(Before reading, please press the (3/4) story width button above for easier viewing pleasure.)
Author's Note: The end of the beginning is near.
Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan. How many times should I mention this?
The Moment Where Everything Was Lost
Part I: The Eclipse
"I am not the law, but I represent justice so far as my feeble powers go."
- Sherlock Holmes (The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes)
Chapter XXX: The Day of the Eclipse Part III
Author's Note: Before I start and before anyone complains, Natsuki Koshimizu is a real character from Detective Conan. She appeared in one episode. She's the high-school detective that represents the south. She appeared in episode 479. Watch it. It's an amazing episode. Since not all of you have watched it, I will brief you. She was imprisoned for murder which was solved by the High-school detective of the East and West, Shinichi and Hattori, and I will need her in my fanfiction.
Day in and day out, I could do nothing else but watch the tiny flower perched on top of my cell's tiny window.
I lost track of time. Seasons seemed to have passed, but I grew indifferent to time flying by. No one was even visiting anymore. I was being consumed by the totality of isolation. Slowly, it was crawling into my heart. I don't regret anything, but I did wish with all my heart to have a chance of freedom once more.
The sun's radiant warmth to fill my senses once more, I wanted to experience the sensation, but as of now, the seclusion and echoes of the flickering light bulbs was my only friend.
"Natsuki Koshimizu?" I was lost in thought, in a constant glaze at ceramic gray ceiling. It was a man in black in front of my cell. He was about 5'9 in height, slim with a firm lean body. He had a large coat to cover his torso up to his legs judging from his posture, he was exposed to constant training. He had a straight outlook. His eyes were bloodshot but perfectly calm. She seemed like an intelligent and capable person, ready to carry any responsibility given to him.
"Yes?" I replied. "I have come to offer you a chance of freedom," he asked. "In exchange for what?"
"I will only ask for one thing, and that is your statement as a witness," he took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it in front of him. "I smell gunpowder. Who are you?" I sat upward and observed him from head to toe. Something was wrong. "I am a man with power, Ms. High-school detective of the South."
The man swung the lit cigarette between his right index fingers with his pinky and ring finger curved inward towards the palm. I looked at his feet and hips to see the slightest discrepancy. His body and posture may be of a man's, but this man let down his guard too quickly the moment he believed that he fooled me.
"How about you take of the disguise first and reveal to me who you really are," I was making eye contact with him, and that was when his smile turned into a grin. His voice faltered, revealing a rather high and sophisticated voice. "It's a good thing that you saw through. I was never accustomed to using a man's voice, and I'm not as good as Vermouth anyway."
The man ripped of his mask, and a beauty underneath the prosthetics emerged. She has a head full of long straight red hair. Her facial features were indeed striking, but the tranquility of her expression bothered me. Her presence was giving off a heavy feeling on my chest, yet her face contradicted her aura. She seemed innocent and meek, but I knew better than to judge people by their appearances.
"It wasn't a mere thought. I am serious when I offered you a condition. Do you accept?"
"No," I replied and went back to my bed. "Why?" she asked. "Because, I already once took the wrong way. I don't want to make the same decision ever again. I call myself a detective, yet I'm no different to a criminal."
"There is no justice to the world, my dear. We're all used up pawns that have done its duty. Now, we fight back," she removed the coat with padding inside to flatten out her chest. "I decline. I may be a murderer, but I still believe that justice will conquer the world."
"I think you'll change your mind once I say this."
"What?"
"Our number enemy is none other than, the great detective of the East himself, Kudo Shinichi, and along him is the one who sent you here, Hattori Heiji," she let out. My pupils dilated at the shock. Was this a mere coincidence? "What will I do?"
"It's only a simple task," she put her hand on her pocket and revealed a tiny remote control. She pressed the button and a rumbling noise came after. Then, a great shudder shook my entire cell. The walls behind me exploded into rubble. The sun came piercing in the entire hole created. Smoke shrouded my vision, but I could make out the remnants of the next door building of our precinct. "Who are you?"
"I am their boss. Join me, Ms. High School detective of the South," before I knew it, the bars of my cell flung open. She had the keys the entire time. I looked back and listened to the ringing sirens.
I followed her to the outside world. Freedom, I had it once more. I turned my head to see the results of my actions from before. Am I taking the right path? Or am I into another wrong turn? Was there justice in my actions?
But, the answers never came. Far away from my exploded cell, I saw the flower, in its present condition, under the rocks and dust, withered from the fall, taking the severity of my consequences.
"Where are we headed?"
"Just follow me," we entered the main hall of the precinct. The guards and other police officers were unconscious. They didn't seem dead, but I wondered who were these people willing enough to go through this extent to save me? Witness? How could I be a reliable witness?
Jodie's point of view
Jodie woke up with Akai by her side. He was seated on top of a boulder where he placed her leaning on the side. Shuuichi was analyzing place. The deep trench where they fell in was somehow wide. It was full of snow and rocks. The steep sides of the cliff were near him, but it was impossible to climb without having the proper equipment.
"We all fell in the same place, but I never thought that we'd rolled into different parts. It couldn't have been that far," he noticed that she regained consciousness. "My head hurts. Come, let's find them. We can't waste time."
She pressed her hand onto her head while walking. The aching feeling wasn't painful, but it hazed her focus and reflexes. "It was probably from laying unconscious with your head on top of snow. It caused a temporary clog to the circulation of the blood flow."
"Yeah, I think that's-," a gunshot resounded in our path. Shuuichi acted quick and listened where it exactly came from. "About half a mile or so. Let's go. It was from a sniper. The bullet's whirl was delayed and lengthy. They shot at a distance," Shuuichi deduced. "They might notice us," she brought up the possibility. "It's better that way. Setting up a sniper takes a lot of time especially in weather like this. They'll retreat once they see us. We have no time to spare."
Jodie followed Shuuichi with no room for doubt.
He took out a pistol and crept slowly from the behind of one boulder after the other. Jodie copied his stealthy footsteps. Akai perched his head up to see while we were behind one of the boulders. Jodie realized then that Akai slid sideways into the snow. With his hand on the trigger of the pistol and his left eye closed, he shot three consecutive times.
Without uttering a single word, he intentionally fell to his side, taking aim while falling. Jodie watched the flash rally of events unfold. It was too quick. Jodie still comprehended one of his movements. A shot went through our directly. It missed Akai.
He pulled the trigger two more times and smile towards the unknown person beyond the reach of her eyes. Who is it?
"It's okay now. I got them," he said. Jodie went out the cover of the rock. It was Chianti and Korn. They were both down. Chianti was gripping onto her left shoulder while Korn was putting pressure on his blood soaked leg. Beside them were Hattori and Hakuba. Hakuba seemed to be hurt the way he was holding on to his shoulder blade. "Hattori-kun, Hakuba-kun," Jodie asked for a response. "Sensei, good thing. I thought we were done for," Hattori replied.
"You were lucky, kid," Chianti forced to move her back to sit upright. "Chianti, why did you attack us?" Akai cut her off.
"You're our enemy, right? Why wouldn't we?" she snickered. "Don't fool with me. Knowing the organization, they wouldn't risk getting us killed off like that when they knew that we were in it. We hold too much valuable information to get killed. You'll kill us, I know, but you'll try to get some information from us first. Who attacked us?"
She laughed, "You're catching up rather fast."
"What are you talking about?"
"In this world, do you actually think that we're the only fucked up organization out there? Don't delude yourselves, Rye. The world's full of fucked up people. We're just a tiny tiny part of it," she was laughing. "Who are they then?" he asked, pointing a gun towards them. "I fear that I don't know anything anymore, but your magician ally knows it."
"Kaito? Where is he?" Hattori shouted. "Oh he knows them alright. You're going up against two of the most powerful organization out there, us and them."
"Pandora," Hakuba said blankly. "Oh, someone here actually knows them? That's peculiar," she looked and eyed at Hakuba. "You, who are they?" Akai asked. "Like what she said, they're an underground organization. Their main operations are jewel heists, and I believe that Kaito-kun's father was murdered by them, if my deductions are correct."
"Wait, I thought the Black Organization killed Kaito's father?" Hattori asked. "That's what thinks too. He doesn't have a clue that he's barking up the wrong tree. Now, I feel sorry for him," she was teasing them. "Give me everything you know or else, I will scatter your brain in this snowy desert," Akai was serious. He moved the gun to Korn and shot his other leg.
Chianti fell silent. She waited a few minutes until she spoke, "A transaction between Pandora and The Black Organization will happen later on at night. Pandora didn't trust us, so when they saw you, they didn't take risks and attack. There are ruthless. The transaction was and exchange. For us to get a certain chemical compound, we'll have trade it with Kaito."
"Kaito? Why?" Jodie asked. "It has something to do with the jewels," Hattori said. "Give me the exact time of the transaction," Akai ordered her at once. "I don't even know if it'll happen anymore. Pandora doesn't trust us even before your failed mission. Your attack made matters worse, but if it helps, the transaction will be during the eclipse."
"That's tonight," Hakuba stood up.
"Then, we have no time to spare. Let's go. You two, you're coming with us," Akai gave them no choice. Jodie looked up at the coming sunset and wondered if they have ample of time to finish everything. Just who are we fighting with? She let out a sight and went ahead their journey.
Author's Note: Pandora is a reference to Magic Kaito. I'll explain in the further chapters. Reviews everyone!
Coming Soon: Chapter 33: The Day of the Eclipse Part IV