mancha_sama (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mancha_sama) wrote2009-09-17 10:22 am
mancha_sama) wrote2009-09-17 10:22 am
30 Cases - Hakuba & Conan
30 Cases
Thirty not-quite-unrelated stories that lead our darling detective and his frustrating foe along the path of romance (that's Shinichi and Kid, for the unenlightened). Will be KaitoxShinichi.
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Hakuba takes a moment to observe Conan. .
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Case 05 – Hakuba & Conan
It was a strange sensation for Hakuba to be more interested in the person solving the case than the case itself. After all, the blond was usually the one unraveling the mystery. All the years observing the criminal mind in action and dissecting it to try to find the answer to ‘why’ had always consumed his interest and attention. Now though…
Hakuba didn’t look directly at the boy wandering around the crime scene. He’d learned that error early on, as without fail Edogawa-kun would stiffen within moments of being observed, then say something or do something particularly childish. It was frustrating and confusing to the half-Brit teen. Hakuba hated mysteries he couldn’t solve.
Instead, Hakuba contented himself with gathering as much information as he could surreptitiously, out of the corner of his eyes or by observing people around the inquisitive child. And it was watching genius in motion, really. Bright blue eyes behind those ridiculous glasses would sparkle innocently as the boy asked naive sounding questions. However, the boy managed to drag out answers that even Hakuba hadn’t yet considered.
Nakamori-keibu was right; Edogawa Conan was a strange child. Hakuba had been skeptical, but after hearing the hoarse man rant himself mute again, he’d promised himself to observe the boy more closely next time their paths crossed. He’d thought the boy intelligent for his age, curious by nature, and rather lucky. It turned out Edogawa-kun was intelligent, period, not so much curious as purposefully questioning, and surely no one could have such bad luck as to run into bodies as many times as he had…
“Ne~ Oji-san!” the childish alto piped up, and Hakuba strained his ears to catch the conversation on the opposite side of the room. Edogawa-kun was questioning an officer who had squatted down to make the exchange easier. That was another thing; adults never seemed to notice until too late that they were answering questions no child should be hearing, let alone asking. Sure enough… “If you slit someone’s throat from in front, where does it cut deepest?”
Hakuba shuddered slightly, but not at the morbid question. He’d run across equally gruesome murders too many times for it to faze him now. But at the fact that the officer, Ochira-san if his memory didn’t fail him, had answered the question without pausing to consider exactly who he was talking to. It wasn’t that the adults treated Edogawa-kun like one too; it was that they temporarily seemed to forget when those piercing eyes focused so intently on them, drawing out information that they didn’t even know they had.
The question also made Hakuba’s brain turn over the clues of the case. It seemed to be fairly straightforward. There’d been a knock at the door and the victim had left her guests to go answer it. There’d been a short scream that cut off in a gurgle, and the guests had rushed out to see their hostess lying in front of the open front door in a pool of her own blood, her throat neatly slit. Assault from an outside person, suspected to be the victim’s ex-husband who had been caught lurking around the place. He’d denied it, of course, but some of the guests had spoken of the victim being threatened repeatedly by the man.
Why had the boy…? Oh. Oh, now Hakuba was following the train of thought. Without thinking, Hakuba turned his head to follow Edogawa-kun as he wandered over to inspect the area by the entryway. Immediately Edogawa-kun’s shoulders stiffened just a bit, and a bright, childish smile appeared to wipe away the intent look the kid had just been sporting. He didn’t look around, but Hakuba knew that the boy was aware of exactly who was watching him.
Frustrated, Hakuba let his attention wander away, being sure to keep him in his peripheral. Around him police officers worked industrially, tagging clues and evidence, the quiet murmurs of the superior officers discussing motives and procedures, the muffled sounds of grief and outrage still emanating from the group of witnesses… No one bothered the teen, either assuming he was contemplating the occurrence (not exactly inaccurate), or that he was merely waiting for the real officers to solve the case (which was mildly offensive).
He saw Edogawa-kun drop the plastic smile and head for the door with more purpose. Hakuba knew what he’d be looking for, and was confident the boy would find his evidence. The theory was sound, and even likely from what all the clues pointed at. Oddly, Hakuba felt confident in stepping back and letting this strange, intelligent child wrap this case up. Which, he realized, was exactly the same behavior he’d observed in others around the boy.
Sighing again, Hakuba nearly choked as he caught the razor smile appear on Edogawa-kun’s face. An expression that Hakuba knew better than his own face, but why was it on an elementary schooler’s face instead of its normal place on a certain moonlight thief (or trickster classmate)? It was a smile that said the owner was in control, and indeed had made all the rules to the game that the world no longer knew how to play correctly. Someone was going to lose badly against that kid.
Interest spiking, Hakuba wondered what Edogawa-kun was going to do to solve the case. These weren’t the boy’s normal police officers (and since when did the police belong to a mere child? Hakuba was getting too involved in the confusion), so it was unlikely they would listen to his theories, no matter how well thought out. Gold eyes fixed again on the small form (an involuntary reaction, but Hakuba could only pretend interest in the wall for so long), and he was rewarded once more by the hyper awareness. This time, instead of ignoring his gaze, Edogawa-kun turned to face Hakuba with an expression of childish interest. Hakuba watched, hiding his incredulity, as the boy very nearly skipped over to him, gazing up with wide blue eyes.
“Ne ne, Hakuba-niisan? How do they know that man killed the nice lady?” came the syrupy sweet inquiry as the boy pointed at the ranting ex-husband.
So that was the boy’s game; get a well-respected person, and then lead them surreptitiously through all the clues to let them draw the proper conclusion. Was that what the boy had done with that Sleeping Korogo? Led an idiot of a man (well, Hakuba had done some research on the man, and knew he wasn’t always an idiot) along until the solution came clear? It was an almost terrifying thought, that one so young could be so skilled. What would he be like when he grew up?
Struck by a sudden irritation, Hakuba decided not to make things easy on the kid. What would he do, when his most likely ally turned against him?
“You should leave these matters to the police, Edogawa-kun,” Hakuba reprimanded. “They have procedures to handle these situations. If the man is innocent, they will find the proof.” He knew they wouldn’t. The proof wasn’t obvious, and if this case wasn’t wrapped up here it would be lost for good. He saw the irritation flash in those eyes, but to the boy’s credit his childish mask did not falter. Nakamori-keibu had been right about that at least; the boy was certainly hiding something.
A noise caught Hakuba’s attention, and he glanced up as one sobbing woman tried to attack the ex-husband. Hakuba felt a sudden prick in his neck, and before he could process the situation his vision went black.
***
Hakuba came to at the feeling of someone patting him jovially on the shoulder. His eyes fluttered open to take in the beaming faces of the police officers gathered around him, one or two of them congratulating him loudly for his quick thinking. Off to the side a pair of them were handcuffing a sobbing woman (the one who’d tried to attack the ex-husband, his mind fuzzily supplied), and it took Hakuba a second to comprehend what just happened.
His eyes narrowed as he immediately scanned the room for a certain bespectacled figure, brushing off the praise and helping hands irritably. Somehow…somehow that—that—brat (and he couldn’t believe he was agreeing with Nakamori-keibu on that) had managed to drug him and—tricked everyone into believing he’d solved the case (it was the only explanation that made sense). Hakuba was incensed, and felt oddly violated that he’d been used in such a way.
Gold eyes did not spot the small figure amongst the bustle and chaos, and Hakuba hurriedly pushed past the crowding bodies, seeking out the boy. He spotted the cow-lick hair whipping out the open front door, none of the police officers too worried about letting an outsider (and one so young, why didn’t they think of that sooner?!) with no real involvement leave. He wasted a few precious seconds convincing the officers guarding the doors that he was only stepping out for a moment (a bonus to being the one to solve the case in that they were willing to be more lenient over the rules), then all but dashed into the street outside.
“Edogawa!”
The cry tore from his mouth before he could stop it, but the boy did pause and turn wide-eyes back on him. Hakuba had to remind himself that this kid had just drugged him and wasn’t a harmless little boy whom he didn’t want to upset. Damn (he could be excused his strong language considering the circumstances) right he wanted to upset him! He came to a stop a few feet away, glaring and rather pleased when the childish expression slid into a more neutral one.
“Hakuba.”
No suffix, as if they were equals. He didn’t know if he should be insulted or not (but chose to be, since he had no reason for feeling any good will right now).
“You…”
Hakuba didn’t even know what he wanted to ask. Questions ripped through his mind, each one fighting to tear its way out of his throat. He settled for the most burning question, one he planned on following up on whatever the boy had to say.
“Who are you?” he hissed quietly, staring past the thin barrier of glass into those too-old eyes. The boy’s lips quirked in a slight smirk, as if he found humor in something not funny at all.
“Strange how that’s always the question they ask,” the boy murmured, light reflecting off his glasses and hiding his features (much like a certain monocle that often haunted Hakuba’s dreams).
A cheerful tune made Hakuba jump suddenly, but Edogawa-kun merely pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, a frown flitting across his face. Almost challengingly, the boy held Hakuba’s gaze as he flipped the phone open to chirp a cheery greeting.
“Ran-neechan! … Un! … Eeeeh? Do I have to? … Okay, okay. I’ll be home soon. Bye Ran-neechan!” The whole conversation was in that sugary tone of voice that Hakuba was quickly learning to loathe. The boy slipped the phone back in his pocket, grinning that laser grin that had no right to belong on the youthful face. “I have to go, Hakuba-niisan. Let’s talk some other time, okay? Good job on the case! Very profound!”
Before Hakuba could retort to that last dig, the boy darted off. Hakuba closed his eyes for patience, letting the cool night air soothe his flushed face. Brat was a well-deserved title for dear little Edogawa-kun.
“A door has two sides, Edogawa-kun? How trite,” he murmured, before sighing and turning back to the bustling crime scene to give his statement. He did wonder, though, what the boy had been doing in Ekoda in the first place.
-
Case: Hakuba & Conan - Closed
Next case: Kaito & Conan
Thirty not-quite-unrelated stories that lead our darling detective and his frustrating foe along the path of romance (that's Shinichi and Kid, for the unenlightened). Will be KaitoxShinichi.
Hakuba takes a moment to observe Conan. .
-
Case 05 – Hakuba & Conan
It was a strange sensation for Hakuba to be more interested in the person solving the case than the case itself. After all, the blond was usually the one unraveling the mystery. All the years observing the criminal mind in action and dissecting it to try to find the answer to ‘why’ had always consumed his interest and attention. Now though…
Hakuba didn’t look directly at the boy wandering around the crime scene. He’d learned that error early on, as without fail Edogawa-kun would stiffen within moments of being observed, then say something or do something particularly childish. It was frustrating and confusing to the half-Brit teen. Hakuba hated mysteries he couldn’t solve.
Instead, Hakuba contented himself with gathering as much information as he could surreptitiously, out of the corner of his eyes or by observing people around the inquisitive child. And it was watching genius in motion, really. Bright blue eyes behind those ridiculous glasses would sparkle innocently as the boy asked naive sounding questions. However, the boy managed to drag out answers that even Hakuba hadn’t yet considered.
Nakamori-keibu was right; Edogawa Conan was a strange child. Hakuba had been skeptical, but after hearing the hoarse man rant himself mute again, he’d promised himself to observe the boy more closely next time their paths crossed. He’d thought the boy intelligent for his age, curious by nature, and rather lucky. It turned out Edogawa-kun was intelligent, period, not so much curious as purposefully questioning, and surely no one could have such bad luck as to run into bodies as many times as he had…
“Ne~ Oji-san!” the childish alto piped up, and Hakuba strained his ears to catch the conversation on the opposite side of the room. Edogawa-kun was questioning an officer who had squatted down to make the exchange easier. That was another thing; adults never seemed to notice until too late that they were answering questions no child should be hearing, let alone asking. Sure enough… “If you slit someone’s throat from in front, where does it cut deepest?”
Hakuba shuddered slightly, but not at the morbid question. He’d run across equally gruesome murders too many times for it to faze him now. But at the fact that the officer, Ochira-san if his memory didn’t fail him, had answered the question without pausing to consider exactly who he was talking to. It wasn’t that the adults treated Edogawa-kun like one too; it was that they temporarily seemed to forget when those piercing eyes focused so intently on them, drawing out information that they didn’t even know they had.
The question also made Hakuba’s brain turn over the clues of the case. It seemed to be fairly straightforward. There’d been a knock at the door and the victim had left her guests to go answer it. There’d been a short scream that cut off in a gurgle, and the guests had rushed out to see their hostess lying in front of the open front door in a pool of her own blood, her throat neatly slit. Assault from an outside person, suspected to be the victim’s ex-husband who had been caught lurking around the place. He’d denied it, of course, but some of the guests had spoken of the victim being threatened repeatedly by the man.
Why had the boy…? Oh. Oh, now Hakuba was following the train of thought. Without thinking, Hakuba turned his head to follow Edogawa-kun as he wandered over to inspect the area by the entryway. Immediately Edogawa-kun’s shoulders stiffened just a bit, and a bright, childish smile appeared to wipe away the intent look the kid had just been sporting. He didn’t look around, but Hakuba knew that the boy was aware of exactly who was watching him.
Frustrated, Hakuba let his attention wander away, being sure to keep him in his peripheral. Around him police officers worked industrially, tagging clues and evidence, the quiet murmurs of the superior officers discussing motives and procedures, the muffled sounds of grief and outrage still emanating from the group of witnesses… No one bothered the teen, either assuming he was contemplating the occurrence (not exactly inaccurate), or that he was merely waiting for the real officers to solve the case (which was mildly offensive).
He saw Edogawa-kun drop the plastic smile and head for the door with more purpose. Hakuba knew what he’d be looking for, and was confident the boy would find his evidence. The theory was sound, and even likely from what all the clues pointed at. Oddly, Hakuba felt confident in stepping back and letting this strange, intelligent child wrap this case up. Which, he realized, was exactly the same behavior he’d observed in others around the boy.
Sighing again, Hakuba nearly choked as he caught the razor smile appear on Edogawa-kun’s face. An expression that Hakuba knew better than his own face, but why was it on an elementary schooler’s face instead of its normal place on a certain moonlight thief (or trickster classmate)? It was a smile that said the owner was in control, and indeed had made all the rules to the game that the world no longer knew how to play correctly. Someone was going to lose badly against that kid.
Interest spiking, Hakuba wondered what Edogawa-kun was going to do to solve the case. These weren’t the boy’s normal police officers (and since when did the police belong to a mere child? Hakuba was getting too involved in the confusion), so it was unlikely they would listen to his theories, no matter how well thought out. Gold eyes fixed again on the small form (an involuntary reaction, but Hakuba could only pretend interest in the wall for so long), and he was rewarded once more by the hyper awareness. This time, instead of ignoring his gaze, Edogawa-kun turned to face Hakuba with an expression of childish interest. Hakuba watched, hiding his incredulity, as the boy very nearly skipped over to him, gazing up with wide blue eyes.
“Ne ne, Hakuba-niisan? How do they know that man killed the nice lady?” came the syrupy sweet inquiry as the boy pointed at the ranting ex-husband.
So that was the boy’s game; get a well-respected person, and then lead them surreptitiously through all the clues to let them draw the proper conclusion. Was that what the boy had done with that Sleeping Korogo? Led an idiot of a man (well, Hakuba had done some research on the man, and knew he wasn’t always an idiot) along until the solution came clear? It was an almost terrifying thought, that one so young could be so skilled. What would he be like when he grew up?
Struck by a sudden irritation, Hakuba decided not to make things easy on the kid. What would he do, when his most likely ally turned against him?
“You should leave these matters to the police, Edogawa-kun,” Hakuba reprimanded. “They have procedures to handle these situations. If the man is innocent, they will find the proof.” He knew they wouldn’t. The proof wasn’t obvious, and if this case wasn’t wrapped up here it would be lost for good. He saw the irritation flash in those eyes, but to the boy’s credit his childish mask did not falter. Nakamori-keibu had been right about that at least; the boy was certainly hiding something.
A noise caught Hakuba’s attention, and he glanced up as one sobbing woman tried to attack the ex-husband. Hakuba felt a sudden prick in his neck, and before he could process the situation his vision went black.
Hakuba came to at the feeling of someone patting him jovially on the shoulder. His eyes fluttered open to take in the beaming faces of the police officers gathered around him, one or two of them congratulating him loudly for his quick thinking. Off to the side a pair of them were handcuffing a sobbing woman (the one who’d tried to attack the ex-husband, his mind fuzzily supplied), and it took Hakuba a second to comprehend what just happened.
His eyes narrowed as he immediately scanned the room for a certain bespectacled figure, brushing off the praise and helping hands irritably. Somehow…somehow that—that—brat (and he couldn’t believe he was agreeing with Nakamori-keibu on that) had managed to drug him and—tricked everyone into believing he’d solved the case (it was the only explanation that made sense). Hakuba was incensed, and felt oddly violated that he’d been used in such a way.
Gold eyes did not spot the small figure amongst the bustle and chaos, and Hakuba hurriedly pushed past the crowding bodies, seeking out the boy. He spotted the cow-lick hair whipping out the open front door, none of the police officers too worried about letting an outsider (and one so young, why didn’t they think of that sooner?!) with no real involvement leave. He wasted a few precious seconds convincing the officers guarding the doors that he was only stepping out for a moment (a bonus to being the one to solve the case in that they were willing to be more lenient over the rules), then all but dashed into the street outside.
“Edogawa!”
The cry tore from his mouth before he could stop it, but the boy did pause and turn wide-eyes back on him. Hakuba had to remind himself that this kid had just drugged him and wasn’t a harmless little boy whom he didn’t want to upset. Damn (he could be excused his strong language considering the circumstances) right he wanted to upset him! He came to a stop a few feet away, glaring and rather pleased when the childish expression slid into a more neutral one.
“Hakuba.”
No suffix, as if they were equals. He didn’t know if he should be insulted or not (but chose to be, since he had no reason for feeling any good will right now).
“You…”
Hakuba didn’t even know what he wanted to ask. Questions ripped through his mind, each one fighting to tear its way out of his throat. He settled for the most burning question, one he planned on following up on whatever the boy had to say.
“Who are you?” he hissed quietly, staring past the thin barrier of glass into those too-old eyes. The boy’s lips quirked in a slight smirk, as if he found humor in something not funny at all.
“Strange how that’s always the question they ask,” the boy murmured, light reflecting off his glasses and hiding his features (much like a certain monocle that often haunted Hakuba’s dreams).
A cheerful tune made Hakuba jump suddenly, but Edogawa-kun merely pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, a frown flitting across his face. Almost challengingly, the boy held Hakuba’s gaze as he flipped the phone open to chirp a cheery greeting.
“Ran-neechan! … Un! … Eeeeh? Do I have to? … Okay, okay. I’ll be home soon. Bye Ran-neechan!” The whole conversation was in that sugary tone of voice that Hakuba was quickly learning to loathe. The boy slipped the phone back in his pocket, grinning that laser grin that had no right to belong on the youthful face. “I have to go, Hakuba-niisan. Let’s talk some other time, okay? Good job on the case! Very profound!”
Before Hakuba could retort to that last dig, the boy darted off. Hakuba closed his eyes for patience, letting the cool night air soothe his flushed face. Brat was a well-deserved title for dear little Edogawa-kun.
“A door has two sides, Edogawa-kun? How trite,” he murmured, before sighing and turning back to the bustling crime scene to give his statement. He did wonder, though, what the boy had been doing in Ekoda in the first place.
Case: Hakuba & Conan - Closed
Next case: Kaito & Conan