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dcmk_yaoiUh...hello! it's my first time posting to this comm. eh, i've been lurking here for a while anyway. i wrote this fic a while back and never had the guts to put it up and share. >.> i hope it's OK that i do.
The Crown of Night
By: Dyaoka
Disclaimer: All belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sama!!!
Rating: G (for this chapter)
Pairing: Conan x Kaito (or whichever rendition of their names you prefer)
Notes/Warnings: Um...my first DC fic? XD
I will come for the Crown of Night,
When the monsters roam the streets
And the clock strikes the first.
--Kaitou Kid
One Edogawa Conan turned the calling card over and over in his hands, wondering what the riddle meant. “When the monsters roam the streets,” he murmured to himself as he studied the letters that stared back at him, as if mocking him. The signature picture of Thief Kid was there, next to the neatly printed name. It grinned up at Conan, smiling and taunting him, with the tall, white top hat and the monocle that blocked half his face.
Suddenly, an irate face of another detective appeared in Conan’s view. “Oi, don’t play with that,” Mouri Kogoro snapped as he snatched the white calling card from the man-turned-boy’s hands. “This is very important! Why don’t you go off and play with your friends or something? Go bother the professor...”
“Dad! Don’t be rude!” his daughter, Mouri Ran, scolded, taking a stand behind Conan. “Besides, Conan is smart! He won’t destroy it.”
“You never know,” Kogoro grumbled as he took a seat on his sofa, facing his client, who had came looking for him at his office quite early in the morning.
The man that sat opposite of Kogoro was a built and sturdy man, looking as if he was approaching the ripe age of fifty. His hair was neatly combed back, a balding spot appearing upon the middle of his head. Strands of white and gray hair were evident in what was what a mass of black. In his hand, he held a pipe, which puffed every time he placed it into his mouth. His hands were tanned and dark, evidence of having foreign blood within his veins. If the skin was not proof enough, then his strange, light auburn colored eyes was a dead giveaway. The way he was dressed spoke of wealth and of high status—even if he had dressed differently, his nearly regal stature was a dead give away.
“Will you help me, Detective?” the client asked, his voice deep and rumbling, commanding authority. “Or will you decline?”
Kogoro eyed the calling card with a nonchalant look. “I don’t even know who you are. Do you honestly expect me to help someone that refuses to identify themselves?”
The man ‘tsk’-ed in irritation. “I am Sakai Arai,” the man introduced himself stiffly. “And I need your help in guarding the jewel.” When it didn’t seem like Kogoro was very much interested, Sakai added hastily; “You will be rewarded handsomely, of course, if you can keep Kid from stealing my stone.”
“‘Handsomely?’” money symbols seemed to replace Kogoro’s eyes for a moment. “Exactly how much are we talking about here?”
Sakai glanced briefly over at Conan and Ran, who seemed to be regarding the conversation between Kogoro and him very seriously. The older detective noticed it and motioned for the other two to get out of his office.
Ran complied, dragging a reluctant Conan with her.
A few moments later, both heard a loud ‘thunk’ and an even louder ‘WHAT?!’ echo through the building.
0000000Part One0000000
“Old men sure are rich these days,” Kogoro muttered as he parked his car out besides a giant mansion.
“You sure as hell aren’t,” Conan muttered under his breath. Kogoro sent the tiny, bespectacled boy a glare, having heard the statement. Ran remained oblivious, thinking that her father was picking on Conan again.
The three of them walked up to the door of the mansion and pressed the doorbell. Silence met them until the large, oak doors creaked open. A woman stood there, opening the door. She looked as if she was in her mid thirties and graying hair and wrinkles were already evident on her face. She was not plump, but neither was she slender. She was dressed in a simple black outfit, usually customary for maids. “Come in, come in. You must be Detective Mouri Kogoro.” She smiled warmly and let the group of three into the large house.
“I am Kanemoto Nadeshiko,” the maid introduced herself with a bow. “The master shall be down shortly. In the meanwhile, shall we go to the lounge? I have tea prepared for all of you.” She dimpled once again and led the way calmly down the numerous halls towards the lounge.
Conan, who had been taking in all the details of the mansion, quickly ran to catch up with them.
A few minutes after they had sat down in the lounge’s sumptuous chairs, the client, Sakai Adam, walked into the room, followed by another man, dressed in black. The maid greeted Sakai with a bow and offered him tea, which he declined. The other man remained standing near the door, his expression stern and betrayed none of his thoughts.
“Ah, Sakai-san!” Kogoro exclaimed, immediately jumping to his feet and greeting the man. “It is such a wonderful mansion you have here!”
“Of course,” the man answered, gesturing for Kogoro to sit. “Well, I am afraid that I do not have all day, so I will give you the details now.”
“Yes, yes, the details,” Kogoro nodded eagerly as he promptly sat down upon the plush chairs. “Please do tell, I will most surely keep the stone from Kid’s hands!”
Sakai motioned for the bodyguard standing at the door and the man walked in. From his inner pockets, he produced a small leather box, which he handed to Sakai. The old man took it and placed it upon the table and opened it.
“So that’s the Crown of Night...” Kogoro mused, staring at the stone. “It...doesn’t seem very fancy.”
Conan moved closer to the box, peering at the stone inside its leather bindings carefully. Within its confines sat an oval cut black diamond, set into a tiara that held two other gems, both of which were blue sapphires. The diamond, however was the centerpiece of the tiara and Conan focused his attention onto it. The dark jewel gleamed strangely under the lights. Conan blinked.
“Hey, Uncle, doesn’t the stone in the middle look kind of weird?” the shrunken detective asked. “Was it not stored in the right place or something?”
“The boy is...very perceptive,” Sakai said, a slight frown appearing upon his face. “Is he your...pupil?”
“What? No!” Kogoro exclaimed immediately. “He’s just some brat we have to take care of! Him? My pupil...preposterous! I am a busy man and have no time to teach youngsters the art of solving mysteries!” It was an outright lie and everyone saw through it. The man was not the greatest of liars, Conan mused.
“Well, as the boy says, the stone does look strange. And it is not because that it was not stored in the right place—all such precious gems all go into a room on the third floor. The reason for the gem to look so strange is because it gives off the illusion that there is a separate stone inside it, though there is none. It makes it look as if there was a star within the black, much like a star appearing out of the clouds at night.” Sakai took out his pipe and lit it, placing it into his mouth as he settled back into his chair with a small sigh. “My niece will be wearing this tiara in two days, at the costume party we’re hosting. She had been begging me for a long time, and when I finally consented, Kid sends his calling card.”
“A costume party?” Kogoro asked. “When? What time?”
“Why, on the thirty first. The coming Monday,” Sakai answered. “I believe it starts a after six and will go well into the night.”
“That’s it!” Kogoro exclaimed, leaping from his seat. “That is when Kid will steal the crown! The calling card made a reference to monsters—that must be the people—so Kid must be planning to steal the crown then!”
“But what about the ‘when the clock strikes first’ part?” Ran asked, looking up at her father.
“Bah! The time would be one o’ clock! The party’s lasting all night!” Kogoro exclaimed with loud laughter. “Kid is too easy to figure out! Now, we just need to secure the perimeter!”
“I sure hope that is the case, Detective, that Kid so simple to figure out,” Sakai said gravely. “Your family will be allowed at the party and I will supply the men to guard the perimeter, so there is no need to contact the police.”
“No...police?” Kogoro gulped. “But surely your men would not be enough...”
“I have no trust for the police,” Sakai stated simply. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have matters to attend to.” He gave them a stiff bow and left, whispering something into his maid’s ear as he did so, tucking the box that held the Crown of Night under his arm.
“No...police?” Kogoro echoed. He went silent for a moment, as if pondering some grave secret, and then burst out into raucous laughter. “That just shows how great he thinks I am!”
Conan choked on his tea at that moment.
~*~
The day of the costume party came rather quickly, and Ran had fussed over what her costume should have been. In the end, she decided to go as a witch, as Sonoko once did. However, Ran’s outfit was much more modest than her friend’s. It was full length and covered her nearly from top to bottom in black. Conan, however, was forced to dress up as per Ran’s instructions. They had debated on what outfit he should wear (Kogoro had interjected more than once claiming that Conan should go as a large wastebasket).
“Ran, I’ll think of something,” Conan said as he quickly escaped the house.
“You better hurry back, Conan!” Ran called. “There’s only two hours until we have to be there! And we’re suppose to be there early!”
Conan gave a small wave at the longhaired girl and trotted off in the direction of Professor Agasa’s home. He rang the doorbell impatiently and finally, a small primary school girl opened the door. She wore a light blue blouse and a matching skirt, both of which seemed a little charred and burned. Her face was smeared with black. She quickly let him in and closed the door, trotting back into the hall quietly. Haibara Ai had always been quiet and even within her temporary home it was no exception.
“Has the professor been making something again?”
Ai merely nodded, as if that explained everything.
Conan chuckled and followed Ai down to the lab. “The professor decided to take a quick shower. He left me with all the clean up,” the little girl murmured. She gestured to the messy room, where papers were strewn everywhere and gadgets lay in a haphazard heap upon the floor.
“It seems that it’s more than just what the professor might do...” the boy stated, his eyes roaming over the cluttered lab. “Were you collaborating on something?”
“No. I merely helped correct his errors on his project,” Ai answered with a smile. “His ideas are lame, but he a man of genius.”
Conan chuckled yet again. “Sounds like him, alright.” He’d never really admit that in front of the professor.
“So what are you doing here, Kudo?” Ai asked, taking a seat upon a nearby chair. “I thought you had a case today.”
“Not me,” Conan said simply.
“But it is you who solves the case, is it not?” Ai continued. “I heard a rumor that Kid was involved. The odd thing is though; nothing was mentioned in the newspaper. Usually when Kid announces one of his heists, it is publicly known. Anyway, is there something specific you want for the case?”
“Not today,” the boy stated with a grin. “That thief is not getting away from me…Today is when I catch him and unmask him.” A strange gleam entered his eyes. “When he comes, I’ll be ready for him.”
“Good for you,” Ai said as she began to clean up around her desk.
“By the way,” Conan suddenly said. “Do you think the professor might have a detective costume lying around here?”
~*~
Conan returned to his temporary home an hour later, after helping Ai clean up the lab. Professor Agasa didn’t have any costumes lying about…or rather, he didn’t have any cool costumes. Ran had greeted him upon his entering and promptly shoved him into the bathroom, making him wear an outfit that distinctly resembled Scooby-Doo. Conan had sighed and tried to beg his way out of wearing it, but in the end he was forced into it anyway. The dangling tag at the front of the costume did not do much for the shrunken detective’s morale when Kogoro ushered both of them into a rented car. The old detective had laughed so hard that Conan thought he was going to develop an ulcer. Not that he would have minded...
“Why are we going so early anyway?” Conan asked sulkily as he watched the scenery outside the car fly by in a blur of color. Greens and blues and grays all mixed into one, each passing by so fast that there was no way to tell them apart. He really wanted to get out of his costume. It was just so...embarrassing!
“To avoid traffic on the freeway!” Kogoro said in reply. “Now shut up or I’ll throw you out the car!”
“Dad!” Ran scolded, jumping to Conan’s defense. The old detective merely glared at the tiny menace over his shoulder, since he couldn’t face his daughter’s wrath.
They arrived at the mansion just before they were expected. They were introduced to Sakai’s niece, a pretty little thing that just reached her twenties. She was dressed as a princess; the tiara placed upon her head made her stand out even more. Nevertheless, she did not look very happy.
At five after six, the guests began to filter in; each dressed in a different outfit of a variety of colors. In walked a ghoul that looked like it was fresh out of the grave and in came a fairy, with shimmering wings. In walked an alien, who looked like he was extremely hot in the outfit. There was a vampire, a zombie, and a very creative skeleton. Amongst the more...courageous ones of the party, there came a maid that seemed to have jumped out from a porn magazine and a rabbit that seemed more interested in revealing skin than actually pretending to be a rabbit. As Conan observed the bunch of people that were slowly filling into the mansion, he sincerely hoped that Kid wouldn’t be dressed in something so...provocative...
However, what worried Conan was a group of people that came dressed in black. They weren’t dressed up or anything—no make-up, no jewelry, nothing. They were just dressed in black shirts, black pants, and all wearing black gloves. All the more to suspect them of a crime.
“Conan!” Ran’s voice echoed through the mansion. Conan looked up to see his childhood friend walking towards him.
“Ran-neechan!” he exclaimed in his childish voice. “Look at all those people! That’s a lot just for a party!”
“Yes, that is a lot...” Ran said and she trailed off, her eyes still looking into the crowd, as if searching for someone. Conan turned and looked away, unable to bear the faraway look that Ran had upon her face. She wore it, every time she was looking for...him. However, as she stared off into the crowd, someone nearly walked into her and almost tripped over Conan in the process. Nevertheless, he still ended up on the floor.
“Ah, I’m so sorry!” the person exclaimed, picking himself up off of the floor. “Now who do we have here...? I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” the man said. He was good looking, with dark shoulder-length locks, and a youthful face. He wore an outfit that looked straight out of nineteenth century Europe. “I am Sakamoto Ryou.”
“I’m Mouri Ran. This is Edogawa Conan,” Ran said, gesturing to the two of them. “Um…what are you dressed as?”
“I am Dorian Gray,” Sakamoto replied with a charming smile. “You can’t tell, can you? Yeah, I kind of realized, since this out fit is so general. It could apply to anything!” He laughed, scratching at the back of his head. Instantly, Conan had an immediate disliking towards the man. “Well then, Miss Mouri, would you like to come and get a drink?”
“Well…” Before Ran could say anything to decline, Sakamoto had taken her hand and was leading her towards the tables.
“My apologies for almost tripping over you! We must get a drink!”
And thus, Conan was quickly forgotten.
With a resigned sigh, Conan shoved is hands into the Scooby-Doo costume’s pockets and kicked at the carpet. It was...stupid. If only he was Kudo Shinichi again! Then he wouldn’t have to worry about all the strangers hitting on his childhood friend, Ran.
“Oh my goodness!” came a sudden exclamation. Conan turned around and was met with a vision of much cleavage. “You are so cute!” There came another squeal from the tiny detective’s right side and before he knew it, he was surrounded by mob of girls.
“U-uh…” poor Conan stuttered, trying to get away from the girls unsuccessfully. What would a child do in a situation he was in? Conan’s mind began to work a mile a minute, trying to think of what he would have done ten years ago if a mob of strange girls had decided to molest him. He quickly came to the conclusion that he would have run or might have started to cry. The shrunken detective sucked in his pride and stuck out a quivering bottom lip and looked up at the girls with large eyes, rubbing them occasionally to give off an impression that he was going to cry.
“Aw...don’t be scared!” one of the girls said, patting his head in what was suppose to be a soothing manner. “Are you lost? Don’t worry, we’ll get you back to your parents in no time!”
Suddenly, strong hands plucked the tiny boy from the mob of cooing females. “Sorry ladies, I took my eyes off of him for a moment and he disappeared,” a familiar voice said. A voice that was almost too familiar.
Conan twisted around in his captor’s grasp only to be looking up at his own face…his face of ten years in the future. “Y-you!” he squeaked.
“Thank you for taking care of him,” Kudo Shinichi said as he walked off from the group of girls, Conan still tucked under his arm.
“Let me go,” Conan hissed, glaring up at Kid, the moment they were out of earshot. “And stop going around pretending to be me!”
“Why not?” came the reply. “It’s fun! Plus, there’s a bunch of perks that I have privilege to when I’m you!” The pretender finally set Conan down on one of the tables, where he took a seat upon a nearby chair. “I would have never thought you’d look very cute as a dog.” Kid said with a wide grin. Surprisingly, though, the detective turned pink and scowled. Kid resisted the temptation to pinch Conan’s cheeks just for the hell of it, but decided the boy had suffered enough under the mob of fangirls. “Well, since I, as your acting Prince Charming, has saved you, I believe that it is time to take my leave.” With a familiar smirk, Kid disappeared into the crowd, leaving Conan alone at the table.
The boy frowned and hopped off of the table and disappearing around a hall, going the direct opposite he had seen Kid go only a moment earlier. Conan walked off to the nearest bathroom. He was just about to enter when he heard suspicious conversation coming from within it.
“Do you know where it is?”
“It’s secured, yes. But what about Kid...?”
“It doesn’t matter. Continue as planned.”
“Alright. We’ll meet up at point a, after our plan is initiated.”
“If everything goes accordingly, of course.”
“That’s bad luck to say that.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
Kid? Plan? Secured?
All things pointed to a conspiracy, one of which Conan was all too eager to solve. The two men conversing within the bathroom didn’t seem to notice him, but both looked rather strong. Quickly running off before he was caught, Conan ran up to the second story of the mansion, from where he could view the entire party. From the crowd, he was able to make out Sakai’s niece, who was accompanied by Kogoro, as she flitted from group to group like a social butterfly. Ran was still talking with Sakamoto and Kid was nowhere to be seen.
As he looked around, he spotted a giant grandfather clock standing erect against a far wall, ticking away. Conan frowned and then suddenly realized why Kid disappeared so suddenly.
“Crap!” Conan exclaimed as he quickly ran up the stairs, heading for the third floor. He distinctly remembered Sakai said that he kept all his precious gems in a certain room upon the third floor. A small grin appeared on Conan’s lips as he deciphered Kid’s riddle.
Up the stairs the shrunken detective ran, as fast as his feet could carry him. He was met with a darkened hall, but that did not deter him. He continued on, looking at all the doors carefully, seeing if any of them seemed recently disturbed. As the boy ran, he nearly missed the one door’s whose handle seemed rather…off. Stopping in front of the door, Conan pushed the door open without any hesitation whatsoever. He was rewarded with a room filled with dazzling jewels and...
Kid.
“Oh, hi there, Detective!” the thief exclaimed, holding something within the palm of his hand. He had changed out of his Kudo Shinichi pretext and was in his customary clothes—a full outfit of white and the trademark monocle was perched in front of his eye. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Heh. I doubt it,” Conan said, pushing up the glasses that perched upon his nose. “You came out to me, which made it a personal challenge. After you left me at the table, I realized when and where you were going to steal it.”
Kid only chuckled and made a mildly impressed noise.
“You’ve obviously done your research well enough,” Conan said. “The grandfather clock out there strikes every hour—however, the clock has a fault to it. It is slower than all the other clocks here by several minutes. The first strike that you’ve mentioned in your calling card is when the clock will first strike during the party. Since you didn’t know if the Crown of Night the girl was wearing was genuine, you had to go check...so you went as me. It turned out that it wasn’t real, so you came here.” An almost identical smirk appeared upon Conan’s face, as he looked his opponent in the eyes. “When the monsters roam the streets is in reference to when all the attendees are here.”
Kid laughed out loud and clapped. “As expected,” Kid said. “Good job, Detective.” Just as he finished talking, the grandfather clock began its chimes. It rang out loud and slow throughout the household that both Kid and Conan heard it with great clarity.
“I believe that is my cue, now, if you’ll excuse me, little puppy...” Kid threw whatever he was holding into the air. There was a sudden flash and smoke and Conan quickly exited the room. The diversion had no effect on Conan—he already knew where Kid was heading for.
Down the hall he ran, and he was just in time to catch the sight of Kid’s white cape disappearing around the corner. As he ran, Conan quickly shed his Scooby-Doo costume, finding it rather bothersome as he ran his chase. He was lucky that he wore regular clothes under the costume. Finally, after what seemed like a ridiculous chase around a maze, Conan ran onto the third story balcony, which was partially hidden from view due to heavy velvet curtains. Kid stood there on the marble balcony, his cape flying out behind him as if they were giant, white wings.
“You’re not getting away,” Conan said, crossing his arms over his chest, a rather feral grin upon his face.
“Ah, but I think I am,” Kid said in return, matching Conan’s grin with a smirk of his own. “But don’t worry, this won’t be the only opportunity for you to catch me.”
Suddenly, without warning, a soft ‘pfft’ noise went off. Both Conan and Kid turned towards the window…or at least, Conan tried. There came another similar sound, and another bullet soared through the air, hitting Conan yet again.
The boy fell to his knees, his mouth opened as he heaved heavy breaths. No sound escaped him, as his brain was still registering what was happening to him. He slowly began to feel the blood seep into his clothes from the bullet wounds on his shoulder and leg. He was distinctly aware that Kid was trying to move towards him, but was stopped when another shot was fired. That one was aimed at the ground, where Kid had previously stepped on. The thief had just barely managed to move his foot away in time.
“Don’t move from that spot. Hand over the crown, Kid,” the armed man said steadily. A man dressed in black moved from the shadows of the heavy curtains of the balcony window. “If you won’t, I’ll kill the brat here.”
Both thief and detective tensed, each wondering what they should do. Conan was obviously in no condition to move on his own to escape. Kid’s expression was glum and the man strode forward. The bespectacled detective took a close look at the man—he was one of the people that had been talking in the bathroom! What was he doing on the balcony? Unless...the balcony was their meeting point!
“Too slow,” the man fired another shot at Conan, miraculously missing the boy by an inch. Kid had startled at the sound of the gun with the silencer on. The thief scowled and slowly reached into his breast pocket, withdrawing something in a lengthy process. Suddenly, in one swift motion, Kid withdrew one of his own guns and fired. A playing card had embedded itself into the man’s hand and he howled in pain, dropping the gun. When he looked up again, both Kid and Conan had disappeared. Only the pool of blood was proof that they had been there.
--To Be Continued...
…I tried. =/ Sorry if it isn’t good. *sobs*
The Crown of Night
By: Dyaoka
Disclaimer: All belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sama!!!
Rating: G (for this chapter)
Pairing: Conan x Kaito (or whichever rendition of their names you prefer)
Notes/Warnings: Um...my first DC fic? XD
I will come for the Crown of Night,
When the monsters roam the streets
And the clock strikes the first.
--Kaitou Kid
One Edogawa Conan turned the calling card over and over in his hands, wondering what the riddle meant. “When the monsters roam the streets,” he murmured to himself as he studied the letters that stared back at him, as if mocking him. The signature picture of Thief Kid was there, next to the neatly printed name. It grinned up at Conan, smiling and taunting him, with the tall, white top hat and the monocle that blocked half his face.
Suddenly, an irate face of another detective appeared in Conan’s view. “Oi, don’t play with that,” Mouri Kogoro snapped as he snatched the white calling card from the man-turned-boy’s hands. “This is very important! Why don’t you go off and play with your friends or something? Go bother the professor...”
“Dad! Don’t be rude!” his daughter, Mouri Ran, scolded, taking a stand behind Conan. “Besides, Conan is smart! He won’t destroy it.”
“You never know,” Kogoro grumbled as he took a seat on his sofa, facing his client, who had came looking for him at his office quite early in the morning.
The man that sat opposite of Kogoro was a built and sturdy man, looking as if he was approaching the ripe age of fifty. His hair was neatly combed back, a balding spot appearing upon the middle of his head. Strands of white and gray hair were evident in what was what a mass of black. In his hand, he held a pipe, which puffed every time he placed it into his mouth. His hands were tanned and dark, evidence of having foreign blood within his veins. If the skin was not proof enough, then his strange, light auburn colored eyes was a dead giveaway. The way he was dressed spoke of wealth and of high status—even if he had dressed differently, his nearly regal stature was a dead give away.
“Will you help me, Detective?” the client asked, his voice deep and rumbling, commanding authority. “Or will you decline?”
Kogoro eyed the calling card with a nonchalant look. “I don’t even know who you are. Do you honestly expect me to help someone that refuses to identify themselves?”
The man ‘tsk’-ed in irritation. “I am Sakai Arai,” the man introduced himself stiffly. “And I need your help in guarding the jewel.” When it didn’t seem like Kogoro was very much interested, Sakai added hastily; “You will be rewarded handsomely, of course, if you can keep Kid from stealing my stone.”
“‘Handsomely?’” money symbols seemed to replace Kogoro’s eyes for a moment. “Exactly how much are we talking about here?”
Sakai glanced briefly over at Conan and Ran, who seemed to be regarding the conversation between Kogoro and him very seriously. The older detective noticed it and motioned for the other two to get out of his office.
Ran complied, dragging a reluctant Conan with her.
A few moments later, both heard a loud ‘thunk’ and an even louder ‘WHAT?!’ echo through the building.
0000000Part One0000000
“Old men sure are rich these days,” Kogoro muttered as he parked his car out besides a giant mansion.
“You sure as hell aren’t,” Conan muttered under his breath. Kogoro sent the tiny, bespectacled boy a glare, having heard the statement. Ran remained oblivious, thinking that her father was picking on Conan again.
The three of them walked up to the door of the mansion and pressed the doorbell. Silence met them until the large, oak doors creaked open. A woman stood there, opening the door. She looked as if she was in her mid thirties and graying hair and wrinkles were already evident on her face. She was not plump, but neither was she slender. She was dressed in a simple black outfit, usually customary for maids. “Come in, come in. You must be Detective Mouri Kogoro.” She smiled warmly and let the group of three into the large house.
“I am Kanemoto Nadeshiko,” the maid introduced herself with a bow. “The master shall be down shortly. In the meanwhile, shall we go to the lounge? I have tea prepared for all of you.” She dimpled once again and led the way calmly down the numerous halls towards the lounge.
Conan, who had been taking in all the details of the mansion, quickly ran to catch up with them.
A few minutes after they had sat down in the lounge’s sumptuous chairs, the client, Sakai Adam, walked into the room, followed by another man, dressed in black. The maid greeted Sakai with a bow and offered him tea, which he declined. The other man remained standing near the door, his expression stern and betrayed none of his thoughts.
“Ah, Sakai-san!” Kogoro exclaimed, immediately jumping to his feet and greeting the man. “It is such a wonderful mansion you have here!”
“Of course,” the man answered, gesturing for Kogoro to sit. “Well, I am afraid that I do not have all day, so I will give you the details now.”
“Yes, yes, the details,” Kogoro nodded eagerly as he promptly sat down upon the plush chairs. “Please do tell, I will most surely keep the stone from Kid’s hands!”
Sakai motioned for the bodyguard standing at the door and the man walked in. From his inner pockets, he produced a small leather box, which he handed to Sakai. The old man took it and placed it upon the table and opened it.
“So that’s the Crown of Night...” Kogoro mused, staring at the stone. “It...doesn’t seem very fancy.”
Conan moved closer to the box, peering at the stone inside its leather bindings carefully. Within its confines sat an oval cut black diamond, set into a tiara that held two other gems, both of which were blue sapphires. The diamond, however was the centerpiece of the tiara and Conan focused his attention onto it. The dark jewel gleamed strangely under the lights. Conan blinked.
“Hey, Uncle, doesn’t the stone in the middle look kind of weird?” the shrunken detective asked. “Was it not stored in the right place or something?”
“The boy is...very perceptive,” Sakai said, a slight frown appearing upon his face. “Is he your...pupil?”
“What? No!” Kogoro exclaimed immediately. “He’s just some brat we have to take care of! Him? My pupil...preposterous! I am a busy man and have no time to teach youngsters the art of solving mysteries!” It was an outright lie and everyone saw through it. The man was not the greatest of liars, Conan mused.
“Well, as the boy says, the stone does look strange. And it is not because that it was not stored in the right place—all such precious gems all go into a room on the third floor. The reason for the gem to look so strange is because it gives off the illusion that there is a separate stone inside it, though there is none. It makes it look as if there was a star within the black, much like a star appearing out of the clouds at night.” Sakai took out his pipe and lit it, placing it into his mouth as he settled back into his chair with a small sigh. “My niece will be wearing this tiara in two days, at the costume party we’re hosting. She had been begging me for a long time, and when I finally consented, Kid sends his calling card.”
“A costume party?” Kogoro asked. “When? What time?”
“Why, on the thirty first. The coming Monday,” Sakai answered. “I believe it starts a after six and will go well into the night.”
“That’s it!” Kogoro exclaimed, leaping from his seat. “That is when Kid will steal the crown! The calling card made a reference to monsters—that must be the people—so Kid must be planning to steal the crown then!”
“But what about the ‘when the clock strikes first’ part?” Ran asked, looking up at her father.
“Bah! The time would be one o’ clock! The party’s lasting all night!” Kogoro exclaimed with loud laughter. “Kid is too easy to figure out! Now, we just need to secure the perimeter!”
“I sure hope that is the case, Detective, that Kid so simple to figure out,” Sakai said gravely. “Your family will be allowed at the party and I will supply the men to guard the perimeter, so there is no need to contact the police.”
“No...police?” Kogoro gulped. “But surely your men would not be enough...”
“I have no trust for the police,” Sakai stated simply. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have matters to attend to.” He gave them a stiff bow and left, whispering something into his maid’s ear as he did so, tucking the box that held the Crown of Night under his arm.
“No...police?” Kogoro echoed. He went silent for a moment, as if pondering some grave secret, and then burst out into raucous laughter. “That just shows how great he thinks I am!”
Conan choked on his tea at that moment.
~*~
The day of the costume party came rather quickly, and Ran had fussed over what her costume should have been. In the end, she decided to go as a witch, as Sonoko once did. However, Ran’s outfit was much more modest than her friend’s. It was full length and covered her nearly from top to bottom in black. Conan, however, was forced to dress up as per Ran’s instructions. They had debated on what outfit he should wear (Kogoro had interjected more than once claiming that Conan should go as a large wastebasket).
“Ran, I’ll think of something,” Conan said as he quickly escaped the house.
“You better hurry back, Conan!” Ran called. “There’s only two hours until we have to be there! And we’re suppose to be there early!”
Conan gave a small wave at the longhaired girl and trotted off in the direction of Professor Agasa’s home. He rang the doorbell impatiently and finally, a small primary school girl opened the door. She wore a light blue blouse and a matching skirt, both of which seemed a little charred and burned. Her face was smeared with black. She quickly let him in and closed the door, trotting back into the hall quietly. Haibara Ai had always been quiet and even within her temporary home it was no exception.
“Has the professor been making something again?”
Ai merely nodded, as if that explained everything.
Conan chuckled and followed Ai down to the lab. “The professor decided to take a quick shower. He left me with all the clean up,” the little girl murmured. She gestured to the messy room, where papers were strewn everywhere and gadgets lay in a haphazard heap upon the floor.
“It seems that it’s more than just what the professor might do...” the boy stated, his eyes roaming over the cluttered lab. “Were you collaborating on something?”
“No. I merely helped correct his errors on his project,” Ai answered with a smile. “His ideas are lame, but he a man of genius.”
Conan chuckled yet again. “Sounds like him, alright.” He’d never really admit that in front of the professor.
“So what are you doing here, Kudo?” Ai asked, taking a seat upon a nearby chair. “I thought you had a case today.”
“Not me,” Conan said simply.
“But it is you who solves the case, is it not?” Ai continued. “I heard a rumor that Kid was involved. The odd thing is though; nothing was mentioned in the newspaper. Usually when Kid announces one of his heists, it is publicly known. Anyway, is there something specific you want for the case?”
“Not today,” the boy stated with a grin. “That thief is not getting away from me…Today is when I catch him and unmask him.” A strange gleam entered his eyes. “When he comes, I’ll be ready for him.”
“Good for you,” Ai said as she began to clean up around her desk.
“By the way,” Conan suddenly said. “Do you think the professor might have a detective costume lying around here?”
~*~
Conan returned to his temporary home an hour later, after helping Ai clean up the lab. Professor Agasa didn’t have any costumes lying about…or rather, he didn’t have any cool costumes. Ran had greeted him upon his entering and promptly shoved him into the bathroom, making him wear an outfit that distinctly resembled Scooby-Doo. Conan had sighed and tried to beg his way out of wearing it, but in the end he was forced into it anyway. The dangling tag at the front of the costume did not do much for the shrunken detective’s morale when Kogoro ushered both of them into a rented car. The old detective had laughed so hard that Conan thought he was going to develop an ulcer. Not that he would have minded...
“Why are we going so early anyway?” Conan asked sulkily as he watched the scenery outside the car fly by in a blur of color. Greens and blues and grays all mixed into one, each passing by so fast that there was no way to tell them apart. He really wanted to get out of his costume. It was just so...embarrassing!
“To avoid traffic on the freeway!” Kogoro said in reply. “Now shut up or I’ll throw you out the car!”
“Dad!” Ran scolded, jumping to Conan’s defense. The old detective merely glared at the tiny menace over his shoulder, since he couldn’t face his daughter’s wrath.
They arrived at the mansion just before they were expected. They were introduced to Sakai’s niece, a pretty little thing that just reached her twenties. She was dressed as a princess; the tiara placed upon her head made her stand out even more. Nevertheless, she did not look very happy.
At five after six, the guests began to filter in; each dressed in a different outfit of a variety of colors. In walked a ghoul that looked like it was fresh out of the grave and in came a fairy, with shimmering wings. In walked an alien, who looked like he was extremely hot in the outfit. There was a vampire, a zombie, and a very creative skeleton. Amongst the more...courageous ones of the party, there came a maid that seemed to have jumped out from a porn magazine and a rabbit that seemed more interested in revealing skin than actually pretending to be a rabbit. As Conan observed the bunch of people that were slowly filling into the mansion, he sincerely hoped that Kid wouldn’t be dressed in something so...provocative...
However, what worried Conan was a group of people that came dressed in black. They weren’t dressed up or anything—no make-up, no jewelry, nothing. They were just dressed in black shirts, black pants, and all wearing black gloves. All the more to suspect them of a crime.
“Conan!” Ran’s voice echoed through the mansion. Conan looked up to see his childhood friend walking towards him.
“Ran-neechan!” he exclaimed in his childish voice. “Look at all those people! That’s a lot just for a party!”
“Yes, that is a lot...” Ran said and she trailed off, her eyes still looking into the crowd, as if searching for someone. Conan turned and looked away, unable to bear the faraway look that Ran had upon her face. She wore it, every time she was looking for...him. However, as she stared off into the crowd, someone nearly walked into her and almost tripped over Conan in the process. Nevertheless, he still ended up on the floor.
“Ah, I’m so sorry!” the person exclaimed, picking himself up off of the floor. “Now who do we have here...? I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” the man said. He was good looking, with dark shoulder-length locks, and a youthful face. He wore an outfit that looked straight out of nineteenth century Europe. “I am Sakamoto Ryou.”
“I’m Mouri Ran. This is Edogawa Conan,” Ran said, gesturing to the two of them. “Um…what are you dressed as?”
“I am Dorian Gray,” Sakamoto replied with a charming smile. “You can’t tell, can you? Yeah, I kind of realized, since this out fit is so general. It could apply to anything!” He laughed, scratching at the back of his head. Instantly, Conan had an immediate disliking towards the man. “Well then, Miss Mouri, would you like to come and get a drink?”
“Well…” Before Ran could say anything to decline, Sakamoto had taken her hand and was leading her towards the tables.
“My apologies for almost tripping over you! We must get a drink!”
And thus, Conan was quickly forgotten.
With a resigned sigh, Conan shoved is hands into the Scooby-Doo costume’s pockets and kicked at the carpet. It was...stupid. If only he was Kudo Shinichi again! Then he wouldn’t have to worry about all the strangers hitting on his childhood friend, Ran.
“Oh my goodness!” came a sudden exclamation. Conan turned around and was met with a vision of much cleavage. “You are so cute!” There came another squeal from the tiny detective’s right side and before he knew it, he was surrounded by mob of girls.
“U-uh…” poor Conan stuttered, trying to get away from the girls unsuccessfully. What would a child do in a situation he was in? Conan’s mind began to work a mile a minute, trying to think of what he would have done ten years ago if a mob of strange girls had decided to molest him. He quickly came to the conclusion that he would have run or might have started to cry. The shrunken detective sucked in his pride and stuck out a quivering bottom lip and looked up at the girls with large eyes, rubbing them occasionally to give off an impression that he was going to cry.
“Aw...don’t be scared!” one of the girls said, patting his head in what was suppose to be a soothing manner. “Are you lost? Don’t worry, we’ll get you back to your parents in no time!”
Suddenly, strong hands plucked the tiny boy from the mob of cooing females. “Sorry ladies, I took my eyes off of him for a moment and he disappeared,” a familiar voice said. A voice that was almost too familiar.
Conan twisted around in his captor’s grasp only to be looking up at his own face…his face of ten years in the future. “Y-you!” he squeaked.
“Thank you for taking care of him,” Kudo Shinichi said as he walked off from the group of girls, Conan still tucked under his arm.
“Let me go,” Conan hissed, glaring up at Kid, the moment they were out of earshot. “And stop going around pretending to be me!”
“Why not?” came the reply. “It’s fun! Plus, there’s a bunch of perks that I have privilege to when I’m you!” The pretender finally set Conan down on one of the tables, where he took a seat upon a nearby chair. “I would have never thought you’d look very cute as a dog.” Kid said with a wide grin. Surprisingly, though, the detective turned pink and scowled. Kid resisted the temptation to pinch Conan’s cheeks just for the hell of it, but decided the boy had suffered enough under the mob of fangirls. “Well, since I, as your acting Prince Charming, has saved you, I believe that it is time to take my leave.” With a familiar smirk, Kid disappeared into the crowd, leaving Conan alone at the table.
The boy frowned and hopped off of the table and disappearing around a hall, going the direct opposite he had seen Kid go only a moment earlier. Conan walked off to the nearest bathroom. He was just about to enter when he heard suspicious conversation coming from within it.
“Do you know where it is?”
“It’s secured, yes. But what about Kid...?”
“It doesn’t matter. Continue as planned.”
“Alright. We’ll meet up at point a, after our plan is initiated.”
“If everything goes accordingly, of course.”
“That’s bad luck to say that.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
Kid? Plan? Secured?
All things pointed to a conspiracy, one of which Conan was all too eager to solve. The two men conversing within the bathroom didn’t seem to notice him, but both looked rather strong. Quickly running off before he was caught, Conan ran up to the second story of the mansion, from where he could view the entire party. From the crowd, he was able to make out Sakai’s niece, who was accompanied by Kogoro, as she flitted from group to group like a social butterfly. Ran was still talking with Sakamoto and Kid was nowhere to be seen.
As he looked around, he spotted a giant grandfather clock standing erect against a far wall, ticking away. Conan frowned and then suddenly realized why Kid disappeared so suddenly.
“Crap!” Conan exclaimed as he quickly ran up the stairs, heading for the third floor. He distinctly remembered Sakai said that he kept all his precious gems in a certain room upon the third floor. A small grin appeared on Conan’s lips as he deciphered Kid’s riddle.
Up the stairs the shrunken detective ran, as fast as his feet could carry him. He was met with a darkened hall, but that did not deter him. He continued on, looking at all the doors carefully, seeing if any of them seemed recently disturbed. As the boy ran, he nearly missed the one door’s whose handle seemed rather…off. Stopping in front of the door, Conan pushed the door open without any hesitation whatsoever. He was rewarded with a room filled with dazzling jewels and...
Kid.
“Oh, hi there, Detective!” the thief exclaimed, holding something within the palm of his hand. He had changed out of his Kudo Shinichi pretext and was in his customary clothes—a full outfit of white and the trademark monocle was perched in front of his eye. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Heh. I doubt it,” Conan said, pushing up the glasses that perched upon his nose. “You came out to me, which made it a personal challenge. After you left me at the table, I realized when and where you were going to steal it.”
Kid only chuckled and made a mildly impressed noise.
“You’ve obviously done your research well enough,” Conan said. “The grandfather clock out there strikes every hour—however, the clock has a fault to it. It is slower than all the other clocks here by several minutes. The first strike that you’ve mentioned in your calling card is when the clock will first strike during the party. Since you didn’t know if the Crown of Night the girl was wearing was genuine, you had to go check...so you went as me. It turned out that it wasn’t real, so you came here.” An almost identical smirk appeared upon Conan’s face, as he looked his opponent in the eyes. “When the monsters roam the streets is in reference to when all the attendees are here.”
Kid laughed out loud and clapped. “As expected,” Kid said. “Good job, Detective.” Just as he finished talking, the grandfather clock began its chimes. It rang out loud and slow throughout the household that both Kid and Conan heard it with great clarity.
“I believe that is my cue, now, if you’ll excuse me, little puppy...” Kid threw whatever he was holding into the air. There was a sudden flash and smoke and Conan quickly exited the room. The diversion had no effect on Conan—he already knew where Kid was heading for.
Down the hall he ran, and he was just in time to catch the sight of Kid’s white cape disappearing around the corner. As he ran, Conan quickly shed his Scooby-Doo costume, finding it rather bothersome as he ran his chase. He was lucky that he wore regular clothes under the costume. Finally, after what seemed like a ridiculous chase around a maze, Conan ran onto the third story balcony, which was partially hidden from view due to heavy velvet curtains. Kid stood there on the marble balcony, his cape flying out behind him as if they were giant, white wings.
“You’re not getting away,” Conan said, crossing his arms over his chest, a rather feral grin upon his face.
“Ah, but I think I am,” Kid said in return, matching Conan’s grin with a smirk of his own. “But don’t worry, this won’t be the only opportunity for you to catch me.”
Suddenly, without warning, a soft ‘pfft’ noise went off. Both Conan and Kid turned towards the window…or at least, Conan tried. There came another similar sound, and another bullet soared through the air, hitting Conan yet again.
The boy fell to his knees, his mouth opened as he heaved heavy breaths. No sound escaped him, as his brain was still registering what was happening to him. He slowly began to feel the blood seep into his clothes from the bullet wounds on his shoulder and leg. He was distinctly aware that Kid was trying to move towards him, but was stopped when another shot was fired. That one was aimed at the ground, where Kid had previously stepped on. The thief had just barely managed to move his foot away in time.
“Don’t move from that spot. Hand over the crown, Kid,” the armed man said steadily. A man dressed in black moved from the shadows of the heavy curtains of the balcony window. “If you won’t, I’ll kill the brat here.”
Both thief and detective tensed, each wondering what they should do. Conan was obviously in no condition to move on his own to escape. Kid’s expression was glum and the man strode forward. The bespectacled detective took a close look at the man—he was one of the people that had been talking in the bathroom! What was he doing on the balcony? Unless...the balcony was their meeting point!
“Too slow,” the man fired another shot at Conan, miraculously missing the boy by an inch. Kid had startled at the sound of the gun with the silencer on. The thief scowled and slowly reached into his breast pocket, withdrawing something in a lengthy process. Suddenly, in one swift motion, Kid withdrew one of his own guns and fired. A playing card had embedded itself into the man’s hand and he howled in pain, dropping the gun. When he looked up again, both Kid and Conan had disappeared. Only the pool of blood was proof that they had been there.
--To Be Continued...
…I tried. =/ Sorry if it isn’t good. *sobs*
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Date: 2005-11-26 06:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-26 06:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-26 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-27 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-26 05:53 pm (UTC)Cool.
Wahhh Cliffie evilness >.<. Poor Conan.
You know Kid's extremely lucky Ran didn't see him in his Kudo Disguise.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-07 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-27 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-28 04:07 pm (UTC)update soon!!!!
Date: 2008-01-03 07:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 05:10 am (UTC)I love mysteries!
Date: 2009-03-20 04:20 am (UTC)Next Part?
Date: 2011-01-06 11:07 pm (UTC)