30 Cases - Mitsuhiko & Conan
Jan. 21st, 2010 01:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mancha_sama30 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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Mitsuhiko isn't dumb. Nor is he in love with Conan. So when Conan slips one time too many, Mitsuhiko can't help but ask who are you really?
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Case 09 –Mitsuhiko & Conan
Mitsuhiko stared at the familiar door with a completely unfamiliar sense of apprehension. Sure, he'd been to Agasa-hakase's house many times with the other Shounen Tantei, but he couldn't actually remember coming here by himself before. But that wasn't what was causing the unfamiliar churning in his gut.
He was looking for Conan-kun, and according to Ran-san, Conan-kun had left for Agasa-hakase's earlier that morning. One part of Mitsuhiko's mind was panicking, wondering if Conan-kun was trying to get closer to Haibara-chan without the other's interference. Another, larger, more logical part of his brain was telling him that was a ridiculous fear. And Mitsuhiko was starting to listen to that logical part a bit more often when thinking of Conan-kun lately.
He'd have had to have been blind, deaf, and dumb not to notice something had changed with Conan-kun. Even Genta-kun, who, while a wonderful friend, wasn't the most observant of people, had noticed something off about the bespectacled boy. They'd tried getting Conan-kun to tell them what was wrong, even tried getting Haibara-chan to spill, as she was obviously a part of, of…whatever this whole thing was, but both were close-lipped about it.
Ayumi-chan had been beside herself with worry, and Genta-kun was, well, Genta-kun, so Mitsuhiko had taken it upon himself to step back and try his beloved logic on the situation. Which had only confused him further.
After a week of being absent, Conan-kun and Haibara-chan had come to school one day, obviously beat up really bad. Bullying was the first thing to come to mind, but Mitsuhiko couldn't imagine any bully being able to get the better of either of them. If it had been another case, there wouldn't have been such secrecy about it.
So Mitsuhiko had stepped back even further, tried very hard to divorce himself from the emotional attachment that blinded his logical mind from understanding. He'd spent many nights thinking so hard his head would hurt, and then Ayumi-chan had come to school red-eyed and sad, and Conan-kun had barely been able to look her in the face.
That had sufficiently de-railed his thoughts for quite a while, but all he could get from Ayumi-chan was that it wasn't Conan-kun's fault, and not to be angry with him. Conan-kun had tried to withdraw even further from the group, but Ayumi-chan and Haibara-chan had teamed up and wouldn't let him. For a few days, things had returned to mostly normal, as Ayumi-chan cheered up and Conan-kun relaxed.
But Mitsuhiko wasn't about to give up on figuring out what was going on with his friends. So he'd finally tried to put his thoughts into a more physical form.
He'd written Conan-kun's name on a card, put it on the floor, then carefully created a card for Ayumi-chan, Haibara-chan, Genta-kun, and himself. He'd added arrows and ideas and switched cards around until he realized he was being too narrow-minded. He'd added Ran-san and Mouri-san's cards to the pile, then as an afterthought Agasa-hakase's card as well.
It still wasn't enough, because Mitsuhiko couldn't see how they all connected up or could have created such a problem with Conan-kun. So he'd added a card, simply labeled "Problem", and put arrows from it to Haibara-chan and Conan-kun. Then, thinking a bit more carefully on some overheard conversations, he hesitantly added an arrow to Agasa-hakase. While it seemed ludicrous that the older man was involved somehow, he did seem to cover for Conan-kun a lot.
There were still pieces missing, though, and Mitsuhiko found himself adding in Satou-keiji, Takagi-keiji, and other, half-remembered people who'd had an impact on Conan-kun. He'd even added in Kaitou Kid, because he'd noticed Conan-kun's recent interest in the odd thief, but he hadn't been able to figure out how Kid fit in at all. Putting that card to the side for later consideration, Mitsuhiko had stared at his web, the center of which Conan-kun's name blazed like a brand.
Nothing had connected, and Mitsuhiko had been about to give up and swipe the whole mess in the trash, when an odd thought had stopped him. He'd stared, letting his mind run over different possible connections, before even more hesitantly than he had for Agasa-hakase, added Kudou Shinichi's name to the pile. He'd seen Ran-san's almost-boyfriend only a few times before, but Conan-kun often quoted his ideas as originating from the older boy.
From there, he'd connected Shinichi-san to Agasa-hakase, to Conan-kun, to Ran-san, then added in brief cards on his and the other Shounen Tantei's interactions with the teen. Remembering more, he added an arrow from Shinichi-san to Megure-keibu, and anyone else he could remember in conjunction with the missing teen, then stepped back again. To his astonishment, Shinichi-san was connected to almost everyone Conan-kun was, or at least connected to someone close to them. For someone who was never around, this was significant, he felt.
'That's not Shinichi-niisan!'
That was a line, cried out by Conan-kun in honest shock, that always struck Mitsuhiko as strange. Most things about Conan-kun were strange, now that he really thought about it, but that was strange above normal strange. Conan-kun obviously put a lot of trust into Shinichi-san, but why had he said that, when even Ran-san had recognized Shinichi-san?
Mitsuhiko had scrambled for the Kid card, because he remembered that Kid had been trying to steal the star-sapphire at that time, so it was possible for it not to have been Shinichi-san. But…how had Conan-kun known? There had been no doubt, and—Mitsuhiko frowned in remembrance—Conan-kun had spent a while whispering with Haibara-chan. So…Haibara-chan was also connected with either Kid or Shinichi-san, or both.
Mitsuhiko hadn't been able to figure much else out. His cards had made it perfectly clear to himself that Conan-kun didn't like either Ayumi-chan nor, despite her involvement in the 'Problem', Haibara-chan. In fact, it was quite obvious that Conan-kun had a thing for his caretaker, Ran-san. Mitsuhiko had noticed that Conan-kun's mood change had also coincided with Ran-san spending more time out of the house, and he wondered if Ran-san was seeing somebody, to make Conan-kun so depressed over it.
He'd decided to confront Conan-kun about his suspicions (whatever they were, he wasn't too sure) alone. Maybe Conan-kun would open up a bit if it was just the two of them. So he'd headed off to Conan-kun's house with a burning determination to get some answers. Which led him to here, in front of Agasa-hakase's house, too full of nerves to even knock.
Mustering his courage, he raised his hand and rapped loudly. After a few moments, there was a shuffling behind the door, then it opened to the portly frame of Agasa-hakase. Mitsuhiko put on a bright smile he didn't quite feel, and hoped it wasn't too noticeable.
"Oh, Mitsuhiko-kun! Are you here to see Haibara-chan?" the man asked jovially. "Alone are you? Well, Haibara-chan is a bit tired right now, so she may not want to come out and play."
"Actually, Agasa-hakase, I came to see if Conan-kun was here," Mitsuhiko said casually, trying hard not to fidget with nerves. He noted an odd look pass over the man's face, before the professor laughed nervously.
"Conan-kun? Why on earth—" Agasa-hakase stuttered out, but was interrupted by a cool voice behind him.
"Conan-kun left a few minutes ago. You must have just missed him. Hello, Mitsuhiko-kun," Haibara-chan said, walking calmly down the entry hall with a steaming mug in her hands. "What did you need him for?"
Mitsuhiko swallowed nervously. Haibara-chan was one of his hardest crushes (his cards had made that perfectly clear too), and he had always admired how mature she was. But with her hard stare on him (and what had he done to deserve it? What were they hiding about Conan-kun? It seemed his guesses were a little closer to home than he'd hoped), he wondered if this had been a good idea at all. Because he was sure, absolutely sure, that Conan-kun hadn't been to Agasa-hakase's today at all.
"Uh…ah…Haibara-chan!" he stuttered, clearing his throat anxiously. "H…uh…how are you today? It's a nice day, isn't it?"
Ai was giving him a flat stare, which was only making him more edgy. Only the fact that he hadn't actually done anything wrong kept him from throwing his pride to the wind and fleeing this strange confrontation.
"I…uh…wanted to see Conan-kun. Ran-san…um…said he was here?" he continued timorously, trailing off almost questioningly. "But he's obviously not, and I should probably just go—"
"Mitsuhiko-kun," Haibara-chan interrupted with a sigh, bringing one hand up to rub her eyes wearily. Mitsuhiko shifted guiltily, realizing that maybe he was looking too much into things. "I'm a bit tired right now. I did not sleep very well. I'm sorry I can't help you, but I didn't ask where Conan-kun was going after this."
"Oh, no, I'm sorry Haibara-chan," he said quickly, now feeling even more like a fool.
What was he doing, suspecting his friends of…of…some dastardly secret? Whatever they were mixed up in, Mitsuhiko believed with all his heart that Haibara-chan and Conan-kun were not doing anything wrong. While he wished they would trust their friends a bit more, it was also his duty as their friend to believe in them.
"It wasn't even that important, really," he mumbled apologetically. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you. Please feel better, Haibara-chan."
She gave him a wan smile, which went far to buoy his spirits back up. Smiles from Haibara-chan were rare, and here she was smiling at him.
"Thank you for your concern, Mitsuhiko-kun. But this is something I brought upon myself," she said. "I will see you at school, okay?"
"Alright Haibara-chan. See you later," he said. Even as he turned away, the door was closing, cutting off his view of the fair-haired girl. Well, that hadn't been a total waste, he reasoned. He got to see Haibara-chan, and she smiled at him! Now if only he knew what to do about Conan-kun.
Shuffling down the walkway from the professor's house, Mitsuhiko's worry crept back up on him. Conan-kun was now missing, or rather, no one knew where he was. He didn't bother considering calling Conan-kun, because lately even calling the other boy's cell phone produced no answer. He could go back to Ran-san's, ask her to call him and find out where he was, but that was too close to tattling, and Mitsuhiko didn't want to get his friend into trouble. He'd have to rely on his brains and try to think of all the places Conan-kun might be.
He wasn't sure what drew his eyes up to the window of the creepy house neighboring the professor's. But Mitsuhiko felt his blood freeze as he noticed a movement in one of the upper-floor windows. A curtain had moved, as if someone had brushed against it as they walked by, and Mitsuhiko slammed his back against the dividing wall in an instinctive reaction to hide.
Visions of sinister dead ghosts with long, dark, matted hair flitted across his imagination as his heart pounded, and Mitsuhiko tried to get himself under control. He didn't believe in such nonsense, logically there was no such thing as ghosts, he knew that…but it was much easier to believe it when he wasn't all by himself. Still, the bright sun did a lot to bolster his flagging courage. Didn't all those horror movies happen at midnight on dark, rainy nights?
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Mitsuhiko slithered along the wall, then dared a peek around the corner through the iron gates. Nothing. No movement, no shadows, not even the hint that anyone had been in the creepy old house in ages.
It could have just been his imagination, Mitsuhiko knew. The Shounen Tantei had already explored the outside grounds of the house long ago, to Conan-kun's protests, and hadn't found any hint that the place was really haunted. Besides, according to Conan-kun, it was supposed to be Shinichi-san's house.
In a flash of insight, Mitsuhiko studied the seemingly empty house with more care. It had never seemed very important, but with his new knowledge and awareness, it suddenly seemed very important indeed. Shinichi-san had been gone a long time, but maybe he was really hiding? Maybe that's why Conan-kun had been so adamant that they leave the house alone, and maybe that's where Conan-kun was right now, and why he didn't want anyone to know. Except…why would Shinichi-san be hiding? Why would Conan-kun be with him?
He wanted to groan as new questions began parading through his brain, but refrained. Instead, he'd simply go right up to the door, ring the door bell, and if Conan-kun answered, he'd have his answers. Right. That's what he was going to do. If…only he could get his feet to agree with his brain, because the house really was creepy.
So it was with the slowness of one who's brain was egging their unwilling body onward that Mitsuhiko unlatched the iron gate and slipped into the property's yard. Overgrown weeds clogging the garden? Check. Creepy, foreboding mansion looming ominously over head? Double check. Creaking wooden stairs leading up to the menacing portal into who know what sort of unspeakable horrors?
Mitsuhiko swallowed hard as his imagination ran wild, but did finish the final steps to the front door. He was a creature of logic; the supernatural was outdated and fanciful notions that only took in the gullible and afraid. He continued chanting that in his head as he reached out with a hand that was only shaking a little, and rang the doorbell.
There was silence for an entire minute, before Mitsuhiko remembered that he did indeed need air to survive.
Well, that was oddly disappointing. While he hadn't wanted the grisly arm of a horrible monster to reach through the door and pull him into the gaping maw of the beast (he really needed to work on not letting his imagination get away from him), it would have been better than nothing. He should turn around right now, stride confidently away in a manner that was nothing like a run, and try to figure out where Conan-kun had gone.
So why was he reaching out to try the doorknob, which turned easily and noiselessly under his hand?
He slipped into the house, closing the door and leaning heavily on it as his heart pounded. Without much thought, his hand scrabbled in his pocket for something to protect himself with, and his hand closed around a small piece of plastic. He pulled it out, squinting in the gloom of the hallway as he tried to figure out what it was exactly, then felt a swell of relief and pride.
It was his Shounen Tantei badge. The reassurance that if he got into horrible trouble, his friends were a mere button click away, allowed Mitsuhiko to straighten his back with determination. He was a Shounen Tantei, and this was a mystery just waiting to be unraveled. And perhaps, a quiet voice in his head murmured, Ayumi-chan and Haibara-chan will be impressed at how brave you were.
Securing the pin in its position on his shirt, he ventured out as silently as he could into the dark entranceway. He could have tried using the pin to contact Conan-kun as well, but he doubted the other boy would answer, especially now. Habit so ingrained it required no thought at all caused him to slip his shoes off before stepping into the main part of the house, and his tread on silently in his socks.
The house wasn't all that creepy on the inside. Pictures lined the walls, but they looked very modern, and not at all like the musty old photos one saw in horror movies. It did have a slightly abandoned feel to it, though. Mitsuhiko could see a thin layer of dust over most things, and could even make out footprints on the floor.
That made his blood freeze again, but he gripped one hand over his badge as he forced himself to think logically, to observe everything just like Conan-kun had taught them. Looking closer, even though most of the trail wasn't clear, as if someone had been dragging their feet rather than walking properly, he could tell the footprints were small. Measuring up to his own foot confirmed it, and Mitsuhiko breathed a small sigh of relief.
The footprints very likely belonged to Conan-kun. So he was here, or at least had been here recently. There was still the question of why, but Mitsuhiko shoved that question aside for later, if or when he found Conan-kun.
Out of the corner of his eye, one of the pictures caught his attention. His eyes had adapted to the gloom enough, and the ambient light from the sun that managed its way around the curtains also provided some illumination, so that he was able to make out the figures smiling cheerfully, frozen in time.
One was obviously Conan-kun, though oddly without his glasses. The other was a strange girl, and Mitsuhiko frowned in confusion. He'd never seen the girl in his life, though she did look kind of familiar. Still, it was probably a friend of Conan-kun's from America. With a pang, Mitsuhiko wondered if maybe Conan-kun was feeling homesick. He must have had friends when he was living with his parents.
Forgetting his original purpose, Mitsuhiko peered at other pictures on the wall. There was a beautiful lady smiling dazzlingly in one photo, and he found himself staring at it for quite a while, feeling his face flush. She was very pretty. There was a cheerful man in the picture, who had some resemblance to Conan-kun (so did the woman, he realized, when he went back to actually look for it), so perhaps they were his parents? He could understand why Conan-kun missed them, if that was the case.
The next picture made Mitsuhiko's eyes widen. It was Conan-kun again, there was no mistaking that, but older. He was dressed in a sport uniform, juggling a soccer ball, and looking both smug and happy. It was an expression Mitsuhiko hadn't seen all that often on Conan-kun's face, especially lately. But there was no doubt that it was his friend.
He shook his head sharply, peering closer, trying to find something to refute that claim. Of course it couldn't be Conan-kun. There was no logical explanation for Conan-kun appearing older than he really was. It was just a close relation, a trick of the not-very-good light. Of course that was all.
Why exactly was there pictures of Conan-kun and his parents in Shinichi-san's house, anyway? Was Conan-kun that close to the family? The family names were very different, but maybe there had been some sort of divorce, or…or something.
Another picture dragged his attention away from the incriminating soccer one, and he took in the much older form of Conan-kun with a frown. It was still Conan-kun, but of course it wasn't. There was something about it, aside from the lack of glasses, that was jumping up and down in the back of Mitsuhiko's brain, screaming for attention. He was in the picture with what was probably the girl from befo—wait, that was Ran-san, wasn't it?
So that wasn't Conan-kun, that was—and yes, looking closer he recognized the figure—that was Shinichi-san! Mitsuhiko took a moment to gape at the similarities between his friend and this virtual stranger. They could have been twins they looked so alike, if there hadn't been such a big age difference. How likely was it that two completely unrelated people could look so alike?
Maybe, and Mitsuhiko could feel the heady sensation that he was right on the edge of figuring this entire confusion out, maybe Shinichi-san was Conan-kun's father! That would explain the resemblance, and maybe why everything was so secret, because Shinichi-san was so young…no, wait, Shinichi-san was too young to be Conan-kun's father. But maybe…they were brothers? Some family scandal?
Or maybe he was letting his imagination get the better of him again.
Pointedly turning away from the (completely confusing) pictures, he dismissed them and his conjectures as he continued further into the house. It was still as silent as the grave, but Mitsuhiko knew there was someone in the house. The door had been unlocked, when in the past the whole place had been sealed up tight, so someone had to have unlocked it.
He was just peering cautiously into what turned out to be the kitchen, when a voice behind him made him nearly leap out of his skin.
"What are you doing here, Mitsuhiko-kun?"
He whirled around to stare wide-eyed at Conan-kun, who had an irritated look on his face.
"C-Co-Conan-kun!" he squeaked, clutching at his chest and willing his heart not to beat its way out through his throat. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry," Conan-kun said, with a grimace of apology. "But you were the one sneaking around like a thie—criminal." The stumble seemed almost automatic, as if Conan-kun had done it often and without thought.
"I was, um, looking for you," Mitsuhiko mumbled. For a moment, he contemplated telling Conan-kun that Haibara-chan had told where he'd gone, but refrained, know that Conan-kun likely wouldn't believe him in the first place. "I thought I saw someone in the house, and I got curious," he said instead. Conan-kun sighed heavily.
"You know, you guys are going to get in trouble one day, poking your nose into dangerous situations. What if I'd been a criminal?" he asked in exasperation, sending Mitsuhiko a stern glare. Which was rather unfair, and Mitsuhiko had no qualms in telling Conan-kun as much.
"You do it all the time!" In his annoyance, Mitsuhiko almost missed Conan-kun's flinch at that, but he carried on regardless. "And besides, we're Shounen Tantei too! We can take care of ourselves!"
"Don't!" Conan-kun snarled, taking Mitsuhiko by surprise and causing his jaw to click shut on his next outraged comment. "Don't ever think that. Someone can always get the drop on you, especially when you're careless!"
Mitsuhiko stared wide-eyed at his friend's vehemence, watching Conan-kun bring a hand to the back of his head in an unconscious gesture, because he was still glaring holes at Mitsuhiko. His friend's gaze abruptly averted, and Conan-kun stuffed his hands in his pockets awkwardly.
"Sorry. Forget I said anything," he mumbled, turning on his heel and stalking out of the room. Mitsuhiko, feeling even more lost and bewildered than before, trailed after him.
The pair eventually entered a large room, a library, the scholastic part of him (a very large part) observed gleefully. Conan-kun continued in his path across the room as Mitsuhiko stared around in awe at the shelves and shelves of books.
There were hundreds, maybe thousands of books in here, and his palms itched to browse around, even though he knew many of the books would be far above his level of understanding. Science was his first love, but all knowledge was worthwhile.
The sound of a book snapping shut drew his attention back to Conan-kun, who was setting a book on the desk in the center of the room. The chair at the desk was at an angle, as if someone had been using it, and Mitsuhiko assumed Conan-kun had been reading in this musty, abandoned old house.
"I know why you're here," the bespectacled boy muttered, turning and fixing a half-determined, half-guilty look on his face. Mitsuhiko blinked in honest surprise.
"You do?" he blurted out. He was glad someone knew why he was here, because he certainly didn't.
"It's about Ayumi-chan, isn't it?" And now Conan-kun was staring intently to the side, guilt taking over his features completely. "I…look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…hurt her feelings. I didn't know how serious she—no, I did know, but I'd hoped…"
It was almost amusing, watching the ever sure and dependable Conan-kun stumble so uncertainly over his words. If the situation had been different, Mitsuhiko might even gone so far as to tease the other boy, since opportunities to do so were so rare. Conan-kun was always so unruffled by anything.
"Why," Mitsuhiko interrupted the other's ramblings. "Why are you here, Conan-kun?"
It was the question that had been clamoring the loudest in his mind. Why was Conan-kun in a near-abandoned house belonging to a missing (or at least absent) teenager? If he knew that, Mitsuhiko might be able to work out answers to the other burning questions he had. Like why Conan-kun looked so much like Shinichi-san.
It also appeared to startle Conan-kun, because a look of surprise flashed across his face.
"I was…" the other began, and paused. His brow furled just slightly, and a mild look of distaste came and went as he glared at the walls again. "I…"
"You don't have to tell me," Mitsuhiko offered, not wanting to upset his friend any more, despite his frustration.
He could tell Conan-kun was trying to think up a believable lie. After knowing him for so long, and seeing him lie to nearly everyone, Mitsuhiko was very adept at reading the signs.
"And I'm not upset over Ayumi-chan. She told us, right? That everything's okay? But you've been going off on your own a lot, and I thought you might be in trouble, or…or need a friend, or something…" he trailed off meekly, aware he was babbling. Conan-kun abruptly let out a bark of laughter, causing Mitsuhiko to jump at the unexpected noise.
"You and Ayumi-chan are so alike, you know?" Conan-kun said, running a hand agitatedly through his hair, before smoothing it back down. "You go through so much trouble, chasing after me. I don't know why you bother so much."
"Because you're our friend. Of course we're worried about you!" Mitsuhiko cried, wondering how someone so smart could miss something so obvious. Why wouldn't they try to find out what was wrong, when it was so obvious there was something wrong? "If we just gave up on you when we ran into a problem, then we wouldn't be any sort of friends at all."
Conan-kun looked surprised, as if it honestly had never occurred to him. Mitsuhiko shook his head in mild exasperation.
"We're not stupid, you know. We all are worried, but you have been avoiding us. All we want to do is help. But we're not going to stop being your friend just because you don't want to tell us…whatever it is that's making you hide from us. You should trust us more," he finished petulantly.
Conan-kun blinked owlishly at him for a moment, and Mitsuhiko tried not to fidget. Maybe he'd gone too far. It was hard to tell, now a days, what would make Conan-kun retreat into himself. But the other boy abruptly relaxed, and it was only then that Mitsuhiko became aware that Conan-kun had been tense at all.
"Thanks, Mitsuhiko. I'll remember that," Conan-kun said warmly, giving him a small, grateful grin.
"A-Anyway, what were you reading?" Mitsuhiko asked quickly, flushing with both pride and embarrassment as he looked anywhere but at the other boy. Conan-kun chuckled, but not unkindly.
"Have you ever read any of the Sherlock Holmes novels?" he asked, and his eyes were sparkling with more emotion that Mitsuhiko had seen in a long time.
"Aren't they in English?" he wondered, wandering closer as Conan-kun picked up the book he'd placed on the desk. The book itself look old and well-used, but not battered. "They sound really hard to read."
"Yeah, but they're worth the effort," Conan-kun said eagerly, flipping the book open so Mitsuhiko could see the complex small print. Mitsuhiko was drawn in as Conan-kun began enthusiastically translating the text, explaining and engaging him until Mitsuhiko nearly forgot the original reason for his search.
Oh well. Conan-kun never acted like a real kid, so it was fun just hanging out with him for a while. And despite the lack of answers, Mitsuhiko had some new cards to add to his investigation notes. Whether Conan-kun wanted him to or not, he would find out the Truth!
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Case: Mitsuhiko & Conan - Closed
Next case: Sonoko & Kaito
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.
Mitsuhiko isn't dumb. Nor is he in love with Conan. So when Conan slips one time too many, Mitsuhiko can't help but ask who are you really?
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Case 09 –Mitsuhiko & Conan
Mitsuhiko stared at the familiar door with a completely unfamiliar sense of apprehension. Sure, he'd been to Agasa-hakase's house many times with the other Shounen Tantei, but he couldn't actually remember coming here by himself before. But that wasn't what was causing the unfamiliar churning in his gut.
He was looking for Conan-kun, and according to Ran-san, Conan-kun had left for Agasa-hakase's earlier that morning. One part of Mitsuhiko's mind was panicking, wondering if Conan-kun was trying to get closer to Haibara-chan without the other's interference. Another, larger, more logical part of his brain was telling him that was a ridiculous fear. And Mitsuhiko was starting to listen to that logical part a bit more often when thinking of Conan-kun lately.
He'd have had to have been blind, deaf, and dumb not to notice something had changed with Conan-kun. Even Genta-kun, who, while a wonderful friend, wasn't the most observant of people, had noticed something off about the bespectacled boy. They'd tried getting Conan-kun to tell them what was wrong, even tried getting Haibara-chan to spill, as she was obviously a part of, of…whatever this whole thing was, but both were close-lipped about it.
Ayumi-chan had been beside herself with worry, and Genta-kun was, well, Genta-kun, so Mitsuhiko had taken it upon himself to step back and try his beloved logic on the situation. Which had only confused him further.
After a week of being absent, Conan-kun and Haibara-chan had come to school one day, obviously beat up really bad. Bullying was the first thing to come to mind, but Mitsuhiko couldn't imagine any bully being able to get the better of either of them. If it had been another case, there wouldn't have been such secrecy about it.
So Mitsuhiko had stepped back even further, tried very hard to divorce himself from the emotional attachment that blinded his logical mind from understanding. He'd spent many nights thinking so hard his head would hurt, and then Ayumi-chan had come to school red-eyed and sad, and Conan-kun had barely been able to look her in the face.
That had sufficiently de-railed his thoughts for quite a while, but all he could get from Ayumi-chan was that it wasn't Conan-kun's fault, and not to be angry with him. Conan-kun had tried to withdraw even further from the group, but Ayumi-chan and Haibara-chan had teamed up and wouldn't let him. For a few days, things had returned to mostly normal, as Ayumi-chan cheered up and Conan-kun relaxed.
But Mitsuhiko wasn't about to give up on figuring out what was going on with his friends. So he'd finally tried to put his thoughts into a more physical form.
He'd written Conan-kun's name on a card, put it on the floor, then carefully created a card for Ayumi-chan, Haibara-chan, Genta-kun, and himself. He'd added arrows and ideas and switched cards around until he realized he was being too narrow-minded. He'd added Ran-san and Mouri-san's cards to the pile, then as an afterthought Agasa-hakase's card as well.
It still wasn't enough, because Mitsuhiko couldn't see how they all connected up or could have created such a problem with Conan-kun. So he'd added a card, simply labeled "Problem", and put arrows from it to Haibara-chan and Conan-kun. Then, thinking a bit more carefully on some overheard conversations, he hesitantly added an arrow to Agasa-hakase. While it seemed ludicrous that the older man was involved somehow, he did seem to cover for Conan-kun a lot.
There were still pieces missing, though, and Mitsuhiko found himself adding in Satou-keiji, Takagi-keiji, and other, half-remembered people who'd had an impact on Conan-kun. He'd even added in Kaitou Kid, because he'd noticed Conan-kun's recent interest in the odd thief, but he hadn't been able to figure out how Kid fit in at all. Putting that card to the side for later consideration, Mitsuhiko had stared at his web, the center of which Conan-kun's name blazed like a brand.
Nothing had connected, and Mitsuhiko had been about to give up and swipe the whole mess in the trash, when an odd thought had stopped him. He'd stared, letting his mind run over different possible connections, before even more hesitantly than he had for Agasa-hakase, added Kudou Shinichi's name to the pile. He'd seen Ran-san's almost-boyfriend only a few times before, but Conan-kun often quoted his ideas as originating from the older boy.
From there, he'd connected Shinichi-san to Agasa-hakase, to Conan-kun, to Ran-san, then added in brief cards on his and the other Shounen Tantei's interactions with the teen. Remembering more, he added an arrow from Shinichi-san to Megure-keibu, and anyone else he could remember in conjunction with the missing teen, then stepped back again. To his astonishment, Shinichi-san was connected to almost everyone Conan-kun was, or at least connected to someone close to them. For someone who was never around, this was significant, he felt.
'That's not Shinichi-niisan!'
That was a line, cried out by Conan-kun in honest shock, that always struck Mitsuhiko as strange. Most things about Conan-kun were strange, now that he really thought about it, but that was strange above normal strange. Conan-kun obviously put a lot of trust into Shinichi-san, but why had he said that, when even Ran-san had recognized Shinichi-san?
Mitsuhiko had scrambled for the Kid card, because he remembered that Kid had been trying to steal the star-sapphire at that time, so it was possible for it not to have been Shinichi-san. But…how had Conan-kun known? There had been no doubt, and—Mitsuhiko frowned in remembrance—Conan-kun had spent a while whispering with Haibara-chan. So…Haibara-chan was also connected with either Kid or Shinichi-san, or both.
Mitsuhiko hadn't been able to figure much else out. His cards had made it perfectly clear to himself that Conan-kun didn't like either Ayumi-chan nor, despite her involvement in the 'Problem', Haibara-chan. In fact, it was quite obvious that Conan-kun had a thing for his caretaker, Ran-san. Mitsuhiko had noticed that Conan-kun's mood change had also coincided with Ran-san spending more time out of the house, and he wondered if Ran-san was seeing somebody, to make Conan-kun so depressed over it.
He'd decided to confront Conan-kun about his suspicions (whatever they were, he wasn't too sure) alone. Maybe Conan-kun would open up a bit if it was just the two of them. So he'd headed off to Conan-kun's house with a burning determination to get some answers. Which led him to here, in front of Agasa-hakase's house, too full of nerves to even knock.
Mustering his courage, he raised his hand and rapped loudly. After a few moments, there was a shuffling behind the door, then it opened to the portly frame of Agasa-hakase. Mitsuhiko put on a bright smile he didn't quite feel, and hoped it wasn't too noticeable.
"Oh, Mitsuhiko-kun! Are you here to see Haibara-chan?" the man asked jovially. "Alone are you? Well, Haibara-chan is a bit tired right now, so she may not want to come out and play."
"Actually, Agasa-hakase, I came to see if Conan-kun was here," Mitsuhiko said casually, trying hard not to fidget with nerves. He noted an odd look pass over the man's face, before the professor laughed nervously.
"Conan-kun? Why on earth—" Agasa-hakase stuttered out, but was interrupted by a cool voice behind him.
"Conan-kun left a few minutes ago. You must have just missed him. Hello, Mitsuhiko-kun," Haibara-chan said, walking calmly down the entry hall with a steaming mug in her hands. "What did you need him for?"
Mitsuhiko swallowed nervously. Haibara-chan was one of his hardest crushes (his cards had made that perfectly clear too), and he had always admired how mature she was. But with her hard stare on him (and what had he done to deserve it? What were they hiding about Conan-kun? It seemed his guesses were a little closer to home than he'd hoped), he wondered if this had been a good idea at all. Because he was sure, absolutely sure, that Conan-kun hadn't been to Agasa-hakase's today at all.
"Uh…ah…Haibara-chan!" he stuttered, clearing his throat anxiously. "H…uh…how are you today? It's a nice day, isn't it?"
Ai was giving him a flat stare, which was only making him more edgy. Only the fact that he hadn't actually done anything wrong kept him from throwing his pride to the wind and fleeing this strange confrontation.
"I…uh…wanted to see Conan-kun. Ran-san…um…said he was here?" he continued timorously, trailing off almost questioningly. "But he's obviously not, and I should probably just go—"
"Mitsuhiko-kun," Haibara-chan interrupted with a sigh, bringing one hand up to rub her eyes wearily. Mitsuhiko shifted guiltily, realizing that maybe he was looking too much into things. "I'm a bit tired right now. I did not sleep very well. I'm sorry I can't help you, but I didn't ask where Conan-kun was going after this."
"Oh, no, I'm sorry Haibara-chan," he said quickly, now feeling even more like a fool.
What was he doing, suspecting his friends of…of…some dastardly secret? Whatever they were mixed up in, Mitsuhiko believed with all his heart that Haibara-chan and Conan-kun were not doing anything wrong. While he wished they would trust their friends a bit more, it was also his duty as their friend to believe in them.
"It wasn't even that important, really," he mumbled apologetically. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you. Please feel better, Haibara-chan."
She gave him a wan smile, which went far to buoy his spirits back up. Smiles from Haibara-chan were rare, and here she was smiling at him.
"Thank you for your concern, Mitsuhiko-kun. But this is something I brought upon myself," she said. "I will see you at school, okay?"
"Alright Haibara-chan. See you later," he said. Even as he turned away, the door was closing, cutting off his view of the fair-haired girl. Well, that hadn't been a total waste, he reasoned. He got to see Haibara-chan, and she smiled at him! Now if only he knew what to do about Conan-kun.
Shuffling down the walkway from the professor's house, Mitsuhiko's worry crept back up on him. Conan-kun was now missing, or rather, no one knew where he was. He didn't bother considering calling Conan-kun, because lately even calling the other boy's cell phone produced no answer. He could go back to Ran-san's, ask her to call him and find out where he was, but that was too close to tattling, and Mitsuhiko didn't want to get his friend into trouble. He'd have to rely on his brains and try to think of all the places Conan-kun might be.
He wasn't sure what drew his eyes up to the window of the creepy house neighboring the professor's. But Mitsuhiko felt his blood freeze as he noticed a movement in one of the upper-floor windows. A curtain had moved, as if someone had brushed against it as they walked by, and Mitsuhiko slammed his back against the dividing wall in an instinctive reaction to hide.
Visions of sinister dead ghosts with long, dark, matted hair flitted across his imagination as his heart pounded, and Mitsuhiko tried to get himself under control. He didn't believe in such nonsense, logically there was no such thing as ghosts, he knew that…but it was much easier to believe it when he wasn't all by himself. Still, the bright sun did a lot to bolster his flagging courage. Didn't all those horror movies happen at midnight on dark, rainy nights?
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Mitsuhiko slithered along the wall, then dared a peek around the corner through the iron gates. Nothing. No movement, no shadows, not even the hint that anyone had been in the creepy old house in ages.
It could have just been his imagination, Mitsuhiko knew. The Shounen Tantei had already explored the outside grounds of the house long ago, to Conan-kun's protests, and hadn't found any hint that the place was really haunted. Besides, according to Conan-kun, it was supposed to be Shinichi-san's house.
In a flash of insight, Mitsuhiko studied the seemingly empty house with more care. It had never seemed very important, but with his new knowledge and awareness, it suddenly seemed very important indeed. Shinichi-san had been gone a long time, but maybe he was really hiding? Maybe that's why Conan-kun had been so adamant that they leave the house alone, and maybe that's where Conan-kun was right now, and why he didn't want anyone to know. Except…why would Shinichi-san be hiding? Why would Conan-kun be with him?
He wanted to groan as new questions began parading through his brain, but refrained. Instead, he'd simply go right up to the door, ring the door bell, and if Conan-kun answered, he'd have his answers. Right. That's what he was going to do. If…only he could get his feet to agree with his brain, because the house really was creepy.
So it was with the slowness of one who's brain was egging their unwilling body onward that Mitsuhiko unlatched the iron gate and slipped into the property's yard. Overgrown weeds clogging the garden? Check. Creepy, foreboding mansion looming ominously over head? Double check. Creaking wooden stairs leading up to the menacing portal into who know what sort of unspeakable horrors?
Mitsuhiko swallowed hard as his imagination ran wild, but did finish the final steps to the front door. He was a creature of logic; the supernatural was outdated and fanciful notions that only took in the gullible and afraid. He continued chanting that in his head as he reached out with a hand that was only shaking a little, and rang the doorbell.
There was silence for an entire minute, before Mitsuhiko remembered that he did indeed need air to survive.
Well, that was oddly disappointing. While he hadn't wanted the grisly arm of a horrible monster to reach through the door and pull him into the gaping maw of the beast (he really needed to work on not letting his imagination get away from him), it would have been better than nothing. He should turn around right now, stride confidently away in a manner that was nothing like a run, and try to figure out where Conan-kun had gone.
So why was he reaching out to try the doorknob, which turned easily and noiselessly under his hand?
He slipped into the house, closing the door and leaning heavily on it as his heart pounded. Without much thought, his hand scrabbled in his pocket for something to protect himself with, and his hand closed around a small piece of plastic. He pulled it out, squinting in the gloom of the hallway as he tried to figure out what it was exactly, then felt a swell of relief and pride.
It was his Shounen Tantei badge. The reassurance that if he got into horrible trouble, his friends were a mere button click away, allowed Mitsuhiko to straighten his back with determination. He was a Shounen Tantei, and this was a mystery just waiting to be unraveled. And perhaps, a quiet voice in his head murmured, Ayumi-chan and Haibara-chan will be impressed at how brave you were.
Securing the pin in its position on his shirt, he ventured out as silently as he could into the dark entranceway. He could have tried using the pin to contact Conan-kun as well, but he doubted the other boy would answer, especially now. Habit so ingrained it required no thought at all caused him to slip his shoes off before stepping into the main part of the house, and his tread on silently in his socks.
The house wasn't all that creepy on the inside. Pictures lined the walls, but they looked very modern, and not at all like the musty old photos one saw in horror movies. It did have a slightly abandoned feel to it, though. Mitsuhiko could see a thin layer of dust over most things, and could even make out footprints on the floor.
That made his blood freeze again, but he gripped one hand over his badge as he forced himself to think logically, to observe everything just like Conan-kun had taught them. Looking closer, even though most of the trail wasn't clear, as if someone had been dragging their feet rather than walking properly, he could tell the footprints were small. Measuring up to his own foot confirmed it, and Mitsuhiko breathed a small sigh of relief.
The footprints very likely belonged to Conan-kun. So he was here, or at least had been here recently. There was still the question of why, but Mitsuhiko shoved that question aside for later, if or when he found Conan-kun.
Out of the corner of his eye, one of the pictures caught his attention. His eyes had adapted to the gloom enough, and the ambient light from the sun that managed its way around the curtains also provided some illumination, so that he was able to make out the figures smiling cheerfully, frozen in time.
One was obviously Conan-kun, though oddly without his glasses. The other was a strange girl, and Mitsuhiko frowned in confusion. He'd never seen the girl in his life, though she did look kind of familiar. Still, it was probably a friend of Conan-kun's from America. With a pang, Mitsuhiko wondered if maybe Conan-kun was feeling homesick. He must have had friends when he was living with his parents.
Forgetting his original purpose, Mitsuhiko peered at other pictures on the wall. There was a beautiful lady smiling dazzlingly in one photo, and he found himself staring at it for quite a while, feeling his face flush. She was very pretty. There was a cheerful man in the picture, who had some resemblance to Conan-kun (so did the woman, he realized, when he went back to actually look for it), so perhaps they were his parents? He could understand why Conan-kun missed them, if that was the case.
The next picture made Mitsuhiko's eyes widen. It was Conan-kun again, there was no mistaking that, but older. He was dressed in a sport uniform, juggling a soccer ball, and looking both smug and happy. It was an expression Mitsuhiko hadn't seen all that often on Conan-kun's face, especially lately. But there was no doubt that it was his friend.
He shook his head sharply, peering closer, trying to find something to refute that claim. Of course it couldn't be Conan-kun. There was no logical explanation for Conan-kun appearing older than he really was. It was just a close relation, a trick of the not-very-good light. Of course that was all.
Why exactly was there pictures of Conan-kun and his parents in Shinichi-san's house, anyway? Was Conan-kun that close to the family? The family names were very different, but maybe there had been some sort of divorce, or…or something.
Another picture dragged his attention away from the incriminating soccer one, and he took in the much older form of Conan-kun with a frown. It was still Conan-kun, but of course it wasn't. There was something about it, aside from the lack of glasses, that was jumping up and down in the back of Mitsuhiko's brain, screaming for attention. He was in the picture with what was probably the girl from befo—wait, that was Ran-san, wasn't it?
So that wasn't Conan-kun, that was—and yes, looking closer he recognized the figure—that was Shinichi-san! Mitsuhiko took a moment to gape at the similarities between his friend and this virtual stranger. They could have been twins they looked so alike, if there hadn't been such a big age difference. How likely was it that two completely unrelated people could look so alike?
Maybe, and Mitsuhiko could feel the heady sensation that he was right on the edge of figuring this entire confusion out, maybe Shinichi-san was Conan-kun's father! That would explain the resemblance, and maybe why everything was so secret, because Shinichi-san was so young…no, wait, Shinichi-san was too young to be Conan-kun's father. But maybe…they were brothers? Some family scandal?
Or maybe he was letting his imagination get the better of him again.
Pointedly turning away from the (completely confusing) pictures, he dismissed them and his conjectures as he continued further into the house. It was still as silent as the grave, but Mitsuhiko knew there was someone in the house. The door had been unlocked, when in the past the whole place had been sealed up tight, so someone had to have unlocked it.
He was just peering cautiously into what turned out to be the kitchen, when a voice behind him made him nearly leap out of his skin.
"What are you doing here, Mitsuhiko-kun?"
He whirled around to stare wide-eyed at Conan-kun, who had an irritated look on his face.
"C-Co-Conan-kun!" he squeaked, clutching at his chest and willing his heart not to beat its way out through his throat. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry," Conan-kun said, with a grimace of apology. "But you were the one sneaking around like a thie—criminal." The stumble seemed almost automatic, as if Conan-kun had done it often and without thought.
"I was, um, looking for you," Mitsuhiko mumbled. For a moment, he contemplated telling Conan-kun that Haibara-chan had told where he'd gone, but refrained, know that Conan-kun likely wouldn't believe him in the first place. "I thought I saw someone in the house, and I got curious," he said instead. Conan-kun sighed heavily.
"You know, you guys are going to get in trouble one day, poking your nose into dangerous situations. What if I'd been a criminal?" he asked in exasperation, sending Mitsuhiko a stern glare. Which was rather unfair, and Mitsuhiko had no qualms in telling Conan-kun as much.
"You do it all the time!" In his annoyance, Mitsuhiko almost missed Conan-kun's flinch at that, but he carried on regardless. "And besides, we're Shounen Tantei too! We can take care of ourselves!"
"Don't!" Conan-kun snarled, taking Mitsuhiko by surprise and causing his jaw to click shut on his next outraged comment. "Don't ever think that. Someone can always get the drop on you, especially when you're careless!"
Mitsuhiko stared wide-eyed at his friend's vehemence, watching Conan-kun bring a hand to the back of his head in an unconscious gesture, because he was still glaring holes at Mitsuhiko. His friend's gaze abruptly averted, and Conan-kun stuffed his hands in his pockets awkwardly.
"Sorry. Forget I said anything," he mumbled, turning on his heel and stalking out of the room. Mitsuhiko, feeling even more lost and bewildered than before, trailed after him.
The pair eventually entered a large room, a library, the scholastic part of him (a very large part) observed gleefully. Conan-kun continued in his path across the room as Mitsuhiko stared around in awe at the shelves and shelves of books.
There were hundreds, maybe thousands of books in here, and his palms itched to browse around, even though he knew many of the books would be far above his level of understanding. Science was his first love, but all knowledge was worthwhile.
The sound of a book snapping shut drew his attention back to Conan-kun, who was setting a book on the desk in the center of the room. The chair at the desk was at an angle, as if someone had been using it, and Mitsuhiko assumed Conan-kun had been reading in this musty, abandoned old house.
"I know why you're here," the bespectacled boy muttered, turning and fixing a half-determined, half-guilty look on his face. Mitsuhiko blinked in honest surprise.
"You do?" he blurted out. He was glad someone knew why he was here, because he certainly didn't.
"It's about Ayumi-chan, isn't it?" And now Conan-kun was staring intently to the side, guilt taking over his features completely. "I…look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…hurt her feelings. I didn't know how serious she—no, I did know, but I'd hoped…"
It was almost amusing, watching the ever sure and dependable Conan-kun stumble so uncertainly over his words. If the situation had been different, Mitsuhiko might even gone so far as to tease the other boy, since opportunities to do so were so rare. Conan-kun was always so unruffled by anything.
"Why," Mitsuhiko interrupted the other's ramblings. "Why are you here, Conan-kun?"
It was the question that had been clamoring the loudest in his mind. Why was Conan-kun in a near-abandoned house belonging to a missing (or at least absent) teenager? If he knew that, Mitsuhiko might be able to work out answers to the other burning questions he had. Like why Conan-kun looked so much like Shinichi-san.
It also appeared to startle Conan-kun, because a look of surprise flashed across his face.
"I was…" the other began, and paused. His brow furled just slightly, and a mild look of distaste came and went as he glared at the walls again. "I…"
"You don't have to tell me," Mitsuhiko offered, not wanting to upset his friend any more, despite his frustration.
He could tell Conan-kun was trying to think up a believable lie. After knowing him for so long, and seeing him lie to nearly everyone, Mitsuhiko was very adept at reading the signs.
"And I'm not upset over Ayumi-chan. She told us, right? That everything's okay? But you've been going off on your own a lot, and I thought you might be in trouble, or…or need a friend, or something…" he trailed off meekly, aware he was babbling. Conan-kun abruptly let out a bark of laughter, causing Mitsuhiko to jump at the unexpected noise.
"You and Ayumi-chan are so alike, you know?" Conan-kun said, running a hand agitatedly through his hair, before smoothing it back down. "You go through so much trouble, chasing after me. I don't know why you bother so much."
"Because you're our friend. Of course we're worried about you!" Mitsuhiko cried, wondering how someone so smart could miss something so obvious. Why wouldn't they try to find out what was wrong, when it was so obvious there was something wrong? "If we just gave up on you when we ran into a problem, then we wouldn't be any sort of friends at all."
Conan-kun looked surprised, as if it honestly had never occurred to him. Mitsuhiko shook his head in mild exasperation.
"We're not stupid, you know. We all are worried, but you have been avoiding us. All we want to do is help. But we're not going to stop being your friend just because you don't want to tell us…whatever it is that's making you hide from us. You should trust us more," he finished petulantly.
Conan-kun blinked owlishly at him for a moment, and Mitsuhiko tried not to fidget. Maybe he'd gone too far. It was hard to tell, now a days, what would make Conan-kun retreat into himself. But the other boy abruptly relaxed, and it was only then that Mitsuhiko became aware that Conan-kun had been tense at all.
"Thanks, Mitsuhiko. I'll remember that," Conan-kun said warmly, giving him a small, grateful grin.
"A-Anyway, what were you reading?" Mitsuhiko asked quickly, flushing with both pride and embarrassment as he looked anywhere but at the other boy. Conan-kun chuckled, but not unkindly.
"Have you ever read any of the Sherlock Holmes novels?" he asked, and his eyes were sparkling with more emotion that Mitsuhiko had seen in a long time.
"Aren't they in English?" he wondered, wandering closer as Conan-kun picked up the book he'd placed on the desk. The book itself look old and well-used, but not battered. "They sound really hard to read."
"Yeah, but they're worth the effort," Conan-kun said eagerly, flipping the book open so Mitsuhiko could see the complex small print. Mitsuhiko was drawn in as Conan-kun began enthusiastically translating the text, explaining and engaging him until Mitsuhiko nearly forgot the original reason for his search.
Oh well. Conan-kun never acted like a real kid, so it was fun just hanging out with him for a while. And despite the lack of answers, Mitsuhiko had some new cards to add to his investigation notes. Whether Conan-kun wanted him to or not, he would find out the Truth!
Case: Mitsuhiko & Conan - Closed
Next case: Sonoko & Kaito