Chapter 8: Shinichi's restart and Lambo-san no Yabou,
Go and watch this first. It's Lambo's VA singing this song (Lambo's ambition) at the rebocon. (Lambo's VA is also the voice for Naruto, believe it!) She sings with a little Lambo doll attached to her hand by a collar and leash. During the song others come in and ruin it by attacking the doll. Ryohei fills in for Hana since she's not at the concert. But the ending is so funny, she gets angry, and attacks the others before she runs off stage shouting for mama. This is the youtube link- just remove the spaces. http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v= slMgFY9ZpZU. If that doesn't work then search for Rebocon 2008 part 8. You can listen to the CD version too, but I found the vid sooo funny. Anyways, this chapter starts off with the song and moves on. I love this song too much to miss it even though I gave you a song last chapter- and I love that song too, kora!
The 'millefiore' family are introduced in this chapter- Shoichi, Spanner and Byakuran. This is a very big plot point for Shinichi, so if you don't like the start, then move on to the middle. I don't want you to miss something important.
"Conan! Good morning" suddenly, unexpectedly and certainly unwantedly, Conan hides his head under the pillows, hoping to block out that voice that is far too cheery for any normal person this time of day.
"Meeh" Conan grumbles, hoping for the love of the truth that Kaito will leave.
But no such luck. Kaito has it all.
"Wake up sleepy head" the voice is closer than before. Conan bounces in the air as Kaito jumps onto the bed, the covers now a crumpled mess.
"Go away Kaito." Growls Conan, certainly not in the mood for Kaito after the rude awakening.
"Oh, but Conan." Starts Kaito
"Go away. Either stay away or bring me some coffee. The choice is yours." Shouts Conan finally sitting up to glare at the magician.
"Coffee?" asks Kaito, tilting his head cutely.
"Yes, coffee. You know, that hot drink filled with caffeine, which most normal people drink." Snarls Conan
"But why would you want coffee this early in the morning?" questions Kaito- a hot chocolate lover all the way.
Conan sighs "It wakes me up and kick starts my brain. For a while now I've always had a cup of coffee when I wake up. I've been told that I'm not very sociable until I've had it. So go away until I've had my damn coffee!" Conan lies back down and chucks the covers over himself, ignoring Kaito completely.
"Ohh, I see. I'll go get it for you Conan." Kaito chirps, rushing out of the room.
In the hallway Kaito shouts "Conan needs COFFEE!"
Conan opens his eyes wide, not believing what Kaito has just done. He flings the covers off and rushes out of the door, seeing Kaito standing in the hallway. "Kaito you fucking bastard, what in hell are you doing?"
"You said you needed coffee, so I'm getting it for you. I don't know where the kitchen is, and with all of the maids and butlers here, surely one will hear me." He deduces. Raising his voice he shouts again "Conan needs a cup of coffee!"
"Kaito shut up right now or I'll shoot you." Conan threatens. Does Kaito not get embarrassed, or self-conscious? Wait a minute, this is Kaito, who is KID, of course he doesn't get embarrassed. Sheese, what will I do with him. It is kind of sweet though.
"But you need your coffee. If you're not going to be able to work without coffee, then I'm getting it for you." Declares Kaito. He opens his mouth and takes in another deep breath, about to shout out again.
Conan seeing this, brings his wristwatch up and aims at Kaito's neck. "Shout again, and you'll be sleeping. And I'll leave you here in the middle of the corridor." Conan always slept with his watch on. Being his main form of protection, he always kept it on. With Vermouth knowing who and where he was, he wasn't taking any more chances.
Seeing this, Kaito becomes even more determined. Wow, he really does need that coffee. Who ever said he was unsociable without coffee was right. I need to get it for him. He's no fun like this. Threatening me with that watch, well two can play that game. Kaito reaches behind him and takes his card gun. He too points his weapon at Conan.
"I am getting you that coffee whether you like it or not." Says Kaito. A staring contest begins between the two.
Finally a maid walks around the corner, hearing the ruckus from down the other corridor. As she walks around the corner, the tense atmosphere hits her like a wave. In front of her all she can see is two males, one a child and one an adult, pointing weapons at each other. But this maid is a Vongola maid. More than that she is a maid to the 10th Generation. Nothing is going to faze her. If she can deal with dynamites, illusions, tonfas and electric sparks along with the normal mafia fare, then a gun and a wrist watch aren't going to scare her off.
"Is there something I can help you with sirs?" asks the maid politely.
Not taking his eyes off Conan, Kaito addresses the maid. "Yes, I would like one cup of coffee for Conan here, and one hot chocolate, with cream and marshmallows for myself."
Not looking away either Conan adds "Strong black coffee please, no milk or sugar"
The maid bows and leaves to fulfil the task given to her.
Kaito flips the gun in the air, catching it and puts it back in its correct place. Conan too lowers his arm, and closes the target lid of the watch.
I suppose that we had better get dressed then. I'm getting hungry" suggests Conan, walking back into his room. Seeing Kaito take a step forwards he adds "I can get dressed myself thanks." And slams the door in Kaito's face.
Just as he finishes getting dressed, there is a knock on the door. Opening the door, Conan finds the maid from earlier.
"Young master Tsuna requests your presence at breakfast" she informs him. "your drink will be served to you there." After a nod from Conan she walks to Kaito's door and repeats the process. Kaito comes out of the room in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt- no cape, top hat nor monocle in sight.
"Let's go. Lead the way, my lady" he bows to the maid and offers her a rose. The maid blushes, places the rose in a pocket, showing it off, and leads the pair to where the others are. The maid opens the door, and bows them into the room.
"Good morning Conan, Kaito. Come and have a seat." Greets Tsuna
"Che, we were waiting long enough" remarks Gokudera. Tsuna kicks him under the table and gives him a stern look.
"Hmm, so you're Conan then." Says Lambo. Everyone looks at Lambo, wondering what's going on. "Well I was asleep in the car, and it was dark out so I didn't get a good look, alright." He defends himself. He leans forwards in his chair, taking a good look at Conan.
"Lambo don't be rude" scolds I-pin, sitting next to him.
"Hmm. Do you want to be Lambo-sama's subordinate?" he asks seriously
The guardians practically fall off their chairs. They hadn't heard that for a long time. Of all the things Lambo could have said… they thought he had grown up over the past 5 years. Maybe some things never change.
Conan, instead of looking shocked or offended, looks bored instead. He knows how to deal with children. The Detective Boys' have given him plenty of practice. The best thing to do is to just go with what they are saying. "And why would I want to be your subordinate?" he asks
"Che, why would anyone want to be that Ahoshi's follower? All his head is filled with is sweets, not the brains to be worth following." remarks Gokudera
"haha, Lambo can keep a lot of things in his hair can't he." Laughs Yamamoto.
"Sweets, um, let's see. What's inside my head? A toffee ball, some candy, and… hmm, oh some chocolate." As he names them, confectionary appears in his hand, and Lambo places it on the table. Soon quite a pile is on the table. "Of course, it's not only sweets that are inside my head. There is also a big dream."
The others turn towards Lambo, being the first they have heard of this dream. Lambo himself clambers onto the table, looking down on all of the others, making himself feel important.
A hand raised to the ceiling, he elaborates, "Conquer the world and obliterate Reborn!" Jaws around the table drop. That was such a Lambo dream, and everyone knew that he wanted to kill Reborn, it was why he ended up with them in the first place. To emphasise his point, Lambo pulls a grenade out of his hair as he shouts 'obliterate Reborn!'. Gokudera jumps onto the table too, and takes the bomb out of the cow's hand.
"Oy Yamamoto" he shouts, turning towards the baseball player. "fast ball out the window" he shouts, chucking the grenade at him. Yamamoto's eyes narrow, and he catches the ball. His arm goes back, and the ball speeds out the open window, too fast to track properly. A moment later, an explosion can be heard. One maid pops her head out of a window, sees the mess, and shouts. "Don't worry, I'll call the Gardner." Not a reprimand, not a telling off, just simple acceptance.
This must be a common occurrence here then. The maid earlier didn't seem fazed by our use of weapons either. Well this is a mafia Family after all. Thinks KID.
"When I take over the world, I can eat as much soft ice cream as I want." Lambo announces
"Oh, a very big dream. World domination so he can eat ice cream, how scary" whispers Conan snidely.
"I-Pin will cry since she won't be able to."
"Lambo, stupid." She cries, trying to pull him down from the table top.
"Gokudera will be ignored, by my decree." He pulls a face at Gokudera.
"Like it's possible" comments Gokudera, under his breath. Tsuna smiles at Gokudera, attempting to cheer him up.
"No, Gokudera, It's not possible to ignore you." Turning his head to the side Tsuna mumbles "Believe me, it's not. You are too loud and upfront to be ignored."
"Shoo, Shoo, you old Hag. Go over there. Lambo-sama is talking, you can't interrupt" Lambo makes dismissing gestures to someone behind Conan and Kaito.
Conan looks over his shoulder to see someone he recognises. Kurokawa Hana, if I remember correctly. Kyoko's best friend. She was with the other girls when we went for lunch yesterday. Recalls Conan.
"This is why I hate kids." Hana looks at Lambo with disgust, before lowering her gaze to Conan. Her scowl gets wider, and she backs up to the wall. Sliding against the wall, she reaches the end of the table where Tsuna and the others are, and pours herself a glass of orange juice. Ryohei offers her a piece of toast, which she accepts, before going to stand in between him and Yamamoto.
Lambo clears his throat loudly, drawing attention back to him. "Right now, as I see things, it is soon to be my world. Even Reborn will be knocked out"
"Che, sure your world. Aren't you forgetting that every attempt so far has failed, usually the moment you announce that you have arrived." Explains Gokudera.
"Yeah, it's usually like: Lambo-sama has arrived, Reborn I'm going to kill you. And then Reborn kicks you out of the window. But keep dreaming kid," describes Yamamoto.
"That was when I was younger. I've learnt my lesson as I've grown up. However, Boss' orders were to defeat Reborn, and that it what I shall do. Once I've defeated him, the strongest Arcobaleno, then no one can stop me, and the world shall belong to me. The Bovino Family is number one in the world, and I shall be too." He thumps his fist against his heart, showing devotion to his Family.
"Kufufufu, I don't know what ratings you've been reading little Lambo, but the Bovino Family is a very weak one- Fuuta confirmed it. Their only strong point is in their scientific weapons. Most of which malfunction often" Chides Mukuro, resting his head on his hand.
"He's certainly got the spoilt brat bit down fine" says Conan to KID. Lambo looks over at him sharply
"What was that?" he questions
"Nothing. So what will you do when you are King of the world?" covers Conan. Lambo seems pleased with this answer, straightens up and strides up and down the table.
"I-pin will live with me" he points to her, before turning and walking down to the other end of the table.
"Lambo, what are you doing" she scolds. It's rude to walk on the table after all.
"I'll make Gokudera do what I say"
With that, Yamamoto and Ryohei burst out into raucous laughter, Ryohei pounding his fist of the table. Gokudera slams his palms on the table as he stands up. "Like you can, you brat" he shouts defiantly.
"Shoo, shoo you Hag. I don't care, you can just leave. I don't want you in my world anyway." Hana had slowly began to walk towards the door, but was caught in the act.
"Shoo, shoo, go over there" she points to the other end of the table, which happens to be the end farthest from her escape route- the door.
Lambo ignores her, but walks to stand infront of Conan anyway. "So why should you be my subordinate? Well, right now as I see it, it's soon to be my world; even Reborn will be knocked out."
"Yes, yes, you've already said that Lambo. Is there anything else?" asks Kaito, joining in the conversation.
"But, there will be a lot of food. If you come with me then you'll have all the food and candy that you want. Do you want a toffee ball, toffee ball?" he asks waving one infront of Conan's face. Conan looks at the sweet, and decides that no, he doesn't want that sweet. Just as he's about to decline, Lambo continues. "Well, I won't give it to you anyway. These are Lambo-sama's private supply. But just you wait, Conan. Lambo-sama will defeat Reborn soon, I've been training really hard. And once I do, I'll become the Bovino Family's Boss. And then you will want to be my follower for sure. Because of all of this training that I've done, I'll conquer the world, kill Reborn in an instant, and there will be no one who can match me anymore. I-Pin…" he turns to her
I-Pin had had enough of Lambo's bragging. Taking out a Gyouza bun she takes a bite and shouts "Gyouza kempo!" she thrusts her fist in Lambo's direction. He goes flying over Conan and Kaito's heads and slams into the wall. Shakily, Lambo stands up and walks towards Gokudera.
"Gokudera…"
Gokudera too had had enough. His Lambo allowance had already been used up for the day, and he wanted nothing more than to harm the cow and make him shut up.
"Rocket Bombs!" he takes a few dynamites out of his belt, lights them with his cigarette and chucks them at Lambo. As usual, Gokudera has targeted perfectly, and Lambo goes flying out of the window.
"Shoo~, shoo~ … Hag…" whimpers Lambo. Hana had taken this moment to walk towards the door, which was right next to the window Lambo had just flown out of.
"Wait, where did that cow assassin go?" Hana asks, not realising that he was chucked out of the window. She assumed that Gokudera's dynamites only produced smoke, and that he had disappeared, like in a magic show. She leaves the room.
A hand appears on the windowsill, followed by a mass of black hair and a pair of horns.
"Lambo, are you alright?" asks I-Pin, rising out of her seat.
"Riiiiight now, as I see it, it's sooon to be my world. Even Reborn will be knocked ouuuutttt~." Lambo faints and falls backwards onto the soft grass of the garden.
"Damn that Ahoshi. He's always getting in the way. He can be so annoying at times." Gokudera walks over to the window and picks the unconscious Lambo up. "He still wants to defeat Reborn though? I though what he said when introducing himself yesterday was just to make himself look big infront of Conan and Kaito. Even after 5 years of failures. [sigh] I've got to commend that Ahoshi, he doesn't give up." Gokudera looks fondly down at Lambo, and walks out of the room with him.
"Well, I think that sums Lambo up pretty well. He hasn't really changed all that much since he was 5. He is a little bit braver though. And a lot calmer. But being younger than all of us, we still treat him like a little brother, which I suppose adds to the spoilt brat image. But he's our cow, and we love him to pieces." Says Tsuna, looking fondly towards the door.
"Actually, with Lambo mentioning Reborn, I need to talk to him." Says Tsuna. "Reborn, I know that you are here, can you come out please." Asks Tsuna
"What the kid is here?" asks Yamamoto looking around.
"Well, yeah, he has been here the whole time" says Kaito, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.
"It's like Tsuna said, you guys really can't see through Reborn's disguises can you?" says Conan in amazement. The others in the room shake their heads, looking around themselves, trying to find him.
"Che, what's going on here? You all look like idiots who have lost the Sun." States Gokudera, re-entering the room
"We are EXTREMELY looking for Reborn, Tako-headdo" shouts Ryohei.
"Reborn? I haven't seen him since last night, stupid Shibafu." Explains Gokudera.
"But guys, he's been here the whole time. He's dressed as that lampshade behind me." Clarifies Conan. Kaito points to the particular lampshade, nodding his head.
"Hmph, you guys are good." Says Reborn, removing his disguise and walking over to Tsuna. "So dame-Tsuna, what do you want?"
"Well, I want to do what we were discussing last night. Can you find Verde for me?" requests Tsuna
"But you don't know if he wants it yet, Tsuna" cautions Reborn, looking over to Conan.
"Okay, then I'll ask, but I'm sure he does. Shinichi." Tsuna stares straight at Conan, making strong eye contact.
"Y-yes Tsuna." Replies Conan not liking the intense look he's getting.
"Would you like to be able to return to your real body?" asks Tsuna. Conan and Kaito gasp. Conan's eyes go wide and his jaw drops. Kaito claps in glee.
"Shin-chan, you can go back to normal!" he shouts, hugging Conan around the shoulders.
"I c-c-can what?" stutters Conan, not believing what's just been said.
"Well, we have some of the best scientists and inventors in the world here. And a few other sources of information too. So it's highly possible that we can return you to your normal body. If you want to that is." Enlightens Tsuna.
Shinichi thinks about this prospect. It's something that he has only considered in day dreams, considering none of Haibara's drugs have worked- and she was the creator of the drug. To be able to finally be Shinichi again. To be treated like an adult. To not have to manipulate people anymore. To see over the kitchen counter with ease. To finally be able to look Kaito and KID in the eyes and not have the height difference make KID look like he's looming over and all powerful.
But what of the Detective Boys'? Well he could surely see them as Shinichi. They accepted him readily enough the few times they met him- or mistook Kaito as him.
What about Ran?
Conan grips the arms of his chair tightly, knuckles turning white.
What about Ran? She's waited so long for Shinichi to return. Could he really just turn up infront of her again? He was mafia now, and that meant that he would be disappearing again. Truly on a very long 'case' where hope of his return was slim. She worried enough knowing he was on an innocent case. But now guns and torture and murders were involved. He might even have to kill someone. Could he return to Ran with blood soaked hands? Could he put her through the agony of wondering if he would return home alive every time he left the house? No he couldn't do that. If he did return he must make sure that she never sees him. And what about Conan? Conan had truly become her little brother. She would be devastated that he had to go.
Tighter again he grips the chair arms. But suddenly there is a warm hand upon his. Slowly he turns his head around and looks into clear blue-violet eyes. Kaito gives him a smile, not a broad KID one, nor a cheeky magician one, but a comforting friend one. One that says 'I'm here, beside you all the way, whether you grow up or not'
That's right. There is more to the world than Ran. Like Kaito for instance. I have ruined her life enough. It's time for me to let her go, and start something new.
"Yes" Conan whispered, still staring into Kaito's eyes. His eyes flick over to Tsuna, and this time, stronger, he states "Yes. It's time Conan went back to America. And for Shinichi to return from his case."
"But Shin-chan, what about Ran?" asks Kaito. He knows how much Ran means to the little detective. Talks on roof tops late at night provided personal information about the pair, allowing the other to relieve stress and anger, or to work through confusing events from the previous day. Kaito stares into Conan's eyes, searching for something. Conan's eyes darken, and Kaito knows that he has found his answer.
"I've kept Ran in a cage long enough. It's time I set her free. And throw the cage somewhere far away, where it will never be found again. Shinichi isn't returning" he looks from Kaito over to Reborn.
"Shinichi is being reborn."
There is a gasp from the others around the table at this shocking statement. Kaito looks slightly confused. Shinichi looks Kaito in the eye, his own shining with new found hope and commitment. " I'll no longer be the Shinichi Ran knows, nor the Conan you know. I'll be me, Shinichi, a Mafioso working for Vongola Decimo, saving the world from the Organisation." He once again turns to Reborn. The Arcobaleno has a knowing smirk on his face, as if he knew this would happen- like he always does. "Reborn, go and find this Verde. I'm ready to move on." Reborn nods.
"I'll have him here, at the lab in 2 hours, whether he wants to be here or not. Luckily enough I know that he's in Japan, working on another experiment." He tips his hat at Conan, before jumping out the window and off into the distance.
"Well now that's sorted, let's go and see Shoichi and Spanner." Says Tsuna rising from his seat. "Guys, you all know what you are doing today right?" people around the table nod. "Good, come on then Conan and Kaito, it's time to meet the future's best Mechanics." Tsuna walks through the door, Gokudera following behind. Kaito and Conan grab some toast, down their luke-warm drinks and follow the pair.
"So this is the Spanner that tried to kill you with his robots, and then perfected your X-burner. And the Shoichi who was an enemy but really was on your side all along, right?" enquiries Kaito.
"Yep. Well not them really, but them in our time, with the memories of our time in the future, but yes, that Spanner and Shoichi." 'Clarifies' Tsuna. He walks to an elevator, lets the others in, before pressing a button. "They arrived back from their trip this morning, since I called them last night. They seemed really excited."
The elevator doors open and Kaito and Conan step into a mechanical world. There are cogs and nails and bits of metal everywhere. Outlines of tools are drawn on the walls. Machinery stands like Skyscrapers, towering over them. Tsuna navigates the maze, finding a clearing near the middle. There is a desk filled with blueprints and other bits of paper. Another desk is dedicated to computers, all running numbers across and down the screen, pictures flashing every now and again.
"Vongola, nice to see you" A blond in a green jumpsuit and goggles on his head appears from the other side of the maze, followed by a red head in jeans and a shirt. The blond walks over and offers Tsuna a wrench shaped lollipop, which Tsuna takes and starts to eat. "Is this him?" he asks, offering another one to Conan. Not wanting to be rude, Conan takes the lollipop, and sticks it in his mouth.
"It sure is. Reborn will be over with Verde in around two hours." Confirms Tsuna.
The red head walks over and offers his hand to Conan. "It's nice to meet you Conan, I'm Irie Shoichi and my friend here is Spanner." Conan shakes the offered hand. "Do you mind if we run a few tests? We need to know what we are working with here."
"Um sure. But aren't you two mechanics? How are you going to solve a medical biological problem?" questions Conan dubiously.
"Well, we are. But when Tsuna told me about you last week, I was so intrigued that I read every medical text book I could find. That's actually why we have Verde coming. He's better on the subject. We would have asked Trident Shamal, but he only works on girls." Conan has no idea who this Shamal is, but he doesn't sound trustworthy if he only treats girls, he sounds more like a pervert.
"Guys, I was thinking that maybe before we start, we could get some… advice. We have time to waste before Reborn returns, and I don't see what the harm is." Tsuna suggests slowly, as if the suggestion might not go down well
"Juudaime, you don't mean him do you?" asks Gokudera, seemingly shocked at the suggestion.
"That's a great idea Tsuna. I haven't seen him since I finished college." Shoichi claps his hands and starts to search for his mobile phone. "Aha, here we go."
"Just who are you calling? Gokudera looks like he's about to pass out, but Shoichi looks happy." Comments Kaito
"Oh, well It's Byakuran" answers Tsuna
"BYAKURAN!" Exclaims Conan and Kaito. " As in the man who wanted to take over the world in the future. You are asking him for advice?" They can't believe that him of all people is who Tsuna is going to for advice
"Shh, he's picked up. I'm putting you on Speaker phone Byakuran." Warns Shoichi, putting his phone down on the table. The others all grab chairs and sit around the phone
"Heya, Sho-chan, it's been too long. I was beginning to think that you had forgotten me~" comes the whine from the phone.
Kaito stiffens recognising the voice.
"He's all your's KID. I don't deal with him. Let the show begin"
"I-it can't be. That's the voice of Il Mare Bianco."
"Pin-Pon! That's right KID-chan. I didn't expect to hear you when I picked up the phone. So how did the last heist go?" comes the happy childish voice.
"Heeii, you know Byakuran?" screams Tsuna- not expecting that at all.
"Yeah, I do. In the circle of thieves like me he's known as Il Mare Bianco, or The White Sea. He's an informant. He can tell you problems that will occur with your plan, so that you can get around them. He was giving me ideas on jewels that might be Pandora." Explains KID, his voice slightly deeper than Kaito's own. Raising his voice, he addresses Byakuran "It went great actually. The jewel was Pandora, and because of it, I've become part of the Mafia. But I never knew you were a tyrannical, world dominating Mafia Boss yourself."
"Humhmhm" Byakuran laughs "Well, it doesn't really come up in conversation, now does it. And I'd like to point out that was an alternate future me. Me and My Guardians have changed. But now that you are with Tsunayoshi-chan of all people, I can tell you how I knew my information. Has Tsunayoshi-chan told you about the Tri-Ni-Set?"
"Yeah, a link between the Vongola and Mare rings and the Arcobaleno pacifiers. But what has that got to do with anything?"
"Tsunayoshi-chan, you remember Yuni's song don't you? Vongola is the clam that passes information on from generation to generation, down the axis known as time. The Mare is the sea, moving information sideways along the axis known as Space, more commonly known as Parallel dimensions. So as the Sky Mare ring owner, I take trips between universes. There I followed KID's actions, and told you of any jewels you had taken that were not Pandora. From there you could narrow your choices down to untargeted jewels. This is the first time, in any dimension that you have found Pandora. And the first for you to become acquainted with Tsunayoshi-chan, and become part of the Family. But enough about us. Why do I have the pleasure to talk to both Sho-chan, Spanna and Tsu-chan, as well as your gracious self all at the same time?"
"We were wondering if you would do us a favour Byakuran. Since you are part of the Family and all. We want to know something about a man named Kudo Shinichi. He was shrunk by a poison to become the persona known as Edogawa Conan. We want to know, if in any other worlds, a cure has been found to the poison that shrunk him. Can you find that out?" explains Tsuna.
"Kudo Shinichi, as in the famous high school detective? Well, now I know why KID is involved. You really want him to have his old body back don't you. In every parallel world, either Shinichi or Conan are chasing you around your heists. And in quite a few of the parallels that include Shinichi, you two have become very close. So close in fact that you cross the boundary of the mirror and become one~. Isn't that sweet?"
"Cross the mirror?" asks Tsuna. He looks over to the pair, who have now gone bright red.
"Y-y-you can't mean me and Metantei-san, can you? Together, like that!" stutters KID, for once shocked out of his calm.
"Metantei-san? Oh it's KID." Tsuna whispers to himself "Um, can you two explain what he's going on about?" asks Tsuna
"Oh that Bastard. You just love to mess with other people don't you Byakuran?" a loud long giggle is all the response he gets "You just had to announce it in front of some others didn't you. Well, Tsuna, what you most likely don't realise is that me and Metantei-san actually look almost like a mirror image of each other. Since I had on my top hat and monocle, you couldn't see it. It's so similar that I can impersonate him without the use of a mask or anything. People often mistake me for him. So crossing the mirror means that instead of looking at each other from afar, we've crossed the boundary. And I think that you can guess the 'become one' bit."
"You got it right there KID-chan. You and Shinichi become very intimate. And you being you show off you lover in the flashiest way possible: at one of your heists, you bring the spotlight on your masked lover and announce it to the whole world. Ahh, so many KID fan girls died at that moment, only to be reborn as Yaoi fan girls. It seems that you are popular no matter what you do."
"Can we please move on to whether we can find a cure for me." Shouts Conan, still a bright red colour.
"Oh, so he's here? Well, certainly Chibi-tantei. Give me a little while and I'll go take a trip. See you soon" and Byakuran hangs up the phone.
"Oh my god, I'm going to kill him next time I see him!" States KID. "I'm so sorry Tantei-kun. He's not usually like that when he's talking to me. Chatty yes, but never that personal."
"D-don't worry KID. What's important is that he's going to look for us. So Shoichi, you wanted to run some tests. I'm afraid that I don't have any of the data with me. It never crossed my mind that there would be a possibility that I could be cured here. It's all on Haibara's computer." Says Conan, determined to move on.
"Can we bring her here?" asks Spanner.
"I don't want her to know I'm with the mafia. She gets scared enough with the Organisation involved. I don't want another criminal influence in her life." Conan looks down at his feet.
"Okay, I'll just hack in then." Coolly states Spanner, fingers flying across a keyboard. Conan gives him any information he asks for. "Alright, let's see."
Spanner brings up a few programs, and enters a lot of data- Conan and KID can't keep up.
"And I thought I could hack" whispers KID.
"Hmm, she's got a lot of protection on here… Here we go. Shoichi, which of these files do you want?" asks Spanner, finally looking up from the screen
"Hmm, let me look" Shoichi clicks and opens a few files over Spanner's shoulder- not fazed at all at how quickly Spanner hacked into Haibara's computer. "Might as well copy them all. I'm sure that we'll need all of the information we can get." Spanner nods and copies all of the files.
"Oh, so it's made of…" "Hm, could we use …?" "I'm not sure…" "Look here…" "Yeah that's useful" "So these are the failed compounds…" "Oh, so this is the internal effects…"
Spanner and Shoichi started their analysis of the new data, and completely lost themselves in it.
"Che, there they go again. They find something interesting and suddenly no one else exists. Juudaime, we had better leave them alone. They'll call for us when they have a solution." Gokudera sighs, and starts to walk towards the elevator with Tsuna, Conan and KID following.
After the two hours were up, Reborn finds Conan and tells him that Verde has started to work on the cure too. "It intrigues him. He'll be able to work with Spanner and Shoichi too." Conan nods in response, and Reborn disappears.
A little after that, Byakuran phones Shoichi: "In all of the dimensions where Big Detective becomes Little Detective, he remains Little Detective for the rest of his life. None of them found a viable cure."
"Okay, thanks Byakuran, that's given me an idea." Says Shoichi before turning to the others. "Earlier on Byakuran said that this is the only world where Shinichi becomes part of the Family…"
At evening on the next day, Tsuna and Gokudera are called into the lab,
"What's up guys?" asks Gokudera, walking over and looking at the screens. Being as smart as he is, he gets some of what's going on.
"We need you and Decimo to do something for us. We have found a solution, but we need your flames to do it." States Verde, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Our flames?" questions Gokudera, looking over to Juudaime. Tsuna shrugs his shoulders, not having a clue either.
"well, Gokudera your flames…" Shoichi starts to explain their theory, and Tsuna and Gokudera become eager to help. Spanner asks them to light their rings, and he collects some of the flames from both of them.
"After we have made the prototype we'll test it on a sample of Conan's blood. If it gets the desired results, then we'll put it into effect. Can you call Conan down here? I need to take a fresh sample of blood." Elaborates Verde. "It's should have been long enough after the last transformation for his body to return to its 'normal' state."
A few minutes later Conan arrives in the elevator, followed by a nervous Kaito. Kaito seems more nervous than Conan. "I've done this all before. I know not to get my hopes up." He tells Kaito.
After the blood sample is taken, the three scientists go back to work, effectively ignoring the others again.
Whilst they wait, Conan and Kaito spend time getting to know the other Guardians. It seems that they don't have to do as much as Tsuna does, but they still have duties around the mansion. Lambo and I-Pin go to school in Nanimori during the week, and play during the weekend. Gokudera spends his time helping Tsuna, and organising the house so Tsuna doesn't have to. Ryohei spends his time training or keeping some of the others in the household fit, as well as teaching a few self-defence moves. Yamamoto also spends some time training, but he also keeps up-to-date with local and world events and news, as well as keeping in contact with other allied Families. Hibari and Mukuro both disappear each day, and return whenever they want to. It seems that Hibari acts like the local police, along with his Disciplinary Committee, and keeps Nanimori safe and 'following the rules'. Mukuro heads off in the opposite direction, to spend time with his Gang. Conan didn't want to see them again until he was in his real body- if this experiment worked; if it didn't then he would see them at a later date.
A few more days passed, with Conan giving more blood samples. However eventually, after 2 days, they found a working cure. Conan was glad that they had found one so soon- He was sure that Ran would be getting suspicious. He had left on Friday. Friday night was the fake heist, with Saturday being the first day of experiments. It was now Monday. Kaito had called in as his mother to Conan's school, explaining that his Grandma hadn't gotten any better, and Conan was very distressed over the fact and wouldn't be at school today.
Conan stepped out of the elevator, head held high. But Kaito saw that he was shaking slightly. He puts a hand on Conan's shoulder, and gives a reassuring smile. Together they walk to where the scientists are.
"Good, you're here." Says Verde, jumping up onto the desk. "Come here and I'll explain how this cure works."
Conan and Kaito walk over and look at a computer screen infront of them.
"Using the flames we collected from Gokudera and Decimo, we have created Nano-bots, for want of a better term. We found that we couldn't give you a biological cure without destroying your immune system. In addition, any chemical drug would have caused a reaction in the poison and killed you. Finally, totally removing the poison from your system wasn't possible either. Your body had become dependent on it. If we removed it totally, then again, it would kill you. It took us a while to think of a solution that wasn't biological or chemical. But luckily enough, you are here, in a mafia filled with people who have been to the future. With this knowledge from the future, we could use the flames to create a cure."
"But what do the flames do? It was only Gokudera and Tsuna's flames you used, wasn't it?" asks Conan, following the conversation so far. Up until the mention of flames from the future. Not being with them at the time, neither him nor Kaito have any idea what he meant- being told only accounted for so much.
"In the future they learnt a lot more about the specific properties of flames" explain Shoichi. "Our Nano-bots utilise the unique attributes of their flames to help counteract the poison. Firstly is Tsuna's Sky flame. This has the Harmony attribute. With this flame covering the outside of the Nano-bots, your body will readily accept them, thinking it's part of your natural body. Basically they will harmonise with your body. We needed his soft flames, since the hard flames would have turned the Nano-bots to stone"
"OH, so it's like with Yamamoto. He has Rain flames with the Tranquillity attribute: He gave me some flames when I was worried about Shin-chan's transformation, and it calmed me down" exclaims Kaito, getting at where Shoichi is coming from.
"That's right. Effectively, this cure works by these Nano-bots 'eating' the poison to a level where you change back. Like Verde said earlier, we can't totally remove the poison without killing you. So the Nano-bots keep the level of the poison in your blood low enough not to invoke the change, but high enough to keep you alive and healthy." Continues Spanner. "Gokudera's Storm flames have the Disintegration attribute. I have placed his flame inside each Nano-bot. The flame destroys any of the poison the Nano-bot 'eats'. This means that the Nano-bots don't get filled up and have to be removed or changed."
"So this cure should actually work. There's a high possibility that I can return to being Shinichi for good?" gasps Conan, looking at the three scientists around him.
"Yeah Conan. We are really confident that this should work. Your friend Haibara didn't have access to the flames like we did, so she couldn't use them to cure you. So are you ready to take it?" asks Shoichi , bending down to look Conan in the eye.
"But what about the pain." Asks Kaito "I don't want to hear him scream like that again. And I'm sure that you don't want to go through that again either Shin-chan."
"We've been told about that" informs Verde "I suspect that it was because of the poison reacting to the cures the other scientist was giving him. Like we said, his body has become dependent on the poison. The pain was his body's reaction to this removal. For his body, it was like we were trying to remove Oxygen from his blood stream. The pain was a warning from the body telling Conan that it needed the poison to work."
"However, just in case, we are going to knock you out, okay. We'll have you hooked up to some machines to keep track of vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, things like that. It's just the same as if you were at the hospital." Explains Shoichi.
"Okay then. I'm ready" states Conan. Taking in a deep breath and steeling himself.
"We've got everything set up in a room down the hall." Says Spanner, walking towards a door and opening it. Verde and Shoichi walk through the door and down the corridor.
"Conan you can get changed in there. We don't want your clothes to stop you growing" says Shoichi, opening a door for him. Conan goes in and gets changed into something like an extra-large dressing gown- leaving his gadgets in a separate pile.
He walks out of the room, but notices he can't see Kaito with the rest further down the hallway. He walks back out into the main room and sees Kaito, still standing where he left him.
"Aren't you coming?" Conan asks, taking a step back towards Kaito.
Kaito avoids Conan's gaze, looking around the room. "Don't worry about me Shin-chan. I'll be alright. I'll be waiting here for you."
Conan sighs, not believing this. He walks over, grabs Kaito's hand, and physically drags him through the door. "I want you there! I don't want to do this alone. I've transformed alone too many times before. I'd feel a lot better if you were there when I wake up."
"…Shin-chan…" Kaito breaths, eyes open wide.
"I don't know what you will see. I've never seen me nor Haibara transform before. In fact apart from Haibara observing some times, no one else has seen a transformation before. Not the Hakase, and obviously not Ran. I've never trusted anyone else but her before. But we are about to enter this new life together. So I want you to be there.
"Shin-chan!" Kaito shouts, picking Conan up and hugging him. "This means so much to me. You really trust me that much?"
Conan gives into the hug, and sits there in Kaito's arms. "Of course I do. We have become quite close over the past few years, haven't we? Can you stop asking stupid questions now? I want you there and that's that." Conan growls, a blush on his cheeks.
"Guys, in here." Shoichi sticks his head out of a door further down the hallway, and beckons to the pair.
Kaito walks down the hallway, or rather skips, and deposits Conan on the bed.
Verde starts to attach pads to Conan, to collect the vital signs. Spanner sits infront of a computer, typing away, whilst Shoichi comes over with a syringe.
"You ready?" he asks. Conan takes hold of Kaito's hand, and gets a reassuring squeeze in return. He nods at Shoichi. "Next time we see you, you'll be all grown up."
Conan realises that he is actually awake. He can hear faint voices in the background. Feeling stiff, he stretches, and realises that he can touch both ends of the bed. His eyes fly open. The first thing he sees, after his vision clears, is Kaito's ecstatic face.
"Shin-chan, you are awake" he says.
Conan smiles at Kaito, and raises one hand to the ceiling. Squinting past the light, he realises that his hand is bigger and further away. Conan sits up, and looks at the rest of his body.
Shinichi gasps and hugs Kaito
"I'm back! I'm really back." He whispers into Kaito's shoulder.
"Good morning Shinichi." Says Shoichi walking into the room. Spanner follows him, and offers Shinichi a lollipop.
"Coffee flavoured" he states. Kaito smiles, most likely having told Spanner of Shinichi's love of Coffee. And the lollipop tasted exactly like Shinichi's favourite cup of coffee.
"The transformation went perfectly. Everything returned to its normal size correctly. There are no broken or fractured bones, no torn ligaments or muscles, and all nerves seem to be connected correctly." Shoichi recites off of the clipboard he's holding.
"There is a special program that I installed into the Nano-bots." Says Spanner, standing next to Shinichi, on the opposite side of the bed to Kaito. "If you say "Command C", then the Nano-bots will stop working until you say "Command S". This allows you to switch between your two forms for missions and things. Gokudera suggested it when he came to check up on us. Apparently it would be good for infiltrations and information gathering. It's keyed into your voice specifically, and reacts to vibrations in your throat. That way, no one else can force you to transform. Not even Mr Thief there who can copy your voice. The transformation will take place within a minute, and the transformation should be less painful than the first time. The same applies the other way too." Explains Spanner.
"You'll need a few days to get used to your body, but after that, you'll be as good as you should be." Smiles Shoichi.
No one sees the pair for the next two days.
Nor do Ryohei and Yamamoto do any training. It seems that the elevator has decided not to go down to those floors. Security cameras show that nothing is in the training room.
Apart from that, both Spanner and Shoichi refuse to fix it, saying that they are too busy.
Tsuna has reports from the maids and kitchen staff that items of clothes, linen, as well as items of food and drink have gone missing from the stores.
By Thursday, Tsuna finally has some free time to go and check the incident out for himself.
As the elevator takes him down to the training room, Tsuna and Gokudera wonder what all the fuss was about.
The doors open and infront of them is Shinichi and Kaito. Kaito is dressed in a white suit, with a black shirt and a white tie. Shinichi is dressed in the opposite, in a black suit, with a white shirt and a black tie. Seeing Tsuna and Gokudera step out of the elevator, the pair walk over.
Kneeling infront of Tsuna, they say "Kuroba Kaito and Kudo Shinichi, ready and reporting for duty, Boss."
So Shinichi has returned for good. But Conan will still make guest star appearances. I love Spanner, he's my fav character from the future. His mini moska in the anime was so cute too. I kept the code phrase Spanner-like. Command C/S means Command Conan and Shinichi incase you didn't get that. Operation and Command go with the mechanic and computer theme he has going.
I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter.
I'm nearing the end of my introduction arc. So now's the time if you guys have any ideas on where you want the story to go next. I do know where I want to go next. But I can postpone it until whatever you guys want me to write is done.
Opinions on the story so far are wanted too. I want to know things you liked, lines that made your heart clench, or made you laugh or made you want to cry. And bits that gave you a grin to rival KID's. Or bits that you don't like- My aim is to please, and I can't do that if you don't tell me what you didn't like.
In addition if anyone has a particular Reborn song that they like, tell me and I'll try to write it into a chapter. It won't happen right away, since I'll have to find a point where it fits. I've already got plans for Mukuro's Kufufu no fu, Hibari and Mukuro's sakura addiction, Gokudera's loop, and Vs mirai oozora e with Varia and millefiore.
Speaking of songs, Lambo's song really flowed a lot better than Reborn's one did last chapter.
See you all next chapter.
Phantom Hitman 1412
First Published 02 Jan 2012