Time for chapter 4! I'm a little sad no people comment, but that's okay. Again, I will not be "I will not post the next chapter until so many reviews have been made", seeing as either I would not get that many I it would take longer. Oh well, school's done and I have two weeks until summer school. Hopefully I can get a few more chapters in before then, but who knows.
Anyways, I'm also thinking of starting another few fanfics, though still in somewhat planning phase. One is just a collection of one-shot with the Gosho-boys and Wii Sports Resort (I really need to stop playing that game). The other has already been mentioned. The plot is on my profile. I need to come up with a name for the story, Ki-chan, and femHakuba. Suggestions are welcome!
Back to the story. Did any of the characters seem a little OC to you? I'm pretty sure Chikage was a bit, as was Jodie, though I think Hakuba got it worst. God, now I'm really doubting myself! Anyway, to stop from boring you, if you actually read these rants, to the story. Hattori show up and the plot will get some movement (I'm not big on sitting around, sorry).
The bell ran out, closing classes for the day. Most of Kobayashi-sensei's class jumped up, ready to bolt home so they could play with their friends. The three kids of the Shounen Tantei were no exception. Before Conan was finished putting away all his supplies, they were bouncing in front of his desk, eyes filled with excitement that any actor might have a hard time trying to imitate. Unless they were as childish as the kids are… Conan thought back to his mother.
Once the two non-children were ready, all five took off to home. Sadly, before they could leave, Conan's luck showed just how poor it could be.
"Yo!" a grinning tanned teen stood at the front gate. Beside him stood his childhood friend.
"Heiji-nii-chan, Kazuha-nee-chan, what are you two doing here?" Conan asked, sending a glare at Hattori. The teen chuckled, a little forced due to thoughts of the shorter's usual revenge tactics for these sorts of things.
"We were stoppen' by because an ol' family frien' ov our parents' is in the area, an' this aho decided ta go wanderen around the place," Kazuha explained, a glare precision aimed straight for her friend's head.
"Aww, does that mean that you guys didn't come for a case this time?" Conan said, giving his equivalent of a kicked puppy, and seeing how many times he's seen it, it was very convincing. The kids, realizing what that meant, also turned their gazes, full of disappointment, at the Osakan detective. Heiji quickly froze under their gazes, clearly not as used to it as his eastern counterpart. Ha, take that, Hattori! Now hopefully you'll stop showing up without warning or reason, Shinichi cackled inside his head.
"W-Well, maybe Occhan haz a case back at tha agency," Heiji added, uneasy with the kids. The corners of Conan's mouth drew up into a barely noticed grin. Hattori clearly noticed and sent a glare in return. Yer going to get this, Kudo…
The kids, cheered by the thought of 'helping' Kogoro with a case, started down towards the agency. The two pseudo-children and the Osaka pair followed not far behind, Kazuha walking a little ahead of the other three. When it was clear that they weren't being listened to, Haibara turned to Conan. "So, any idea what the note says?"
This got Hattori's attention. "What note?" Sighing, Conan pulled the note out of his pocket and flicked it in Heiji's direction. The teen quickly read over the note on one side, then flipped it over, his eyes widening at what it said. He quickly handed back the note. "Well, the back iz pretty obvious. Whoever wrote that note clearly knows who ya guys are, though I do have doubts on their motives. Who gave ya tha note anyways?"
"A girl who was with Jodie-sensei."
"Ya know 'er?"
"No, but she seemed to know me. While she said it was from my mom, it was clearly her who wrote the note."
"Great, now we have another creepy person who knows about ya two."
"Do you happen to know her, Haibara, because she sure seemed to know you," Conan shot in the blonde's direction.
Haibara simply shook her head. "I don't know a Suojelija Rey, but she does remind me of a person from my time back with them."
"And? Were they a scientist or something?" Conan responded, raising an eyebrow.
Another shake. "No, actually, she was in two different branches, though had the same job in both. The same job as Gin and Vodka. She went around and made sure everyone was doing their jobs, and killed them off if they weren't. She actually has a better, or worse if you look at it that way, track record than Gin."
"What do ya mean?" Hattori asked, eyeing the girl.
Smirking, Haibara replied, "Exactly as said. She's been assigned to assassinate more people than Gin, and has 100% kill record."
"What happened to her? You don't think that girl from this morning was her, do you?"
"Impossible. First off, she was killed four years ago for trying to break away. Imagine, a member wants away but is killed in the process. Remind you of something, Kudo-kun?"
"Alrigh', so if she was killed off that long ago, how can she send ya a note? Wha', did she have a kid or something?"
"Also impossible. If she did, the child would not be that old. She was 29 when she was killed, and had no relationship that ever went that far. I know, she told me herself," Haibara quickly rebuked.
"Ya two soun' like some close friens," Heiji pointed out.
"When she was bored, she would come and play in the lab. She was also a bit like Vermouth in a way that the Boss let her do whatever she wanted, not that we could rebuke much against the Boss's daughter."
The boys stopped and stared at her while that information processed. "What?! The boss had a daughter?!"
This outburst got the attention of the group ahead of them. They quickly turned around, obviously curious what could cause a comment like that. "Conan-kun, what are you guys talking about?" Ayumi asked.
"Ah, ha ha, sorry," Conan chuckled nervously, rubbing his head, "we were talking about a show that we like. Haibara just told us the ending of the latest episode, so we weren't paying too much attention to our volume."
The group gave him a disbelieving look before shrugging and going back to their conversation. Heiji and Conan quickly let out the breath they were holding before turning back to the blonde they were talking to.
"You never mentioned the Boss having a daughter, let alone you were friends with her," Conan growled.
Haibara just shrugged. "You never asked about if the Boss had kids or not, and besides, she's not his real kid. She's adopted, an orphan raised in the Organisation, and one of the best assassins they had. She even had two code names, one for each branch she worked in."
Conan just growled at her, not happy with this new information. Hattori quickly stepped in when he noticed his best friend clearly wasn't thinking 100% clearly. "Okay, and wha', by chance, were these two names."
"One was from a branch that we have yet to deal with. They mainly dealt with high-class jewelry thefts. I heard their main competitor was Kid."
This got Conan to calm down a bit, though he did mutter "Great, now Kid's involved in this. What's next, they are hunting for a way to grant immortality?"
Haibara ignored Conan's comment. "They went by the name of poisonous predators, as that's all I've heard them use, but I think it was just predators, as she said that it was almost as if nature needed to prove who was better when Steve Irwin died while bragging with another member from that branch."
"Steve Irwin?" Hattori asked, confused by the reference.
"An Australian tv-showman known as the Crocodile Hunter. He was killed by a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef."
"And from your comment, I would assume her name in that branch would be…" Conan mumbled.
"Yes, her codename was Ray, and I wouldn't be surprised if 'aquatic eagle left by the crows' was a reference to her. She always did prefer that codename over the other."
"I woul'n't be surprised, Ray sounds a lot be'er than any alcohol I've heard ov. It sounds a lot more threatenen than somethen like 'wine'," Heiji commented.
"That's actually why she chose one with a double meaning."
"And what, by chance, would that be?" Conan asked.
"One that also refers to a ghost that can either kill you or show you the face of your future spouse, an apparition known as 'Bloody Mary'. She picked out the name herself, actually enjoyed playing with that meaning, making people go through the ritual of 'summoning' her before killing them."
"That's just sick," Hattori commented, looking pale for his usual tan self. Conan stood there, color also drained from his face.
"What's sick?" The question made the two boys jump. There they were in front of the agency with Kazuha in front of them, confusion and a bit of worry on her face.
"Nothing, I was just telling these two a ghost story I heard back when I was in America," Haibara shrugged, brushing past her. The boys quickly shook their heads, trying to get their thoughts off of the late assassin before heading up the stairs to see if there was any case that could be solved.
"So, there is nothing, not even a case, that brought you guys here?" Ran asked, surprised that for once, Hattori and Kazuha showed up for no reason. She had long gotten over the two showing up unannounced, as they have done that for as long as the Moris have known the pair. Now it was just common practice to come home and see them arguing in her father's office while Conan was either watching them or doing his homework.
"Not exactly. Our parents told us ta come up and visit an ol' family frien' who just moved here, though they don know where exactly," Kazuha explained, grabbing plates to put on the dinner table. Since Ran had gotten home, Kazuha had been helping in the kitchen while the boys looked over the note Conan had received that morning. "Oh well, a' least while we're here, Heiji and Conan-kun can bon' some more."
"Conan-kun and Hattori-kun really do get along, don't they?" Ran sighed, sending a glance at the two muttering. A smile drew up on her face as she noticed how close the two were acting. They really are like brothers.
"So what do you think, Hattori?" Conan muttered, glancing between his friend and the note.
"I honestly don't know wha ta make of it. All I see is some references ta a deck of cards. I mean, it literally reads:
'When the night seems ta be the darkest it can ge', the Joker of Black
With tha Aces of Clubs and Diamonds will help bring tha light Hearts protects
An' restore Spades and Red to their places in tha deck.'
Da ya get it, Kudo?"
"Well, 'Hearts' and 'Spades' probably mean the ace of those respective suits, and 'Red' could mean the red joker, as those two are the only kinds of cards mentioned…"
"But wha could they represent?"
Conan's eyes widened at a realization. "Wait, Ace of Spades… I have been referenced to by the Ace of Spades. Hattori, I think this could be a reference to us, or just the case."
"Eh, how'd ya get that, Kudo?" Hattori leaned closer, trying to see what his friend meant.
"Well, as stated before, in a case, I was referred to as the Ace of Spades. What if the other Aces are also people, like the Ace of Hearts could be you."
"Not see'en the connection here, Kudo." Hattori admitted, giving his best friend an odd look.
Conan sighed, "The time 'the night seems to be the darkest' is right before dawn, or when the night ends. What if the night is a reference to the Black Organisation?"
Heiji's eyes widened. "And then tha light is the one thing that brings down tha B.O. But I'm still not seeing how I'm tha Ace of Hearts."
"What the Black Org fears is what they called the 'Silver Bullet'. That titled used to belong to the FBI agent named Akai Shuichi, but apparently one of the members seems to think that I also fit that role. Making sense yet?"
"Clear as day, though I wonder why an agent seems ta think you're the Silver Bullet who's meant ta take down tha B.O." Heiji stated, sending a glare at the shrunken-sleuth.
"What, I didn't tell you that Vermouth happens to know my real identity?"
"No, ya conveniently left that out, just like tha trip to England."
A cold sweat started to roll down Shinichi's face. "Alright, that was my fault. I'm sorry. Anyways, what do you think the rest of the riddle could mean?"
Hattori glared at his friend a little while before sighing, giving into the change of conversation. "No idea who tha other aces could be, or tha first joker, but tha second could be 'jou-chan, as it says 'restore tha spades and red to their places in the deck'. If yer the Ace of Spades, then I think that 'restore' is referring to returning ya to yer old body."
"So you're suggesting that maybe this Joker of Black could hold the guy to the returning us to our original body?"
"It's the best shot I've got." Hattori responded, shrugging. Suddenly, the phone went off in the office.
"Mori Detective Agency, how can I help you?" the boys heard Ran answer. "… May I ask who's calling? … Alright, just a second. Conan, a friend's on the phone and wants to talk to you!"
"Alright, Ran-nee-chan!" Conan called back. He picked up the phone next to him as Ran put her's back. "Hello?"
"Hello, Cool Guy, how are things going with your girlfriend?" A voice sneered on the other side of the phone. Conan's eyes shot open and nearly dropped the phone. Hattori, noticing how his friend got pale jumped to his side, trying to listen to the other end of the phone. "Aww, it's not nice to leave a woman hanging, Cool Guy. If someone call you, it's best to respond."
Regaining his sense, Conan growled. "Vermouth, what do you want? Hoping I'll hand Haibara over again? Or are you just taunting me?"
"Now why would I do that? I just am calling because I have some information that you might want, and am willing to make a deal with you."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that we found a nice place to roost for a while, and was wondering if you would like a bit of information."
A pause followed her comment before Conan responded. "What kind of information?"
Laughter could easily be heard on the other side. "Oh, just something I know you've been trying to get for over two years. How to get to our boss."
"And what would the Boss's favorite want with me taking down her boss. I mean, if he goes down, so do you."
"Au contraire, Cool Guy, you see, the deal is that you get the information and I go free."
"Wha?! No, not happening. Yer all going to jail, boss and all. There is no way yer getting out of this, Vermouth!" Hattori hissed into the phone, forgetting he was supposed to stay quiet.
"Hmm… Your little friend isn't interested? After all the trouble I went through to find a phone booth? Do you know how hard it is to find one now and days. I mean, they used to be on every block, but know almost impossible to find."
"I really don't care Vermouth. But you still yet to say all you have to get out of this deal." Conan shot back, ignoring Hattori's shocked look at him.
"Ah, much more open-minded, aren't we? No, that's all I will get out of this deal. You get to take down the people you have been hunting for two years and I get to go free, no questions asked. And don't think that if you get your friend gets it instead of you, you can get it. No, if anyone takes that information and gives it to you, I will still get off free. Do we have a deal?"
Shinichi thought for a moment before replying. "Deal, now tell time for your end."
"Good boy. Now, we are working in a nice little apartment, in downtown Beika. Tomorrow, at about 5, there will be some business, and not many people will be there. You can get in, get your information, and get out, but make it quick. Gin is supposed to make a show after the business, and we all know what would happen if he spotted you, don't we?"
"Don't need to worry about that, as I have no plans for being spotted by him. Anyways, if that is all you have to say, I'm going now. Good bye Vermouth."
"Talk to you another time, Cool Guy." Shinichi hung up the phone before turning to Heiji.
"Well, it looks like we got some excitement for tomorrow, now don't we?"
Hattori just stood there, before he broke out laughing. "Yer insane, ya know that, right?"
"Oi, I'm about as sane as somebody that believes it's possible for a teen to shrink into the body of a child. Now come on, looks like Ran and Kazuha finished dinner." Conan jumped off the couch and joining the rest of the household at the table. Heiji just shook his head at his friend before joining him at the table.
The accent, it's hard! Now I have a new appreciation for people who can do it. Kudos to you (no, I'm not able to give people the Kudo family, just a use of expression)! Also, for Hattori, because I haven't heard him in a while, I had to go back and watch four episodes (I know, not too much) just to find out what he calls Kogoro. And thanks Sweety for the advice you gave about doing the accent. Very helpful in doing this chapter, and catching all mistakes I made.
Also, thank you my friend (who probably won't be reading this) for your suggestion with how they find the base. I was out of ideas, and you gave them to me when all I could do was think of new Nostalgia Critic to watch… I need a life.
And another note, okay, with Kogoro, I don't switch back as much…
Edit: God I need to pay closer attention. I made a mistake on her age *head palms*