The Detective Dogs: Crossroads of an Ancient Capital

[~][~]

"Marutake Ebisu Ni Oshi Oike.Yome-san Rokakku Tako Nishiki."

Standing near a cherry blossom tree, a girl sang a song as she bounced a ball up and down. She wore a red kimono patterned with pink flower petals and tied with a yellow Datejime. Her feet are covered in white socks and wooden sandals. Her brown hair is tied into short pigtails.

"Shi Aya Bu Taka Matsu Man Gojyou. Setta Chara Chara Uonotana."

Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched by a tanned boy. HE stared at her as she continued bouncing the ball, cherry blossoms falling around her.

"Rokujyou Hiiyou toorisugi, Hachijyou koereba Touji michi. Kuijyou Oujite Todomesasu."

Beika, Beika station, the exit will be…

At the coffee shop at the train station, Conan Edogawa is on the phone talking with Rachel Moore.

"So, you won't be able to come back for a while."

"Yeah, I'm pretty busy investigating a case right now," Conan spoke to the phone through the bow tie. The reason being is that Conan is Jimmy Kudo, a famous high school detective. A while back, he was at an amusement park with his best friend Rachel when he witnessed a suspicious transaction between some men in black. He was so focused on what the transaction was about that he didn't notice another member sneak up from behind. Forcing him to take poison, they left him for dead. Instead of killing him, however, he shrunk to the size of a kid.

If they found out that he was still alive, they will come after him to finish the job. Those close to him will be placed at risk, including Rachel. Taking Doctor Agasa's advice, he reinvented himself as Conan Edogawa to hide his identity. He's been living with Rachel and her dad ever since.

Which is why he spoke through the voice modulator in his bowtie.

"Oh," Rachel responded with a hint of sadness. "It's been cold these past few days, so you'd better be careful."

"Same to you. Don't sleep with your stomach exposed."

"I don't sleep with my stomach exposed! Idiot!"

"Yoshinoyama!" A man's voice is heard. Judging from the tone and prior experience, the man is Richard Moore. A DRUNK Richard Moore. "Treading through the white snow of the mountain, longing for a trace of life to appear…"

Richard Moore is a private investigator. Conan lived with him to get clues about the men in black. Unfortunately, his deductive skills put every other detective to shame. So, Conan had to lend a hand. Thanks to him, he has become an international sensation.

"It's as if you two were Yoshitsune and Shizuka Gozen."

"What?! Is there something wrong about worrying about your childhood friend?" Rachel asked. Fortunately for her, Conan didn't hear that. "I'm going to hang up now because of my dad's being noisy."

"Ah…Hey!" Conan cried, but Rachel had already hung up. He groaned.

"Really…" He readjusted his bowtie. Standing on tiptoe, he replaced the phone in the receiver. "Next time I'll call when he's not around."

Then he realized something. "Yoshitsune and Shizuka Gozen? After they separated, they never reunited…"

"Because she was killed along with her child."

Conan jumped and noticed the tall and slim man standing next to the telephone. He had mildly wavy, short dark brown hair and narrow dark brown eyes. His bangs frame his face, while some gather in the middle of his forehead. He wore a long sand-colored trench coat with the belt untied. Underneath is a black vest over a striped dress shirt. He wore a bolo tie, which is held by a brown ribbon and a turquoise pendant. He also wore beige pants, dark brown shoes, and underneath his sleeves are bandages. He held a book that read on the cover, Complete Guide to Suicide.

"Shame too," He sighed. "Nothing could've been more glorious than two lovers committing suicide."

Conan wasn't sure what scared him the most. The fact that this guy is reading a book about suicide or that he was listening.

"H-how long were you standing there, mister?" Conan asked, attempting to put up his faux child innocence.

"Long enough," The man closed the book and stowed it in his coat. "But in case you were wondering, I wasn't listening to your conversation. A gentleman knows it's rude to listen to the conversation of others. I was waiting to use the phone."

He reached into his pockets and pulled out the pouches.

"The river has taken my phone."

"How did you lose it at the river?" Conan asked, noting that unlike the book, his clothes were halfway dry.

"Oh, it fell out of my pocket when I was doing one of my submersion attempts. Along with my wallet."

"Submersion...?" Conan asked. Then his eyes widened. "Wait! You were…"

"Yes," The man simply replied. "I was trying to kill myself. But somebody went ahead and ruined it."

"Suicide?!" Conan shouted. Passerby's looked at him, but he just smiled and assured them it was nothing. He turned back to the man. "Why would you want to commit suicide mister?"

"My goal is to commit completely clean suicide. Without burdening anyone."

"No, I mean why do you want to kill yourself?" Conan pressed, surprising him. "Once you die, that's it. No second chances. I assume those bandages have scars from previous attempts. I don't know what pressured you to kill yourself, but suicide isn't the answer. Do you think the people you care about will be happy to see you kill yourself?"

The man stared at him for a moment, then he laughed.

"Don't worry, they know about my attempts at suicide. They're pretty fine with it. One time, I tried to kill myself by stuffing myself in a barrel. That attempt failed, but when I called them to get me out, they hanged up on me.

Conan felt his eye twitch. Whoever this guy's friends are, they needed to be talked to. Then something snapped in his brain. Checking his watch, he found himself almost five minutes late.

"I got to go, mister," He told the man. "Just don't try to kill yourself. There's a lot to live for!"

As he ran down the street, the man looked after him with a smile.

"Interesting," He muttered as he stepped to the phone and picked it up. Picking up a few yen lying around, he inserted the appropriate amount and dialed the number.

After a few moments, somebody picked up.

"Hey, Kunikida!"

"WHERE ARE YOU DAZAI?!" Doppo Kunikida shouted over the phone. "YOU REALIZE THAT WE ARE WORKING ON CASE?!"

"At Beika Station," Osamu Dazai cheerfully replied despite the anger of his partner.

"Beika Station? Do you mean…. BEIKA CITY?! WHY ARE YOU AT BEIKA CITY?!"

"I ended up washed up all the way here," Dazai replied. "Anyway, something came up. I'll take a train to Osaka. Do you think you could send a few other agents to Beika?"

"Why?" Kunikida asked, his tone dropping the anger.

"Because there's something that needs to be looked into," Dazai smiled. "And if I'm right, it could be an opportunity."

Tokyo – Nishikuni Tochi City

At a temple ground, three men are waiting.

Sitting on the ground, Rokurou brought a cigarette to his mouth and lit it. Hachirou held a book in his right hand as he checked his watch. Shichirou looked around as if he expected someone.

All three of them are waiting for someone.

Unbeknownst to them, somebody was sneaking upon them. A masked figure in samurai clothing stared at them. His left hand carried a bow, which he proceeded to knock an arrow on the string.

"He's so slow, that Benkei," Rokurou complained, tossing his cigarette. He got up and stomped it, putting it out.

"Yeah," Shichirou agreed. "He claimed he had solved the mystery."

"He was the most enthusiastic about this thing," Hachirou smirked as he opened the book and flipped through the pages. He took out a piece of paper. On it is the image of a shelf with various objects.

A noise attracted his attention. He looked up and to his horror, an arrow pierced his heart. Clutching where his heart is, he dropped the book and fell to the ground

"Katoaka!" Rokurou shouted. He and Shichirou looked and could do nothing as their attacker rushed at them with a katana. Slashing Shichirou with an overhead strike, he also killed Rokurou with a throat slash. Both of them fell to the ground dead, dropping the books they were carrying.

The attacker, Benkei, sheathed his sword. Then bent down and took the books with the pieces of paper still in them. After that, he walked away, leaving the bodies of the men.

Unknown to the Benkei, someone was watching the whole ordeal. When Benkei left the scene, they walked up to the bodies of the men and placed a seed on each of them. In bright purple light, the seeds began to sprout.

The person watching gave a smile.

Several days later, Tokyo Police Headquarters

"The results of the investigation show five victims in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto."

Inspector Meguire told this to the press who gathered for the conference. Benkei had claimed the lives of two more people. He sat with three other people at a booth. From the right are name tags: Ayanokouji, Santos, Meguire, and Odin.

"It was confirmed that they're members of the robbery group, Genjibotaru," Meguire continued, the murmuring of the press increased at this. "Therefore, this case…"

"Saimone…" Harry Wilder whispered to Detective Saimone. Both of them stood to the side as the conference progressed. "Inspector Ayanokouji of the Prefectural Police, was in the same class as Inspector Santos?"

"Yes," Saimone answered. "He's of noble descent and is called The Royal Inspector." Then she whispered, almost giddily. "Look in his left pocket."

"Eh?" Wilder's eyes zoomed in on his left pocket. There, sticking its head out was a small critter with a bushy striped tail. It looked around the room curiously. "What is that?"

"His pet chipmunk," She whispered back. "He takes it everywhere."

Wilder sweatdropped.

"He's even weirder than Santos."

"Genjibotaru has been stealing famous Buddhist statues," Nicholas Santos spoke. "Their activities have been centered in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto since 1991. Their major trait is their members are named after the servants of Yoshitsune and hold identical Yoshitsune chronicles."

Santos held up the book in question.

"Their leader is Yoshitsune," Inspector Ayanokouji took over. "The following are Benkei, Ise no Saburou. All totaling to eight members. This time, all but three have been killed, and their Yoshitsune Chronicles have been stolen."

"Any leads on the suspect?" A reporter asked.

"All we know is the suspect is skilled in swordsmanship and archery," Inspector Odin of the Osaka Prefectural Police announced. "As to Yoshitsune, Benkei, and Ise no Saburou, we do not know their age or genders."

"At any rate," Mequire interrupted. "The culprit and the remaining members of the group must be arrested. We will do our best to continue the investigation."

Cameras flashed.

Beika Station

"Come on Conan," Rachel cried, dragging a suitcase. "We're going to be late!"

"I'm hurrying Rachel!" Conan called out. This wouldn't have happened if Richard hadn't been drinking early in the morning.

Richard had received another case from a client in Osaka. So naturally, they had to leave on the train.

As Conan hurried to the train, he didn't notice the boy on the phone. His hair is light grey, and short swept forward in loose spike. A long lock with a black streak hanged on the right side of his face. He wore a white button-up shirt with the sleeves pushed to his elbows, a loose black tie, black pants, black fingerless gloves, and a suspenders/belt combo with a long stretch of the belt dangling loose.

Sitting on a bench nearby is a girl eating candy. Her dark blue hair is tied into two low twin tails with flower pins. She wore a red kimono with a sprout pattern, with its yellow Datejime neatly tied. She wore long white socks and sandals. On her arms are red and yellow wrist pads. Hanging on a necklace is a tiny rabbit doll and a cellphone.

"We've arrived at Beika city," Atsushi Nakajima sighed as he spoke into the phone. "We couldn't find Mr. Dazai anywhere!"

"That's okay Atsushi, we've just been contacted by him a few hours ago."

"Eh?" Atsushi jumped. "Then why am I all the way here?"

"We told him to wait for you," Kunikida explain as if he expected it to happen. "You have to expect this kind of behavior from him. Anyway, he's on his way to Osaka, make sure you get on the next train there."

"Okay... which would be…" Atsushi turned around and checked the board. The time made him jump. "Sorry Kunikida! Gotta go!"

He hanged up and ran to Kyōka Izumi. She looked up from her candy with her clear blue eyes.

"Time to go!" Atsushi grabbed her hand and ran to the train. They managed to board it in time as the doors closed. Breathing heavily, he and Kyōko took their seats on the other side.

"Sorry Kyōka," Atsushi apologized. "One minute later and we would've missed the train."

"I'm okay," Kyōka replied, hands folded in front of her. Her expression looked sad, and it wasn't hard to see why. In the rush, she dropped her candy.

"I'll get you something at Osaka," Atsushi quickly said. "Want takoyaki?"

Kyōka perked up at that. She nodded eagerly.

A few feet from them, Conan and company are seated or standing. Rachel was talking with her best friend Serena Sebastian. Richard had snapped out of his drunken stupor and is glad they didn't have to fly.

Like Atsushi and Kyōka, they are headed to Osaka.

[~][~]

Hope you like it, I think you know the usual disclaimer dance by now: I don't own any of the above franchises. They belong to their respective owners. I've been wanting to do a crossover between two detective manga. Let me know if you want to see more. Especially Conan's world turning upside down again.

See you next time.