Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ When Pandora's Box Is Opened ❯ Unmasking ( Chapter 55 )

Chapter Fifty-Five

Unmasking

“Dammit, I am going to learn to do this if it kills me...” Eri thought, staring at the fish on the chopping board.

“Hello...? Oh, Kisaki-san! Forgive me, your door was open...”

“No problem,” Eri said encouragingly, though her heart had jumped when Edogawa Fumiyo had appeared behind her. “How are you, Edogawa-san?”

“Fine, fine...” Fumiyo sighed. “Worried about Conan-chan, of course... where is he, anyway?” Eri could not help watching her critically. Her worry for Conan seemed so genuine, but...

“Whoever she is, I'm certain that she's not Edogawa Conan's mother. The most important thing, until we can determine who she really is, is to keep her from being alone with Conan-kun...”

“He went to Tropical Land with some friends,” she said, turning back to the chopping board, clutching the knife. “He's been there several times in the past, so you never know...”

“How're you doing, Okaa-san... oh, Fumiyo-san!” Ran said in surprise, returning from her room where she'd gone to fetch a bag of shopping. “Are you looking for Conan-kun?”

“Well, yes,” Fumiyo said, chewing her lip slightly. “I haven't really been able to spend much time with him, and since it was a Sunday I was hoping to go out with him, just a little mother-son time...”

“That would be nice!” Ran said. At the suggestion of Fumiyo being alone with Conan, however, Eri slammed the knife down wrong, and the fish's head shot through the air, towards Fumiyo.

“Oh, look out!” she cried, reaching for the fish-with the hand holding the knife. It grazed past Fumiyo's cheek. “Oh, Kami! Fumiyo-san, I'm so sorry, I...” she trailed off, staring at the cut on Fumiyo's face.

“Fumiyo-san!” Ran said in shock. “Your face is... peeling...”

Fumiyo raised her hand to the peeling cut on her cheek, the real skin visible under the cut suddenly going very pale white. “I...”

“That's a mask,” Eri said, clutching the knife. “You're not Edogawa Fumiyo! Who are you, really? Why are you here?”

“What's going on?” Ran said, staring at Fumiyo. She stared at them, her eyes widening, her hand clutching at her cut cheek.

“I didn't lie to you, not really,” she whispered finally. “I'm so sorry...” then her voice broke, and she ran.

“Wait!” Eri cried, running after her. Ran was running too.

“Okaa-san, what's going on?” she cried, following Fumiyo- or whoever she was.

“I don't know, but she's not Edogawa Fumiyo!” Eri replied. “That's a mask...”

“But Hattori-kun said...” Ran said, sounding horrified. “That the one who kidnapped Conan-kun... was a disguise artist as good as Kid...”

“Which means she might be...” Eri realized, ignoring the people that scattered as she and Ran chased Fumiyo. She vaguely registered that she was still holding the knife. “Well, if that woman intends to harm another hair on that child's head...”

Fumiyo was surprisingly fast for a woman of her size; but then, as Eri remembered, she was in disguise- she may well be a considerably smaller and fitter woman. And where had she heard that voice before-?

“Stop!” Ran cried, reaching out to grab her arm. Fumiyo jerked out of her grasp, shedding the long coat- and several rolls of padding- to reveal that she was, indeed, a considerably smaller woman in a pink dress. “Who are you? What do you want with Conan-kun?!”

Eri ran around in front of Fumiyo as she slowed. Fumiyo froze as she too realized that Eri still had the knife. “We want some answers. We heard that the one who kidnapped Conan-kun was a disguise specialist...”

Fumiyo blinked. “No- well, she was, but... that was Sharon-chan, not me. I just wanted... to watch over him...”

“What do you mean?” Ran said, confused. “Sharon... Vineyard?”

“That voice... it's not Edogawa Fumiyo's, it's...” Eri frowned. Then she realized where she had seen Fumiyo's face before- Teitan High, back when she was a student. An English teacher of whom everyone had been fond. And her biggest fan had been...

“I mean... I didn't lie to you, not really,” Fumiyo said sadly, reaching up under her cheek. “I just...” she pulled the mask down, revealing...

“Yuki-chan?!” Eri said in shock. Ran gasped in surprise.

“What... why...?” she muttered. “We thought you'd gone back to America...”

“We...” Yukiko said, looking down. Tears were starting to spill out of her eyes.

“Yukiko? Oh... shouldn't you ladies hold this conversation inside?”

Eri whipped around in surprise as Yuusaku appeared out of the house behind her- the Kudo's house, she realized. Yukiko had run for home...

“What is going on?” she demanded shakily. “Yuusaku-kun... Yuki-chan... why are you...?”

“We'll tell you,” Yuusaku said firmly, handing Yukiko a handkerchief and leading her into Agasa-Hakase's, “Inside.”

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“Ojisan?” Conan said, poking the man in the side to wake him up. He was snoring on his desk when Conan had returned, and Eri and Ran were nowhere to be seen. “Ojisan!”

THUMP

“Owww...” Conan complained, clutching his head where Kogoro had thumped it. “Let sleeping dogs lie...”

“What do you want, brat?” he yawned. “You're back early...”

“It's five o' clock, ojisan,” Conan pointed out. “Where's obasan and Ran-neechan?”

“What, they're not here?” Kogoro groaned, wandering up the stairs to peer into the apartment. “Weird... maybe they stepped out to buy dinner stuff. Ran's been trying to teach Eri to cook all day... beating a dead horse, in my opinion...”

“Hmmm...” Conan was disappointed. He had been preoccupied for the rest of the afternoon with the weird images- hallucinations- memories- whatever they were. He'd been confused and jumpy all afternoon, but somehow the thought of coming home and seeing Ran-neechan had been comforting...

But now he was alone in the apartment while Kogoro went back down to the office, grumbling complaints about what they were going to do for dinner. He felt suddenly frightened, and lonely. He kept thinking that he was going to see those cold green eyes...

As he passed the kitchen, he saw the bottle lying on the countertop: an empty liquor bottle probably left there by Kogoro. The label said...

Gin.

“Sayonara, Meitantei...”

“Ten seconds, and it'll blow...”

“If we fail, no-one will know anyway... that's how we work...”

“Let's send her to join her sister...”

The cold green eyes and the barrel of a gun sending shivers down his spine because this is a killer, a cold-blooded killer, coming for him and not just him, he'll kill everyone around him, Agasa-Hakase and his parents and Ran...

Kogoro ran up to the apartment when he heard the screaming, to find Conan, curled up, staring at someone only he could see, screaming as if he was being torn apart. When he grabbed Conan's shoulders, shaking his little body in an attempt to snap him out of it, Conan collapsed, passing out, whimpering as his fears turned to nightmares.

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Ai stopped dead in her tracks as she and Agasa-Hakase returned to the lab. Ran and her mother were sitting on the couch across from Yuusaku and Yukiko, all silent, Yukiko a little red-eyed.

“Yuusaku-kun, what's-?” Agasa-Hakase said in surprise.

“We're not going anywhere until you tell us exactly why Yuki-chan is masquerading as Conan-kun's mother,” Eri said firmly. “What happened to the real woman?”

“That's...” Yukiko said uneasily. Ai felt her heart stop.

“Crap... they caught her out... how do we get out of this?” she thought.

“Yuusaku... I think we should...” Yukiko began.

“I know how you feel,” Yuusaku said. “And... at this point, maybe you're right.”

“Yuusaku-kun, you mean you're going to-?” Agasa-Hakase said in surprise.

“There's nothing to be gained by hiding it anymore, and it certainly won't help him to keep them in the dark,” Yuusaku replied.

“What are you talking about?” Eri asked, evidently confused.

“Conan-kun,” Ran suddenly said, staring into her cup. “Are you finally going to tell me, once and for all? Tell me whether my crazy suspicions are true or not? After all, you said that you hadn't lied about why you were there... and you said that you were there to watch over your son...”

“No!” Ai screamed angrily. All of the adults stared at the diminutive scientist in shock. “You can't! Dammit, he did so much work, he went through so much, just to keep you safe... have you any idea how much danger you're all in-” her gaze swept across Agasa, Yuusaku and Yukiko accusingly- “just by knowing that any of this exists at all?! Do you have any idea what it would do to him if...” she stared at Ran, tears pooling in her eyes.

“The last thing he wants is to see you dead, and you know what?” she said, her voice breaking. “I feel exactly the same. Can't you just forget about it? The strange coincidences and the weird suspicions... can't you tell yourself that that's all it is? Or do you want to destroy everything that he suffered for? And me... I.. I just don't want to see Them kill you too... like... onee-chan...”

“Ai-chan?” Ran whispered, standing up. Eri was looking somewhere between thoroughly bewildered and deeply thoughtful, as if she didn't understand a bit of what was going on but would get there if you gave her a few minutes.

“Just forget about it!” she sobbed angrily. “Like him... both of you... just forget it, and be safe... please...”

“Ai-kun...” Agasa said nervously, kneeling next to her. To Ai's surprise, however, it was not his arms that wrapped comfortingly around her, but Ran's. The older girl held Ai close to her, rubbing her back slightly as Ai tried not to cry.

“You too, right?” she whispered. “Whatever happened to Shinichi happened to you too... you poor girl...”

“I...” Ai could only sob harder. “I don't want pity! I don't want acceptance!” her mind screamed. “All I want is for you to be safe... don't...” but somehow, Ran's embrace reminded her so strongly of her sister's, of the close hugs every time Akemi came to visit her...

“Onee-chan! You came again”

“Of course!” Warm arms, holding her tight, making her feel secure, safe. “I missed you.”

Loved.

Ai couldn't resist Ran's caring any more than she could her sister's; nor, in the very base of her memory, the almost forgotten arms of her mother. All she remembered was that feeling of unconditional love, of being safe no matter what...

“Nothing is safe!” her mind screamed. “Nothing is safe from Them! It's just a fairy tale, and fairy tales... they don't ever come true. You know that.”

“Please,” she whispered through the sobs. “Please, just go...”

“I can't, Ai-chan,” Ran whispered. “I can't just abandon someone that I love. I can't let him go. I have to know. I realize that, whatever it is... he wouldn't keep it from me like this, not if it was nothing major... I know that it must be serious, and dangerous, but... well, I signed up for that the day I met that mystery-otaku.” Out of the corner of her eye, Ai could see a sad, forced smile. Just like...

“I'll be fine, I swear!”

“You'll die,” Ai whispered.

“I don't think so,” Ran said. “I'm not afraid, Ai-chan. If he died, there wouldn't be anything here for me more valuable than what's waiting on the other side. I'm not afraid, Ai-chan... I'd rather get angry.” She held Ai back a little, smiling down at her. “If anyone wants to kill him, they'll have to go through me... and trust me, it is not going to be easy for them.” Tears were pooling at the corners of her eyes now, and her smile was thin, but in those eyes Ai could see a hardness, a sudden fire that had ignited at the thought that Kudo Shinichi was in danger and was now burning bright and strong. That kind of rage... it was powerful enough to drive fists through concrete, and since Ran could do that anyway...

“I've personally well-developed my own crazy suspicions by this point,” she faintly heard Eri mutter, “but I'll keep them on hold until I've heard the story.”

“Please, Ai-chan,” Ran whispered, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. That was what did it for Ai. At that moment, everything was falling apart, and all she wanted to do was the only thing she could do; stop those tears.

“Don't cry, onee-chan, please,” she whispered. “I mean... Ran-neechan.”

“You can call me onee-chan if you want,” Ran said, smiling comfortingly. “You said you had a sister... and she died...?”

“They killed her,” Ai replied quietly. “I... miss her.”

“I was planning to tell you soon, Ran-chan, if he didn't regain his memory,” Yukiko sighed, “but... Ai-chan, are you up to it, or should I...?”

“No, I can do it,” Ai insisted. To her surprise, Ran picked her up, cradling her against her side and carrying her over to the couch.

“I don't know how old you really are,” she said, “but right now, I think anyone could use a hug, hmmm?”

“A... Arigato,” Ai croaked, leaning against her, clinging desperately to her like a frightened child- “Which, right now, I guess I am.” She cleared her throat, clearing away the roughness left by her crying fit. “Okay. It's kind of a long story- a really long story- but for now I guess we'll just clear up the most basic point. You know that Edogawa Conan is actually... Kudo Shinichi?”

“Yes,” Ran replied softly. “I think I always knew, somehow, no matter what “proof” he came up with to the contrary...”

“And my real name... is Miyano Shiho,” Ai said. She took a deep breath. “I guess it all starts with the Black Organization, and the drug that they commissioned me to develop. It's codenamed APTX 4869- The Prototype Detective...”

“I'm going to put a little more tea on,” Agasa muttered, heading for the kitchen. “This really is a long story.”

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Well, it's all very literally in front of Eri now, FaithlessGirl... cut Jodie some slack, it's not like she knows all the facts... Well, there's been some form of breakthrough here...

It was later, Kayla Edogawa, because I was out all day at a course about teaching English as a foreign language, which ran from 9-6, so I posted the chapter late in the evening instead of midmorning like I usually do. But now I'm qualified to teach English in any country in the world! TO JAPAN! Well, they won't give me a posting until I'm 21, but still. ^_^; Apparently they're so desperate for English teachers in Japan that they throw in a free flat and everything. Being paid to live in Japan? Haud me back! XD Sorry to scare you! I'm ALIVE! I've seen quite a few Saguru shrinking stories too, yeah, and a couple of Kaito... and there's endless chibi-Kaito fanart, too... It's so cute! ^_^ I just can't stand the English voices in most anime. Studio Ghibli seem to be the only ones to get decent English voice actors. Besides, I ADORE Kappei Yamaguchi (Kaito and Shinichi)! ^_^ I think Lupin and Holmes only met twice originally, both in the first two Arsene Lupin novels... then the lawyers intervened and they never met again until they both entered the public domain in the eighties. Now you can't keep them apart XD Personally, I always root for Kai- err, Lupin... XD

You're welcome, Mel72000! ^_-

Ai and Agasa clearly have plenty on their plate, JapaneseAnimeFreak16.... I think Gin IS where the sun don't shine... well, it certainly seems to be what the BO are going for... Well, a houseboat probably counts XD

I know, it's confusing, AngelRoy/International DCFanficNut 1207. Gomen!

Arigato, Chou Ni Natte! ^_^ I don't think I could stretch this to over 700 chapters, though XD

Akako knows because Lucifer basically confirmed it for her, KageNoNeko... and Conan's memory is coming back all the time...

Your prediction came true, Sharishima! Ambush WITH A KNIFE! XD Guess it was Eri, not Jodie that cornered her... and Ai and Agasa have some `splaining to do once again... XD Korn should have checked out Sato's driving skills before messing with her car XD Hmm, a tiny Heiji of terror, huh...? XD

The truth is spreading, Marie Ravenclaw...

He's not going to be the first to know who he is, Desperatembrace... MESSING WITCHA HEEEEAD! *is shot* XD And chapter 701 is... still not here. WHAT THE HELL, DCTP? WHEN WILL IT BE HEEEEREEEE? T_T I remember the ending of InuYasha... it was so bittersweet. I mean, Naraku was dead, all was well with the world, which were reasons for happiness, but... NO MORE IY! NOT EVER! No new chapter to read every week... no cliffhangers to scream over... no new plot points to brew over and create fics about... It's so sad! T_T I need chocolate to feel better... no, wait, will not abuse power, not even for chocolate... will not, will not, will not, will... chooocolate... *drools*

Bit long-winded, A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Mortals and tired people, Yuki Taiki XD Up at six AM four days in a row! T_T I'm a night person! I can't do this... T_T There's a big piece coming out today...

*drags Kairi922 out of cave* I need to know what reviewers like you make of this chapter! I fully intend for both Gin and Ai to get precisely what they deserve... after stealing some of the stuff he does, I suppose charges of voyeurism don't look like much XD seriously, though, can you blame the poor boy for getting lonely? He's been through so much... (you put him through half of it!) I actually think that's more down to Aoko than him... she's such a sweetie ^_^ Well... Ai is about to spill... just not to Conan... ^_^; Nothing worth having ever comes easily XD

Pretztailfan95! DON'T GOOOOOO! T_T Where are you going on holiday, anyway? Most people do not list “shrinking” first among their rational possibilities for any given situation, you know... XD HikariPachi, Pretz-chan is trying to torture you... *shoots* Psycho alert! XD *gets mental image of Jack Nicholson stalking Heiji with an axe* XD I can live without Arceus. It's a horse with too many legs and a wheel stuck through its middle. It looks like a mediaeval traffic accident XD MEW AND CHARIZARD STILL OWN ALL! Don't scare away my reviewers! I wanna know what they think of this bombshell! T_T It's how some have been referring to the mystery person Yuusaku was talking to a few chapters back...

You made it, Yoshimi Kuroskai! AND YOU UNDERSTOOD THE DOCTOR WHO REFERENCES! :D So many American and French reviewers, so many who do not understand... :D Wake up! There's an update! But do get some sleep. Shinichi would be very disappointed if you failed at football XD

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 698, 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 30 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).