Case Closed AU

By: FunahoMisaki

(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)

It had been over a month since the Massacre Night case as it was called, which had also been turned into a movie, and Irene still had the nagging thought in her head about if she were better off locked away somewhere or not. All of the group, which had expanded to add Nancy's new girlfriend Shelly Clifton, the nurse and teacher from the ski lodge, a widowed painter named Etsuko, a flower lady named Rika, an old man who was assigned to be her bodyguard named Yoshifusa thanks to some of her birth mothers old friends to name a few, had tried to comfort her and let her know that she was doing more good than harm. So far it seemed like a slow going process though.

"Kaa-chan why did Aunty Sonoko even want these lessons? She could just ask Ayako-nee to teach her how to cook instead." Irene asked confused as she, Ran, and Kogoro met the other students for the lesson. Yoshifusa was just inside the front door out of sight in case something happened or he was needed for some reason. The man refused to stay more than twenty yards away from Irene unless no less than four others of the 'fighters' of the group were there. He took his job very seriously much to everyone else's amusement and slight relief sometimes.

"You know Sonoko, Irene-chan. This is probably something her Kaa-chan or Tou-san arranged for her to do and she's going along with it because it will probably... how to put this…" Ran trailed off slightly causing Irene to snort inelegantly.

"Knowing Aunty Sonoko she thinks it'll increase her chances of finding a, by her standards, 'good' boyfriend." Irene said bluntly causing Ran to nod in agreement with a sigh.

"You are very cynical for a little child." One of the other students, a woman who had been in high school with the teacher, by the name of Kazue said looking at Irene surprised and earning a shrug of her shoulders in response.

"Comes with the job." Irene said quietly as she looked away from the woman, not looking up as another woman and a man entered the room with the assistant Yuko. The man was apparently Nishitani and the woman was Kaoru, Irene looked up and immediately glared at the man. He had that killer feeling she had grown so used to seeing and feeling around seemingly random people. Irene let out a small sigh as she looked at the floor, another murder was going to happen. Man did she attract the murders or what?

"You're so cute little one!" Kazue said smiling as she got out of her seat and scooped up Irene, hugging her close.

"You three look familiar." Nishitani said looking at the three newcomers.

"They are familiar but I don't remember where from." Yuko said nodding in agreement.

"And you won't until something happens." Irene said blankly from within Kazue's arms, causing her to release the girl confused only for Kaoru to scoop Irene up and hug her instead.

"You're really adorable little one even if you're cynical!" Kaoru said hugging Irene tightly while Kazue's eyebrows shot up as she questioned the younger dark haired woman on her eyepatch. Everyone stopped and looked up as the teacher came in, the old woman pausing when she entered the room and saw Irene who was on Kazue's lap again.

"I see we have visitors." The old cook, Michi Uemori, said looking at the three out of place people.

"Yes ma'am. My name is Ran Moore, I'm filling in for Sonoko today. This is my father, Kogoro, and my adoptive daughter Irene." Ran said taking the lead as she bowed to the old woman in greeting. Irene just looked at the woman blankly while Kogoro greeted her as well. Irene really hated her killer sense sometimes. She could see who would be the one attempting the murder…but she couldn't tell who their victim is or how they'd pull off the murder. She had to wait until they struck first before searching for solid evidence and arresting them, her 'sense' wouldn't hold up in court without solid proof to back it up after all.

"Kaa-san?" Irene asked looking at Ran who looked at her immediately, smiling worriedly at Irene.

"Yes Irene-chan?" Ran asked while everyone looked at Irene curiously, causing her to narrow her eyes at them.

"Does Aunty Yumi know where we are? You know she likes to be told whenever we leave the house for somewhere other than school just in case given all the accidents." Irene asked making Ran blink before sighing as she dug out her cell phone. That was a rather different code they developed for if others were around.

It basically meant that she knew a murder was going to happen, so go ahead and let the cops know where to be. It also meant to have an ambulance on standby in hopes that they made it in time.

"I'll let her know now." Ran said slowly as her and Kogoro's eyes flittered over the gathered people suspiciously. Seeing how Irene was eyeing the one male in the room aside from Kogoro, Ran tensed slightly in preparation in case he came after her or her child. She knew good and well that her dad could handle himself, he is a Judo Master after all.

"I don't allow an audience in my kitchen." The old cook said glaring at Kogoro and Irene, causing Kogoro to eep as he was kicked out of the room while Irene merely followed him out silently.

"Weird girl. Cute but weird…" The old cook said watching Irene leave curiously, the girl had a strange expression for a child. She seemed almost haunted…her eyes were old, much older than even the cooks, and she seemed to almost read into your soul when she looked at you with those sapphire blue eyes.

"Very cynical too." Kazue said watching the girl leave as well, causing Ran to sigh slightly as she followed the instructions and began cooking.

"You don't know the beginning of it. You haven't even scratched the surface. But…with all the things that happen around her…Irene-chan has every right to be cynical." Ran said causing them to look at her as she continued to follow the instructions on the paper she had been given, her eyes sad as she glanced at the door Irene left through.

"Due to everything…in the last month Irene-chan wonders if she should be locked up away from everyone and everything. Not for her safety…but for everyone elses." Ran said softly as she continued to mix the batter while everyone stared at her.

"The sad thing is that most people who only know her by her reputation agree with her. She's only seven…and yet that little girl I call my daughter has seen more death than most Cops." Ran said as tears began to swim in her eyes but she continued working almost mechanically.

"How horrible." Kaoru said softly as she stared at Ran with her single visible eye wide with shock and disbelief.

"In one month…no one week she sees more death than most people do in their entire lives…and there's nothing anyone can do to help her cope with that fact." Ran said her tears sliding down her cheek silently as she continued mixing the batter.

Kazue and the old cook exchanged looks and grimaces while the other girls were busy trying to comfort Ran who mechanically went about fixing the food. They knew all too well how much seeing death can effect a persons psyche…for a seven year old to see that much death…

'Have to help her.' Kazue mouthed to her old classmate, who nodded in agreement.

'We'll talk after class.' Michi said causing Kazue to nod ever so slightly in agreement as Ran excused herself to go clean up in the bathroom with Yuko supporting her while Nishitani went to go check on Irene and Kogoro.

"How are you doing Kaoru-san?" Michi asked quietly as she looked at her daughter in law worriedly, stepping forward and touching the eye patch.

"The doctor said that the black eye will be gone in a week. He almost destroyed my eye…" Kaoru said softly, looking away from Michi who grimaced at this.

"Have you been documenting the proof of the abuse like I told you too?" Michi asked gently while Kazue scowled at the counter top as she began working on her own recipe.

"Hai." Kaoru said nodding and causing Michi to nod sharply.

"Good. After today's class we'll go to the police and show them the proof alright? Give my wretched son his dues." Michi said causing Kaoru to blink.

"You'll help me do that?" Kaoru asked surprised as she looked at her mother in law.

"Of course I will. The only reason I pretend to support him when he's around is so that he doesn't take his anger out on me as well. My weak respiratory system would kill me if he hit me too hard in certain spots. Call me selfish if you will but I'm old, not suicidal. I'd rather live for a while longer…at least until my grandchild is welcomed into the world." Michi said smiling slightly sadly as she looked at Kaoru's stomach, which was protruding very slightly. You wouldn't be able to see it if you didn't look for it or know what to look for.

"How?! I haven't told anyone!?" Kaoru asked surprised as she wrapped an arm around her midsection wide eyed.

"Oh please. I've been pregnant before, I know the symptoms and signs of it. It's obvious if you know what to look for." Michi said causing Kaoru to relax slightly while Kazue nodded in agreement as she stepped forward to place a supportive hand on Kaoru's shoulder.

"Don't worry kid. You'll have me and Michi-chan looking out for you for as long as we can. If millions of women can go through this alone, you can certainly get through it with our help." Kazue said smirking at Kaoru who sighed slightly but smiled at the two.

"Thanks." Kaoru said smiling at the two before arranging her face to be neutral as the two went back to their stations just in time for the door to open and admit Nishitani and Ran into the room. Yuko came in a minute later and everyone quietly went to their stations and began working as Michi walked around to correct and critique some things.

"Huh? A blackout?" Michi asked surprised when the lights suddenly went out, causing everyone to jump. A breathless 'urk' and a thump made everyone worried as Yuko went to check the fuse box with Kogoro as Irene quietly snuck into the room.

"Michi-chan!" Kazue said dashing to her old friends side when the lights came on to reveal the cooking teacher kneeling on the ground, struggling to breath. Irene beat the older woman to the teachers side by half a second and looked at the woman's back.

"There's a small hole in her cloths, it looks like it went straight into her back. The position of the hole is right over her right lung. Yoshifusa! Get the paramedic's in here now before her lung collapses!" Irene shouted towards the door, earning a loud 'Hai!' before running footsteps were heard.

In less than a minute Michi was loaded up on a stretcher and into the back of an ambulance while police combed the scene thoroughly.

"Did anyone pass by you?" Irene asked her old bodyguard who shook his head in the negative.

"No but soon after the lights went out someone opened the door from the inside. It was too dark and I was too far away to see who though." Yoshifusa said making Irene nod and turn to Inspector McGuire who was thanking Ran for texting Yumi to tell her where they were.

"Inspector. The would be murderer is one of the ones in the building still, one of the four students." Irene said making the Inspector nod while Kogoro stepped forward and told them about the ice block trick used to turn off the lights.

"So we know the attempted murderer is one of you four…and I have a good idea on who it is already. Luckily for them…I still need to find the hard evidence first…but once I do…" Irene let the sentence trail off as she smirked wickedly at the four cooking students, the sunlight making her glasses glint ominously which gave her a rather scary appearance as she gave what many coined as her 'signature phrase'.

"Then you'll be just another name in the notebook."