Hey !

Sooo time for this story to have a little twist... hope you'll appreciate ; )

Oh, and we're soon are going to see 'that elusive one'... :p

o.O.o

emmahoshi : Yea, I'm mean with him... xD I imagine Hakuba as Ayanokoji sometimes, when I write their dialogues xD Haha, i'm not sure Heiji wants t annoy Kudo right now, not after being punched in the face ^^ Hey, I think we all know here we don't want to have Conan as an enemy... he says it himself : detectives are sharks and I wouldn't want to have one as an enemy xD You don't see more ? But there's so so much more... ; ) I'll be surprising you next chapters then :p Ah yes, I think this is the first chapter where Heiji is, let's say 90%, himself. I wanted to show an evolution. A slow one and not a straight one but an evolution still : ). Ah, your keyboard is once again annoying you ?^^; Though, don't worry, everything was understandable !

aerinechan : Haha, un peu de patience hein ; ) Et oui, leur duo est fun et j'ai pas fini de les faire coopérer... Quoiqu'il va pas tarder à y avoir un 3e larron dans leur groupe pour quelques chapitres... ca va être marrant ca aussi xD

estelle : Hé, j'ai dit que j'étais en manque d'Heiji, j'allais pas plier ça en 10 chapitres ; ) Et oui, je suis une tendre en fait... Tanioka n'est qu'une victime après tout. Et il a récupéré son fils, ce que les autres choix ne lui garantissaient pas alors... Why not, nan ?

Chapter 10 - Over... Or not ?

As much as I wanted to go back, we first had to go back to the Police Station, to be sure the arrest of the criminal group by Ayanokoji had been a success and that the Superintendent would surrender, just has he promised.

The man had been quickly tended by the medics his team called on the scene but insisted to go back to the Station before being taken to the hospital. We kind of knew why…

So it was a bit tired – the night had been too short for two teenagers in need of sleep ! - we arrived at the Police Station one hour later. Seeing Ayanokoji was still not back, Tanioka decided to call him, under Kudô's and my expecting look.

But when the man came back with a smile, we knew it was over.

"- They got them. They arrested more than twenty men, secured their weapons stock, includin' the perforatin' munition they used durin' the operation o' retrieval o' Saijô… They also found some computers, we may find some interestin' information in there, as ta which kind o' traffic they have been meddlin' with… An' that's if Saijô doesn' want ta speak beforehand.

- Any casualties?" I wondered.

"- Two men have been wounded but nothin' too serious.

- Great news. "

I felt a weight taken off my shoulders. I couldn't say if I was happy or sad. Happy for those guys to have been arrested. Sad because now that this case was wrapped, I wouldn't have anything left to hide behind and I was going to have to face my new life. A life without my father.

I was starting to get lost in my thoughts when my best friend's childish voice brought me back to reality.

"- So now that your son is safe... It is time...

- Yea."

Tanioka looked with a sad smile at the policeman near him and took out his insignia and his weapon.

"- Fuji, I'd like ya ta put me under arrest."

The man's face was so astonished as the Superintendent put his things in his hands that I would have laughed if it wasn't such a serious mater.

"- I'll explain it ta ya. But I shouldn' be able ta walk free, that, I can tell ya." The - now former -policeman turned to us one last time, his eyes first on Kudô, then on me. "Thank ya. An' sorry, once again."

I nodded at him and, after a short time to give my deposition, I walked away, the fake boy on my heels. Now, it was up to the police. We had done everything we could, the bad guys had been arrested. Our role as detectives was over.

I looked up, to see the sun was here, finally able to get rid of the clouds hiding it.

Perfect weather for a bike ride.

"- Let's go !"

o.O.o

As the sun announced it, the travel back to Osaka had been agreeable. Which was appreciable, seeing how unpleasant it was soon going to turn out.

With a sigh, knowing once again I'll be scolded for showing up at 3 p.m. instead of 9 a.m., with just a single mysterious text as a warning, I pushed the door open.

"- Tadaima..."

A bit surprised not to hear a chorus of "O kaeri", seeing how many persons were here when we left, I stepped in, to see Okan was coming to welcome us.

"- O kaeri." Were her only words and she looked at me from head to toes, her eyes stopping briefly at my damaged shirt.

"- Nothin' serious, promise. " I said, quickly putting a hand in front of my abdomen so she wouldn't focus on it.

She seemed to ignore that last comment and just hugged me with a relieved sigh.

"- So ? " She bluntly asked as she let me go and locked her eyes in mine.

"- We got them.

- Good.

- Where are the others ?" Kudô wondered, having slipped towards the living room to probably let us some intimacy but now coming back with an interrogative expression.

"- Ah, sorry boya but Ran-chan an' Kogoro-han had ta go back ta Tokyo, Kogoro-han didn' want ran-chan ta skip school any longer. I promised them we'd send ya back with the Shinkansen. Ya aren' afraid ta take the train alone ?

- Nope, I'm a big boy !"

I tried not to chuckle at my best friend's act, the smile on his face so... innocent ? Nah, he was good, really... That made him so fun to watch.

"- Great ! Yer Neechan took yer things so we'll just drop ya at the station.

- I'll do it." I volunteered, shrugging at the shadow of concern on her face. "Where are Kazuha an' Yamato ?

- I pushed Kazuha out o' here so she would also go ta school. Yamato-han has been called by a patient, he had ta leave.

- Ok...

- By the way, have ya eaten anythin' yet ?"

I looked at Kudô, trying to see if I was forgetting a meal he'd remember but nah, our last meal was the previous evening, at the vending machines. I was surprising even myself : I had clearly been distracted as hell to forget even one meal. Well, now that I was thinking at everything that happened in between, we had been quite busy !

"- Haha, got it, I'll be reheatin' some leftovers. Don' worry, Ran-chan made them, it should be safe." She added with a wink at my attention.

o.O.o

After a long and poignant goodbye... Ok, after an old good glare from my best friend - well the joke I made just before deserved it, let's be honest - I waved one last time to Kudô, sending him back as promised to Tokyo.

Once the train left, I yawned as I looked at the clock on the platform. 4 p.m. The problem of having a good meal being solved, I was still in need of a nap. And a shower, that, I felt it despite the fact I removed my shirt to avoid to be seen in public in bloody clothes.

I knew the shower should be the first thing but now that everything was over, I felt numb. The physical and emotional exhaustion of the last hours... days even was draining me.

So I just came back and crashed on my bed, to the apparent amusement of my mother, seeing the face she had when she woke me up two hours later, and spotted the pool of drool under me.

Well, it could happen when you slept on the stomach, ok ? Nothing to laugh about...

I retrieved what was left of my wounded pride to have a quick shower and couldn't escape Yamato's examination after Okan told him I had been hurt when he came back. I'd have one day to define what a "scratch" was to my mother, she didn't seem to get it.

Oh well, I was now arriving in the living room, rested and smelling good. Time for dinner !

Or not, since the bell rang and well, being the closest, I went to open the door.

To face Kazuha.

The girl didn't seem in a good mood - well seeing my recent "jokes", no wonder - but she was as white as a sheet. And, when I was the problem, it was more about being red with anger.

With a concerned face, I approached her, seeing she wasn't really moving to come in.

"- Kazuha?

- Heiji !" She said, throwing herself in my arms and starting to shake.

"- Hey, what's happenin'?

- It's Tou-san... He's been arrested !

- ... What ?!"

o.O.o

I invited Kazuha to come in once I let her go, not really able to get more information out of her, sending an embarrassed look to my mother, not really knowing what to do.

"- Hey, don' worry, I'm sure that's a mistake..." Okan said, gently rubbing her shoulder as she helped her to sit down. "Ya can stay here as long as ya wish, ok ?"

I was wondering why I hadn't been informed of such an important thing beforehand by any of my "contact" in the Police but then I remembered. I switched off my phone this morning but never switched it on...

Stepping a bit aside, I quickly started it to see that indeed, I had been missing a few things... Though "few" was a feeble word to describe the many calls I got from Otaki-han.

Crap...

Well, it was time to catch-up with my favourite source of information.

"- Hei-chan ?! I've been tryin' ta contact ya fer ages !

- Yea, sorry, was a bit busy with that criminal organisation in Kyoto... What happened? Kazuha just told me about Toyama-han...

- Wait a sec..."

I could hear at the noise that Otaki-han was moving, probably wanting to isolate from the others. That guess was confirmed at his voice when he spoke again, barely above a whisper.

"- Hei-chan, I can' tell ya how much this is fishy...

- What do ya mean ?

- Toyama-han thought yer father's death wasn' that much o' an accident. That he could have been the real target.

- Wow, what ?!"

I wouldn't say I'd feel less guilty if it was true but this was clearly something else : killing a teenager because of an old grudge and attacking a Superintendent General weren't implying at all the same repercussions.

"- An' he became sure o' it when the new Superintendent arrived yesterday... Kasai. His nomination has nothin' ta do with luck. A politician pulled strings ta put him here. An' as soon as Toyama-han tried ta look a bit closer at him an' his surprisingly fast nomination, as if by magic, he got arrested fer corruption. Coincidence ? My ass...

- Ya mean he thinks Oyaji could have been killed so this man could have his position ? An' that they used Saijô ta cover their tracks ? Seein' he was already willin' ta kill me...

- That's what Toyama-han thinks an' I don' think this idea is that crazy.

- That's... big." I managed to say, astonished by what Otaki-han was implying.

And the organization we brought down this morning, what was it ? Just a scapegoat ?!

Impossible for such a small structure to have such a high-ranking politician among them. Or to have ramifications big enough to cover both Osaka and Kyoto.

What the hell what that mess...

"- Keep an eye on him, Otaki-han...

- I was plannin' ta.

- But be careful, seems serious.

- I noticed, Hei-chan !" He answered, almost sounding amused. Well, a teenager, me above all, was trying to tell him to be cautious, I guess I'd laugh too.

"- An' ya, what are ya goin' ta do?

- Stick my nose everywhere I can. I'm gifted fer that apparently..." I admitted with a smirk.

"- Well, be careful too... Because I don' think we'll be able here, at the station, ta help ya as much as we'd want with that guy here...

- Yea, I guess... Later !"

I hung up, clenching my teeth.

This wasn't a little blackmail any more. It was so much bigger. Murdering a high-rank police officer to put someone in his stead ? Corruption or active participation from a high-ranked politician ? Using a whole criminal society as a smokescreen ? It was...

The slight peace of mind I had been able to build since this morning was long forgotten. To know that Oyaji had been killed like you'd get rid of a useless pawn on a chess board was so much pissing me off...

"- Heiji ?"

Kazuha's voice got me out of my brooding and I noticed my feet already took me back to the living room.

"- I've been able ta talk with Otaki-han. He confirmed Toyama-han was under arrest, fer suspicion o' corruption... There doesn' seem ta be a lot o' elements though...

- Tou-san would never do that !" Kazuha refused with vehemence.

"- My dear, no one in this room is doubtin' it..." Okan said, gently patting her. "They will necessarily see they're mistaken.

- I hope so..."

To be honest, there wasn't a lot of conviction in my voice. That case stank... Clearly.

I was glad I had been able to rest a bit this afternoon because this night was going to be busy...