Conjour's Masqurade (10/?)
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dcmk_yaoiStory Information:
Title: Conjour's Masquerade
Authour: Saitaina
Rating: R (chapter)/NC-17 (full story)
Characters: Kuroba Kaito, Hakuba Saguru, Koizumi Akako, Edogowa Conan/Kudo Shinichi, Kuroba Mika (Kaito's Mother), Jii, Nakamori Aoko, Nakamori Ginzo, Edward St. Claire, Pierre Lemont, Ask, Eva, Pan, Kuma, Honua, Bohdona, Edogowa Kiden, Leif, Kidoko.
Pairings: Kuroba Kaito/Hakuba Saguru, Edogowa Conan/Koizumi Akako, Kuroba Mika/Jii, Nakamori Aoko/Pierre Lemont, Kuroba Kaito/Edogowa Kiden/Hakuba Saguru, Eden/Ask, Eva/Pan, Kuma/Honua, Nakamori Ginzo/Nakamori Maria
Summary: It's been seven years, since the death of Kaitou Kid, but there is still one thing out there, Kaito and Kiden left un-finished.
WARNINGS: Sex, death, illness, MAGIC, blood/gore, slight religious content later.
Previous Stories: Magician's Waltz, Ilusionist's Ball.
Previous Chapters: Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III, Chapter IV, Chapter V, Chapter VI, Chapter VII, Chapter VIII.
Chapter Information:
Title: Birth and Death
Summary: Someone's born...and a lot of fears of people dying.
Chapter 10: Birth and Death
"Birth and death are not two different states, but they are different aspects of the same state. There is as little reason to deplore the one as there is to be pleased over the other.
– Mahatma Ghandi
"So, where are you guys now?" Kiden asked, scratching at the back of his neck as he watched Charcoal bat a cotton ball around the living room.
"In line somewhere behind Kaito and Saguru, security is being slower then molasses in St. Petersburg on checking people in," came Eva's voice, sounding as exasperated as Kiden had ever heard her in their seven years of acquaintance.
Kiden had to smirk at that, rather pleased he had managed to avoid security…and customs upon his return to Japan. A tiny, very miniscule part of him felt bad for leaving the rest of his team behind to deal with the hassles, but the rest of him just found it that damn amusing. "When does the flight leave?"
"In an hour, so we should be through by then…if we're lucky, but if not, at least we're all in the same boat since I can see the back of Kaito's head and that means they're no closer,"
"I guess I'll see you in a day then,"
"Thirteen hours, Kiden, and you had better be there to pick us up,"
"Right, right…I'll be there…or something like that,"
"KIDEN!"
"Joking, yeesh, get some sugar or something, you're grumpy," Kiden said, hanging up on Eva's latest rant, turning as he heard Akako enter the room. "Good evening Lit…" Kiden trailed off, his eyes widening at the large stain spreading across Akako's night dress. "Holy shit!"
"That was my thought," Akako said, clutching her rounded stomach.
--
Kiden could no longer feel his thigh. He wasn't sure when this had started to occur, though he was quite sure he had a thigh nine hours ago, but right now, he was questioning that and the fact that he knew he was bleeding where his not-thigh was, was not helping him decide if he actually still had a thigh or not.
"Breath, Little Miss,"
"Fuck you, I'll hold my breath if I damn well…mother fucker!" Akako screamed, clenching her fingers deeper into Kiden's thigh, nails digging through the already torn denim and deeper into the flesh beneath, body arching as another contraction hit her.
"Can't we give her anything?!" Kiden asked of the mid-wife, not for the first time that evening, as he tried to pry Akako's hand from his body, giving up to instead wipe more sweat from Akako's brow, shoving ice chips into her mouth as she moved to speak.
"Not here we can't," the mid-wife replied without looking up from her tasks, ignoring Akako's choking on the ice chips to lift the blanket. "Good, good, almost there…you're fully dilated so it'll be anytime now. On your next contraction, I want you to give a good, hard push."
"I'm not pushing! Where's Conan, he promised he'd be here, he swore he'd be home in time!"
"He's somewhere over the Atlantic, Little Miss. Or the Pacific…or whatever ocean is in between Cairo and Japan…and I need that!" Kiden finally pried Akako's hand off of his thigh, allowing her to instead, crush his hand as the contractions hit again. "Remember what the nice woman said, push now,"
"Go fuck yourself!" Akako yelled, squeezing on Kiden's hand as she pushed, crying out at the end from the pain.
"And rest," the midwife said, grabbing Akako's leg as the witch tried to kick her, happily humming as she readied the baby's first bath."
"Akako…"
"Not doing it, this fucking brat can just rot for all I care," Akako growled, glaring as Kiden shoved a towel into her mouth, again pushing as the contraction started all over again.
Kiden didn't have time to count how long it took, too busy trying to keep Akako quiet and pushing, but soon his world was narrowed down to the focus of watching Akako and watching the edge of the blanket, waiting for the first movements of life.
When it finally came, Kiden ran to the end of the bed, peeking down at the small, bloody body in the mid-wife's hands, grinning as the tiny face of his niece turned a bright purple, before the baby let her displeasure be known to the world.
He held the baby carefully as she was bathed; making faces at the beautiful little child. After the mid-wife had wrapped her in a blanket, Kiden gently lifted up the girl, holding her close amazed that something so perfect had come from Akako and his brother.
"Mind giving me my daughter?" Akako asked dryly, smiling as Kiden fawned over the baby.
Kiden nodded, giving his niece a kiss, before placing the baby in her mother's arms. "What are you going to name her?"
"Conan and I haven't decided," Akako said, brushing her fingers through the auburn strands of hair faintly crowning her daughter's head. "But I think…Shiho," she said softly, allowing the tiny child to grip one of her fingers. "What do you think? Think you should be Shiho?" she asked the baby who yawned, blinking up at them curiously.
--
"You shouldn't be up," Kiden said grumpily, gently bouncing the sleeping baby slung across his chest.
"And you shouldn't be anywhere, dead man," Akako countered, watching the skies in front of them for the smallest hint of the plane they were waiting for. She was still in pain, but she wanted to see Conan, the months apart from him miserable for the witch.
Kiden had to smile, gently stroking Shiho's hair. "You should at least sit down,"
"Bite me, thief," Akako said, moving closer to the large windows, her eyes focusing on a small, distant plane. "What time is it?"
"Ten minutes until landing time," Kiden said, shifting Shiho to check his watch.
"Good," Akako whispered, her eyes trained on the plane that she could now recognize as an EgyptAir flight by its tale colours as it started its approach.
Others in the gate noticed the plane's approach and started moving around, gathering their belongings and getting ready to greet their loved ones. Two little kids were pressed against the window, and thus the first to get hit by the concussive blast, as the plane that was taxing in from the landing run-way exploded.
Kiden clutched Shiho tight to his chest, holding Akako around the waist as he struggled to keep his feet. In the echoing silence of shock, he could hear the plastic sound of Shiho's baby carrier hitting the floor and spinning, coming to rest on its side, a doll falling out.
Screams sounded as people rushed for the cracked windows, desperate to see what was going on, if their loved ones were still out there. Kiden couldn't move, a death grip on Akako's waist as he watched the flames of the ruined plane.
Akako shifted, dragging Kiden over to the chairs, forcing him to sit, to look away from the wreckage as she fumbled her ringing cell phone out of Shiho's diaper bag, the sirens of the airport fire-trucks reaching them.
As night fell over the airport, Kiden watched Akako nurse, his leg jiggling, the only sign of his nervousness. Most of the families had gone home, unable to do anything while the officials recovered bodies from the plane…if there were any left. A handful of families and loved ones remained, those still waiting.
It had taken a while to get the full story, but an accident in Cairo had left some of those who were supposed to fly on the now shattered plane stranded until the next flight. Ten passengers who had escaped the fate shared by hundreds. It was only due to Eva's quick planning that Kiden even had half of his team and his family coming back, with only Kuma and Honua dying.
Kiden had no doubts as to why there was a smoking ruin of a plane outside their window.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, EgyptAir flight 18358 has landed at gate 17. Please proceed carefully to pick up your loved ones," a young woman said bowing to the waiting group.
Kiden stood, offering a hand to Akako as the pair made their way to the named gate, worry easily visible on Akako's face as she scanned the departing passengers. She gave a cry, running and throwing herself on Conan, clinging to the young teen even as they both crashed to the floor, tears streaming down her face.
Kiden kept himself in the background, once more holding Shiho (thankfully, lest she be crushed between her parent's embrace), watching the group as they sorted themselves out, keeping out of sight of Kaito and Saguru as he waited for the three remaining members of his team.
Ask wheeled himself away from Eva, easily maneuvering around crying and hugging groups of people, pausing next to Kiden long enough to sneer at the small baby in his arms before heading for the elevator to move down to the baggage claim, Pan following the teenager silently, though he shot Kiden a look of annoyance.
"Problems?" Kiden asked Eva as she dropped her carry on, collapsing on top of the duffle bag, eagerly pulling off her heels.
"Your boyfriend is an annoying, hormonal asshole," Eva stated, dangling her heels by the straps, wiggling her toes to stretch them out.
"So…nothing new?" Kiden asked with a grim smile, not really feeling the urge, but knowing it was expected.
Eva made an agreeing noise before sighing. "Two down," she muttered, standing and picking up her bag.
"Six to go," Kiden added, glancing at the smoke that was visible even from his position, before shaking his head. "Let's go,"
Eva nodded, taking all of five steps before jerking around, an arm grabbing Akako's. "Yes?"
"My daughter?" Akako said, jerking her arm out of Eva's grasp.
Kiden blinked, before glancing down at Shiho, having forgotten he had been holding the small girl. "Right, sorry," Kiden said, placing a small kiss on Shiho's forehead before offering the girl to Akako, carefully sliding the diaper bag up the new mother's arm before shoving his hands into his pockets. He watched Akako walk away, a small sigh escaping him before he shook his head, turning and heading for the escalator.
---
"She'll see you now," the receptionist said, bowing towards Conan and gesturing to the office door behind her.
Conan stood, holding Shiho close as he stepped into the darkly lit office, smiling softly at he woman at the desk. Ran was bent over what appeared to be a good foot's worth of paperwork, occasionally marking a page before turning it.
"Please, sit down," Ran said distractedly, waving at the client chair across from her desk, not looking up at Conan as she finished off the page she had been working on before paper clipping the 'done' pile together and placing them on the rest.
Conan sat, gently rocking Shiho as he waited for Ran's attention, his heart thundering in his chest, anticipating and anxiety thick on his tongue. He had waited a long time for this meeting, and almost couldn't believe it was actually here.
"Conan, it's been a long time," Ran said with a smile, before pushing away from desk and crossing over to the teenager, bending down to give him a gentle hug, mindful of the baby in his arms. "You've grown a great deal, and whose baby is this?" Ran asked peering at Shiho's sleeping face.
"This is Shiho, Shinichi and Akako's daughter," Conan said softly, not able to look up at Ran's face.
"Oh," Ran said, her face falling a bit before she rallied, gently brushing a finger over Shiho's cheek. "H…How is Shinichi?"
"He's fine," Conan said, swallowing thickly. "Ran…I…we…" Conan sighed, closing his eyes tightly. "Ran, I've lied to you."
"Lied? About what, Conan?" Ran asked as she took her seat again, folding her fingers under her chin.
"About that." Conan said, reaching up with a hand to remove his glasses. He ignored the start of Ran's new question, speaking over her. "My name is not Edogowa Conan, it never was. I gave you that name because I was caught off guard…and well, I couldn't use my own." He finally looked up, blue eyes staring intently at Ran's face. "My name is Kudo Shinichi."
Ran blinked slowly, before letting a giggle escape her. "Oh Conan, I know you're trying to cheer me up, but don't worry, I'm fine! Shinichi's been gone for a long while now, and if he's happy, then so am I." She gave Conan a fond smile that slowly faded as Conan's expression didn't change.
"I'm not kidding around, Ran. I was Kudo Shinichi, son of Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Yukiko. That night, when we went to Tropical Land the last time, I ran into a case that…well, let's just say it was a case I couldn't solve," Conan paused to gather his thoughts, noticing Ran's eyes had narrowed. He wasn't sure if she was putting together the pieces, or debating calling for mental health help for him, but either way, he was determined to press on.
"You were close to the truth at one point, when you had suggested that that Doctor Agasa had created something to make me shrink, except, that unfortunately, it wasn't Doctor Agasa that had created it. It was a criminal organization who had done so. A poison created in the search for immortality, designed to be un-identifiable and un-traceable, except for the lucky few that it left alive."
"Left…alive?" Ran asked softly.
"There are only two that I know of, victims who survived the poison. For some reason, a side-effect was discovered, instead of dying, we simply…de-aged. In us, the poison had the desired effect, if not the desired cause. We returned to being seven and eight years old respectively in all but our minds and some of our hormones."
"Who was…the other person?" Ran asked, growing more and more curious about the situation, though her temper was also starting to grow. All those times she had suspected, even confronted him…and he lied to her, pushed her off, conned her.
"Her name when she was an adult was Minyano Shiho. During her life, she was a member of the same criminal organization that shrunk me, in fact, she created the poison. When her sister was killed by the same organization, A…er, Shiho she stopped her research, her work on the poison until they told her what had happened to Akemi…"
"Minyano Akemi?" Ran asked the name familiar to her, though she couldn't remember why.
Conan nodded, holding baby Shiho closer. "Yes, she was the girl that came to us to find her missing father, but was later discovered as a bank robber,"
"Oh…OH! She was…shot, wasn't she?"
Conan nodded again, lowering his head, remembering the burn of his first real failure, and all the pain that that had caused. "She had tried to escape, to gain her sister's freedom in exchange for the stolen money…unfortunately; all it got her was killed. And they never gave her a reason for Akemi's death. All she got was a death sentence, so in the end, it didn't matter what the poison did to her. Kill her, shrink her…it all meant the same end to her, and just…staying there, meant an even worse death. She escaped, and came to me, the only living survivor at the time of the poison."
"Who was she after?" Ran asked, almost breathless, hoping and dreading at the same time the name Conan would reveal.
"Haibara Ai," Conan whispered.
Ran lowered her head, her fears confirmed. She had always noticed something…off about Ai, something so similar to Conan, but nothing she could put her finger on. In the beginning, before she got to know the girl (well, before Ai let Ran get to know her), Ran had suspected that Ai was suffering from some form of abuse. Between her father's job on the police force, his job as a detective, and her mother's criminal cases, Ran wasn't unfamiliar with the symptoms some children displayed. Detachment, fears of strangers and intimacy, the lack of contact and expression normal for her age-group…so many signs had been there, waving their arms for attention.
And yet…and yet it all made sense, it a twisted way that made Ran's stomach twist. Ai had been abused, not by a parent or a teacher (though she suspected that some charges could be laid at parties that answered to one or both of those titles, considering how she was raised), but by her colleagues, her friends…if she had anyone she could call such a thing. She had been abused in the most base of ways, by the people she should have been able to trust.
It was no wonder it had taken so long for Ai to even give Ran the slightest bit of consideration, if everyone she cared about at all had left or betrayed her so horribly.
"They killed her, didn't they?" Ran asked softly, already knowing the answer. "That's why she died, and why no one could explain it. They used that…crap on her again."
Conan shrugged as best he could while holding the baby. "I don't know what they used on her, but yes, they killed her…and I couldn't stop them." He took a breath, calming the rage that still came when he thought of how the Organization had left Shiho's body, laying in her bed, as if she had just been sleeping…left that cold, lifeless shell for Agasa to find.
"That is why I left when I did, I couldn't…I couldn't stay. I was so afraid, so afraid and so angry. I didn't want to hurt you, and I didn't want them to hurt you. I thought that if they found her, then they could so much more easily find me and if they found me…"
"You thought they find me," Ran finished, letting out a sigh, realizing just how close she could have come. She then raised her head, confusion replacing the sudden fear. "But…if you're, well, you…what about all those times when you appeared in those years?"
Conan couldn't help a small, slightly bitter smile. "Luck." He said, before shaking his head. "Ai had been working on an antidote to the poison almost as soon as she shrunk. All of her research and belongings…her whole lab had been burnt to the ground, and every contact she had that held pieces of her data were either killed or the data was destroyed, but we managed. Small steps, small clues lead us to a temporary antidote…experimental." Conan tilted his head back in thought, staring up at Ran's office ceiling, trying to remember details he hadn't thought of in ages.
"It was risky, an error here or there…even the smallest one, could have killed me. The antidote required several key factors, the first, being that the person ingesting the antidote has to be sick, usually a cold. The second is alcohol. You have to have some form of alcohol, either via that antidote, or simply drinking it." Conan smiled in memory, bringing his attention back to Ran.
"Remember when Heiji first came to the detective agency?" When Ran confirmed she did, Conan continued. "He had brought your father a bottle of Baignar, but gave me a glass instead to help me 'cure' my cold. The two key factors were there and hence, Kudo Shinichi."
"So all those times…you had taken an antidote?"
"Most, though some were others pretending to be me for various reasons, mostly Kaitou Kid,"
Ran nodded, Shinichi's more…odd appearances suddenly explained. "He doesn't need a disguise to be you, right?"
"Right. So he showed up from time to time, mostly to be annoying." Conan said, making a note to smack his brother…or cousin for those.
"That explains everything except…Koizumi-chan…and by extension, Shiho," Ran said softly, wondering if she was ready to hear and if Conan was ready to tell, that side of the story.
Conan swallowed, looking down at his daughter, debating whither he was ready to break Ran's heart all over again. "I had first met Akako at a heist, it was just a chance meeting, and a few words exchanged as I almost ran over her foot with my skateboard. It wasn't until later, after I left here, that things changed." He licked his lips, looking up at Ran. "I swear this was never in my life plans. Everything I had dreamed of since I first realized girls were...well, girls, was that you would be the one at my side, my wife, the mother of my children, Watson to my Holmes. I can't explain where it when wrong, where it changed, I…"
"I understand, Shinichi," Ran said softly, giving him her familiar fond smile. "Life has a way of tripping us. You didn't plan of becoming Conan, I didn't plan to work in Mom's law offices, neither of us planned to be apart…it's just the hand of cards we were dealt, and we have to understand and accept that."
Conan nodded, a weight that he had been carrying around for eight years finally removed from his shoulders. "Akako and I started dating when I was...er, eight," Conan blushed at that. He knew, logically, he was actually eighteen, but to the world around them, he had been a child, easily preyed upon by the seductress. It was rather embarrassing.
"A little over a year ago, Akako decided she wanted a baby, my baby. You really can't argue with her, she's stubborn…kind of like you, really. Anyway, I did my part, and she registered the donation under Kudo Shinichi and…well, now we have Shiho. We started openly dating on my fourteenth birthday, once everything with Shiho's conception was taken care of and there wouldn't be questions."
"Wait, let's back up for a moment," Ran said, a thought catching up with her. "You said that Ai-chan was researching a cure, right?"
Conan nodded, wondering where she was going with this abrupt conversation change…well, conversation reverse.
"And when she died, I know Agasa gave you her belongings, didn't it include her current research? Hakuba-san owns his own scientific laboratory, doesn't he? Why didn't he finish her research?"
Conan sighed. "I never gave it to him. I didn't…I had given up, Ran. I gave up on hope, on the antidote…I gave up on life. When Shiho died, when I had to leave, there was nothing left for me. It took a long time, before I was ready to move forward. And when I was ready, I wasn't willing to hang onto a helpless situation, always dreaming and hoping, but never getting there. I decided when I choose to live my life, to live my life as Edogowa Conan, and bury Kudo Shinichi for good."
"But, you came back. When we last spoke, as Ran and Shinichi, not Ran and Conan, you told me that you would never speak to me again, that you had to go so deep under-cover that there was no chance of you coming out again…but you did, you're here, telling me all this. You're digging up Kudo Shinichi."
"Because I wasn't willing to bury Edogowa Conan without someone knowing his true name. Things are bad, Ran. We're so past the edge of the map that the monsters are wondering where the hell we're going. There's a very real chance that this afternoon, tomorrow, next week…we won't be alive. And I can't accept that, without giving you this. You worried so much when I was 'gone', that I wasn't willing to die without you knowing the truth and getting the true closure you deserve."
Ran was silent for quite a while, simply staring off in space, digesting everything Conan had told her. Finally, she took a deep breath, steadying herself. "What do you need, Conan? How can I help make sure that this afternoon, or tomorrow, or next week doesn't happen?"
"I have no idea, Ran. This was nothing…I had hoped, that when we came to this point, we would have a plan, hell, even an idea of a plan. Things have been moving so fast that we barely have a chance to breath, let alone think. Kiden is pushing events forward without us, challenging the Organization towards a showdown that none of us are prepared for and I really, really don't think that we're going to make it out on the other side of this."
Conan bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth before speaking again. "Akako and I, we're terrified of what's coming. But, we're more terrified of what we'll leave behind. Ran…if we don't don't make it out of this, if we die…please,please take Shiho. If she's left behind, if they leave her alive…please. We can't die in peace, until we know she's taken care of…and I don't think we're going to have a choice soon."
Ran blinked at Conan, shocked to the core by his words. She stood, pacing from behind her desk, across her office and back again several times before stopping, standing over Conan. "Let me," She said softly, reaching down and taking Shiho in her arms, returning to pacing as she studied the baby's face.
She finally took a seat at her desk, still holding Shiho tightly to her chest. This was everything she had ever wanted, Shinichi's child in her arms. But…she didn't know if, truthfully, deep down inside her, she could accept that gift, forever knowing it was given by another woman.
Conan watched Ran, worry and fear on his face, desperately hoping against everything, that Ran would accept this, permit this. His greatest fear, since the moment he first held his daughter, looking down into that beautiful face was that he would be forced to leave Shiho behind, leave her alone with no one to truly love her.
It gripped him even harder then the fears that they would take her from him, kill her to attack him.
"I accept," Ran said softly, causing Conan to jerk his head up in shock. "I can't, in any fashion, allow my jealousy and hurt to cause this innocent girl harm. I will discuss the needed paperwork with mom tonight,"
"Ran…" Conan squeezed his eyes shut before moving over to the woman, hugging her tightly, almost squishing his daughter. "Thank you…"
Ran buried her face in Conan's neck, tears hot on their skin as Conan held her tightly.
--
Kiden groaned softly, trying to lift his head, wincing as a sharp pain laced up from his shoulder to his jaw. He blinked in the dim light, squinting as he tried to bring the room into focus.
His mind was a mess, trying to make sense of what was going on and what had happened. All he really remembered was kissing Ask as he left their small apartment to head downstairs to the Cat's Playpen, eager to go over things with Bohdie.
He tried to rotate his shoulders and winced in pain, finally figuring out part of the cause, his shoulders being pulled out of joint by the position of his hands bound tightly to his back…or at least the back of the chair he was sitting in.
A foul taste lingered in his mouth and he spit repeatedly, trying to rid himself of it as well as the burning heat that was coating most of the surfaces of his mouth. The feeling of a large chunk of warm ice resting in his stomach confirmed his suspicions and he spit again, tongue searching out any sores that were in his mouth, left from Chloroform.
The sound of dress shoes striking against the concrete floor reached him and he stopped his oral examination to look towards the sound, a grin splitting his lips as the figure came into view, the strong scent of tobacco swirling around the pair.
"Hello, Gin," Kiden said, almost eager to meet the assassin face to face.
Title: Conjour's Masquerade
Authour: Saitaina
Rating: R (chapter)/NC-17 (full story)
Characters: Kuroba Kaito, Hakuba Saguru, Koizumi Akako, Edogowa Conan/Kudo Shinichi, Kuroba Mika (Kaito's Mother), Jii, Nakamori Aoko, Nakamori Ginzo, Edward St. Claire, Pierre Lemont, Ask, Eva, Pan, Kuma, Honua, Bohdona, Edogowa Kiden, Leif, Kidoko.
Pairings: Kuroba Kaito/Hakuba Saguru, Edogowa Conan/Koizumi Akako, Kuroba Mika/Jii, Nakamori Aoko/Pierre Lemont, Kuroba Kaito/Edogowa Kiden/Hakuba Saguru, Eden/Ask, Eva/Pan, Kuma/Honua, Nakamori Ginzo/Nakamori Maria
Summary: It's been seven years, since the death of Kaitou Kid, but there is still one thing out there, Kaito and Kiden left un-finished.
WARNINGS: Sex, death, illness, MAGIC, blood/gore, slight religious content later.
Previous Stories: Magician's Waltz, Ilusionist's Ball.
Previous Chapters: Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III, Chapter IV, Chapter V, Chapter VI, Chapter VII, Chapter VIII.
Chapter Information:
Title: Birth and Death
Summary: Someone's born...and a lot of fears of people dying.
Chapter 10: Birth and Death
"Birth and death are not two different states, but they are different aspects of the same state. There is as little reason to deplore the one as there is to be pleased over the other.
– Mahatma Ghandi
"So, where are you guys now?" Kiden asked, scratching at the back of his neck as he watched Charcoal bat a cotton ball around the living room.
"In line somewhere behind Kaito and Saguru, security is being slower then molasses in St. Petersburg on checking people in," came Eva's voice, sounding as exasperated as Kiden had ever heard her in their seven years of acquaintance.
Kiden had to smirk at that, rather pleased he had managed to avoid security…and customs upon his return to Japan. A tiny, very miniscule part of him felt bad for leaving the rest of his team behind to deal with the hassles, but the rest of him just found it that damn amusing. "When does the flight leave?"
"In an hour, so we should be through by then…if we're lucky, but if not, at least we're all in the same boat since I can see the back of Kaito's head and that means they're no closer,"
"I guess I'll see you in a day then,"
"Thirteen hours, Kiden, and you had better be there to pick us up,"
"Right, right…I'll be there…or something like that,"
"KIDEN!"
"Joking, yeesh, get some sugar or something, you're grumpy," Kiden said, hanging up on Eva's latest rant, turning as he heard Akako enter the room. "Good evening Lit…" Kiden trailed off, his eyes widening at the large stain spreading across Akako's night dress. "Holy shit!"
"That was my thought," Akako said, clutching her rounded stomach.
--
Kiden could no longer feel his thigh. He wasn't sure when this had started to occur, though he was quite sure he had a thigh nine hours ago, but right now, he was questioning that and the fact that he knew he was bleeding where his not-thigh was, was not helping him decide if he actually still had a thigh or not.
"Breath, Little Miss,"
"Fuck you, I'll hold my breath if I damn well…mother fucker!" Akako screamed, clenching her fingers deeper into Kiden's thigh, nails digging through the already torn denim and deeper into the flesh beneath, body arching as another contraction hit her.
"Can't we give her anything?!" Kiden asked of the mid-wife, not for the first time that evening, as he tried to pry Akako's hand from his body, giving up to instead wipe more sweat from Akako's brow, shoving ice chips into her mouth as she moved to speak.
"Not here we can't," the mid-wife replied without looking up from her tasks, ignoring Akako's choking on the ice chips to lift the blanket. "Good, good, almost there…you're fully dilated so it'll be anytime now. On your next contraction, I want you to give a good, hard push."
"I'm not pushing! Where's Conan, he promised he'd be here, he swore he'd be home in time!"
"He's somewhere over the Atlantic, Little Miss. Or the Pacific…or whatever ocean is in between Cairo and Japan…and I need that!" Kiden finally pried Akako's hand off of his thigh, allowing her to instead, crush his hand as the contractions hit again. "Remember what the nice woman said, push now,"
"Go fuck yourself!" Akako yelled, squeezing on Kiden's hand as she pushed, crying out at the end from the pain.
"And rest," the midwife said, grabbing Akako's leg as the witch tried to kick her, happily humming as she readied the baby's first bath."
"Akako…"
"Not doing it, this fucking brat can just rot for all I care," Akako growled, glaring as Kiden shoved a towel into her mouth, again pushing as the contraction started all over again.
Kiden didn't have time to count how long it took, too busy trying to keep Akako quiet and pushing, but soon his world was narrowed down to the focus of watching Akako and watching the edge of the blanket, waiting for the first movements of life.
When it finally came, Kiden ran to the end of the bed, peeking down at the small, bloody body in the mid-wife's hands, grinning as the tiny face of his niece turned a bright purple, before the baby let her displeasure be known to the world.
He held the baby carefully as she was bathed; making faces at the beautiful little child. After the mid-wife had wrapped her in a blanket, Kiden gently lifted up the girl, holding her close amazed that something so perfect had come from Akako and his brother.
"Mind giving me my daughter?" Akako asked dryly, smiling as Kiden fawned over the baby.
Kiden nodded, giving his niece a kiss, before placing the baby in her mother's arms. "What are you going to name her?"
"Conan and I haven't decided," Akako said, brushing her fingers through the auburn strands of hair faintly crowning her daughter's head. "But I think…Shiho," she said softly, allowing the tiny child to grip one of her fingers. "What do you think? Think you should be Shiho?" she asked the baby who yawned, blinking up at them curiously.
--
"You shouldn't be up," Kiden said grumpily, gently bouncing the sleeping baby slung across his chest.
"And you shouldn't be anywhere, dead man," Akako countered, watching the skies in front of them for the smallest hint of the plane they were waiting for. She was still in pain, but she wanted to see Conan, the months apart from him miserable for the witch.
Kiden had to smile, gently stroking Shiho's hair. "You should at least sit down,"
"Bite me, thief," Akako said, moving closer to the large windows, her eyes focusing on a small, distant plane. "What time is it?"
"Ten minutes until landing time," Kiden said, shifting Shiho to check his watch.
"Good," Akako whispered, her eyes trained on the plane that she could now recognize as an EgyptAir flight by its tale colours as it started its approach.
Others in the gate noticed the plane's approach and started moving around, gathering their belongings and getting ready to greet their loved ones. Two little kids were pressed against the window, and thus the first to get hit by the concussive blast, as the plane that was taxing in from the landing run-way exploded.
Kiden clutched Shiho tight to his chest, holding Akako around the waist as he struggled to keep his feet. In the echoing silence of shock, he could hear the plastic sound of Shiho's baby carrier hitting the floor and spinning, coming to rest on its side, a doll falling out.
Screams sounded as people rushed for the cracked windows, desperate to see what was going on, if their loved ones were still out there. Kiden couldn't move, a death grip on Akako's waist as he watched the flames of the ruined plane.
Akako shifted, dragging Kiden over to the chairs, forcing him to sit, to look away from the wreckage as she fumbled her ringing cell phone out of Shiho's diaper bag, the sirens of the airport fire-trucks reaching them.
As night fell over the airport, Kiden watched Akako nurse, his leg jiggling, the only sign of his nervousness. Most of the families had gone home, unable to do anything while the officials recovered bodies from the plane…if there were any left. A handful of families and loved ones remained, those still waiting.
It had taken a while to get the full story, but an accident in Cairo had left some of those who were supposed to fly on the now shattered plane stranded until the next flight. Ten passengers who had escaped the fate shared by hundreds. It was only due to Eva's quick planning that Kiden even had half of his team and his family coming back, with only Kuma and Honua dying.
Kiden had no doubts as to why there was a smoking ruin of a plane outside their window.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, EgyptAir flight 18358 has landed at gate 17. Please proceed carefully to pick up your loved ones," a young woman said bowing to the waiting group.
Kiden stood, offering a hand to Akako as the pair made their way to the named gate, worry easily visible on Akako's face as she scanned the departing passengers. She gave a cry, running and throwing herself on Conan, clinging to the young teen even as they both crashed to the floor, tears streaming down her face.
Kiden kept himself in the background, once more holding Shiho (thankfully, lest she be crushed between her parent's embrace), watching the group as they sorted themselves out, keeping out of sight of Kaito and Saguru as he waited for the three remaining members of his team.
Ask wheeled himself away from Eva, easily maneuvering around crying and hugging groups of people, pausing next to Kiden long enough to sneer at the small baby in his arms before heading for the elevator to move down to the baggage claim, Pan following the teenager silently, though he shot Kiden a look of annoyance.
"Problems?" Kiden asked Eva as she dropped her carry on, collapsing on top of the duffle bag, eagerly pulling off her heels.
"Your boyfriend is an annoying, hormonal asshole," Eva stated, dangling her heels by the straps, wiggling her toes to stretch them out.
"So…nothing new?" Kiden asked with a grim smile, not really feeling the urge, but knowing it was expected.
Eva made an agreeing noise before sighing. "Two down," she muttered, standing and picking up her bag.
"Six to go," Kiden added, glancing at the smoke that was visible even from his position, before shaking his head. "Let's go,"
Eva nodded, taking all of five steps before jerking around, an arm grabbing Akako's. "Yes?"
"My daughter?" Akako said, jerking her arm out of Eva's grasp.
Kiden blinked, before glancing down at Shiho, having forgotten he had been holding the small girl. "Right, sorry," Kiden said, placing a small kiss on Shiho's forehead before offering the girl to Akako, carefully sliding the diaper bag up the new mother's arm before shoving his hands into his pockets. He watched Akako walk away, a small sigh escaping him before he shook his head, turning and heading for the escalator.
---
"She'll see you now," the receptionist said, bowing towards Conan and gesturing to the office door behind her.
Conan stood, holding Shiho close as he stepped into the darkly lit office, smiling softly at he woman at the desk. Ran was bent over what appeared to be a good foot's worth of paperwork, occasionally marking a page before turning it.
"Please, sit down," Ran said distractedly, waving at the client chair across from her desk, not looking up at Conan as she finished off the page she had been working on before paper clipping the 'done' pile together and placing them on the rest.
Conan sat, gently rocking Shiho as he waited for Ran's attention, his heart thundering in his chest, anticipating and anxiety thick on his tongue. He had waited a long time for this meeting, and almost couldn't believe it was actually here.
"Conan, it's been a long time," Ran said with a smile, before pushing away from desk and crossing over to the teenager, bending down to give him a gentle hug, mindful of the baby in his arms. "You've grown a great deal, and whose baby is this?" Ran asked peering at Shiho's sleeping face.
"This is Shiho, Shinichi and Akako's daughter," Conan said softly, not able to look up at Ran's face.
"Oh," Ran said, her face falling a bit before she rallied, gently brushing a finger over Shiho's cheek. "H…How is Shinichi?"
"He's fine," Conan said, swallowing thickly. "Ran…I…we…" Conan sighed, closing his eyes tightly. "Ran, I've lied to you."
"Lied? About what, Conan?" Ran asked as she took her seat again, folding her fingers under her chin.
"About that." Conan said, reaching up with a hand to remove his glasses. He ignored the start of Ran's new question, speaking over her. "My name is not Edogowa Conan, it never was. I gave you that name because I was caught off guard…and well, I couldn't use my own." He finally looked up, blue eyes staring intently at Ran's face. "My name is Kudo Shinichi."
Ran blinked slowly, before letting a giggle escape her. "Oh Conan, I know you're trying to cheer me up, but don't worry, I'm fine! Shinichi's been gone for a long while now, and if he's happy, then so am I." She gave Conan a fond smile that slowly faded as Conan's expression didn't change.
"I'm not kidding around, Ran. I was Kudo Shinichi, son of Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Yukiko. That night, when we went to Tropical Land the last time, I ran into a case that…well, let's just say it was a case I couldn't solve," Conan paused to gather his thoughts, noticing Ran's eyes had narrowed. He wasn't sure if she was putting together the pieces, or debating calling for mental health help for him, but either way, he was determined to press on.
"You were close to the truth at one point, when you had suggested that that Doctor Agasa had created something to make me shrink, except, that unfortunately, it wasn't Doctor Agasa that had created it. It was a criminal organization who had done so. A poison created in the search for immortality, designed to be un-identifiable and un-traceable, except for the lucky few that it left alive."
"Left…alive?" Ran asked softly.
"There are only two that I know of, victims who survived the poison. For some reason, a side-effect was discovered, instead of dying, we simply…de-aged. In us, the poison had the desired effect, if not the desired cause. We returned to being seven and eight years old respectively in all but our minds and some of our hormones."
"Who was…the other person?" Ran asked, growing more and more curious about the situation, though her temper was also starting to grow. All those times she had suspected, even confronted him…and he lied to her, pushed her off, conned her.
"Her name when she was an adult was Minyano Shiho. During her life, she was a member of the same criminal organization that shrunk me, in fact, she created the poison. When her sister was killed by the same organization, A…er, Shiho she stopped her research, her work on the poison until they told her what had happened to Akemi…"
"Minyano Akemi?" Ran asked the name familiar to her, though she couldn't remember why.
Conan nodded, holding baby Shiho closer. "Yes, she was the girl that came to us to find her missing father, but was later discovered as a bank robber,"
"Oh…OH! She was…shot, wasn't she?"
Conan nodded again, lowering his head, remembering the burn of his first real failure, and all the pain that that had caused. "She had tried to escape, to gain her sister's freedom in exchange for the stolen money…unfortunately; all it got her was killed. And they never gave her a reason for Akemi's death. All she got was a death sentence, so in the end, it didn't matter what the poison did to her. Kill her, shrink her…it all meant the same end to her, and just…staying there, meant an even worse death. She escaped, and came to me, the only living survivor at the time of the poison."
"Who was she after?" Ran asked, almost breathless, hoping and dreading at the same time the name Conan would reveal.
"Haibara Ai," Conan whispered.
Ran lowered her head, her fears confirmed. She had always noticed something…off about Ai, something so similar to Conan, but nothing she could put her finger on. In the beginning, before she got to know the girl (well, before Ai let Ran get to know her), Ran had suspected that Ai was suffering from some form of abuse. Between her father's job on the police force, his job as a detective, and her mother's criminal cases, Ran wasn't unfamiliar with the symptoms some children displayed. Detachment, fears of strangers and intimacy, the lack of contact and expression normal for her age-group…so many signs had been there, waving their arms for attention.
And yet…and yet it all made sense, it a twisted way that made Ran's stomach twist. Ai had been abused, not by a parent or a teacher (though she suspected that some charges could be laid at parties that answered to one or both of those titles, considering how she was raised), but by her colleagues, her friends…if she had anyone she could call such a thing. She had been abused in the most base of ways, by the people she should have been able to trust.
It was no wonder it had taken so long for Ai to even give Ran the slightest bit of consideration, if everyone she cared about at all had left or betrayed her so horribly.
"They killed her, didn't they?" Ran asked softly, already knowing the answer. "That's why she died, and why no one could explain it. They used that…crap on her again."
Conan shrugged as best he could while holding the baby. "I don't know what they used on her, but yes, they killed her…and I couldn't stop them." He took a breath, calming the rage that still came when he thought of how the Organization had left Shiho's body, laying in her bed, as if she had just been sleeping…left that cold, lifeless shell for Agasa to find.
"That is why I left when I did, I couldn't…I couldn't stay. I was so afraid, so afraid and so angry. I didn't want to hurt you, and I didn't want them to hurt you. I thought that if they found her, then they could so much more easily find me and if they found me…"
"You thought they find me," Ran finished, letting out a sigh, realizing just how close she could have come. She then raised her head, confusion replacing the sudden fear. "But…if you're, well, you…what about all those times when you appeared in those years?"
Conan couldn't help a small, slightly bitter smile. "Luck." He said, before shaking his head. "Ai had been working on an antidote to the poison almost as soon as she shrunk. All of her research and belongings…her whole lab had been burnt to the ground, and every contact she had that held pieces of her data were either killed or the data was destroyed, but we managed. Small steps, small clues lead us to a temporary antidote…experimental." Conan tilted his head back in thought, staring up at Ran's office ceiling, trying to remember details he hadn't thought of in ages.
"It was risky, an error here or there…even the smallest one, could have killed me. The antidote required several key factors, the first, being that the person ingesting the antidote has to be sick, usually a cold. The second is alcohol. You have to have some form of alcohol, either via that antidote, or simply drinking it." Conan smiled in memory, bringing his attention back to Ran.
"Remember when Heiji first came to the detective agency?" When Ran confirmed she did, Conan continued. "He had brought your father a bottle of Baignar, but gave me a glass instead to help me 'cure' my cold. The two key factors were there and hence, Kudo Shinichi."
"So all those times…you had taken an antidote?"
"Most, though some were others pretending to be me for various reasons, mostly Kaitou Kid,"
Ran nodded, Shinichi's more…odd appearances suddenly explained. "He doesn't need a disguise to be you, right?"
"Right. So he showed up from time to time, mostly to be annoying." Conan said, making a note to smack his brother…or cousin for those.
"That explains everything except…Koizumi-chan…and by extension, Shiho," Ran said softly, wondering if she was ready to hear and if Conan was ready to tell, that side of the story.
Conan swallowed, looking down at his daughter, debating whither he was ready to break Ran's heart all over again. "I had first met Akako at a heist, it was just a chance meeting, and a few words exchanged as I almost ran over her foot with my skateboard. It wasn't until later, after I left here, that things changed." He licked his lips, looking up at Ran. "I swear this was never in my life plans. Everything I had dreamed of since I first realized girls were...well, girls, was that you would be the one at my side, my wife, the mother of my children, Watson to my Holmes. I can't explain where it when wrong, where it changed, I…"
"I understand, Shinichi," Ran said softly, giving him her familiar fond smile. "Life has a way of tripping us. You didn't plan of becoming Conan, I didn't plan to work in Mom's law offices, neither of us planned to be apart…it's just the hand of cards we were dealt, and we have to understand and accept that."
Conan nodded, a weight that he had been carrying around for eight years finally removed from his shoulders. "Akako and I started dating when I was...er, eight," Conan blushed at that. He knew, logically, he was actually eighteen, but to the world around them, he had been a child, easily preyed upon by the seductress. It was rather embarrassing.
"A little over a year ago, Akako decided she wanted a baby, my baby. You really can't argue with her, she's stubborn…kind of like you, really. Anyway, I did my part, and she registered the donation under Kudo Shinichi and…well, now we have Shiho. We started openly dating on my fourteenth birthday, once everything with Shiho's conception was taken care of and there wouldn't be questions."
"Wait, let's back up for a moment," Ran said, a thought catching up with her. "You said that Ai-chan was researching a cure, right?"
Conan nodded, wondering where she was going with this abrupt conversation change…well, conversation reverse.
"And when she died, I know Agasa gave you her belongings, didn't it include her current research? Hakuba-san owns his own scientific laboratory, doesn't he? Why didn't he finish her research?"
Conan sighed. "I never gave it to him. I didn't…I had given up, Ran. I gave up on hope, on the antidote…I gave up on life. When Shiho died, when I had to leave, there was nothing left for me. It took a long time, before I was ready to move forward. And when I was ready, I wasn't willing to hang onto a helpless situation, always dreaming and hoping, but never getting there. I decided when I choose to live my life, to live my life as Edogowa Conan, and bury Kudo Shinichi for good."
"But, you came back. When we last spoke, as Ran and Shinichi, not Ran and Conan, you told me that you would never speak to me again, that you had to go so deep under-cover that there was no chance of you coming out again…but you did, you're here, telling me all this. You're digging up Kudo Shinichi."
"Because I wasn't willing to bury Edogowa Conan without someone knowing his true name. Things are bad, Ran. We're so past the edge of the map that the monsters are wondering where the hell we're going. There's a very real chance that this afternoon, tomorrow, next week…we won't be alive. And I can't accept that, without giving you this. You worried so much when I was 'gone', that I wasn't willing to die without you knowing the truth and getting the true closure you deserve."
Ran was silent for quite a while, simply staring off in space, digesting everything Conan had told her. Finally, she took a deep breath, steadying herself. "What do you need, Conan? How can I help make sure that this afternoon, or tomorrow, or next week doesn't happen?"
"I have no idea, Ran. This was nothing…I had hoped, that when we came to this point, we would have a plan, hell, even an idea of a plan. Things have been moving so fast that we barely have a chance to breath, let alone think. Kiden is pushing events forward without us, challenging the Organization towards a showdown that none of us are prepared for and I really, really don't think that we're going to make it out on the other side of this."
Conan bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth before speaking again. "Akako and I, we're terrified of what's coming. But, we're more terrified of what we'll leave behind. Ran…if we don't don't make it out of this, if we die…please,please take Shiho. If she's left behind, if they leave her alive…please. We can't die in peace, until we know she's taken care of…and I don't think we're going to have a choice soon."
Ran blinked at Conan, shocked to the core by his words. She stood, pacing from behind her desk, across her office and back again several times before stopping, standing over Conan. "Let me," She said softly, reaching down and taking Shiho in her arms, returning to pacing as she studied the baby's face.
She finally took a seat at her desk, still holding Shiho tightly to her chest. This was everything she had ever wanted, Shinichi's child in her arms. But…she didn't know if, truthfully, deep down inside her, she could accept that gift, forever knowing it was given by another woman.
Conan watched Ran, worry and fear on his face, desperately hoping against everything, that Ran would accept this, permit this. His greatest fear, since the moment he first held his daughter, looking down into that beautiful face was that he would be forced to leave Shiho behind, leave her alone with no one to truly love her.
It gripped him even harder then the fears that they would take her from him, kill her to attack him.
"I accept," Ran said softly, causing Conan to jerk his head up in shock. "I can't, in any fashion, allow my jealousy and hurt to cause this innocent girl harm. I will discuss the needed paperwork with mom tonight,"
"Ran…" Conan squeezed his eyes shut before moving over to the woman, hugging her tightly, almost squishing his daughter. "Thank you…"
Ran buried her face in Conan's neck, tears hot on their skin as Conan held her tightly.
--
Kiden groaned softly, trying to lift his head, wincing as a sharp pain laced up from his shoulder to his jaw. He blinked in the dim light, squinting as he tried to bring the room into focus.
His mind was a mess, trying to make sense of what was going on and what had happened. All he really remembered was kissing Ask as he left their small apartment to head downstairs to the Cat's Playpen, eager to go over things with Bohdie.
He tried to rotate his shoulders and winced in pain, finally figuring out part of the cause, his shoulders being pulled out of joint by the position of his hands bound tightly to his back…or at least the back of the chair he was sitting in.
A foul taste lingered in his mouth and he spit repeatedly, trying to rid himself of it as well as the burning heat that was coating most of the surfaces of his mouth. The feeling of a large chunk of warm ice resting in his stomach confirmed his suspicions and he spit again, tongue searching out any sores that were in his mouth, left from Chloroform.
The sound of dress shoes striking against the concrete floor reached him and he stopped his oral examination to look towards the sound, a grin splitting his lips as the figure came into view, the strong scent of tobacco swirling around the pair.
"Hello, Gin," Kiden said, almost eager to meet the assassin face to face.
