Disclaimer: "Detective Conan" belongs to Gosho Aoyama, and "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" belongs to Naoko Takeuchi.
This is an alternative story to my other fanfic "Encounter in Venice" and one of the possibilities of what could have happened if Ai had taken the antidote before Shinichi brought down the Organization.
Thanks a lot to my friends and betas Rae (Astarael00) and SN1987a and the Aicoholics on LiveJournal, without whom I would never have started this fic.
FS
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Ghost at Twilight
(edited version)
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"Maybe you will become…"
"Maybe you will become a great detective eventually," your stranger remarks, absently ruffling your hair, which the wind has messed up, "that is, if you stop seducing your poor suspects and dumping them afterwards during their anguished declaration of undying love for you."
He has a sheer limitless capacity to mock himself, building Babylonian towers with walls of jokes and smiles which will keep the rest of the world off him.
"As a singer, you should know that one should refrain from saying 'something stupid' during the very first date!" you retort in a not-so-subtle allusion to Frank Sinatra's last hit.
"I suppose that's something I had to learn the hard way," he darkly contemplates, much to your heartache. To distract yourself from the topic, you grab at the first lifebuoy you can find to return to the safe shore—in this case the sonnet-loving Misa, who has left you with a mystery that only Seiya can solve.
Why was he startled to learn that Ishihara-san was Misa, the girl who has been sending Taiki-san love letters ever since Taiki-san visited her in hospital, you ask Seiya, as you can't think of a plausible reason for the reaction you had witnessed.
"Ah." Your stranger looks irritated by your change of topic but also slightly embarrassed by the question, which is most bewildering. "Suddenly, everything made sense when I learned about her love letters—her dreamy expression whenever she watched us, her eagerness to please us, even her interest in gardening… She was very shy and nervous whenever I talked to her, but I never got the idea that she could be in love with Taiki."
"Do you think she could have murdered Kakyuu out of jealousy?"
No, he doesn't think so, Seiya says. He is fairly good at reading people, and Misa probably knew that Taiki's love for Kakyuu was purely platonic (the nurses in Mizuno-san's hospital actually thought that Kakyuu was Yaten's girlfriend since Yaten visited her so often). But since Misa always blushed crimson whenever Seiya opened his mouth, Seiya was under the impression that…
"Ah, I see!" Your grin widens as you recall his amusement and distress. "You're so full of yourself, you arrogant, conceited heartbreaker!" You have to laugh at his crestfallen face. "You automatically assumed that Ishihara-san was in love with you!"
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It was only natural for him to assume that she was in love with him since almost all women fall in love with him sooner or later, your stranger bravely defends himself. Just as Kudo is accustomed to attracting murderers and corpses wherever he goes, he is accustomed to running from fanatic admirers and leaving trails of broken hearts on his way. Once a lovesick girl burned down the rented apartment he shared with Taiki and Yaten before Kakyuu was allowed to leave Kinmoku Sei, and more than one girl has sent him suicide notes after being rejected. He is glad none of the rejected women have ever tried dangerous stunts on the street like ramming him with a car or manipulating his motorcycle.
"Did you come here via bike?" Although you know you must sound like a paranoid wife caring for a careless and reckless husband, you can't resist adding, "I see you've left your helmets on the seat again!"
He has left the bike in the car park a few streets away from the intersection, says stranger-san. As always, he has left the helmets on the seat since no one has stolen them until now.
"You put too much trust in your fellow humans!"
"And you too little, which makes us each other's perfect match!" he quips. The throwaway remark, which might mean nothing to him, is too lovely not to be commented on, and you thank him with another kiss, regretting that you haven't thought of counting all the kisses you two have shared during a single day so that you can revel in your new-found luxury. Since it's the quality which really counts although the quantity shouldn't be dismissed as being insignificant, you settle on his lap to make sure that the excellent quality of your kisses won't suffer.
"What did Odango and you talk about?" you inquire afterwards, as the question has been on your mind since you learned from Odango's friends that Odango has gone to Ueno-koen to meet him. "Did you tell her about us?"
"I'd have told her—but Shizuka-san, who had learned about it from Yaten and Taiki, had called her and told her first." Odango said she wasn't happy about the news as she once thought—he evasively says, which probably means that Odango must have been quite upset about what she perceived as infidelity—but naturally, there was no bad blood between them. Shizuka-san even tried to use Odango to persuade Seiya to accept the movie offers, but Odango, being the great friend she is, informed Seiya about his agent's scheme.
"Shizuka-san is right that I should talk to the producer and the film director, though—just to get an impression of what the remakes are about before I accept or refuse the roles. I'm not very optimistic when it comes to the scripts—everything I've seen until now only convinces me that the old series was better. The changes—turning Moriarty into an evil sociopath without any redeeming qualities and Irene Adler into Moriarty's pawn and Holmes' damsel in distress, for instance—are all for the worse although the budget is sky-high. I don't know how high my salary would be—but in any case, it would be so high that it will be hard for me to refuse."
If he accepts the roles, he will be extremely busy preparing for them and for his comeback in July, which he will probably have to accept as well since he doesn't want to abandon his brothers (although they would deserve it after announcing his comeback without his consent). First he will have to finish all the songs for the comeback, which will be a great challenge, then he will have to work on the film music for the movies and try to change the script while touring around with his brothers, which means he will do nothing but sleeping, eating, and working during the next couple of months before he gets a break to recharge. And after a short holiday, which he will use to catch up with friends, the whole vicious circle will start again…
Even if it weren't for the barely contained excitement in his voice, you would have recognized the feverish gleam in his eyes, which reminds you of the look in Kudo's eyes whenever Kudo comes across an especially intriguing case. Although Seiya happily rants about the cut-throat world of show business in Japan and mocks Hollywood's terrible screenplays, his love for the work he would be doing if he returned to the stage and the wide screen shines through his facade of nonchalance like sunlight peeping through the fine meshes of the suffocatingly small mosquito net in which you're trying to cage him.
At Infinity, you once had the chance to watch a rehearsal of Le Baiser de la Fée—The Fairy's Kiss—a ballet based on Andersen's fairy tale "The Ice Maiden". In this interpretation of the bleak fairy tale, the Ice Maiden wasn't the personification of a cold, unfeeling society that separated the two lovers from different social backgrounds but the overpowering, terrifying creative muse with her beguiling smiles and her vice-like grip. It was the artist's curse to fall under the Ice Maiden's perilous spell—and you can already see yourself in the role of the abandoned bride, who will be mourning his death in the night before the wedding, when his muse finally comes to claim him.
The fatal kiss the muse bestowed on the gifted artist during his childhood has made him uniquely vulnerable to the muse's call. And while her fiancé is being drowned in a storm by the cold-hearted Ice Maiden, all the bride can do is to watch his futile struggle from the shore...
"We can meet up during your breaks," you suggest after bribing him with another kiss, unscrupulously using your charms to chain him to you, before you remember that Three Lights are going to stay in New York for the next years. "You can visit me whenever you return to Japan, and we can go for a walk together," you add in a firm, emotionless voice while fighting the sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach. Seiya might have flown to Japan for his dates with Odango—but that was after his time as a teen idol. If he revives his career now, he won't even have time to think of you.
"Of course, we can go for a walk together whenever I return to Japan," he echoes; and you can see in his faraway eyes that he has heard the same words once, years ago. To make matters worse, you can well recall what he told you during your breakup. He was dumb enough to run after a woman who didn't love him for eight years—you shouldn't worry about him because not even he was dumb enough to do the same thing again.
Your time together is running out and you have to act fast, urges a voice in your ear. It's not the voice of reason but something else—a dark foreboding which warns you that if you let go of your stranger now, you're not going to see him again. You're too old for superstitions, however, and can ignore the nagging, pulsating ache in your stomach to behave like a sensible grown-up, who can and will always do what she must.
"Lo and behold, your flower-loving brother gave me this piece of paper and told me to pass it to you when we met at Hikawa Shrine!" You grudgingly leave Seiya's lap to rummage in the pocket of your dress for Taiki-san's note. "It's in US dollars, not in yen!" Lying out of fear is not the same as lying to gain a personal advantage; and since your stranger will learn about the salary sooner or later, you might as well show him the note now, when you're present to see his reaction.
Driven by fear and impatience, Orpheus has turned around to see Eurydice's face at last—and that despite knowing that good timing is absolutely vital for love. From bitter experience, you know that Hades (or Pluto, as the Romans called him) will win, as usual. But like the prisoners condemned to death at the Doge Palace, you can't resist taking your chance at the Torture of Hope, knowing the odds are that you will fail and be executed soon.
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This is the last…
This is the last version of the "Ghost at Twilight"
—And like the other versions, it's neither complete nor true.
All versions lie even when they tell the truth
—And there are missing fragments, which shall be hidden from you.
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The cold was washing over you
—The sky assumed the colour of blood.
Your handbag had fallen out of your limp hand
But you couldn't let go.
Someone special depended on your painkillers,
Which only you could make
—And being the responsible scientist you were,
You couldn't leave before knowing he wouldn't suffer.
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The sunset lingered on as Time began to stretch,
To give you twenty-four hours of Eternity
—And the Ghost rose and hurried into the park,
Towards the bench where he would be waiting for her.
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The last twenty-four hours have been the Gods' game
—The Torture of Hope for the one day you received.
You've defended your case in front of the gods,
Supported by the innocent children you've wronged.
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You've been travelling through the present and the past, roaming Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Paris, rummaging through the twenty-three years and eleven months of your life for an answer to the questions, for the One Truth…
or for justice…
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Pluto and Jupiter are your formidable opponents.
Kronos has asked Time to run in circles for a day.
Tyche has shuffled, reshuffled, and distributed the cards,
The Moirai have thrown the dice,
While Themis is presiding as the judge.
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Demanding an ally for your impossible quest,
Pointing out that two against one is unfair,
You wished for good company to share your loneliness
—Another Ghost at Twilight, from another universe.
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Hades and Zeus both couldn't leave the game,
As both are The Boss in their respective realms.
Venus and Amor laughed while Ares shook his head.
Tyche rolled her eyes—but the seventh voter nodded.
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Mercury vetoed that you're breaking The Rules
—For two halves of a whole couldn't be together again.
Nemesis told Zeus to turn him into a wild card.
And you accepted—without knowing who he was.
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Kaito, Hattori, one Joker, and Jean Black are Jacks.
Kakyuu, Akemi-nee-san, Odango, and Kaioh-san are Queens.
Kudo, Gin, Rye, and Hakuba are Kings.
Ano Kata, their crows, and the Professor are Aces.
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Hotaru, Odango, Hakuba, and Tenoh-san are Hearts.
Jean Black, Kaito, Rye, and your guinea pig are Diamonds.
Hattori, Gin, half of the court cards, and the crows are Clubs.
Akemi-nee-san, a few of the court cards, and Ano Kata are Spades.
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The Game of Life doesn't come with a manual.
And figuring out the gods' rules is an impossible task.
Their dice are all loaded, all the cards have two sides,
A few cards are doubled—and some change as time passes.
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Your Ace of Hearts is a Jack of Hearts,
A card that won't change but has been taken by Pluto.
Your King of Hearts is an Ace of Diamonds,
Another fixed card which will never change for you.
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Your Queen of Hearts is an Ace of Spades.
Hades has already played her and won.
Your Jack of Hearts is a King of Diamonds.
This card has been added to your hand in Round One.
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Your stranger and his brothers are the San Hikari,
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars in the dark
—The most beneficial or the most harmful wild cards,
The highest trumps or the most powerful excuses,
The chameleons that can turn the game around,
Depending on the rules
And on luck…
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Ares and Aphrodite are still watching the game
—While Amor, the traitor, has been supporting you in secret.
Felicitas, too, has often tried to help,
But Nemesis and the Erynyes have always interfered.
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Hades has played almost all of the Aces,
The King of Spades, and the highest Queen.
As his brother took four court cards, Zeus drew all the Jacks.
You know you are losing—but there are still wild cards left.
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Bonding with each other as strangers in the night,
Chasing together after the answer to the same question.
Apollo has forged you your highest possible trump:
His mirror image—so that nothing will harm you.
A temptation beyond your wildest dreams,
An impossible love that will cause you pain
—The alternative partner, whom you shouldn't have met
For you made your choice during another sunset.
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Protecting you both from Dolor or Algos
While fatally wounded by Amor's golden arrow.
Your nameless stranger was your highest trump
—Until Fortuna reshuffled the cards,
And the Fates threw the dice anew.
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Hades cheated while Zeus was looking away
—And helping a ghost isn't Aphrodite's job.
Athena was not present while Themis is blind,
And Amor, the heartless prankster, even applauded.
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Late in the game, before the final round,
Athena or Minerva comes breezing in.
Joining Felicitas, she gives you sound advice:
"Beware of the Queen of Spades—and don't be too nice!"
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Jupiter could have had Five of a Kind
—The highest hand
If wild cards had replaced Queens as well.
Now Jupiter has a Full House
And Hades a low Straight Flush.
You need an Ace to win royally
—Get out your Joker and rush!
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Hermes thinks you've been sufficiently warned.
There are two ghosts here—but only one can stay.
Even if one wins, the other one will fade,
For the whole human being would endanger the gods' universe.
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Parting from him in the ending twilight,
Knowing you can never, ever, win against Time.
And Nemesis smiles as the twenty-fourth hour passes,
While Ares is angry at you for losing to the past.
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The truth, in this world, can't be expressed by words.
And a frail greenhouse flower can't live in an imperfect place.
On the horizon, the last ray of sunlight fades,
And the other ghost returns to his time and space.
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This version of the tale doesn't have a happy end,
And you will forever be searching for him in vain.
Your sorrow, however, is both pain and bliss,
The exquisite suffering that only love can cause
When having seen the beloved is already enough.
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This is the last version of the "Ghost at Twilight"
And like the others, it's neither complete nor true.
The full truth will always be hiding in the gaps,
And this version, too, shall be hidden from you.
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On the horizon, the sun can no longer be seen. The last band of purple light is still lingering there, a reminder of what you've lost. A few birds are sailing across the sky, dark apparitions, whose mirror images are flitting across the pond shimmering in all shades of green, blue, silver, and gold.
He will return to the stage and the screen and—there is no doubt about it—resurrect his great career, which has never really ended. But your future is shrouded in mystery, hidden behind the dense veil of time. The last twenty-four hours have been so surreal that you wouldn't be surprised to learn that this was only a dream during the last breath of your life. You've recalled past moments of sorrow and happiness, seen one-time loves, friends, adversaries, and allies, made peace with yourself and the world, and tried to solve the mysteries of your life. You've been waiting in Charon's boat with a wild card in your pocket, lingering for a moment on Styx or Acheron to gaze back at the world of the living for the last time.
The faint, regular beeping sound has restarted again—a chilling reminder of the steady, uninterrupted, ceaseless flow of time.
Or perhaps you've been on Chiba Mamoru's operation table and will survive—for Miyano Shiho is a cat with seven lives, who will cheat both Time and Death and even the Bosses of the underworld and heaven!
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