18Author's Notes:
Me: Yay! Finally done with the prologue. On to the first chappie!
To those who reviewed, thank you very much! Here are my replies:
Rainkit: *blushes* Thanks a lot! Thanks for reviewing, and adding this to your favorites and alerts list.
So it is real! Most fan fiction authors say that reviews give them happiness. When I saw the e-mails, I was like "ASDFGHJKL! A reviewer! And only on the first day! SQUEE~"
Hey! Maybe you should try writing one too! :D
zXFallenAngelsXZ: Yeah! Finally! You think? You got a pin or needle somewhere there? I think my head's inflating a bit... D8
Anyway, the prologue wasn't supposed to be posted yet actually. I wanted to finish the chapter two first. But I also wanted to post at least that before school starts, which is fast approaching. NOOOO! I don't wanna go to school yet! TT^TT
Thank you also to the ones who put this on their favorites and alerts list, namely: Rainkit, zXFallenAngelsXz, and KuroHi91.
Me: Done with that, Flames, flames go away! Come again another day!
Conan: Do you really have to do that?
Me: Rather me than you. :D
Conan: …
Me: At least this A/N is definitely shorter than the story…*thinking* Please review! :D *bows and steps off the stage*
Conan: … *kicks soccer ball onto my direction*
Me: *dodges and sticks tongue out* Ara, ara. Aren't you a bit violent today?
Conan: *scowls before stepping off the stage also*
*curtain opens*
I was walking along a dark alley when I suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind me. I purposely slowed down, the footsteps slowed down. I walked even faster, they followed suit. Soon, I was running away as fast as I can with the footsteps following me until I couldn't take it anymore. As soon as I stopped, I felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against the back of my skull.
With tensed muscles, I slowly turned around to find a man dressed in black from head to toe. His eyes were as cold as ice... the eyes of a man who would murder people without any regrets. His silver hair was crowned with a black fedora hat. He grinned evilly at me and I stood there, rooted to the spot, paralyzed by fear as I recognized the man in front of me.
Oh shoot. It's Gin! I. Am. DEAD.
But then a tiny voice inside my head was saying Come on girl! If you run now, no matter how slight it is, there is still a chance that you can escape! If you just stay still there, it's guaranteed you will be dead.
So I ran for my life. Desperately hoping against hope that I would be able to get away. And then I heard his humourless, cruel, cold laughter. It seemed to be coming from nowhere but at the same time everywhere. I was able to hear a loud BANG before I felt a sharp pain shooting across my whole body from my back and I fell down, down, down...
~~~~~ (P_^) ~~~~~
I was somehow able to drift back to consciousness but did not dare open my eyes yet. I already had that dream before, but this one seemed more vivid. I let my other senses explore my surroundings and found that I was on a soft bed, comfortable and warm under a thick blanket. Isn't it summer? Why do I feel comfortable if I'm supposed to be hot? Am I in a different place? I also felt a cold compress above my forehead. What? Am I sick? Surely that fit of sneezing earlier was just allergy! And then, somehow, through my clogged nose, I was able to detect the faint smell of chemicals. Chemicals? Now I'm sure I'm not at home. But why? I decided to just open my eyes since I'm gonna have to, sooner or later.
Almost everything around me was pure white. O-kay. This is definitely not my room. Even if it was different, the room felt sort of familiar... Where the heck have I seen this room before?
'You're awake.' said a childish voice from my left.
I started, and looked at the owner of said voice. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped in shock as I recognized him. The raven haired boy with a cow lick, cerulean blue eyes, and ridiculously large glasses was definitely Edogawa Conan. "H-how? Conan?" I stuttered. He blinked in confusion. 'How do you know my name?' he asked. I didn't answer.
Why was Edogawa Conan, a.k.a. Kudou Shinichi, a fictional character, sitting in front of me? And then it clicked. This is Agasa hakase's house! So... Does this mean I'm in the world of Detective Conan? Also, he just spoke in complete Japanese and yet I can understand him! I mean, I know enough to hold a small conversation, but I don't know enough to understand that. Maybe it's part of going into the world of Conan...
"Ne, daijobudesuka?" His tone was sugary and childish enough for his apparent age. But the fact that he is actually 17 sent shivers running down my spine.
"A-anou... Kudou-san? Please don't do that again. You're giving me the creeps..."
His expression changed from concern to shock, and then it became weary. "I-I'm not Kudou! I'm Conan! Sure we look alike, but Shinichi-niichan and I are just cousins!" he denied, chuckling nervously, kiddie voice still in use.
Oops. I can't believe I actually said that out loud... Never mind, I still need to tell them everything. But maybe I'll leave out the part about them being just from a manga...
"Oh drop it, will you? I know everything about you Kudou Shinichi!" I said, now on a sitting position and pointing at him. The cold compress on my forehead fell limply onto my lap and I was suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden whiplash. Heh. Guess I am sick. I moaned a bit and clutched my forehead. It was a bit warmer than normal. Probably just a slight fever. "I'll explain everything, but I don't want to do it over again. Please call Agasa-hakase and Haibara-san first." I finished with a weak voice.
He gave me a curt nod and called for the two of them. "Hakase! Haibara! Get over here! It's important!" The urgency in his voice was evident.
"And what, pray tell, is so important that you had to yell at us to come here, Edogawa-kun?" said an irritated cool, feminine voice from the door on my left.
My jaw didn't drop this time, but my eyes still widened as I saw not one, but two characters from my favourite manga/anime. The voice came from Haibara Ai, a young girl that was apparently seven to eight years old with slightly curly, reddish brown hair that had the same length as mine, and cold, turquoise eyes. She looked at me and said "Oh, you're awake." Behind her was the kind Agasa hakase. He was the old man that opened the gate for me earlier.
"Haibara, this girl claims to know everything about me. She called me Kudou-san and the both of you by your names even before she met you." stated Conan. Both Haibara and Agasa were shocked and looked at me suspiciously. Conan turned to me and said "You said you'd explain everything earlier. Please do so now." I nodded and took a deep breath, for this was going to be very long.
I pointed to him again and said "You are Edogawa Conan, formerly known as the High School Detective of the East, Kudou Shinichi. You look like a seven year old, but you're actually seventeen. The reason for that is this: On a date with your girlfriend, Mouri Ran," His indignant protests could be heard in the background. But I ignored him and continued on. "you noticed and followed a suspicious man in black called Vodka and witnessed an illegal transaction between him and the CEO of some company. You didn't notice that his partner, Gin was already behind you and he knocked you out with a baseball bat. They force-fed you a poison called Apotoxin 4869 that wasn't supposed to leave any traces. Due to a rare side effect, instead of killing you, it shrank you into your seven year old self, and thus, Edogawa Conan was born."
My finger was now pointed towards Haibara. "Your name is Ai Haibara, formerly known as Miyano Shiho. You look the same age as Kudou-san, but are actually 18. You were once part of the Black Organization (who were also the guys that shrunk Kudou-san), codename Sherry. You were the scientist who created the Apotoxin. When they killed your sister, Miyano Akemi, however, you revolted and they locked you up. Attempting suicide, you took the poison you created but shrank too. You went to Kudou-san for help and now you are one of the 'good guys'" I made quotation marks with my fingers to show the point.
I, now, pointed to Agasa. "You are Agasa Hiroshi, an inventor. I don't really remember your age, but does it matter? You invented the gadgets that allow Conan to still solve cases using the Sleeping Detective, Mouri Kogoro as a puppet regardless of his now small frame. I could say more but I think it would take too much time..."
I paused. My throat was now quite dry due to talking too much. I observed them for a moment and their faces were extremely pale. With the way they were looking at me, I could say that they were sort of scared of me. Maybe I shouldn't have used the all-out approach yet… But then again, I'm not that good at making up stories. How else would I get through this?
"Haibara, do you think that maybe… she could be… one of Them?" Conan asked her in a low and serious voice.
"I don't know Kudou-kun. It's highly possible. Could she be Vermouth in disguise? But I don't feel the usual pressure I get whenever a member is around." She replied, voice equally low.
"Oi oi, omae-ra, even if you lower your voices like that, I can still hear you. And FYI, I am not Vermouth. I mean, don't you think she's too tall to be able to disguise as me?" I butted in, eyebrow twitching.
"That may be true, but how do we know that you're not one of Them? How do you know all that stuff about us anyway?" Conan shot back.
I stumbled. That is a problem. "I'll answer your questions backwards. I know this might sound crazy, but it's the truth. I'm… er… how do I explain this? I'm not… from here. I'm from… a different world?" I replied, not really confident with my answer.
Their expressions told me that they thought I was probably barking mad.
My expression changed from unsure to slightly angry. "And how dare you compare me with those cold-blooded murderers? I believe in God and murder is a heavy sin." I continued to rant at how despicable I thought the Black Organization was.
Suddenly, I had an idea. I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's worth the shot… "And have you any evidence? According to my idol, Sherlock Holmes," I made it a point to stress that one name. "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence." I thought I might be at least able to convince the chibified tantei. Surprisingly, it seems to have done the job.
"Okay! Okay! We get the point! We believe you now!" Conan interrupted.
The three of us, Haibara, Agasa, and I stared at him in disbelief. I was hoping, but I didn't expect for it to have worked that fast.
"Kudou-kun, are you sure you understand what you're saying?" Haibara asked.
He just shrugged and said "Why not? A Holmes fan can't be a bad person!"
The expression I saw on Haibara's face could be considered extremely rare. The size of her eyes were reduced to dots, her mouth was gaping open, twitching, and she actually sweatdropped. Well, we all had the same expression on our faces, but it was still rare for her.
"S-so, what exactly do you mean by a different world?" Conan asked, trying to break the awkward silence that had ensued.
"A-ah yes!" I stuttered. "Ēto… I can't really tell you. Not because of secrecy or anything, it's just a bit hard for me to explain. My world is… different. But it's still the same. I guess the best way to explain it is that I'm from an alternate universe or something."
"But, how did you get here?" Haibara asked.
"I don't really know…" I replied.
Their faces revealed that they still didn't believe every part of my story. In their minds, I'm probably categorized with Okiya Subaru. Ah well, it's a start I guess.
"Perhaps it's best if I introduce myself for now." I said. I continued after their nod of approval. "Watashi wa nomae wa Melendez Emma-desu. Age 14. I'm from (A/N: not telling you~). My parents' names are Edmun and Amy Melendez. I may not be that much good a detective, but I love mysteries. I'm an aspiring author."
She loves mysteries and is an aspiring author eh? She kinda reminds me of my dad… Conan thought.
"I'm fluent in English and (A/N: just my native tongue. Not telling you that either…). I have a veerrry limited vocabulary in Mandarin, Hanggul, Español, and Français. I know enough Nihonggo to hold a small conversation, but for some reason, I can speak, read and write it fluently here."
"Really? Well that's interesting." Agasa said.
"Yeah. It is." I said with a grin. Suddenly, my eyes widened in realization.
"I just remembered… I don't have anything with me. I've got no money, and it's not as if I've got my own house here." I said.
Agasa went outside the door and returned seconds after, carrying a slightly bulky backpack.
"What the-?" I blurted out, a bit confused.
I recognized the bag. It was a hand-me-down from my older cousin. It was also the one I used in school when I was still in fifth grade.
"When I found you outside, you were carrying this backpack." Agasa stated.
"That's mine. But I don't remember carrying that bag." I said.
"What exactly do you remember before waking up here?" Conan asked.
I thought for a moment. What do I remember? Slowly, my memories started to go back. "Well, all I remember is dropping dead exhausted on my bed and suddenly finding myself running as fast as I can for no apparent reason." I started. "Seeing your house," I looked at Agasa "I went there and rang the doorbell for shelter as it was raining hard. When you opened the gate, I fainted."
"Since you were the one carrying it, and you recognize it, I guess it's yours." He said, handing me the bag.
I looked through the bag after accepting it from him. Inside were some clothes, a toothbrush, my wallet (which, had some yen inside for some reason), a flash drive, etc. I was happy to see that my phone and tablet were inside too. Even the chargers and my earphones. Everything I needed, it was all here, in this backpack. Is sighed in contentment and patted it affectionately.
This leaves me with only one problem. Where will I stay? I voiced this out and Conan said "Maybe you could stay with me in the agency. You can go when you get better. But I have to warn you about Ojisan - or, do you already know about him?"
"I do. But, are you sure? I don't think Mouri-san would approve of 'another freeloader'." I asked.
"I'm sure Ran would be able to persuade him." He assured.
"But you can't exactly just go waltzing in, saying you're from an alternate universe and all that. We need a cover story." Haibara said in a matter of fact tone. "You should think of a new name."
"Hmm… Let me think…" What name would suit me best? I suddenly thought of an old classmate of mine, who, incidentally, is half-Japanese. Masukawa Akane? No. I don't think sharing the same name with her would do me good. Maybe I'll just take her surname? Masukawa… Masukawa Midori… Masukawa Ashika… Masukawa Mayumi… Mayumi's good. I've always liked that name. That's it!
"My new name is Masukawa Mayumi!" I finally announced.
"Masukawa Mayumi…" Conan rolled it on his tongue and gave a little shrug. "Sounds good to me. Now, about that cover story..."
~~~~~ (P_^) ~~~~~
We were able to cook up an elaborate cover story in the next few hours. I was Conan's distant relative through his dad and my mom. My parents' names were Masukawa Keiko, and Masukawa Yoshitada. My mom was a simple housewife and my dad was a lawyer. The Masukawa family was very close to the Kudo and Edogawa families even if we were only distantly related. I went to Beika to see how my "favourite little cousin" was doing and because I missed Japan. Heh. How could I miss Japan if I have never even been there? Until now. Agasa would take care of the papers needed to bring Masukawa Mayumi to life.
Once we were done, Agasa told me to rest. "I'd imagine that you must be very tired from all that talking. Especially since you're sick."
"Nah. I'm okay Hakase. I'm actually a bit more talkative whenever I'm sick. I even eat a lot more." I assured him.
"All the same, you should rest. You need your strength to get better." He urged.
I sighed and finally obliged. I lay back down and turned my back to him. I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep. "Be careful what you wish for" I guess… were my last thoughts before entering the world of Dreamland where I got to see the Kaitou KID being scared to death and chased by a mop-wielding fish.
Right. Gotta remember to buy some fishy accessories just in case I ever meet him…
Me: Woot! Woot! I'm so happy~ The first chapter is done! Thank God that's over! I spent weeks trying to figure out a way on how I can convince the chibified duo that I'm not one of Them! Oh yeah, to all the people that gave me advice there, especially zXFallenAngelsXz or Lui-chan, thanks a lot!
Conan: But you didn't take any of their advices and instead made me feel a bit OOC.
Me: Yeah… Sorry about that. But I couldn't think of anything else! Also, those were your exact same words when Haibara-san asked you about Okiya, ne?
Conan: And chibified tantei? Seriously?
Haibara:*sickly sweet voice* I have no objection on him being called that. But what was it about the chibified duo?
Me: Don't you think it's cute? I know I do~
Conan: ¬¬
Haibara: *death glare*
Me: Eep! L-let's just g-get on with the author's notes sh-shall we? *turns to readers*
Just to clarify folks, the part where Gin shoots me is just a normal dream alright? It doesn't have any connection to the fact that I am now in the world of Detective Conan. Maybe... I don't know yet... I just make it up as I go. Anyway... I really had that dream one time when I was still in school and decided that it would be a nice addition to the story since they're sort of connected. :D *looks at Haibara*
Haibara: *looks away defiantly, arms crossed*
Me: *looks at Conan*
Conan: Fine! I'll be the translator… again. *turns to readers* Let me remind you first that my Japanese vocabulary will be limited to hers *points thumb at my direction*.
Ara, ara. Means My, my. Hakase means Professor. The sentence Ne, daijobudesuka? Means Hey, are you alright? Anou just means Um or something like that. –san is a term of respect that is the equivalent of Mr, Ms, or Mrs. –niichan is a term of endearment used by children to refer to older males that aren't adults yet. Simply put, it means big brother. –kun is another term of endearment used by people to refer to boys younger than them. The term could sometimes also be used for girls. Omae-ra means you guys. Chibi is a word associated with children. She doesn't know its exact translation so that's all I can give you. Tantei means Detective. Ēto is an expression used when uncertain of something. Like Um… But in this case, its more equivalent to Let's see... The sentence Watashi wa nomae wa Melendez Emma-desu. Means I am called Emma Melendez. It's traditional for us Japanese to say the surname first before the first name. Ne means Hey. But in this situation, it would mean right?.
I think that's it.
Me: I think so too.
Conan and I: Thanks for reading and please review people! *waves* :D
*curtain closes*
(Behind the Curtain)
Me: My mom thinks the story's a bit childish. :/ Do you?
Conan: Yup.
Me: ... Meanie. ¬¬
Added Notes:
And there ends the part where I have planned ahead. If this took long, chapter two will definitely take longer. TT^TT This chapter was already written even before I posted the prologue. And I was aiming for weekly updates. But now I'm stuck on chapter two. I'll try to finish it as fast as I can, but from now on, I'll be posting whenever I get an inspiration or something.
Also, Masukawa Akane is a real person. But that's not her real name. I was going to use the real one so I asked her permission via Facebook. She hasn't replied yet though... So I used another name. ^^˚
(Posted: May 19, 2012)