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Kogoro Mouri may be a famous detective and an ex-police officer but above all, he is a father and has been for the past eighteen years. Thus no matter how much the freeloading boy aggravated him at times he still felt parental towards him.
And tonight was no exception.
Conan had returned back from a tiring afternoon with his friends, the Detective Boys. And he went straight to the sofa in Kogoro's office, too jaded to continue all the way up to their shared bedroom, as though hanging with his peers exhausted him, and it must be. That was not odd by itself, it had happened occasionally that it was no surprise to the older occupant of the Agency.
The boy would flip on the furniture either staring blankly at the ceiling lost in the void of thoughtlessness or resting his eyes sometimes dozing off until a noise of some sort would be loud enough to wake him from his stupor and back to a much more toned down child's persona. Yet on days where he is too tired, he wouldn't bother, instead, he would make his way to a more private corner of their room upstairs.
This time, however, there was an alteration. He flipped head buried on the soft small pillow, a one Kogoro had taken a habit of leaving there, alongside one long heavy sigh that seemed to contain all of life's misery, and sunken shoulder with the world's burdens, in addition to pained, far away, deep blue eyes glaring blindly at the floor before settling on another sullen breath before settling Into a fetus position, and seemingly forcing himself to sleep, which didn't take long.
The change may not have been much, but it was just enough for Kogoro to notice. It just told him that he was much more tired than usual. Though tired may be an underestimated statement of the year.
After a couple of minutes had ticked by, the retired officer pulled out a nearby blanket, readily put in there for such cases, and draped it gently on the boy.
The boy has been getting worse by the day. It is killing Kogoro inside that he doesn't even have an inkling on how to begin to remedy that... but that won't stop him from trying.
For now, he'll suffice with watching out for him from afar.
----------$&$------------
That's it!
Kogoro has had enough, his daughter is off drowning deep In her studies as any self-respecting last year high schooler should be, and Conan is drowning just as well... in whatever affliction he has had for months now.
Kogoro isn't one for direct confrontation, especially not with a kid who's IQ is multiple times higher than his, as anyone with half a brain can see. He went for the next best thing... He called the boy's mother.
".....The number you are dialing is out of service....."
Of course... when was the last time there was any form of communication between the boy and his parents? Does he even have a father? Siblings? What does his mother do? Uncles, aunts, grandparents?
This is no good, he's working himself into a frenzy. 'Let's start with the undeniable facts' The boy's uncanny resemblance to the kudos is Irrefutable. What was his relation again? He never bothered to ask. If he didn't hear otherwise he would've pegged him for their second son.
Other than that? Nothing.
He is being paid a hefty amount monthly for child caring, and if he were honest, that is the one stable income he had for the last two years. So conclusion , parent(s) is(are) rich.
The connection to the Kudou 's would make sense then.
An actor? Was Edogawa-san an actor as well? Too busy with her own stuff and worried of scandals enough to throw her child on an otherwise complete stranger as himself?
Ah, there is something missing. Something nagging at the back of his head. He didn't meet the woman for long when she did show up, and it was so long ago, even if something was a mess, he wouldn't dare hope to remember it now.
Thinking about the MIA parents is giving him a headache.
Dissecting the boy's heritage is useless with no clues, he's better off with a more practical idea. The Osakan boy, for example. Heiji had always managed to break through the boy's barriers.
Yup, a trip to Osaka is in order.
----------$&$------------
He had the bullet train tickets in his hands, some good seats too! For just the two of them, Ran never the wiser buried in her books for the upcoming mock test. But nooooo, a bombing case had rendered all trip to and from the Osaka side suspended until further notice. It was all over the news on the streets. And here he was planning to make a surprise until they reached the train station.
"Uncle? Something the matter ?"
Conan looked up to him, studying his frozen figure in the middle of their walk. Kogoro had just told Conan to come with him on a 'destination-less' walk. Sigh, the gig is up. Better make good on that front, as to not give away this surprise for future use.
" Just checking the news, boy. This is quite a big one."
" Hmm, hope Heiji and Kazuha are doing well" Conan peered from his side to where the news was playing on a shop's window. He fished his phone up and texted quickly. " just a sec "
Not a minute later a ping was heard.
" So? The kids are alright? "
" Yeah, he said they weren't even aware of the case until Kazuha heard it in the news early morning."
" That's good. God knows that kid has already enough scars to last him a lifetime."
"...."
"What's with that smile?"
" nothing just realized you like Heiji-niisan and not just tolerate him." The bespeckled boy flashed him one heartfelt smile with gratification. " Thank you"
The older man didn't dignify that with a reply.
----------$&$------------
It became a habit, a kind of ritual between the two of them. Whenever Ran sank too deep into her study they'd spend their free day alone discovering and re-discovering new areas.
"You're not spending as much time with your gang of snotty brats as you used to, any reason?"
Conan stays silent for a while, giving the question some thought as they walked peacefully side by side. They could spend hours on end enjoying the simple walks without finding the need to fill it with chatter. Thus, the question coming after half a day of silence was hard to ignore.
" As much as I like them, they're high Maintenance "
" ... I bet you are 'high maintenance' for them too"
The boy let out a chuckle, " It's mutual."
----------$&$------------
Instead of a trip to Osaka, he manages a trip to Hokkaido. An overnight stay at a hotel near the Noboribetsu Onsen. Again, just the two of them. They decided it is better to just not tell Ran where they are going anymore as to not risk the wrath of an Examinee exempt from any luxury tips during their studies. But at least this weekend she is staying over at Sonoko's house, with Sera and a couple of other students for a study weekend.
Neither of the duo envy them.
Of course, there was a murder. Of course, he solved the murder with half-awareness. Inspector Nishimura was on the scene. Kogoro never knew how to feel about that guy, not so friendly but at least he wasn't unnecessarily rude or impolite.
"Hmm, I think I like him. He's got a good head on his shoulder"
"Of course you like him. He didn't shew you out of the murder scene as any self-respecting inspector or police Should have done"
"Hehe, True. You're right uncle, I know I like him. I've added him to my list" the cheeky brat gave a snarky wide smile up at him.
"......" Kogoro gave him a hard stare, that soon turned into a worried one.
"What's the matter?"
"... Him, Yamato Kansuke, Yokomizo Jugo, Hattori Heizo... I'm starting to see a worrisome pattern here, kid"
Conan didn't quite seem to understand what is there to be worried about at first. " Pattern?"
"maybe puberty is hitting you early... Gotta keep an eye on you"
That brought the kid to a sudden halt. And after 5 seconds or so, his face flushed red. "Th-That has nothing to do with this!! I'm- I'm just saying these are good Police! Don't wist what I say!"
'Well, at least now I won't have to worry about his puppy crush over my Ran. Guess it's not all bad.
----------$&$------------
One quiet afternoon, with no Ran at home to make dinner, they two went downstairs to their beloved cafe. It's always nice to be able to enter a restaurant and just be served exactly what you need without having to order it. Bless Amuro's heart for being a good detective and a better chef.
"Gah! Those are Great! What are they, Amuro-kun? "
"A new recipe to be added to the menu, I hope! They are really good Amuro-niisan! <3"
"Glad to have your review, that is the plan. Needed to try it on some testers first."
They were a true piece of Culinary arts, that's for sure. Kogoro doesn't even bother checking the ingredients, too engrossed in enjoying the taste.
"Ah, she would definitely love to try this." Kogoro heard Conan say softly to himself. She? a girlfriend? Naah, the kid spends way too much time at home. Either Ayumi or that creepy Haibara then.
2 week or so later, Kogoro and Conan end up in the cafe, same seat, same circumstances, but a different sandwich.
As the two were enjoying the meal is silence, Conan was browsing the menu. "Hmm, Amuro-niisan, what happened to Mom's fav sandwich? you didn't add it to the menu?"
Mom's????
"Hmm, Which sandwich are we talking about?" Amuro left his workstation behind the counter and came closer. "Did you say your 'Mom's Favorite" I didn't know your mother comes here to this cafe"
"Ah.." and here comes the boy's I've been caught doing something I shouldn't face. "Ah, ah, I meant to say that sandwich you were testing at the beginning of this month."
"Oh the ingredients weren't so easy to keep in stock, thus it was dropped. But Conan, I'd have loved to meet your mother! You should have said something, came in with her and introduced her to us. I'm sure Azusa -san would have loved it too. Isn't that right?" Amuro called out to the stunned waitress nearby.
"OMG Absolutely!!! I can't believe that I could have met her and not have gotten to know her! What is she like, Conan-kun?!"
"Ah no- i didn't mean- i mean she didn't really -.."
Ah well, I wasn't the one who caught you red handed. But as it was too the topic, Kogoro couldn't help himself but say.
"If she came by, and had time to actually come and eat a recommendation of yours, she could have damn well spared some time to come upstairs and check on you. Heartless paren-
"SHE IS NOT HEARTLESS!" Conan slammed his hands quite hard on the table, causing the whole cafe to stop and turn. "I - just don't badmouth her.." He quietly slipped down back to his seat. And the atmosphere turned awkward.
"'recommendation'? Ah! There was one!!"
"Azusa- san?"
"What are you talking about, Azusa-chan"
"There was one!" she repeated more sure of herself now. then turned to Amuro and pointed her finger in emphasis. "Remember? There was a woman who had asked specifically for those Sandwiches you were testing. she said something along the lines “my son recommended them, said its a must to try them.’”
“Really, there was such a person? I don’t think I interacted with her much. What was she like, maybe that’ll jog my memory”
“Oh, she was so beautiful! And Elegant and ..!” Then Azusa’s fangirling mood suddenly went quiet, thoughtful. “Weird… I .. I can’t recall her face at all. I can recall the fact that she was so pretty and that she was so lovely, but … weirdly I can’t recall her features… Can’t even recall what she was wearing that day, to make me say that she is elegant.”
Kogoro and Amuro looked at each other wondering.
“Can we drop the topic now? Please?”
Well, when one is faced with a teary-eyed puppy face like that. One can only do as asked.
Pretty? Elegant? The woman I met 2 years ago didn’t strike me like either. she was… huh? Huh?! Why can’t I remember? Was there even a family semblance?
And So the Mystery that is Conan Edogawa’s Mother intensifies.
----------$&$------------
So, Conan’s Mother does keep in touch somehow. Phone calls? Unless he takes them all outside of his earshot, unlikely. Texting then? The only possible answer.
But to come all the way to Beika and not see her son face to face?! Unbelievable!
Wait… The fact that Azusa and Kogoro can’t seem to remember her face, does strike as odd. And the “Keeping in touch” secretly is also a worrying point. What’s more, she might be here in Tokyo, or in Beika itself, but doesn’t call out for the boy only on rare occasions. And when those occasions do happen, they usually happen via Professor Agasa, and Kogoro is only ever notified by phone after the boy is already gone with her.
Could it be..? Could it be that the woman -at least, as there is still no information on the father, if there is a father- is in hiding?
If so, then from Whom? From Him? The sleeping Kogoro? Unlikely, wouldn’t have left the child in his care, to begin with. From some bad guys? Then all the more to come the Great detective himself and ask for help! If not by her own, then by Conan. ….
Oh no, she couldn’t be an outlaw… could she? A criminal, leaving her son in the hands of a Detective such as himself? ….
Ha ha ha! Unlikely ! … but then again, who would think of a safer place?