about bruises. So I just smirked at his silent examination.
"- Not trustin' me, eh ?
- Prefer ta double check..." The officer answered, mirroring my smile.
"- That's the truth." Kudô confirmed as he also got on his feet to smile at the plumb man.
"- Oh, hello, Conan-kun !
- Hello ! "
"- Ah, I see you already found them..."
That new voice was my least favourite of the place, Ayanokoji's.
"- Yea, thanks fer informin' us, Ayanokoji, we were indeed quite worried on our side... An' sorry fer the trouble."
I bowed my head at his words, understanding me suddenly leaving the house had been worrying more than one and that Osaka's police had probably sent some officers to look for me. I didn't know what was worse. To know that Toyama-han had used resources to look after me when he needed them to look for Oyaji's murder. Or to know that I'd have to face the half-worried half-scolding stern gaze of my mother when she already had her hands full enough.
Thinking with my brain eh ? I should perhaps try to follow my best friend's advice if I wanted to stop worrying my relatives...
When I looked up again, Otaki-han was watching me, a question in his eyes. My brain looked for the conversation I had been hearing while I was lost in my thoughts and I remembered.
"- Yea, let's go." I confirmed before stepping directly towards the door.
No way I'd thank or apologize to that chipmunk-loving inspector so better leave as soon as possible.
o.O.o
A while later, we were on his car, the policeman and me at the front and Kudô behind, heading to Osaka. But that also meant we were going to have some quality time to chat, so it was time to ask some questions...
"- So ? What happened on Thursday ? I know ya know, Otaki-han..."
The man sighed, having probably been expecting that question.
"- Hei-chan, yer father didn' want ya ta know..."
Yea, once again that excuse... No. way. I wouldn't let Toyama-han and him hide the truth behind Oyaji's ghost.
"- He's not here anymore, so let's stop with the complicated plans an' head directly ta the part ya tell us how Saijô escaped."
Once again, my big friend sighed, and, once again, because he knew who I was quite well, he gave up.
"- Hei-chan... I'll tell ya but promise me ya won' do anythin' stupid, ok ? Policemen are already leadin' this investigation, no need fer ya ta meddle in it.
- I can' an' ya know it."
I wasn't going to promise I'd give up the investigation of that case, he was out of his mind to ask for it...
Otaki-han ruffled his hair with annoy but nevertheless spoke again.
"- Crap, Hei-chan, at least promise me ta be cautious...
- That I can do.
- Will do fer the moment then... It happened on Thursday's mornin'. Saijô's trial was supposed ta begin that day. Ta be honest, everyone thought it was goin' ta be fast, the lawyer didn' even need yer testimony, there were so many proofs... Since there wasn' anythin' special with the guy, it was just standard security protocol. An unmarked car, three inspectors, a hand-cuffed culprit. Nothin' more, nothin' less.
- Not enough, apparently..." I pointed out darkly, to see as his nod that the policeman agreed.
"- Clearly. Out o' those three inspectors, two are dead. The other is still unconscious at the hospital. The car has been attacked in the tunnel under Inariyama. The guys - at least three o' them accordin' ta the footprints - had automatic weapons and piercin' bullets. The pictures o' what was remainin' o' the car were just..."
I felt more than I saw Kudô's intense look on my neck. Yea, I knew I had been unfair with Ayanokoji, from the beginning... But I was feeling uneasy now, to have snapped at that inspector when he lost two of his men and had a third in critical condition...
Pushing that guilt away, I focused back on Otaki-han's story.
"- Kyoto's police couldn' find anythin' on the cameras... This team knew when an' where ta hit not ta be caught on any screen.
- How many knew the itinerary ? And the time ? " My best friend asked, clearly trying to reduce our culprit list.
"- Hmm, fer the itinerary, it was the same as usual so I'd say anyone , even with a low level o' information.
- An' the time ? " I dared to ask, though I knew I had good chances not to like the answer.
"- The team in the car. Ayanokoji. An' his boss, the superintendent Tanioka."
Indeed. I really hated when I was right. Well, on this kind of matter, as to the other things, of course I was glad to be right as a detective.
But we were talking about treason. And the list was quite short. Ayanokoji and Tanioka were of course the closest of the top but we couldn't ignore the possibility of the mole's employer to have betrayed him and killed or tried to kill him during the operation.
The only way for our informer not to be in that list was perhaps... A hacking ?
"- Was it mentioned anywhere ? In an email or a file on a computer maybe ?"
That was my next question but Kudô had been faster.
"- The file was paper only but there were perhaps a few mails exchanged between the members o' the team an' Ayanokoji...
- I like that guy less an' less..." I grumbled, noticing his name was popping more and more in the investigation.
"- Ya shouldn' . He's the one who warned us when Saijô escaped, askin' us ta put ya under protection since the guy seemed pretty obsessed with ya, even in jail. We shouldn' even have been informed, since this case happened in Kyoto."
I looked at him, not really convinced. I knew that, as a detective, I shouldn't let my personal feelings interfere but... I just couldn't get along that petty guy. Period.
"- So ? Why didn' any o' ya tell me he escaped ?
- Well, since last time he kidnapped Kazuha an' tried ta kill ya, we thought that maybe ya'd try ta go after him... That would have been dangerous, above all if he an' his friends with automatic weapons were after ya so we decided we'd just put a discreet surveillance on ya.
- Discreet ? Try some other officers next time, I felt them on my neck even before leavin' the school..." I snorted without laughing. " 'We' ?
- Tôyama, yer father an' me... The three o' us knew ya the best so we decided ta chose together what would be the wisest decision an' that's what we all came with. Sorry about that but we were only thinkin' about yer safety, Hei-chan..."
I shook my head, not wanting to comment this decision I thought was stupid. And lowering me at the level of a child. To know that the three most important men in my life thought I was just a mad dog was hurting. Safety measure or not.
"- We also decided ta have two men tailin' Kazuha-chan, since last time he used her as a leverage against ya, we didn' want that ta happen again. She doesn' seem ta have noticed yet.
- Do ya really think it'll be enough ? This guy hasn' been afraid ta attack me with something like twenty policemen around...
- I'll check with Toyama-han if we can add one or two men ta Kazuha-chan's protection. But the more we assign ta that mission, the less we'll have fer the investigation so..."
But I wasn't listening anymore, as a wave of emotions took over me. I clenched my fists and exhaled deeply to keep my calm, as Kudô advised it to me.
I was angry, I was hurt, I was worried but I couldn't let any of these emotions cloud my judgment. Kazuha was going to be safe, I had to believe it else I'd never be able to focus on the case. She was strong and Nee-chan was with her so anyone ill-intended would need a little army to knock them down.
"- Heiji-niichan, was Saijô-san alone when you saw him the first time ?
- Yea. It looked like he was also alone earlier this mornin'...
- It's a bit strange then, where are the friends who freed him ? It would have been easier to come after you if they were many..." My best friend went on, still using his childish "Alele, I'm just a kid but isn't it strange that...?" tone.
"- We didn' see them but they're at least helpin' with the material... There's a warrant against Saijô, no way he could buy a bow or rent a car that easily..." I pointed out, nevertheless still startled by the bad guys' teamwork.
"- Yea, that's strange... Ok guys, we're here."
I looked by the car's window to indeed recognize my own house.
"- Can ya send us everythin' ya have about the evasion an' ... Thursday's attack?
- Ok but promise me ya'll behave. I'll keep ya informed if anythin' new so don' move from that house. An' if ya absolutely need ta, call me or Toyama-han, ya can' have us worry about where ya are like this mornin'...
- I promise. An' I'm sorry..." I deplored as guilt came back in my throat.
"- Don' fret about it. Laters !"
After a last nod at the officer, I got off the car and waved him good bye.
Once alone with my best friend, I looked at him, still thinking about the case.
"- Still, why didn' Saijô finish what he had begun ? It would have been quite easy ta finish me back there in Kyoto. Ok, ya an' this guardian were here an' the police was on the way but, gifted as he is, this wouldn' have stopped him...
- I was startled also, at the beginning...
- An' now ?"
Kudô's eyes were grave as the laid on me.
"- He's playing with you and your nerves, Hattori.
- ... Bastard." I swore as I squinted, realising that would explain a lot of things. Starting by why I was standing on both my feet right now after two of his attacks.
"- Let's think about that inside, I'm starting to starve..." The boy admitted with a small smile of embarrassment when noises coming from his stomach got me out of my daydream.
"- Yea."
We barely walked halfway the alley when the door slammed open, almost thrown out of his rails to reveal a familiar silhouette. Kazuha's.
"- Heiji ! I knew I heard a car's door... " She yelled as she rushed to me, to welcome me with a slap.
Great, second of the day. Though, I was kind of expecting that one. Probably deserved it as much as Kudô's but why always the left cheek ? Damn right-handed, I was seriously going to bruise there soon.
"- I can' believe ya... Could ya imagine how worried we were ?!" She went on, slamming her fists on my chest with anger.
I was so glad I fell backwards earlier during that crash with my bike, else that would have clearly hurt, she wasn't really holding back. Wounded or not, it had nothing agreeable so I grabbed her wrists.
"- Oy, Kazuha..." I softly called, plunging my eyes in hers. "I'm sorry. I should have warned ya an' Yamato when I left."
My calm seemed to reach her and she stopped, doing her best to keep a straight face, despite the mix of anger and concern in her look.
"- Ya better explain..." She retorted, turning her back at me to go back inside.
"- I will." I assured with a small encouraging smile.
Seeing Yamato was on the door's threshold, I unconsciously avoided his look, knowing I probably also disappointed him.
"- Look at that, I take my eyes off ya two minutes an' ya come back with bruises." He dramatically sighed after grabbing my wounded elbow and seeing my grimace.
"- Sorry ...
- Don' be. Just tell me if ya have anythin' that needs ta be tended." He proposed with a smile as he ruffled my hair.
"- I'm good, I've been taken care o'. But thanks." I said, mirroring his smile.
I had always been fond of my uncle. Someone simple, with a nice sense of humour and not the kind to worry about little details. I'm still wondering how he and Oyaji could have stayed that long angry with each other. Adults' problems they said. It seemed quite childish to me though.
"- An' apologize ta yer mother..." He added with a low voice and a wink.
Yea, this wasn't going to be easy but I was planning to.