AN: And here's chapter seven, hot of the presses and ready to go! Otherwise, I don't have that much to say this time other than please enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to kindly leave a review on your way out!
Phantasmal Black
Chapter Seven
Storm
It was the bitter smell of coffee that roused the residents of the Kudo manor that morning.
"What," Hakuba began, his words somewhat muffled due to the hand he'd placed over his nose, in a vain attempt to block the overpoweringly bitter smell. "...is that?"
"Coffee?" Paikaru simply blinked, glancing up at the half-British detective in mild confusion. "What the hell else would it be, Blondie?"
"I've never smelled coffee that was quite so powerful before." Sera admitted, the smell causing her to grimace, though thankfully she didn't appear to be as adverse to it as Hakuba was. "I could smell it all the way from my room."
Shinichi had to admit, he didn't exactly expect to find the (now former) Black Organization assassin in his kitchen bright and early that morning, brewing up a pot of coffee that seemed to produce a scent that wafted throughout the entire house, but that was exactly the situation that he found himself in now. If anything, he'd actually half expected yesterday's events to turn out to be some kind of surreal dream upon waking- but it appeared as if they were very much a reality.
It was only seven in the morning, and yet Paikaru was wide awake, already completely dressed, and looked like he had been for some time now. He should have known that he would have kept Heiji's ability to wake up insufferably early.
"That's cause ya've probably only ever drank baby coffee before." Paikaru told her, flashing her a broad grin, allowing his Osakan accent to shine through. "This is the real good stuff. Ya want some? I've got enough ta go around."
"No thanks." Kaito said quickly, holding up a hand. "I'm pretty sure it wouldn't agree with me. And it'd probably outright kill Hakuba."
"I'm going to be sick." Hakuba muttered, slowly taking a few steps backwards, trying to distance himself from that overpowering bitter scent. "How can you drink that, Paikaru?"
"It's good." Paikaru blinked simply, taking a sip of the almost pitch black coffee without so much as changing expression- the same of which couldn't be said for the others. "I don't see what yer all complainin' about."
"Well, I'll take a cup." Shinichi said finally, watching as Kaito immediately decided he'd lost his mind, and rolled his eyes as the phantom thief clasped his hands together, muttering a prayer underneath his breath. "I didn't sleep much last night, I need something to tide me over if I'm going to be forced to wake up at seven in the morning."
"S'not even that early." Paikaru observed, quirking a brow. Nevertheless, he complied, pouring Shinichi a cup and shoving it in his direction, watching as the detective took a seat at the kitchen table. Hakuba, he'd noticed out of the corner of his eye, had already long since left, probably wanting to get as far away from the smell of coffee as he could. "Here ya go. Drink up, Kudo-han."
"Thank you, Paikaru." Shinichi said, giving him a small smile as he picked up the cup. The urge to use the assassin's real name was right there on his lips- but today again, he fought against it, wanting to respect his wishes. If using Heiji's name made him uncomfortable, then he wouldn't do it, until the day came that he was at ease with that name once more. He hoped it would be soon, frankly, because he didn't enjoy the verbal reminder of how utterly he'd failed Heiji every time the codename left his lips.
And those were some dreadfully awful things to be thinking about first thing in the morning, Shinichi dimly thought. In all of his wild fantasies in which Heiji turned out to still be alive, never once were they accompanied by any other emotion than pure joy- of course, in said fantasies, amnesia had never been involved, nor had the Osakan detective wound up joining the Black Organization in any of them.
Even so, there was still joy, even now, even if it was accompanied by uncertainty- uncertain feelings and an uncertain future alike.
One sip of that pitch black coffee was all it took to wake Shinichi right up, and he found himself slamming the cup back down on the table, his eyes flying wide open. He was almost entirely certain his heart had very briefly stopped beating entirely. "Holy shit, Hattori." He blurted out, momentarily losing control of well- many things, really. From the corner of his eye, he watched the scarred young man let out a loud snort, apparently allowing the use of the unfamiliar name just this once. "That's strong. I'm going to be awake for days."
"Are ya sure the two of ya don't want any too?" Paikaru asked, glancing over towards Sera and Kaito, a hint of a grin crossing his face, a shadow of his original self within it. He'd grown more at ease with the pair it seemed- perhaps spending the night underneath the same roof without either of them trying to do anything he regarded as suspicious had allowed them some measure of trust.
His guard was still raised, Shinichi noted- but then again, he was almost entirely certain that Paikaru never quite fully dropped it. It had probably been trained into him, and was something that he couldn't shake. Even now, he was seated so that nobody could get to his back, and while he wasn't carrying the gun from yesterday, Shinichi didn't doubt he had any number of other dangerous things on him. Perhaps they calmed him, he thought to himself, making the massive mistake of taking another sip of the coffee, briefly feeling as if he could see into infinity.
"Pass." Sera said quickly, giving him a small smile, carefully sliding some cream and sugar Shinichi's way, which the detective quickly thanked her for. "I'll make my own coffee, with all due respect, He-" She began, before catching herself, watching that subtle shift in his expression. "Paikaru."
"Suit yerself. Yer missin' out though, Sera-han." Paikaru said with a simple shrug, taking another quick sip of his coffee, watching as Shinichi poured so much cream into his own mug, it very nearly overflowed. Seriously, they didn't know a good thing when it hit them.
Well, he probably shouldn't mention that he was brewing it the way that Merlot had taught him. The feelings of betrayal that he had towards her ran deep- all the more so now that he knew exactly the depth of it, but even he wasn't about to deny that not everything he felt for that woman was hate and anger. That was the problem, really- even if he was fully conscious that her kind words and the motherly affection that she'd cast in the direction of the amnesiac young man were all carefully calculated, said and done for the sole purpose of manipulating him, for making him into a tool, he couldn't deny that there were times when he hadn't felt the way that he did about her now, thinking of her with something akin to fondness.
After all, she had told him that she had been the one raising him ever since he was a baby, having taken him in when no one else would- and he'd believed her, for a time. Even when he'd begun to suspect that something was wrong, that something wasn't right here, he was hesitant to think that she could have possibly lied to him. She was the only link he had to a past that he could no longer remember- or so he'd thought, at any rate.
She was the only person in the world who would ever show him any kindness- or so he'd thought, at any rate.
As it turned out, there were plenty of people in this world who were willing to show Hattori Heiji kindness- and some of those people were even willing to spare a bit of that for the one who had inadvertently been created in his place. And quite frankly? He was grateful for it, even if he didn't feel like he deserved it, and even if he didn't know what to do with it.
Last night's dream still lingered fresh in his mind, giving him a silent warning to not get ahead of himself. These people, though they tolerated his existence, some more than others, were Hattori Heiji's friends, not his own. And they were all still very much waiting for him to come back to them, something on which he couldn't deliver, at least not yet.
He wondered if Heiji was half as introspective as himself. Judging from the photographs and what he'd been told, he kind of doubted it.
"Do you own any clothes that aren't black?" It was Kaito's question that broke Paikaru out of his thoughts, and lead him to cast an eye downwards to his own clothes- of which yes, the primary color was black.
"That's a stupid question, Kuroba-han." Paikaru noted, quirking a brow.
"I'm just saying, you should consider putting some more color in your wardrobe. A little more flash and dazzle, mayhap." Kaito told him, and with a snap of his fingers, a brilliantly red rose blossomed between them. "Put your days with the men in black behind you even in manner of dress."
"Is he always like this?" Paikaru asked, casting a dry look back towards Shinichi.
"Unfortunately." Shinichi noted simply, watching as a mock look of hurt crossed Kaito's face. "You just sort of learn to live with him after awhile."
"I can't believe that after everything we've been through together tantei-kun, you would say such things to me." Kaito told him, placing his hands over his heart, looking almost as if he were about to cry- which nobody bought, even for a second. "And so cold, former tantei-han! We've only just met, and you're already treating me with such harshness!"
"Kuroba-kun, it's too early in the morning for theatrics." Sera noted, casting him something of an icy look, one that visibly caused Kaito to flinch- it was obvious to him that she still hadn't forgiven him fully for the events of that one heist. The fact that they so rarely got chances to speak in spite of being on the same side did not help matters. "Why don't you take your magic show on the road before your little bride gets worried about you?"
"Aoko probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone yet." Kaito said with a shrug. "Rather, I think she's used to me sometimes just not being around the house, if anything."
"What, Kuroba-han's married?" Paikaru asked, blinking a little as he glanced up towards him. "That's unexpected. I can't imagine any woman wantin' ta put up with him fer very long."
"They're childhood friends." Shinichi noted, finally daring to take a sip of his coffee again, noting with relief that the addition of the cream had managed to tame it somewhat. "They've had plenty of time to get used to each other."
"Childhood friends, huh?" Paikaru blinked, a slight frown gracing his features, not failing to notice the way that Shinichi's eyes flickered over in his direction. He still thought the idea that he could possibly be in love with his own- someone who he didn't even remember- was absurd. Maybe he had been in the past, but it wasn't like he possessed those memories that would have made him fall for her in the first place, and he'd hadn't even so much as met Toyama Kazuha yet- he'd only briefly heard her voice over the phone.
So there was no way he could be in love with her.
Even if that would explain why he'd spared that girl's life. It was laughable really- that after all of this time, he'd finally found someone that he couldn't bring himself to kill, hesitation filling his heart as looked down at that trembling girl, watching as her ponytail twitched each time that she trembled, knowledge of her impending death dancing through her eyes. He thought he'd grown used to killing people at this point, that it had become a second nature to him, any doubts and hesitations he might have had in regards to taking human life in the beginning having vanished without a trace- and yet he still found himself telling that girl in harsh whispers to hide herself, and to absolutely not come out until she was certain that it was the police who were in her house, and no one else.
He wasn't an idiot, of course. Paikaru realized now that that girl bore a strong resemblance to the Toyama Kazuha that he would have known before. Likewise, he realized that this was likely related to why he'd been sent back to Japan in the first place- this mission was likely some kind of test- one that he'd failed. Shinichi knew as much as well, even if he didn't say anything to him out loud.
It was also why he was certain that Merlot would come for him. She didn't have any interest in losing the one that had wound up becoming her favorite pupil, her perfect student, the one that she earnestly and openly praised as her most beloved assassin.
Gaze trailing back towards Shinichi, he caught it lingering on him. Though their eye contact was brief, he could clearly see the guilt that haunted those eyes, the blame that the detective put on himself. It was hard for Paikaru to meet those eyes, and yet they also filled him with the strangest desire to do whatever it was that he could to lift some of that guilt from them, to take away some of that burden.
And the only way he could do that, he thought, was to bring back Hattori Heiji.
If only it were that simple.
If there was one thing that Kazuha and Heiji had in common, it was their shared habit of showing up out of the blue. Back in the past, Ran had always just thought that she'd assumed Heiji had already called ahead, and that it was never Kazuha's intention to show up without warning- but as time passed after the Osakan duo had been reduced down to just one person, it became very clear to her that no, this was just one of the many things that they had in common.
Which was why she wasn't nearly as surprised as she should be when Toyama Kazuha showed up on her doorstep bright and early that morning, an overnight bag slung over one shoulder, and a motorcycle helmet tucked underneath the other, wearing a smile on her face that would have rivaled any of Heiji's.
"Good mornin', Ran!" Kazuha beamed. "I hope I didn't wake ya up!"
"No, I've been awake for awhile now, Kazuha. Please, come in." Ran told her, giving her a quick grin, stepping aside to allow her into her apartment. She had bought one of her own when she'd entered college- or rather, her father had surprised her with one of her own, saying that he thought she would probably like to have her own space now that she was an adult. It wasn't very big, a rather modest apartment, but it suited her needs.
Once she married Shinichi, of course, she would be moving from this small, yet charming little apartment into that big mansion of his, and at that point, she was quite certain she would have no idea what to do with all of that space. Quite frankly, she didn't know how Shinichi could live there mostly by himself, and not get lonely.
But then, she'd always been used to smaller spaces than him.
"Have you had anything to eat yet?" Ran asked, glancing back at her. "I was just getting ready to make some breakfast for myself, so if there's anything that you want..."
"Ah, no, it's okay." Kazuha shook her head, setting aside her helmet on the nearest out of the way table, and placing her overnight bag next to it. "I already ate before I came here. I don't want ta impose on ya too much, showin' up so suddenly as I already am."
Well, if there was one difference between the ways that Heiji and Kazuha showed up out of the blue, it was that Kazuha was considerably less brazen about it, Ran thought to herself, pouring a cup of tea for he guest nevertheless. It had only been for a short while, now that she thought about it, but whenever Heiji had entered her life, he'd done it pretty much without any regard for anything that she might have had going on at the time- or any regard to what Shinichi- or rather, Conan, at the time, might have planned.
That was just the way he was, Ran thought to herself as she took a seat at the table next to Kazuha. He'd always blown in like a storm, without warning.
In the end, he'd left like one too.
That thought, Ran thought to herself, was a bit to somber for so early in the morning.
"I need yer help, Ran." Kazuha spoke up, setting aside her tea for the moment. "Hakuba-san's keepin' somethin' from me."
"Him too, huh?" Ran observed, her brows raising. Somehow she had a feeling that Kazuha's sudden appearance in Tokyo had something to do with whatever Shinichi and Hakuba were up to behind her back- and it seemed as if she was right on the mark. "Shinichi's the same, and after all this time. Isn't that unbelievable?"
"Ya should tell him yer gonna reconsider marryin' his sorry butt if he doesn't tell ya things properly." Kazuha noted. "But I thought so! I had a feelin' that those two were workin' on somethin' together behind my back, an' it looks like I'm right on the mark. Honestly, who does that jerk think I am, tryin' ta leave me out of the investigation when it really counts the most? First he goes globe trotting after Paikaru without warnin' me, an' now he's actin' all mysterious and tellin' me lies. I'll have the both of 'em know that I could kick both of their sorry butts, and that they had better stop tryin' ta leave me out of stuff."
"Ai-chan knows something, but she told me that Shinichi specifically forbade her to say anything to me. I'd imagine that the same goes for you as well." Ran said with a slight sigh, lightly pushing away a jar of blueberry jam with one finger. "But she did tell me that it was related to Paikaru, though."
There had been something about her expression as she said so that Ran really didn't like, but she didn't quite know what it meant. Perhaps that was regret, she thought to herself, as she dwelt on it for a moment.
"So Hakuba-san did make contact somehow." Kazuha frowned, folding her arms in front of her chest. "But why not tell me? I've been helpin' him chase those two fer so long, why leave me out all of a sudden? If it's because he thinks I'm not strong enough to handle this job, I'm going to have to give him a piece of my mind."
"I was actually thinking of going to ask Vermouth about it." Ran confessed after a moment, casting a slight glance towards Kazuha, watching her start at the words. "I have a feeling that she might know something."
"Are ya sure?" Kazuha asked, blinking a little. "I don't really understand what yer relationship is ta that woman, but I don't think she's someone you should go an' visit that easily, Ran."
"I've given it a lot of thought." Ran told her, giving her a small smile. "And while I don't like going behind Shinichi's back like this, if he's going to go behind my back first, I at least deserve to know why. Would you like to come with me, Kazuha?"
"No, I don't think she'd talk with me in there." Kazuha said, shaking her head. "I was actually plannin' on trackin' down Hakuba-san myself a little later and try and see what it is that he's up to. He can't avoid me if I show up in person."
Well, he could try, but she wouldn't let him.
"Odds are, he's probably still over at Shinichi's place." Ran noted, taking a bite out of her toast. "I was going to head over there myself after breakfast to see if I couldn't talk with him first, if you want to come with me, Kazuha."
"Sounds like a plan ta me!" Kazuha said, nodding her head with a slight smile. "I could give ya a ride there, even."
"You've really taken to that thing, haven't you?" Ran asked, her eyes darting over towards the helmet. "Hattori-kun would probably be happy to hear that you've been keeping it for him."
"That's right." Kazuha said, nodding her head, her smile only growing. "Whenever he manages ta come back here, I bet he'll be so surprised! I want ta keep it runnin' properly until then."
"Hopefully it lasts that long. You've been having some troubles with it lately, haven't you?" Ran asked. She didn't want to bring up the fact that like Shinichi, while she sometimes couldn't help but imagine Heiji one day showing up out of the blue, a wild tale on his lips of how he was still alive, and why he hadn't come home for the past five years, she had long since accepted Heiji's death. Even so, the last thing she wanted to do was destroy Kazuha's last thread of hope- she always seemed so convinced that it was only a matter of time before she and Heiji finally crossed paths once more.
She said it was because she still felt that they were connected by that red string of fate. While Ran couldn't deny that it was romantic, she couldn't find it in herself to bring up the hope anymore, not after five years had passed. Pretty much everyone had been holding on to the hope that maybe, somehow, Heiji had survived falling into the sea, and had survived being shot on top of that, at first, but now, five years after the fact? Only Kazuha and his mother really clung to the belief that Heiji was still alive.
It would be nice if that were true, Ran thought. Certainly, if their situations were reversed, she would be the one holding on to just as much hope that Shinichi were still alive, even as others gradually lost their belief.
"Yeah, here an' there." Kazuha said, nodding her head. "I've started studying mechanics actually. It's easier an' cheaper to repair it myself than having to deal with haulin' it into a shop every time."
"That's pretty impressive, though." Ran said, casting a small smile towards her friend. "Well, in that case, I wouldn't mind a ride. Just let me finish breakfast, and we can head on out. Shinichi's probably awake by now, I bet."
"Paikaru, a word."
"Blondie, I'm busy." Paikaru barely glanced up from his novel, determined to get through the last of them today. He'd been pouring through the Ellery Queen novels that Shinichi had all but dumped on him- it wasn't as if he had anything else to do, and he was pretty certain that there would be protests if he tried to leave the Kudo manor on his own. It wasn't like he felt they were trying to keep him prisoner here, not exactly, but were rather just trying to keep him under a certain degree of supervision.
Which was understandable, really. It'd be weirder if they didn't.
Kaito and Sera had returned to their own homes, but it appeared as if Hakuba had decided to stay at the Kudo manor for the time being. He didn't like the idea of leaving Shinichi alone with Paikaru, even if he didn't say that much out loud. Whether it was just because the two of them didn't care for each other that much even back when they were on the same side of the law, or if it was because he just didn't have any faith in the assassin as he was now, whatever the case, he only seemed to trust Paikaru so far.
"Your novel can wait." Hakuba noted, glaring at him in distaste. He'd actually tried to suggest to him that he perhaps read some of the Sherlock Holmes novels while he was at it- but he'd taken one look at the books and had flatly told him that he wasn't interested. What a thing to say!
"So can anythin' that ya might have ta say ta me." Paikaru observed, turning a page, before heaving a sigh, realizing that Hakuba wasn't planning on going anywhere. Shutting the book and placing it aside, Paikaru pushed himself off the couch that he had been lounging on, finally giving the pesky detective the attention that he almost seemed to be begging for. "Alright, fine. Spit it out."
"I think it's clear that neither of us trusts the other very much." Hakuba began, his eyes narrowing as Paikaru all but snorted at his words. "I'm willing to listen to Kudo-kun to a certain extent in regards to you, that much is very true. But if I catch so much as a whiff that you intend to betray us or abandon us should things go wrong, I want to make it clear that I will not hesitate to contact the proper authorities to have you brought to justice. I've been tracking you for over four years, I know perfectly well the kinds of things you're capable of. Who you were in the past doesn't matter that much to me, not when you can't even so much as remember any of it."
"Oh?" Paikaru asked, quirking a brow. "An' does Kudo-han know about any of this?"
"He probably suspects, yes." Hakuba said, nodding his head. Of course, he also knew that Shinichi would probably try and talk him out of it. At this rate, he had to wonder if he had any intention of letting Paikaru face any kind of justice for the crimes that he had committed- and couldn't help but feel that his friendship with Heiji was blinding him somewhat. Nothing could change the fact that the scarred young man before them was a criminal, and Hakuba didn't intend to forget it. "Just because you're willing to betray the Organization now doesn't absolve you of what you've done in the past. Nor does who you used to be."
"Well, yer right." Paikaru said simply, shrugging his shoulders. He couldn't help but notice that his words took Hakuba by surprise, as if he hadn't expected him to agree with him. "But let me make one thing clear here. I have no intention of bein' caught by anyone. If ya try an' turn me in, then the deal's null an' void. Ya can consider me gone."
"If you disappear, I'll chase you." Hakuba stated plainly. "But I'll be fair with you, Paikaru. I do understand to a degree that you've been dealt an unfair hand in life, and that quite frankly, you didn't really have that many options to choose from. If you exceed my expectations, and you get through what's to come without trying to betray us, or abandon us, and without killing anyone," he made sure to stress that part as much as he could, "...then I will consider- consider- going along with whatever it is Kudo-kun has planned for you once this is all over."
"Well that's rather kind of ya." Paikaru observed, arching his brows. If he had to be honest, it was a lot easier for him to deal with Hakuba's distrust of him than it was to deal with the strange sense of belief that Shinichi seemed to have in him. At the very least, he couldn't let Hakuba down, since he already wasn't expecting anything from him. "I'll make sure ta keep ya at yer word, Blondie."
"One more thing, while we're on the topic." Hakuba said after a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Stop calling me Blondie."
"I refuse."
Just as he had suspected, the sound of a motorcycle pulling to a stop in front of the Kudo manor was a ill omen. The moment Shinichi heard the sound of it from outside of his window, he'd all but frozen, setting aside the papers he was sorting through- before he quickly jumped to his feet, sprinting so that nobody else could answer the call box before him.
"O-oh, Ran!" Shinichi blurted out, hoping that he didn't look as frazzled as he felt. "What brings you here? And with Kazuha, none the less!"
Mentally trying to recall where, exactly, Paikaru had been the last time he saw him, he could only pray that the assassin didn't decide to make himself known at this, the worst possible of times. He wasn't on the couch where he had been lounging earlier, reading Ellery Queen novels- it appeared that Hakuba had forced him out of that area for one reason or another, since the half-British detective was now occupying that space himself.
But if he had any idea that Kazuha was here, right now, there was a very good possibility that he might turn up- at least that's what Shinichi's gut feeling told him, given the way he'd perked up at the mere sound of her voice yesterday. However, after thinking it through for a moment, he realized that his reaction might actually be the exact opposite- if anything, he might try and put some distance between the two of them. Paikaru did well to mask it, but it was quite clear to Shinichi that there were some rather complicated feelings in regards to himself and who he once was that were brewing within him, and it was likely those feelings that would keep him away from the one it seemed that he actually wanted to meet.
Not that he could blame him.
"We've come to have a few words with you, Shinichi." Ran's sharp tone was all that he needed to know that there would be no turning them away. "And Hakuba-san too, since I'm going to assume that he's there as well."
"That's right!" Kazuha chimed in. "Ya'd better tell him ta stay put right where he is, because I've got a few words I need ta say ta him!"
"R-right." Slowly nodding his head, Shinichi cast a slight glance back towards Hakuba, silently communicating the fact that he was a dead man, which he seemed to accept with no small amount of grace. He'd been expecting this to happen after all- as much as Kazuha believed that she couldn't match up to Heiji, she wasn't exactly a slouch. "Why don't the two of you come in?" He asked, pressing a button to switch the gate open.
"We can't tell them, you know." Hakuba spoke up as Shinichi switched the intercom off.
"We have to tell them something." Shinichi said, narrowing his eyes. "They're both smart, and if they're already here, then odds are they both know something's up." Heaving a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck, before casting a glance up the stairs, wondering again where it was that Paikaru had run off to at the moment. He was awfully good at making himself scarce when he wanted to. "Look, we'll tell them we're working with Paikaru, but we won't tell them that he's Hattori. Not yet, anyways."
That was something that it was only fair to tell Kazuha, in private, before mentioning it to Ran, Shinichi thought. After all, Kazuha had been waiting for Heiji to come home all this time- she deserved to know that he was at the very least, alive, at some point. If just not right this second.
"That may be the best plan." Hakuba said, giving him a quick nod of his head as Shinichi made his way to the front door to greet the girls. Turning his own glance upstairs, where he knew Paikaru had headed the last time he saw him, his remaining unread novels tucked underneath one arm, he could only hope that the assassin himself would agree to cooperate.
He obviously had some kind of reaction to Kazuha- even if Hakuba didn't believe the reason was as foolish as the fact that he was somehow still in love with her after all this time, even after losing his memories. Shinichi could be surprisingly sentimental sometimes, he thought to himself, feeling that's what his theory that Paikaru was in love with the childhood friend he didn't remember was based partly on. Perhaps he'd picked it up from Ran over the years.
"Ran." In spite of the fact that she was somewhat annoyed with him, Ran didn't protest when Shinichi leaned into kiss her, a soft, quick peck on the lips. The two of them tended to keep their displays of affection to a minimum around Kazuha. Although they doubted that she would begrudge them for it, having been one of the ones to push them together in the first place, they thought it was somewhat cruel to almost show off their relationship, when she had never even been able to so much tell Heiji that she loved him.
Perhaps she'd get that chance after all, Shinichi thought to himself, turning to look towards Kazuha with a slight smile. "Kazuha. It's good to see you again, even if it has only been a day."
"Kudo-kun." Kazuha's tone was almost short, her arms folded in front of her chest. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we?"
"But of course. This way, please." Shinichi said, feeling like he'd been doing nothing but leading other people into his living room lately. Well, one of them he'd brought into the house while he was still unconsciousness, but nevertheless.
"You're here about my current case, aren't you?" Shinichi asked, taking what had become his usual seat, watching as Hakuba's composed mask slipped somewhat as Kazuha turned that cold stare of hers towards him, before taking a seat next to him.
"Of course we are!" Kazuha said sharply. "I want the facts, Kudo-kun. And no lies this time." She said, casting a glance over towards Hakuba as she said that, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.
"Ai-chan said that your current investigation involves the Black Organization." Ran spoke up, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she carefully took a seat. "In regards to that assassin that Hakuba-san and Kazuha have been tracking, Paikaru. I thought we promised we'd discuss things like this openly, Shinichi."
"We did, and I'm sorry." Shinichi said, heaving a long sigh. "It's just been a busy two days for me, Ran. I had a lot of things that I needed to take care of, a lot of things that I needed to verify. Some really complicated things are going to start happening very soon, and we need to be prepared for them as possible."
"Who's we?" Kazuha spoke up.
"Myself, Hakuba, Sera, and Kuroba." Shinichi told her plainly.
"So ya told Kuroba before ya even thought of tellin' me, huh?" Kazuha asked, turning the burnt of her anger towards Hakuba, who slightly edged away from her a little. Sometimes his body still ached from all of the strict training courses that she had put him through, insistent that if he was going to be a detective, then he needed some way to protect himself, otherwise he'd just be a sitting duck.
She didn't want to lose anyone else, she'd said, in a voice that he assumed he hadn't been meant to hear.
"Again, I must apologize for that." Shinichi said, casting her what he hoped was a calming smile. It seemed to work, as Kazuha let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping as she let her anger more or less wash out of her. "But chances are, we're about to tangle with what remains of the Black Organization once more. There's a high chance that Merlot and Gin will be coming back to Tokyo in short order."
It was silent enough to hear a pin drop, Shinichi thought, as the two girls quickly processed what, exactly, that meant.
"No wonder you called everybody out then, Shinichi." Ran said finally, a grim expression on her face as she reached over to him, placing a hand over his own. "You're going to be careful, right? Please be careful, Shinichi. I'd actually like to have a groom to marry."
"I promise, Ran." Shinichi said softly, placing his free hand over hers, giving her a soft smile. From somewhere in the house, he was quite certain that he could feel eyes watching him- but they didn't carry the intense gaze with them that they had yesterday. Rather, there was almost something softer to them- the burnt of the gaze, he thought, wasn't directed at him. He wasn't certain if Kazuha had noticed or not, but if she did, she gave no outward hints at it.
Coughing into his hand to clear his throat, Shinichi gave Ran's hand another reassuring pat, before he turned back to the subject matter at hand. "We've already told Sera and Kuroba as much, however, at the current moment, we're actually working with Paikaru." At the shocked expression that crossed Kazuha's face, he couldn't help but give her a small smile, trying to not let anything on his expression hint to the true identity of the one she'd been chasing all this time.
It was a bit ironic, really, that she'd ended up on the trail of the person who was none other than her own childhood friend, the one that she always believed was still alive, even after five years had passed. In the end, she'd been right.
"With him?" Kazuha asked, her brows furrowing. "He's an assassin, Kudo-kun."
How Shinichi managed not to wince at her cold tone, he didn't know- but he managed. "I'm aware. But he wants to leave the Organization, and is willing to give us whatever information we want if we can make that happen. We'll figure out what happens to him in regards to punishment for his crimes after that, depending on his level of cooperation, and how good the info is that he has."
"You're certain you can trust him, right?" Ran asked, a hint of worry on her voice.
"He is." Hakuba was the one who spoke up, giving a slight nod of his head. "I disagree with Kudo-kun somewhat in regards to this, but nevertheless, he seems to trust him. And I do believe that his desire to leave the Organization behind him is a genuine one." Pausing for a moment, he cast a brief glance down towards Kazuha, before he looked back ahead of him. "At the very least, we don't think he willingly became an assassin."
He wasn't quite covering for Paikaru- for Heiji, Hakuba thought to himself. He was just hoping to lessen the eventual blow the truth would have on Kazuha- that was all.
"I see." Kazuha said after a long moment, letting out a long breath. "I'm startin' ta see why ya were in such a tizzy yesterday, Hakuba-san." She said, a slightly amused grin crossing her face when Hakuba protested to ever being in anything resembling a tizzy. "So the big showdown is finally comin'? Ya know I'll do anythin' that I can ta help ya, Kudo-kun."
It was because of those guys that Heiji had left her side, and she would never forgive them, for as long as she lived. No matter what, she would make them pay.
Although... there had been something that had been bothering her ever since she she'd come inside, Kazuha thought to herself, her eyes narrowing slightly. She got the strangest feeling that someone, somewhere was watching her- was there another guest over? Shinichi had mentioned Sera and Kaito, so perhaps one of them was still here. But still, there was something about that gaze...
"I know. Thank you, Kazuha. We'll probably be counting on your support in the coming days." Rising to his feet, Shinichi flashed both girls a grin. "Now then. Both Hakuba and I have some work to wrap up, so why don't you and Ran spend a bit of time together? Things are going to get pretty busy from now on, so the two of you might want to enjoy some time together before that happens."
"Are you certain that you don't need either of us here, Shinichi?" Ran asked, a slight frown on her lips even as she got to her feet. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was still something that she wasn't being told.
"We'll be fine Ran, I promise." Shinichi told her, carefully taking his hands in her own, planting a quick kiss on her forehead. "You and Kazuha just need to enjoy yourselves for now. When the time comes, I'll call on you."
"You'd better." Ran said, giving him something of a stern look. "If you leave me out of this, I'll get mad. You know I've been waiting all this time to give that Gin person a good punch."
"I won't, I promise." Shinichi reassured her, lightly touching foreheads with her. Even in the most tense of times, the mental image of Ran decking Gin never ceased to make him smile. "It's just something of a complicated issue, alright? If I end up shutting you out any, Ran, it's not because I don't trust you, it's just because I'm still working out how to say certain things. That's all."
"Alright, Shinichi." Casting a small smile up at him, Ran gave him a quick peck on the lips, before she turned back towards where Kazuha was- or had been, at any rate, as she took notice that she was nowhere to be found anymore. "Oh? Where did Kazuha go?" It appeared as if this was the first Hakuba had noticed it himself, having been paying so much attention to Shinichi and Ran's exchange that he'd barely even noticed her slip away.
"I'll go find her!" Hakuba quickly said, getting to his feet in a hurry. The last thing he wanted was for Ran to run headfirst into Paikaru while searching for Kazuha, after all the trouble Shinichi had just gone through to conceal a part of the truth from her- and really, he didn't quite want Kazuha to run into Paikaru herself either. Paikaru was unlikely to hurt her- physically at least.
Mentally? Emotionally? That was a different story. Out of all of them, he knew that nobody knew Hattori Heiji better than Toyama Kazuha, except, for perhaps his parents- and that she would be able to tell right away that the person currently wearing her childhood friend's face, the face of the person who everyone thought was dead for the past five years, wasn't quite the hotblooded, easygoing detective that she had been waiting to come back to her.
"She probably just went to the restroom. Why don't you wait outside, Mouri-san?" Hakuba asked, deciding to head upstairs first. How had he not noticed her slipping away? With Paikaru still lurking around the house, where had Kazuha wandered off to? And without telling anyone, either!
It wasn't quite like her to just wander off like this, Kazuha knew- and in someone else's house nonetheless! Even if it was Shinichi's house, it was nevertheless a bit rude to just go snooping about it without permission. As the conversation drew to a close, Kazuha felt that strangely familiar gaze that had been cast on her back fade away- and for some reason, she didn't care for the feeling that it's absence gave her.
Normally one would think that being watched from afar would be an unpleasant sensation- but there had almost been something soft about this gaze, something familiar- in an almost painful way. But when that gaze vanished, it was all the more painful still. Perhaps it was the faint tug that she felt on her little finger that caused her to make her way to the upper floors of the Kudo manor, a faint whisper in her ear of a voice that she knew by heart that coaxed her upwards, telling her to come upstairs.
It almost felt as if she were being haunted by a ghost- a gentle, familiar ghost who meant her no harm, who had a presence that was soft and comforting- if not a little painful. Glancing around as she got to the top of the stairs, Kazuha frowned a little, before taking a step forward, placing a hand over her omamori as she did so. She'd fixed the string, and had looped it back around her neck as soon as she got the chance- but she still couldn't quite shake the ill feeling that it's breaking had given her.
Perhaps Heiji had been trying to warn her of something, she thought to herself, carefully holding the faded omamori in her hands. It was slightly warm, she noted, pausing midstep, turning her gaze slightly towards the right, taking notice of the fact that one of the bedroom doors was slightly ajar.
That wasn't Shinichi's bedroom, was it? With a slight frown, Kazuha pushed the door open, taking a step inside-
-and found that it was empty, save for a pile of books on the desk. Not quite knowing what she had been expecting, she frowned a little, letting go of her omamori, letting a faint sight escape from her lips. Properly entering the room, she cast her eye on the novels that had been left on the desk- and for a moment, she blinked, unable to help but take note of the author.
"Ellery Queen?"
Picking up one of the novels with a slight frown, Kazuha took the book carefully in her hands, opening it up. They all appeared to be Ellery Queen novels, in fact. Heiji's favorite mystery writer- of course she knew that much. But what were they doing here?
"Ah, there you are, Toyama-san." Hakuba almost let out a slight sigh of relief, watching as the girl placed down the novel that she had been holding. Quickly glancing about the room before she had a chance to look up at him, he quickly assessed that Paikaru was nowhere to be found- the only trace of him in the room he'd been borrowing from Shinichi was the stack of novels that he'd left behind. "Where did you wander off to? Mouri-san is waiting for you."
"Ah, is that so?" Kazuha blinked, looking slightly sheepish at having been caught. "Sorry about that, Hakuba-san. I'll go meet up with her then." Flashing him a quick grin, she carefully darted out of the room, hurrying past him and down the stairs, doing her best to avoid eye contact with him.
What had she even been doing? It was almost as if she had been expecting to find something.
Or someone, really, the voice that she knew so well still drifting through her head, calling out her name. Idly rubbing her little finger, she couldn't help but notice that it had started to itch once more.
Don't be silly, Kazuha. She thought to herself, closing her eyes. There's no way Heiji's here.