Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ When Pandora's Box Is Opened ❯ A Time Of Peace ( Chapter 28 )

Chapter Twenty-eight

A Time Of Peace

“We're finally allowed to see him!” Aoko said, sprinting down the hospital corridor towards Akako and Saguru. “They're releasing him tomorrow if he promises to keep his cast on. They're taking the sling off just now. C'mon!”

Saguru followed her down the corridor in a state of mild apprehension. He had questions for Kuroba, but he couldn't ask them in front of the girls, which meant dealing with a stir-crazy and possibly morphine-full Kuroba until it was time to leave and he could find some excuse to hang back. At least he almost certainly didn't have any of his magic apparatus in the hospital with him.

As he entered, he walked into the back of a glowing red Aoko. A second later, he realized what had stopped her in his tracks. Kuroba had his shirt off while a nurse unwrapped the sling, flirting cheekily and pointing out his muscle tone. Saguru wasn't particularly surprised by that; Kid had to be fit to pull off the acrobatic stunts that he did. What threw him was...

“Oh my,” Akako said in mild surprise. “Kuroba-kun... where did you get all of those scars?”

“Magic tricks can go pretty badly wrong,” he said, awkwardly retying his hospital kimono over the network of thin scars on his chest and shoulders with his good hand and thickly bound wrist. “And when you're training doves to hide in your clothes, they can get pretty pissed off when they get uncomfortable. They have claws, y'know.”

Saguru gulped down and bile and nodded, pretending to buy Kuroba's explanation. But he knew that thin, straight scars or perfect circles weren't generally the result of an angry bird. He knew bullet wounds when he saw them, and Kuroba had more than any policeman Saguru had ever met.

They mostly seemed to be scrapes, from the brief moment that Saguru had seen them, near misses that were mainly on his arms and shoulders in a pattern that suggested at least the part-time wearing of a bulletproof vest, but there were at least two that seemed to have gone right through him, and the thick scarring showed that they hadn't been properly treated; he'd had to treat them himself, in order to avoid exposing himself and getting a few more bullet holes.

“So how're you feeling?” Aoko asked, sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

“Well, I'm pissed of that they've still not caught the son of a bitch in the car,” Kaito said casually, “but they haven't taken me off the painkillers yet, so I'm still feeling pretty high. Geez, it's good to talk to someone. Doctors and nurses have to be some of the most uncommunicative automans in Japan. Hey, did you bring food? You know, something that doesn't look like it's already been eaten? Twice?”

“I brought onigiri, but don't tell the nurses,” Aoko said, pulling a Ziploc bag with the rice balls in it out of her bag, glancing over at the door to check that the nurse was well and truly gone. “Hey, did they tell you that they're going to release you tomorrow?”

“Really? Sweet,” Kaito said, stuffing an onigiri into his mouth whole. “Aw, crap, I just realized... Okaa-san left washing-up in the sink to do when we got back... it'll be alive by now.”

“Poor Kuroba-kun, locked in a battle to the death with the remnants of his Okaa-san's sushi,” Akako crooned. She glanced over at the comatose woman. “I do hope she wakes up soon.”

“Thanks,” Kaito said, unusually quiet.

“Me too,” Saguru said. “If only because it's simply not healthy to live on takeaway for any length of time. From what I saw in Osaka, I doubt you're getting into the kitchen any time soon.”

“Are you kidding?” Kaito said. “Cooking and I are mortal enemies.”

“Actually, Kaito, when you get out,” Aoko said, “do you want to come to ours for New Year's? Otou-san said it was all right, and I'd feel really bad if you were alone at New Year's...”

Kaito paused for a moment in his pigging out, swallowed and said, surprisingly gently, “I'd love to.”

“Would you mind terribly if I swung by at some point, Aoko-chan?” Akako said sweetly. Kaito looked at her suspiciously.

“Are you stalking me again?” he demanded. Akako shook her head with a little laugh.

“I don't stalk you, Kuroba-kun,” she said. Saguru caught Kaito's eye and they shared a rare look of understanding. “I simply want to wish you both a happy new year and see your fortunes for the year.”

“Aren't you going to relative's for New Year, Akako-chan?” Aoko said. “I know you live alone, so I thought you'd want to go to your family...”

“I don't have any, Aoko-chan,” she said simply. “I normally spend New Year's on my own...”

“What?” Aoko said in shock. “That's terrible! Nobody should be alone at New Year's! Of course you can come over! You can watch the first sunrise with us!”

“That's so sweet of you, Aoko-chan,” Akako said, giving Aoko a beautifully sculpted smile. Saguru saw Kaito press a button on his bedside table, presumably connected to his painkiller drip.

“What about you, Hakuba-kun?” Aoko asked.

“Me?” Saguru said in surprise. “Well... I normally spend it with my mother, but of course I'm not in England this year... baaya's going to her daughter's and father's on duty that night, so... I guess I'm on my own too.”

“No way!” Aoko cried.

“Looks like we're going to make a right little party out of it,” Akako said, smiling at Kaito. He sighed, rolling his eyes, then burst into a wide, cheeky grin.

“Hey, we could do our first temple visits together too,” he said. “I wanna see what happens when Koizumi-san tries to enter a holy place...”

“Kaito! That's rude!” Aoko said crossly, slapping him on the shoulder. The baka just sniggered as they started sniping at each other. Akako sauntered away from the argument to talk to Saguru.

“Well, this ought to be fun,” she said. “Looking forward to a new year with friends?”

“Uh... yeah,” Saguru said, a little surprised that he really was looking forward to tomorrow. He wasn't that used to having friends. His intelligence and biracial status had set him apart from the very snooty children in the posh schools that he'd attended in England, and his constant travel between England and Japan throughout High School had only made forming close friendships even more difficult. But he definitely considered Aoko a friend, and he even counted Kuroba and Koizumi if you pushed him- or at least, he'd tolerate them for Aoko's sake. “Yes... I really am.”

Akako smiled strangely, and after a moment Saguru realized that the strangeness was because it was a genuine smile, not a malicious smirk, lascivious grin or thin token smile. It suggested real happiness, and it suggested that she knew exactly what he meant.

“Yes,” she said softly, “me too.”

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Ran hummed Amazing Grace happily as she walked away from Agasa-Hakase's. Conan had spent most of yesterday fighting to stay awake, trying to get his sleep cycle back on track, and even this morning he was still so dozy that Ran had had to remind him to get the Christmas presents he'd brought back for his friends. Ran sometimes felt that he should be with his family, but she was glad that he was around, all the same, and she understood why he wanted to stay in Japan- it was so hard for children to leave their friends behind, she knew. Still, she wasn't complaining.

“Mori Ran!”

Ran yelped in surprise as a wrathful-looking Sonoko appeared before her. “S-Sonoko?”

“Why didn't you tell me?” Sonoko said angrily, loud enough to draw stares from passersby. “I thought we were best friends! And yet I have to find out from Hidaka-chan!”

“Find... out...?” Ran said, a little warily. Sonoko snorted angrily.

“Yes, she heard from Aizawa-kun and told me when we went shopping a couple of days ago,” Sonoko said. “Really, you could have said something when I called! At the cinema you guys acted like it wasn't a date!”

“A da... oh. Oh,” Ran said, feeling herself blush as she realized just what Sonoko was talking about. “Well, it wasn't... at that point...”

“So is it true?” Sonoko demanded. “Hidaka-chan said that Aizawa-kun said that you guys were kissing in Beika Park!”

“Um... yeah...?” Ran said, wondering at what point her face would get so hot that her eyebrows caught fire.

“Finally!” Sonoko squealed, hugging Ran around the neck. “It's about time you two told each other how you felt! I mean, it's only been obvious to the world and their dog since you were six...”

“Sonoko... air...!” Ran gasped. Sonoko let go of her neck and did a little dance on the spot.

“Oh, but it's wonderful!” she sang. “I'm so happy for you two! Is he back for good yet?”

“No,” Ran said, looking down. “He... he still has to finish that case. But...” she smiled gently. “He promised that he'd be back for good when he did, and when that happens...”

“You'll get married?” Sonoko asked. Ran squeaked, feeling her face go supernova. Sonoko's jaw dropped. “Kami above, did he actually propose? I was joking...”

“Ummm... not quite...” Ran stuttered, “b-but it's... something I-I, I mean, and I-I kinda think he a-also, I mean, a-a-and...”

“So he's proposing when he gets back?” Sonoko breathed, staring at Ran for a long moment before going into squealy meltdown. “Oh, I hope he gets back soon! All right, girl, you owe me a full and detailed account of that date. Don't spare the details, even if they're R-rated!”

“Sonoko!” Ran groaned. Sonoko giggled madly, linking her arm through Ran's to drag her along for a long walk and talk.

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“You can come get him tomorrow evening,” the doctor said, shooing them away. “Visiting hours are over.”

“Just a moment,” Hakuba said, hanging back, “I need to ask him something.”

“You've been here five hours,” the doctor said crossly. “You couldn't have asked him before?”

“Probably not while the girls were here, no,” Kaito thought apprehensively as the English boy protested.

“Look, I just remembered right now. Kuroba,” he called, “when you get the chance... I think Kudo-sensei wants to talk to you about your father. All right, I'm going,” he said testily to the doctor, who seemed on the verge of physically removing him from the room.

“Kudo-sensei?” Kaito thought, remembering the uncannily perceptive writer- as uncannily perceptive as his son and nephew. “Must run in the Kudo blood.”

And if Kudo Yuusaku wanted to talk to him about his father, that meant only one thing. Kid. Kaito didn't know what exactly Kudo Yuusaku knew or proposed to do about it, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to. He forced himself not to watch his mother's heart monitors. He wasn't going to get anyone else hurt on his account. Besides, he already had good reason to believe that Kudo Yuusaku had already had some experience with the Syndicate, though it was unlikely that he knew it.

Kudo Shinichi had vanished off of the face of the earth less than a week after the clock tower heist. He hadn't just stopped solving cases- he had well and truly vanished, not listed as involved in a single case since, house deserted, and a hell of an absence rate at school. And according to a newspaper report of the last case that he'd solved, two of the rollercoaster's other occupants had vanished before the reporters could get their hands on them- “Two unidentified men in black”. Kaito had seen him since, so apparently the guy was alive, he just didn't seem to want anyone to notice- particularly the Syndicate

“He's done a hell of a job hiding himself, so I don't really want to ruin that by leading them straight to him,” Kaito thought. “I don't need to drag him in, anyway. I've stolen a hell of a lot of stuff over the past couple of years, and I've been careful not to steal anything that Otou-san already checked, so the list of potentials is pretty small by now. I'll have- and destroy- the Pandora soon enough, and then... being arrested won't really be a problem at that point, so it'll be easier for me to expose `em. I just need to run completely lone wolf for a while. I can do that. Afterwards... well, I'll deal with that when it comes. The hardest part'll be living through the wrath of Aoko and Nakamori-keibu. I... I can risk Aoko hating me forever. At least she'll be alive to do it.”

He thought of Aoko's “New Year's Party” with a half-smile.

“My last chance to shine as the good guy, huh?” he thought. “After I take on the night job full-time... I can't put off thinking about this any longer, things are never going to be the same between Aoko and me again. Worst case, she's irreparably hurt and never forgives me. And if she's capable of forgiving me... then we're not just friends anymore, are we? I won't be able to just mess around with her... or Koizumi and Hakuba... she's creepy and he's annoying, but they're friends, and I'm gonna miss them. I'm gonna miss Jii-chan- no way in hell I'm getting him even more mixed up in this, he threw his back out dangling from the hanglider at the Purple Nail heist, it's past time he retired. They're not after him and it's going to stay that way.” Kaito's jaw tightened.

“This is between me and the Syndicate. Snake wants to chase phantoms... he's getting a poltergeist.”

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“I do worry about him,” Akako said quietly after they'd seen Aoko to her apartment, heading towards their own houses. “I feel a great apprehension for the coming year. Some dark wave will break.”

“Really,” Hakuba said politely. She glared at him.

“I should warn you, Hakuba-kun,” she said darkly, “the path that you've put yourself on will put you too in the path of the wave. It will be a difficult wave to weather and almost impossible to ride. I fear that you will both drown. But it is not too late for you, at least, to turn back.”

“I'm afraid I must decline,” Hakuba said lightly. “What man, when walking the path of knowledge, would turn back to ignorance?”

“What you know, you cannot un-know,” Akako warned him, “and what has been done cannot be undone. There is always a price to know something, and it cannot be refunded.” She looked up at the sky, closing her eyes. “And the price is even greater to forget.”

“I'll take my chances on knowledge, thanks,” Hakuba said. “I wouldn't be a detective if I didn't. Sayonara.”

Akako watched him continue along the street, in the direction of his house, before passing through the gates of hers.

“You do not understand how high it may be, the price you will have to pay, Hakuba-kun,” she thought. “Still... I envy your courage. I have never been so brave. I would not be a witch if I was.”

That was what being a witch meant; you lost your sorrow, your pain, your fear- your memories. Lucifer took them all and gave you power. Eternity of youth and beauty and power... the most wonderful things are the most difficult to achieve. Lucifer came only to those souls who were in such pain and torment that they had plumbed the very depths of themselves and found, at the very core of their soul, not strength but the pure, deep longing to make it stop, however you could, any way you could. That desire called Lucifer, and this was your last chance: He could free you from your life, your memories, your pain, but the barrier between you and what he took could be broken by a single tear. The moment you cried a single tear, it would all come flooding back. Oh, you'd still have eternity, but it would be eternity trapped in your own worst memories and greatest fears, with the youkai that had once served you always whispering in your ear, bringing you ever more torment. There was no escape from that. Once you turned your back on Lucifer, He never returned.

“The dark wave continues to rise,” she thought, “and when it begins to break, people will die. The survivors will be torn apart, and I fear that they may not have the strength to withstand that...” then she laughed coldly. “Or perhaps not everyone is as weak as I. Kuroba-kun and Hakuba-kun... perhaps they will have the strength to survive and heal. If they do not...” She gripped her scarred wrist so tightly that the pale skin of her hand got even whiter as the circulation stopped. “I will strike them down myself before I see them damned to this purgatory.”

“You can't do it, can you? Life is too precious to you.”

“I will,” she thought stubbornly, brushing off her servant and heading to her room for an early night; perhaps her dreams could give her guidance. “I was weak for myself, but for them, perhaps... for them, could I be strong?”

The youkai watched her go with a worried face.

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No more exams for me! Holy crap, I'm in sixth year already... O_O There's midgets everywhere! T_T

XD yep, I'm a mystery-otaku as well, KageNoNeko.

Clearer now, FaithlessGirl?

I think I may have, Pretztailfan95 XD... I did it early on in the fic, too. I don't know if anyone noticed, but in chapter 3, Hazel mentions a “murder mystery manga that [Charlotte] always reads” where the main character is a detective kid in glasses XD No, I didn't name Nakamori Ginzo. His given name was mentioned when he first appeared in Meitantei Conan, at the start of the Black Star heist. I've... never heard of Jinzo. Is it from Yu-Gi-Oh or something? I KNOW YOU REVIEWED THE WRONG CHAPTER! But both reviews were basically the same so I sorta answered them together. ^_^; ooooh, there's fanart? I'd better look those up on DA. I wish I had fanarts! :P NOOOO! DON'T BE DEMOTIVATED! BRING BAACK YOUR MUSES! Mine come back if I offer them cookies and AMVs. Fear not, Heiji shall return soon! Eventually... btw, if you want epic responses, leave epic comments like Girl Wonder 2005 XD

In fact, Mel72000, the next chapter is... now! XD

The meeting WILL happen, HaibaraDaiFan, it's just that a lot of other stuff has to happen first... Something big's happening soon, though. ^_- Here's your new chapter- bring on more Little Secrets! It's a well-written, intriguing and all-round cool fic. If you like good fic- READ IT!

Not likely to happen anytime soon, Lifawn :P Especially since creativity loves ice-cream cake ^_-

Wow, three long reviews from Girl Wonder 2005... I know you probably won't read this for a bit, but I'll answer anyway :) The guy was an 800-year-old mummy called “The Crusader”, although he was dead before the Crusades began, and shaking his hand supposedly brings good luck... although you don't ACTUALLY shake his hand because it'll fall off :P You just rub his finger. It had a shiny bit from so many people rubbing it. It just felt like polished wood, not really creepy at all. Are we putting mangaka on the electoral cycle now? O.o Feels great to be nominated, though! *hugs* Now if only I could DRAW... XD I'm glad you love it. I'd love to be a proper writer in the future. I wanted a chance to put a little American drama into it because I'm American, and I'm glad it wove in so well and didn't seem unnatural. What can I say, I'm obsessed XD Kaito, at this point, doesn't know anything about Toichi and Yuusaku's relationship other than that they were rivals and had met a couple of times in civilian life... but there's a lot more to it that only Yuusaku knows. Yuusaku already pretty much knew that Kid was Kaito, although he may have suspected that it was Jii early on. He's a little out of the loop, being in America all of the time, but not as much as Shinichi probably thinks he is. This fic is set a decent amount of time after the current point of the manga, and throughout Shinichi's returns he's grown a little less reticent with information, so I suppose sooner or later he'd crack and give her at least a semblance of the truth to placate her, though he's far from telling her the whole story. Well, that's how I see it. Everyone takes it a little differently- glad you love it all the same. :) On the other hand, I don't know if I'll change Snake's alcoholic codename... Gin's implied that alcohol codenames are only given to high-ranking or trusted members, and I figured he'd be that to be in charge of the Kid hunt. I envisioned him as a member who hires and then very literally fires criminals from outside of the Organization to do their dirty work (Somewhat like Nightmare from the Black Knight arc of Magic Kaito) and probably uses a different codename for each one (he's mentioned with both the codenames Snake and Jackal, so I assumed there'd be more). I know “Sake” is general for alcohol, but I picked it because it sounded like Snake, which was his manga name, and I figured that a generalized name would suffice for a guy who, between Kids, does fairly low-level work for the Organization. To be completely honest, I picked the name at random and it stuck in my mind. I'm not sure if I could get used to calling him anything else :P

I do not claim to own any of the characters in Meitantei Conan. They are the intellectual property of Aoyama Gosho. All characters, couples and locations, if Canon, will be faithful to the manga, so if you're into fics with weird pairings like Shinichi and Heiji, the back button is at the top there. The fic may not make sense if you have not read up to chapter 694, which you can do at a site called (read between the lines) O/n/e/ma/n/g/a, but I advise you to buy the official Tankoban novels (up to volume 29 are out in English at the time of writing) so that Aoyama-sensei can afford to continue gracing us with his imagination. Now, I hope you enjoy the fic! (If you don't, please see my previous comments re the back button).