SailorStar9: With Chapter 28 uploaded, this is Chapter 29 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Pairings: Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.
Chapter 29: Taiko Meijin's Match of Love, Part Two
"Yureizaka?" Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko gasped in unison as they read the street sign.
"Why did they name it something so terrifying?" Mitsuhiko stammered.
"Apparently, it's because the desolate slope is flanked by temples." Fumio reasoned, the history geek in him coming out. "See, it's written on the side of the post." he pointed.
"Well, our destination is a graveyard in the middle of the slope." Conan added. "Right, Taiko Meijin?"
"Yeah." Haneda confirmed. "The code we found at Kiyomasa's well is written on a lance piece. In other words, the seven and three refer to lances or spears. Kiyomasa Kiyo's seven lances refer to the seven generals he recruited to strength his forces at the battle of Shizugatake known as the Seven Spears. Additionally, the three lances refer to the Three Great Spears of Japan, Otegine, Hinomotogo, and Tonbogiri. The man who was one of the Seven Spears and owned one of the Three Great Spears was Fukushima Mosanori, who received Hinomotogo from Hideyoshi Toyotomi."
"While drinking sake with Kuroda Kanbei's retainer, he won the spear in a bet." Professor Agasa recalled.
"The upside down T-piercing the overlapping circles, is the cartographic symbol for graveyards." Conan supplied.
"I see." Haibara realized. "So Fukushima Masanori's grave is just right up ahead."
"Do you have any ideas, though?" Professor Agasa asked, the group were heading towards the gravesite. "About who kidnapped Yumi-san." he clarified. "Since he called himself the Headless Shogi Player, he must be connected to shogi."
"Not really." Haneda admitted. Could it be...
"That's a weirdly shaped tombstone." Ayumi noted.
"It's actually a memorial pagoda." Conan corrected. "The small thing next to it is his son, Masatoshi's grave."
"But there's nothing here." Mitsuhiko pointed out.
"Since it's a memorial pagoda, isn't his actual grave somewhere else?" Professor Agasa reminded.
"In Nagano, Kyoto, and Wakayama." Conan replied.
"There's one more at Hiroshima as well." Fumio added. "But considering the time restrictions I figured it's quite unlikely he'd send us to another prefecture after Meiji Jingu."
"There's something behind the grave." Genta stated, in all fours as he peered behind the stone structure.
"It's a shogi board." Mitsuhiko noted, Genta crawling behind the statue and taking out the shogi board.
"These pieces are stuck on the board." Haibara pointed out, the group looking intently at the strange formation.
"But why use a nail?" Professor Agasa wondered.
"He probably wants us to come to the place indicated by the nail." Conan reasoned. "Is this some kind of strategy?" he looked at the two shogi experts.
"No, this formation doesn't look familiar." Haneda admitted, Fumio shaking his head in negative. "What's curious is the rook and bishop pierced by the nail and the overlapping gold and silver generals. Also, there's only one each of the other pieces, but for some reason, there are two bishops. I have no idea what any of this means, though."
"Maybe it's a 'he'." Genta suggested. "From over here, it looks like the character for 'he'."
"It looks like the number 7 from over here." Mitsuhiko walked over to the other side of the board.
"7 seems more possible." Haibara concluded. "The first code was about the seven major shogi titles, and the second was about Shizugatake's Seven Spears."
"There's something written on the side of this piece." Ayumi voiced.
"It says 'show-off'." Mitsuhiko read.
"There's something on the bottom of the gold general, too." Professor Agasa stated. "It says 'lazy'"
"The pierced rook and bishop say 'show-off'." Conan went into thinking mode. "And the gold general on top of the silver general is 'lazy'."
"I got it." inspiration stuck Mitsuhiko. "The gold general riding the silver general is a lazy slacker. The bishop is making itself look powerful by wearing the rook, so it's a show-off."
"That... kind of makes sense." Fumio conceded. "The rook is the strongest shogi piece, after all. So, what does it mean?"
"I didn't get that far..." Mitsuhiko stammered.
"It's odd, though." Haneda stated. "The gold general is a hard worker that moves as much as the king and the bishop is a powerful piece that can move any distance diagonally. It doesn't need the rook to look strong."
"Two and a half hours until the time limit." Haibara reminded. "If you want to save Yumi-san and return to the match, you have only about thirty more minutes. It's almost like he knows who we are. Don't you agree?" she looked at Conan. "We were originally a six person group. Then, we were joined by a seventh." she turned to Fumio. "We're just like the pieces on the board."
"No, you're wrong." Haneda corrected.
"The newest member of the group..." Conan added.
"Isn't that bishop." both Haneda and Conan chorused.
"Hurry back to the car." Haneda shouted, both he and Conan arriving at the same decision.
"Yumi-san is at Haido-cho." Conan supplied.
"The Seven Deadly Sins?" Haibara echoed, once they were headed towards Hotel Hyde Pride. "That's what the shogi pieces were referring to?"
"The Seven Deadly Sins were originally the eight sins of gluttony, lust, greed, sorrow, wrath, sloth, vanity, and pride." Conan explained. "Vanity merged with pride and sorrow merged with sloth. Envy was added later to make the modern seven."
"Exactly like the pieces on the board." Fumio realized.
"But which pieces refer to which sins?" Mitsuhiko asked.
"There were two bishops." Ayumi reminded.
"The pierced bishop had 'show-off' written on it, right?" Fumio stated. "So, that's vanity. Based on the other bishop's position, that should be envy."
"Since the bishop can only move diagonally, it can only land in certain squares." Haneda explained. "Because the bishop was on that square, it must have been captured and placed there. In other words, it's the newcomer's envy."
"I see." Professor Agasa noted. "The gold general labeled 'lazy' is sloth overlapping the sorrowful silver general, and the rook overlapping the vain bishop is pride."
"Also, the rook is placed in an aggressive and high-handed position." Haneda added. "High-handed is another words for prideful people."
"We're at the hotel, but where do we look?" Professor Agasa wondered, the group having arrived at the hotel lobby.
"We can just ask the reception." Fumio suggested.
"Haneda-sama, we were told to escort you once you arrived." the male receptionist informed.
"That's far enough." Tanimori warned, a finger resting on the detonator button. "Only Haneda Shukichi is allowed to enter. If you violate the rule, the bomb I set inside the sofa will explode. I warned you not to tell anyone, but you brought friends. At least, they don't look like police officers.
"So, it was you, Tanimori-san." Haneda stated.
"It's time to replay that match from ten years ago." Tanimori declared. "Have a seat. I'm sure you've forgotten, but I had you in check with my 4-2 promoted pawn."
"Same position, king." Haneda recounted his move. "I haven't forgotten that match once in these ten years. Take your promoted pawn with my king."
"Then, my winning 4-8 rook will explode." Tanimori picked up his next piece. "Now I've forked your king and silver general. I win."
"4-7 bishop." unfazed, Haneda announced his next move.
"Same position, rook." Tanimori played his next move.
"5-1 king." Haneda declared.
"5-3 lance and check." Tanimori countered.
"6-2 king." Haneda made his counter move.
"4-2 rook and check." Tanimori was in check position once more.
"7-1 king." Haneda countered. "Now my king is safe and your is checkmated. When I realized I could win, I got excited and my fingers slipped on the piece I was playing with, making a sound."
"4-7 rook was a brilliant comeback move." Tanimori admitted. "Either way, I would have lost."
"I'm sorry." Haneda stated. "I overheard you calling the hospital before the match. Wanting to end the match quickly, I was unintentionally rude to you."
"Then you said that..." Tanimori gasped. "So I could head to the hospital sooner. I'm a loser all around."
"In any case, we should disarm the bomb." Haneda reminded.
"It's all right." Tanimori assured, revealing the disconnected detonator. "It was just a bluff. She's just drugged and asleep, Taiko Meijin."
"Another case closed, huh?" Fumio beamed at the Detective Boys.
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted, by the way. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.