Hunt For The Mystical Medals Chapter 105: Pride, Birth, Goal part 5, a detective conan/case closed fanfic

Hunt For The Mystical Medals

Disclaimer:
Detective Conan is owned by Gosho Aoyama
Kamen Rider OOO is owned by Ishimori Productions

The various guest characters appearing in every arc are owned by their respective owners.

The conclusion to this arc, and here you'll get to see what has happened in the end and why Akira decided to accept the offer from the Kougami Foundation and why he is doing this…before the tragic ending of this arc is shown…

-x-

Akira clenched his fist as he is again reminded of the past and what led to his current situation and he is hoping that the path he currently chose would be the right one and will not be a regrettable decision as he is doing this to help Natsumi, and he is determined to work hard to meet up with the daily expenses he has accumulated, and he is making sure that he will survive whatever challenges that came in his way.

However, as he passed by a restaurant, someone inside saw Akira pass by and decided to follow him, as a familiar face recognized the passerby and decided to follow him.

Anything Goes by Maki Oghuro

(Opening Song from Kamen Rider OOO)

(You count the medals 1,2 and 3
Life goes on Anything goes Coming up OOO)

ira nai mota nai yume mo mi nai
furii na joutai sore mo ii kedo
(kokkara hajimaru The show we're waiting for
Count the medals 1, 2 and 3 )
unmei wa kimi hanattoka nai
kekkyoku wa susumu shika nai
(michi naru tenkai Give me energy Count the medals 1, 2 and 3)

daijoubu. ashita wa itsu datte hakushi (Blank)
jibun no kachi wa jibun de kimeru mono sa

OOO! OOO! OOO! OOO! Come on!

Anything Goes! sono kokoro ga atsuku naru mono
mitasa reru mono o sagashi te
Life goes on! honki dashi te tatakau no nara
makeru ki shi nai hazu!

105: Puraido, Tanjō, Gōru part 5

As Akira passes by a modern-day "soothsayer", he paused briefly as he preached the "end of the world" to other passerby by showing them the footages of the mutated, chimera-like Greed as well as the Yummies he happened to take videos of, and though it did aroused curiosity of the passerby, they labeled the evidence as "preposterous" and one by one left the scene, calling the soothsayer a "fraud", believing that the Yummies and the chimera-like Greed are just shots from a Godzilla movie.

"…as you can see…the demons have arrived! We are At their mercy! The end is nearing and at hand! Repent now so we can be saved!"

"Look at that…"

"Looks real…"

"Are you sure that they're really monsters…?"

"Yes! And if you repent now, the gods will save us…"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's just a shooting for a new Godzilla movie…"

"Then I'm out of here…"

"Wait! This is for real! The end of the world is coming!"

"Go watch some porn…horror movies are so clichéd as of late…"

"If you don't repent…it'll be too late to turn back…!"

"Poor people…they have no idea that they're facing the Greed and the Yummy…well…I'm out of here…no point sticking around here…I still have an appointment to make…"

Akira just smirked before leaving, ignoring the soothsayer's words, and as he walked the streets, he realized that he is nearing his destination by 30 minutes and he decided to walk by instead of taking a ride so as not to rush himself, though he is anxious to see how Natsumi is doing, hoping that she is doing fine just like before. He is beaming with expectation that she will be happy to see him.

"Natsumi…I hope you're doing okay…the last few months have been…bad for you…and I promise once I get the 100 million Yen…I'll see to it that you'll get the best medical care in the world…"

As Akira is nearing the clinic where Natsumi is staying, someone accosted him from behind, and it turn out to be Mamoru Akasaka, who would became his friend years before becoming Kougami's employee. The two exchanged greetings and decided to walk together while talking, where Akasaka was told of Akira's current job, and though Akasaka thought it was a joke, he would regret his response when Akira showed to him the Birth Driver and the Cell Medlas, as well as the employee ID of the Kougami Foundation.

"Akira! Akira Toudou!"

"Huh? Mamoru-san!"

"How are you doing?"

"Fine…fine…I got a job…"

After a few minutes…

"…what? The Kougami Foundation? That's one huge private company! What's your job there?"

"…and that's my job…"

"No way…"

"You heard me…here's the proof…"

"Wow…an ID and…a belt…? And those…silver coin-like items…"

"You heard me…it's no joke…"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing…"

"Too bad for you…"

When Akasaka asked Akira about the monsters that he has been hearing lately, Akira confirmed it and told him everything he knows, though he asked him to keep it a secret which Akasaka did, but when asked why work for Kougami, he got his answer which he slowly deduced that this has something to do with Natsumi's situation.

"This is all for Natsumi…?"

"Yes…"

"I see…after what's she's been through recently…and with the incident at Hinamizawa Village…it's no wonder that she's the reason why you took that job…"

"It's not easy…but at least I'll earn money faster…with no tie-up situations…but what she is going through is something I don't see as a trauma-based…"

"Are you sure…?"

"Yes…I believe that something is…amiss…remember what you told me about your research on the Oyashiro-sama curse and everything else…?"

"Yeah…"

"I believe it's not a curse…but something else…"

"How so…?"

"I talked to a former resident of Hinamizawa Village as well as one from Okinomiya…and unlike the ones that we heard…they didn't go "crazy like the ones reported"…"

"I'll check on that…but let's switch gears for a bit…"

"Okay…shoot…"

Akasaka commented that the job Akira took would be a difficult one to pull off, but Akira said that he will eventually pull through, and he doesn't care how long it would take, as long as he gets to earn the money needed. Akasaka smiled as he saw how Akira "grow up" and now sees him in a different perspective and hoped that the path he took would produce some positive result. The two decided to walk together and visit Natsumi.

When they passed by a nearby house, they heard the cries of a child, and curiosity took the better of the two and peeked through a window, where they saw the child, who is chained and being abused, but Akira and Akasaka backed away when a family if seven came out, and are armed with blunt weapons led by a stout cop, who turn out to be the head of the family of abusive cops.

"Hey, did you hear that…?"

"Sounds of a girl crying…!"

"Akira…look!"

"Mamoru…get back…we're about to have company…"

"Hey, pops…look who came…!"

"Two peeping toms…!"

"New punching bags to use…"

"I say we waste them!"

"You fools are a pair of fools to peek at us…too bad we don't let anyone go alive…and what you saw just now…won't be exposed either…"

"He-he-he…now we kill them!"

It is then revealed that the girl in question was adopted by his the cop's relatives, but as the relatives died, the cop and his family began to abuse her brazenly and continued to do so, using their positions as cops to threaten anyone who attempts to squeal them to the higher cops. There the abusive cop and his family are threatening to harm the two, even making it known that they won't let the two leave "alive".

"Now you idiots are going to get it!"

"Let's kill them!"

"Can we, pops? Can we?"

"Go ahead…make sure you dump their corpses at a place no one would find…"

"YES!"

"Blast…Get going, Akira…I'll…"

"No…you go…I'll handle them…!"

"You? What can you do?"

"(smirking)…"

"You don't mean…?"

As Akasaka is bracing himself, Akira only smirk as he puts on the Birth Driver and inserted a Cell Medal, initiating his transformation into Birth, much to Akasaka's surprise, though the cop and his family dismisses the scene as a "special effect" and started to attack the two. Birth then tells Akasaka to call for help while he deals with the thugs, which Akasaka paused briefly to see Birth in action before leaving.

"Whoa…so that's what he meant…"Birth"…well…I'd better go call the REAL cops…!"

Birth deals with the abusive family and subdued them before he proceeded to free the girl before deactivating the belt and when Akasaka came back with police, he hands the girl to them while explaining what just happened, which made things clear and now both Akira and Mamoru are cleared of any wrongdoings and the real culprits are being arrested.

"Officers…this girl's been abused…physically and psychologically…and these goons did this to her…"

"That's right! They even threatened to kill us after we saw what they did to this poor girl!"

"I see…"

"No, wait! That's a lie! We're cops too…"

"Sorry…my informant told me that you used your position to bribe and even threaten any witnesses who saw you beat this child…and with proof like this…it's enough to send you and your family to jail…men, take them away!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Come on…move!"

"Unhand me! I'm a cop! I'm higher-ranked than you!"

After that, Akira and Akasaka proceed to head for the clinic after the girl is taken to the hospital and the abusive family arrested. Akirs then took a final trip to the memory lane where the events showed what has happened to Natsumi before he ended up marrying her.

-x-

- FLASHBACK-

As Akira heads for Natsumi's house, the scene shifts elsewhere where Oishi and Akasaka are, and things would give them something to think about.

A reporter says that a recently found female body has not yet been identified, and, according to the Investigations Department of the local police, it may be related to the recent Hinamizawa incidents.

Akasaka and Oishi are talking to a policewoman named Madoka about a torso that had recently been found. It and the head that had been found earlier both belong to the same victim. Madoka leaves and comes back a moment later with more information. She says that the victim died, because she was hit in a vital spot.

They start another conversation, and Akasaka says that some people are being harassed at school, because their names sound like family names from Hinamizawa. Madoka says if someone stands out in any way, then they are automatically labeled as a Hinamizawa native. Akasaka, looking at pictures of Hinamizawa families jumps up and calls for Oishi's attention. One picture shows a woman who looks just like Natsumi's grandmother. Oishi demands to know the time of death of the woman, and Madoka says that she dies 4 or 5 days ago.

"Poor teens…now they're being picked on because some of their names sounded similar to Hinamizawa Village…"

"Yeah…I feel sorry for them…"

"And that's just the minor one…the major one is that if any one tries to defend him/herself and/or defend someone…that person would be labeled as someone from THAT village…"

"Gosh, Madoka…I'd say that a pretty big OUCH…"

"Anyway, Akira, Madoka…here's the picture of the woman we got…it's similar to the body we found…"

"Huh?"

"That looked like…Natsumi's grandmother…!"

"Huh? Hey, Madoka…you know that lady's time of death?"

"About four to five days ago…why…?"

-x-

Elsewhere, Akira arrives at Natsumi's house and ring the doorbell. However, no one answers, and he decides to go in anyway. While walking through the house, he notices blood on the floor. When he finds Natsumi, she tells him not to come in.

DING-DONG!

"Natsumi!"

DING-DONG!

"Natsumi!"

DING-DONG!

"Natsumi! Are you there? I'm coming in! Huh? Blood? Oh no…Natsumi!"

"Akira! Don't come in!"

"What?"

"Don't come in!"

"What are you…?"

SMASH!

"AAARRGGHH!"

Upon entering the room, Haruko smashes a vase on his head and knocks him out. Then, she asks her daughter where she was hiding, and Natsumi tells her not to kill anyone else. Then, Haruko starts to swing a knife at her daughter, but Natsumi grabs her hand. Haruko tells her to get off, but Natsumi tells her mother to stop. Suddenly, a large amount of blood comes out of Haruko's throat.

"There you are…"

"Mom…please stop!"

"You bad, bad girl…UURRKK…!"

"No!"

Police officers and an ambulance arrive outside of the Kimiyoshi residence. Akira, who is sitting in the back of the ambulance, asks Oishi if he notified the police. Oishi says that it was his civic responsibility to do so. Akasaka comes from inside the house with Natsumi and says he found her. He says she doesn't look hurt, but they should take her to the hospital just in case. Akira walks toward Natsumi. She says that she's sorry and says that she told a lot of lies. While she is naming her wrongdoings, Akira hugs her.

"I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you… I'm sorry…I lied to you…"

"It's alright, Natsumi…it's okay..everything's going to be fine…"

"Hush, Natsumi…you're safe…that's all that matters…"

"Oishi…this looks bad…"

"And with her condition…we'll be having a hard time finding out what really happened…"

"And this'll be a feast for nosy reporters…"

"…and we are now in front of a house, where the only survivor of a family is being taken to a hospital…with her psychological condition…it would be longer to figure out what happened…"

A reporter on the scene says that, since the rescued girl of the family is in deep psychological shock, it will be difficult to find out what happened at the scene.

-x-

A few days later, the scene shifts to Okinomiya Hospital, where Natsumi wakes up. A nurse tells her that she had been asleep for three days.

"Huh?"

"Oh, good morning, Miss…"

"Where…where am I…?"

"At Okinomiya Hospital…"

"Huh? How long have I been…?"

"Three days."

"Eh?"

"Don't worry…you're fine now…"

-x-

Elsewhere, Tamako meets Chisato, who is on her way to buy a cake, on the street, and Chisato scolds her for reading books about Hinamizawa when they are going to visit Natsumi. Tamako finds it strange that, despite only a week's passing since the incident with the Kimiyoshi family, no one is talking about it. Chisato tells her that everyone is treating what happened to Natsumi as a movie plot and says no matter how tragic it may be, that it's easier to deal with something that people think isn't real.

"Hey, Chisato!"

"Yo, Tamako!"

"Hey! Put that away!"

"Why? I'm just reading it…"

"That's the reason why Natsumi's family ended in tragedy…because of that village…"

"Aw…"

"We're going to see Natsumi…and she better not see what you're reading!"

"Okay, okay…"

When Chisato and Tamako get to the hospital, Natsumi tells them that she's happy they came. The two of them seem surprised to see Akira with Natsumi. Natsumi tells them he's helping her with school work, because she doesn't want to get behind. After teasing Akira about his knowledge of Math, Chisato suggests they go to the roof to eat cake. She says having so many teenagers around a bed would be obscene, and Akira tells her that she shouldn't be talking. Chisato demands Akira to put flowers in a vase.

"Hi, Natsumi!"

"Natsumi!"

"Chisato! Tamako!"

"Whoa! Look who's here…"

"Hi, Akira!"

"Hello, Tamako, Chisato…glad you came to visit Natsumi…"

"Why are you here?"

"Ah, Akira's helping me with school work…I don't want to be left behind…"

"Ooohhh…so what are you teaching her, huh?"

"Math."

"Say…let's go to the rooftop and eat the cake…"

"Yeah…sounds like a good idea…"

"Here, Akira…you put this on a vase…"

A few minutes later, Akira is seen sitting on the floor in a hospital hallway. (In the background, Chisato can be heard asking when Akira and Natsumi became so close.). Oishi and Akasaka meet him and give him his change from the restaurant. Oishi asks him if he has a moment.

On the roof, Chisato is wondering what is taking Akira so long. Akira is shown telling Akasaka and Oishi that they're lying and proceeds to the roof. On his way, he sees Chisato and Tamako, who wonder if they treated Natsumi normally and if she enjoyed their company.

When Akira arrives on the roof, Natsumi tells him that she has been having nightmares recently. She tells him that she thinks about what happened and wonders if it really was "Oyashiro-sama's Curse". Akira tells her that it isn't a curse. He says that someone told him Natsumi's heart was tired, and it is necessary to bring joy back to her heart.

"Natsumi…how are you…"

"Akira…I…I've been having nightmares…"

"What kind of nightmares…?"

"About what happened recently…"

"Natsumi..."

"I think…I think that Oyashiro-sama's curse are real…"

"No…it's not…"

"But…"

However, Akira doesn't agree with that. He says what he wants might hurt her, but he wants to live in the same world she does. He tells her he wants to know the truth. He tells her that she testified her mother killed her grandmother, but, in reality, she died of cerebral contusion. He says the injuries were caused after death, and wants to know what Natsumi actually saw. Natsumi wonders what he is saying. He goes on to tell her about her father's death.

Akasaka told him that Natsumi said her mother had stabbed him from behind, but an analysis stated that he was stabbed from the front. Oishi said that blood would have gushed out of the wound and cover the person who killed him. He noted that Natsumi was covered in her father's blood. Akira told them that Natsumi asked for help on the phone, but Oishi asked him if he was sure that person was Natsumi. He says that the phone she has supposedly used to talk to him had no blood on it. Also, he said that the pot used to hit Akira on the head had Natsumi's handprint on it.

Akira tells Natsumi that there is still time. He says that people from Hinamizawa usually commit murders and kill themselves, but she is still alive. He tells her not to give into the madness, because she can still be saved. Natsumi backs away from him, telling him what he's saying is weird. She tells him she knows what she saw.

"Natsumi…what you've been through…it's not your fault or due to this "curse"…"

"Akira…what are you…?"

"Don't give in…I know there's a reason for this…"

"But…but…"

"Those elders from Hinamizawa…yes, it's true…but you're still alive…and that's all; that matter…"

"What are you…I know what I saw!"

"Natsumi…"

"You're acting weird…"

"No…listen…about your grandmother…"

Akira tells her that the exact date of her grandmother's death has been determined, and it was on the day he had first gone to her house. Natsumi remembers that, when she was calling her mother for help, she had pushed her grandmother away. She remembers that the fall had killed her grandmother. She told her mother not to worry, because Grandma was gone. She said they could go back to living normally. Haruko asks her daughter if she knew what she is saying. She also remembers her suggestion of cutting her grandmother's corpse into tiny pieces to hide her and asking her parents to help.

She starts to say that no one wants to be friends with a person from Hinamizawa, but Akira says that he understands. She told herself that Akira didn't need to know about the murder of her grandmother, and she has to make it seem as if someone else had done it. At that moment, Haruko had walked into the room where Natsumi was wondering what her daughter was doing.

Akira tells her that he was there when she started to lose control. He tells her that it freaks him out when he thinks that a murderer was just around the corner. He wonders if Natsumi was planning on killing her friends like she had done to her family. She tells Akira that she didn't want anyone to know about this and hate her for it. Akira asks her if she thought he'd like her for doing that. Natsumi frightfully looks around the roof, and Akira tells her that they're the only ones up there.

"A-Akira…"

"Yes?"

"Is there someone else here?"

"No…just us…"

She asks Akira if he hates her, and he hugs her and says he doesn't. Natsumi denies it, but Akira tells her he wants to protect her. Then, Akira states his relief at saving Natsumi. Natsumi tells Akira that she likes him as she picks up a knife from when she had eaten cake. After stabbing him, she reminisces about seeing one of his drawings when she first moved here. She remembers that it was the landscape one could see from the school window.

At that moment, she had a premonition that her new home was going to be a lovely place to live. He tells her that it took a lot of pain to get the paint's color just right. He says that he will tell Natsumi, because they both like it that way. Furthermore, he promises to always stay by her side and embraces her.

Akasaka and Oishi, as well as two policemen, are seen running up the stairs of the hospital, and Akasaka is scolding Oishi for letting Natsumi out of his sight. Oishi asks if Akasaka thinks that Akira is the one. Akasaka thinks that Akira is at a crossroads. One path leads to death and the other leads to a life of despair. Oishi asks if he thinks Akira chose to live in despair, and Akasaka says he chose to walk alongside Natsumi.

"You what? I told you to keep an eye on her!"

"You worry too much! Natsumi's fine, I tell you!"

"Given what has happened…and wit the recent events involving the self-inflicted deaths from those from Hinamizawa…it's possible that…"

"I don't think that would happen…Akira's with her!"

"You think Akira choose the path to be with her? It could be out of despair…"

"I think he chose THAT path to be with her!"

"There they are…whoa!"

"Akira!"

"Damn…Akira!"

On the roof, Akasaka, Oishi, and the two policemen spot the wounded Akira, and Natsumi, crying, says that it was her fault. One policeman calls for a doctor, while the other holds Natsumi. Akasaka tells the officer to let her go and asks her if she now understands. Oishi, who is helping to care for Akira, calls Akasaka and Natsumi. She goes to Akira and holds his hand. She tells herself that she has made a lot of mistakes and has lost a lot. She realizes that she only has one important thing left in her tragic world.

It is there that they learned that it was Natsumi who killed her family, and the result causes her to have trauma-induced amnesia, and they all agreed that they not provoke her into recalling those events so as not worsen her trauma.

- END FLASHBACK -

-x-

After recalling that moment…he realized that FIVE months have passed since the Hinamizawa Disaster, and though he, with Oishi and Akasaka's help, was able to learn about the disaster, he finds it strange that those from Hinamizawa went ballistic and ended up hurting and/or killing someone and then themselves, and which also happened to Natsumi's family. However, he would, soon, meet someone whose family is from Hinamizawa but did not ended becoming "erratic" like his elder relatives and there he sensed that something is amiss, and while thinking, Akasaka told Akira that they are now at their destination.

"Looks like we got more investigating to do…"

"Yeah…and with the resources I have at the moment…I'll ask Kougami if I could use it to do an investigation on my own…"

"Hope he agrees with your plan…"

"I hope so…"

"Hey…we're almost there…can't believe how Natsumi ended up at that clinic you placed her in…care to tell me why…?"

"Hmm…well, you see…"

Through Akira's explanation, a flashback scene is revealed that two months ago, the scene shifts to an unspecified place where Akira is seen walking up some stairs of a house with a woman, who is revealed to be a relative of Natsumi's family. As they walked, she says that she kept Natsumi there, because they were both from a branch of the Kimiyoshi family.

Then, they arrive at a door. It is padlocked and has chains on the lock. Noticing the look on Akira's face, the woman tells Akira that she isn't imprisoning her. She tells him that this is what the girl wants. She unlocks the door and tells them that no one else has visited her family knowing that they are from the Kimiyoshi family. She goes on, telling him that that girl will all of Oyashiro-sama's curse. Akira rushes into the room toward Natsumi, who is restrained by chains, and the woman tells him that she is cursed. Akira remembers that he said he would always be by Natsumi's side and hugs her.

Akasaka was surprised that even Natsumi's relatives, who were far from Hinamizawa and Okinomiya, would still believe in that curse, and wondered how he managed to get Natsumi out. Akira told her that he took her with him and went to move at a small, rural town, and thanks to an unidentified sponsor, he was able to financially help her while finding a place to settle down.

Moreover, to lessen her situation, Akira added her to his family register. He wanted to separate Natsumi from the name "Kimiyoshi", thus he was able to persuade a reverend to have the teens married civilly, and thus, she is now officially "Natsumi Toudou". He says that by living with her, he realized that Natsumi's "wish" wasn't a lie. At every moment, Natsumi blamed herself for killing her family and trying to kill him. Eventually, her left arm became crooked and stiff, which made him decide to hold off his plans to attend university and find a job. That would eventually landed him in a job at the Kougami Foundation and thus his current occupation. The two then proceeded to go inside the clinic.

Inside the clinic, a nurse recognizes Akira and informs him that Natsumi's medical examination had just finished. She calls Natsumi and tells her that her husband came to see her. While they are waiting for Natsumi, Akasaka ask Akira why he is going so far for Natsumi. Akira tells him that she has finally stopped blaming herself for the death of her family, because he told her that he had killed her family.

"You…can't be serious…!"

"I am."

"Why go this far?"

"I'm doing this for Natsumi's sake…"

"You're crazy!"

Akasaka, outraged, grabs Akira, but Akira tells him that is a necessary "truth" for her to live. Akasaka asks him if he thinks he can free her from her sins that way, and Akira tells him that he just doesn't want her to get hurt anymore. Akasaka releases Akira, and Akira tells him that he doesn't even know why he's going so far.

By then, Natsumi is heard shouting Akira's name, and she hugs him. She tells him that the nurse told her that her husband had come to see her. Akira turns Natsumi around, tells her that he'll listen to her later, and tells her to greet Akasaka. She is excited to see him, but Akira draws her attention to a different matter. He asks her where her coat is, and she tells him she left it in the examination room. Akira goes to get it, and Natsumi waves at him. Akasaka notices that her arm appeared to be no longer stiff, which means she is slightly recovering. Akasaka congratulates her on her marriage, but she says that she doesn't really feel like she's married. She says that Akira cutely blushes whenever he's called "husband".

"Ah…congratulations on your marriage…"

"Thanks! Though it feels like I'm not yet married…"

"Come on…"

"But I'm happy! I also can't believe I'd see you again…"

She tells Akasaka that she never thought she'd talk to him here, because there nothing in this town. She walks outside and says that Akira always tells her lies. She knows that she killed her family and turned Akira's life into a mess. She asks Akasaka to not let Akira know if she ever becomes possessed by the demon's blood again, because, in that case, she would die all alone. She says that she'll try her best not to lose to it in order to live up to Akira's feelings.

Then, Akira comes out of the clinic, where he tells Natsumi that she needs to take a bath. As she left, Akira brought out a Batta Candroid and connects it to his laptop computer and showed to Akasaka, where it shows that, after the disaster struck, members of the Japan Special Defense Forces (SDF) removed the bodies, quarantined the area covered Onifaguchi Swamp with thick concrete.

Then, a Taka Candroid he sent came back with what appeared to be a USB disk, which has a title to it called "Document # 34" and when he played it, he made a discovery. The information in the document details a story that in the distant past a UFO had crashed and sank in Onigafuchi Swamp. It brought with it a parasitic bacteria that spread amongst the villagers. The villagers went mad from the infection and became "demons" or "oni". An alien on the ship noticed this and appeared to the villagers in what is referred to in the stories as the "Descent of Oyashiro-sama", and used advanced technology to help repress the effects of the parasite temporarily.

This "Oyashiro-sama" then put in place rules to help contain the problem. Since the bacteria only really thrive in the local climate, leaving caused the symptoms to worsen, and the rule was put down that nobody should leave the village. The three great houses, Kimiyoshi House, Sonozaki House, and the Furude House, worshiped and protected him for years in the Furude Shrine.

The parasite stabilized over the years and the incident was largely forgotten. As the incident was the basis for their control and power in the village, Miyo's notes indicate a suspicion that they were looking for a way to revive the parasite and maintain the balance of power. In the document, Miyo also successfully predicted Great Hinamizawa Disaster and cited a number of details that are believed to lend credence to the document as a whole.

Akasaka and Akira were approached by Oishi, and after showing the document, Oishi became determined to solve this case, and the trio agreed to investigate this case covertly and Akira would use his "means" to gather evidence so that they can prove to the Japanese Diet about the conspiracy and what led to the volcanic gas eruption, since volcanologists would have predicted this eruption to happen, but no warning ever came to the village.

By then, he got a call from the Kougami Foundation that a Yummy is spotted and even got the visual footage, and both Akasaka and Oishi are surprised to see this, and Akira is about to take his leave, promising that he would tell them his job once they meet again. Akira then left as he activated the "Birth Driver" after putting it around his waist and inserted a Cell Medal, then inserted another Cell Medal to activate a weapon.

Birth Driver: "CUTTER WING…"

Oishi and Akasaka watches Birth leave, and sensed that something interesting is bound to happen, and hoped that Akira would stick to his promise to help them solve the Hinamizawa Disaster case after seeing some evidence pointing to a conspiracy and cover-up.

"Man…I sure wish I had that kind of means to investigate this conspiracy…"

"Me too…but Akira is best suited for that kind of role using that weapon…and I'm glad we met him…"

"But still…I can't believe he'd go THAT far just for Natsumi…"

"You know how teens fall in love…they do anything just to save the ones they love…"

"So…are we going to hear from him?"

"Definitely…and count on it that he'll initiate the investigation…"

-x-

Minutes later, O's and Ankh are inside a paper factory, and are fighting the Shimi Yummy, which resembles a humanoid silverfish, and because of his host's desire aimed on papers, the Shini Yummy "ate" a lot of paper materials and this in turn caused his body to accumulate a lot of Cell Medals and became this strong, so strong that even O's is having trouble containing the monster, so Ankh threw in three Core Medals at O's to give him an edge.

"Kyuji! here...use these...and try out Mezeru's two Core Medals!"

"Got it!"

Taking the Core Medals, he scans them with the O-Scanner and a new sub-combo is introduced.

O-Scanner: "KUWAGATA...KANI...AKAEI!"

Assuming "Gata-Kani-Kae" sub-combo, O's is armed, with new weapons besides the stag beetle horns, for he too is armed with crab pincers and a stingray tail, and immediately went in to action using his electric attacks in conjunction with the stingray tail and pincers, but even then the Shimi Yummy is resilient enough to withstand the attacks until Birth arrives and provided assistance, much to Ankh's annoyance.

"Hello...we ,meet again...looks like you need help..."

"Buzz off! We don't need your help..."

"You don't...but I need those Cell Medals..."

"Stay out of this! This is our business! And we got here first!"

"Sorry...Mr. Kougami told me to find a Yummy and defeat it..."

"That guy again...!"

"Now then...time to get to work and start earning my salary..."

Inserting five Cell Medals inside the Birth Driver, Birth summons the Breast Cannon and charges it enough to unleash a strong blasts which is enough to destroy it, and the place is raining with Cell Medals and both Ankh and Birth scrambled to get as many as they could, bickering in the process much to O's dismay.

"Wow...that's a haul..."

"Get lost they're mine!"

GULP, GULP, GULP...

"Hey...I took it out...so I get them!"

Birth then inserted a Cewll Medal and summoned an armament to take the Cell Medals, much to Ankh's chagrin..

Birth Driver: "CRANE ARM…"

"Time to start earning..."

And so Birth uses the Crane Arm to take as many Cell medals as he could, collecting 75% of them and that's where he and Ankh started to argue...from verbal to physical.

"Hey! Buzz off!"

"Quit shoving!"

"They're mine!"

"I took out the Yummy!"

"You're not a Greed...and you don't need them! I do!"

"Hey...O's...do something about your pet..."

"I'M NOT KYUJI'S PET!"

"Geez...Ankh and that guy sure don't know how to be civil with each other..."

To Be Continued

Why Or Why Not by Rekka Katakiri
(Ending Song from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)

To get my happiness I had done everything,
but had done nothing to be blamed and accused of.
The sound of footsteps became louder every day,
Then I noticed the fact there was no time.

I was a believer in life to be myself always,
and was asking whether I would be alive.

Give me a reason why not to adopt in this way,
or judge me to be guilty of so many incurable sins.
Tell me why, or why not. Complaining way too much,
maybe I overlooked something fatal for me.

Hope you like this arc…and though you seem to get a bit tiring to learn about Akira's past…this is an integral part on how he came to become Birth and would soon become a rival…and eventual ally, of O's…in the long run.

And that was a blast…after reading the manga, I had to make a lot of adjustments in adapting this into an arc, and while it's faithful to the manga, I made a few changes so that you won't get perplexed at the settings, and this would also leave a door open to a possible spin-off fic…well, anything can happen…

Also I made some slight changes to the ending of this arc as I'm working on a "spin-off" fanfic that would feature Akira in a leading role…be on the lookout for that fic…

And Kyuji and Ankh gets another screen time...but don't worry...starting next chapter, they're the main stars again...

Preview:

A triple feature is set to take place in the next chapter:

1) Ankh will finally get his Core Medals as they are going to appear and a possibility that O's would get a new "combo" or Ankh regaining his body...

2) Kazari is also set to get his Core Medals as he hatches a scheme to get them back...thus a possibility that he may "complete" his body...

3) Heiji Hatorri and Kazuha Toyama gets embroiled in the mess...

That's right, readers! The moment you been waiting for…Ankh will get is Core Medals back…but the risks will be present as this would mean he would get his original form back…but this would mean abandoning Shinichi Kudo's body in the process…or converting it into a Greed "shell"…that would also mean a conflict amongst the Detective Conan crew...unless Kazari becoming "complete" again may cause them to allow to put Shinichi at risk...

Characters appearing in this arc:

Now then…a modified list of characters that appear in every arc of this fic so that you'll know which series (or in this case, film) they came from…

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Onisarashi-hen (manga)

- Akira Toudou

- Natsumi Kimiyoshi

- Haruko Kimiyoshi

- Toji Kimiyoshi

- Aki Kimiyoshi

- Chisato Saeki

- Tamako Makimura

- Akasaka Mamoru

- Kuraudo Oishi