Disclaimer: Detective Conan is owned by Aoyama Gosho. I don't make money from writing this fanfiction. The story contains spoiler for Detective Conan. There are also quotes from manga, anime, wiki and other sources. The story isn't betaed yet. You have been warned. AU. Canon Divergence.
When My Love Swears That He Is Made of Truth
Furuya Rei didn't think much about one Edogawa Conan the first time they met. That's why he spent time to butter up Kogorou Mouri, even went as far as bribing the man to become his apprentice. But his interaction with Mouri revealed the man was nothing than a mediocre detective, and that was Rei being generous, with none of the intelligence he exhibited to the acclaimed master of detective fame.
Sure, with all his antics, Mouri had some skills. Mouri did have a serious side which only emerged when the case has personal importance to him. The man was also skilled in judo, being ace of judo team during his time in Beika University, and also an excellent marksman during his tenure as a police. Although, it may seem hard to believe now, with all Mouri's antics.
But that didn't explain how Mouri solved case after case. Rei came to conclusion that someone had to be feeding Mouri information. Mouri's overinflated sense of his importance and detective prowess had gone to the point where he didn't question why he was suddenly and consistently solving cases.
And that brought Rei's attention to Conan, whom he gradually realized was the brain behind sleeping Kogorou.
Vermouth had asked why he was still sticking around the Mouri Detective Agency when there was no need to because Sherry had been dealt with.
"But that business is over, isn't it?" Vermouth said. "Lucky coincidence allowed information on Sherry to fly into our hands... and we were able to send Sherry to her grave, after all."
"No, my interest has just suddenly been piqued... in the detective known as sleeping Kogorou that is."
Thus he stayed at Poirot Cafe, observing the kid while investigating the suspicious death of Akai Shuuichi. Rei was certain that the FBI bastard was still alive and he was right in the end.
Rei got his cover blown though, by none other than Conan himself.
"Say Amuro no niichan, you're an enemy, right, of the bad guys?"
Everything culminated that night, leaving Rei with the knowledge that yes, Akai was still alive and it was Conan who was responsible for making complex plan to deceive the world.
The next day, Conan had the gall to call him a liar.
"You're one to talk," he countered.
Conan merely smirked at him.
Something changed after the revelation. It was obvious that Conan was wary of him before. But now, knowing that they were in the same side, Conan simply let it go. It didn't help much since the kid was a lousy liar. It also didn't help that Conan behaved more like an adult, when not actively playing with 'the Baker Street irregulars', and he quickly switched to adult mode, due to a crime or something else entirely. How the others didn't see it was beyond Rei's comprehension.
Rei encountered a few cases together with Conan after that. They'd made for a brutally efficient team, perfectly in accord, in tune with the only other one who understood. Rei himself was astonished by how well they had worked together.
Looking back, Rei was competent at virtually everything he'd tried his hands on, academics, sports, martial arts and anything else in between. Efficiency came naturally to him. He met his match this time, one who even beat him in a battle of wits. It could be said that they recognized each other in a sea of people, equals in intelligence, quick tongues, and sharp retorts that went unnoticed by lesser minds.
There was no denying that Conan was a genius. One who possessed brilliant mind who thought beyond what was capable by the ordinary human mind.
Rei knew that precociously talented individuals existed throughout history. These people exhibited incredible skill and ability, enough to make others undergo conflicting emotions, rejoice with pride, gape with awe and admiration, and weep with envy.
But there's definitely no one like Conan before.
Rei was burning with curiosity.
If in the past he investigated Sherry and Akai Shuuichi, now he investigated the curious case of Edogawa Conan. As Bourbon, he specialized in deduction and information gathering, which was the skill he utilized to the utmost now. And with his real occupation in Public Security Bureau, it was a piece of cake to access information about Conan in the system.
The legal documents and everything were masterfully done, but Rei trained eyes recognize them as fake. Any lesser man would be fooled though. Conan appeared out of thin air one year ago, thrusted to Mouri's Detective Agency and began living with Mouri and his daughter from that moment. Further investigation about Conan's parents revealed the same pattern. Fake identity and fake document which they used to open real bank account to fund Conan's life.
But why? Someone certainly didn't sprout into existence just like that. And the familiarity of which Conan exhibited with the Mouri family showed a high level of contact before.
Fortunately for Rei, Conan often showed up in Poirot Cafe now. In his quest to uncover the truth, Rei spent his time with Conan, talking and discussing about cases, Sherlock Holmes novels and everything else. He even accompanied Conan to bookstore and other places. The kid looked confused at first and gave him questioning glance which Rei ignored with practiced ease.
Those moments were nice and relaxing, which was quite unexpected, because as Furuya Rei, he wasn't an emotional person and he didn't particularly like people.
But it also raised more questions and Rei finally took Conan's fingerprints as the last resort. And when he entered the system, those fingerprints matched with none other of Kudou Shinichi, the famous high school detective who was called Heisei Holmes. A sixteen years old high school student who somehow regressed to six years old elementary school student, now seven years old.
When you had eliminated the impossible, whatever remained, however improbable, must be the truth. The famous quote from Sherlock Holmes hit Rei in the face.
There were two version of Kudou Shinichi's whereabouts now. The first one said that he got killed during investigation. The second version said that he went abroad to continue his schooling in the States, which was the reason as to why he was no longer in a list of Teitan high school's students. Rei had heard Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko talking about the second version, so it must be the ruse Kudou tell his friends.
Actually, Conan being Kudou explained a lot of things. His intelligence, his maturity that didn't match his age and his familiarity with the Mouris. As to how, it must be the work of the Organization. Rei had heard snippet of rumour, known only to the highest level members of the organization, about research towards extending lifespan, halting aging, or rejuvenating the body. Somehow, Kudou was involved and got deaged as the result, becoming Edogawa Conan. The name itself was certainly taken from Arthur Conan Doyle and Edogawa Rampo.
Despite knowing the truth, Rei had no plan to expose it, or confront Conan for it. It didn't benefit him after all. And in the long term, Conan was an ally. He still interacted with Conan like usual. But somehow, he must have slipped because Conan or Shinichi simply didn't bother anymore with him. He witnessed Conan using those advanced gadgets, created by Professor Agasa, with no care in the world. Voice changing bow, kick enhancing shoes, radio badges and watch flashlight. It was maddening, and intriguing too.
Rei had probably spent time too much with Conan, much more than necessary, that when he saw news about Sherlock Holmes exhibition in Tokyo, he immediately bought two tickets.
Conan was already there when Rei got to Poirot Cafe, sitting on the corner seat, engrossed in whatever book he read. Glass of half-drunk orange juice was on the table, next to the book.
"Amuro-san," Azusa greeted him, "you're early today."
"Amuro niichan," Conan, already aware of his presence, greeted him. Rei caught glimpse of title of the book he read, Sign of Four, Conan's favourite novel.
"Conan-kun, Azusa-san. The weather forecast said that it would rain, so I came early," Rei replied smoothly.
Azusa and Conan simultaneously turned to the window, where they could see the dark clouds decorating the sky, a sign of upcoming rain.
"Thankfully lunch time is already over." Azusa commented, worrying about the daily turnover of the cafe.
Rei gave a noncommittal respond as he put on his apron.
"Ah Amuro-san, I just remember." Azusa exclaimed suddenly. "Ogura-san said they're going to play baseball this Saturday. He asked if you want to join them."
"I'm sorry, Azusa-san, but I have something to do." Rei declined politely, as was expected from his Amuro Tooru character.
"Ooooh, are you going on a date?" Azusa asked teasingly. "So, who is the pretty girl?"
"Actually, I promised to take Conan-kun to Sherlock Holmes exhibition this weekend," he explained.
"Sherlock Holmes? So, Amuro-san is also a fan." Azusa commented. "And I thought that you're going on a date with one of your many fans." She looked dissapointed.
From the corner of his eyes, Rei saw that Conan was enjoying this farce, with that amused glint in his eyes.
Once Azusa went to the back to check the inventory, he sat across the kid. "I see you weren't helping at all."
"But we're really going to go on a date," Conan said, voice laced with amusement, and Rei could tell that he really meant it.
For the first time in his life, Rei's mind stumbled to a halt, feeling like he was experiencing hallucinations.
"When two people who like each other are in involved in a relationship, it's called dating." Conan told him, giving him the mischievous smirk he had learned to associate with Conan's more devious nature.
Thinking back, the time they spend together, the shared smiles and fleeting glances, the purposeful proximity, could be interpreted as something else. It was hard to deny that. And in truth, somewhere along the way Rei might have develop feelings for Shinichi, Rei couldn't call him anything else now at this point, Shinichi who was incredibly brilliant, occasionally manipulative, constantly surprising and utterly bewitching. He would ruin him in enrapture, Rei knew, if he wasn't careful.
Unfortunately, he had already been careless and Rei marvelled at how doomed he'd been from the very start.
Shinichi continued to watch him with patient amusement, like a parent would a child as they waited for a lesson to click into place. The comparison should have annoyed Rei, but it wasn't.
"Was it necessary to be so blunt?" He asked, dryly.
Shinichi raised a rather unimpressed eyebrow. "I thought it was obvious by this point."
Rei was quiet for another long moment. He stared intently at Shinichi, as if seeing him for the first time, now that the truth was out there and everything laid bare between them.
'I'll pick you up this Saturday," he said after a while, with an exasperated fondness he didn't attempt to hide.
"I'll be waiting, Zero no niichan." Shinichi stared back at him, eyes all knowing, sharp and keen and bright.
Rei's traitorous mind thought that how was anyone to have such a look directed at them and not fall wretchedly, desperately in love.
Author's Note:
I have written, delete, written, delete and written this fic over and over. It has been years since the last time I wrote fanfiction, so I'm a bit rusty now. The story is set in alternative universe, where Shinichi deaged to six years and one year has passed, and he pretends to join witness protection program from FBI to protect his friends and family.
The title is taken from Shakespeare sonnet 138: when my love swears that she is made of truth.