Chapter Text
The watch was silver, shining when the light glanced off of its smooth surface that was marred with lines, not random, but forming runes which whispered, to those that could hear them, the secrets of the universe. he almost didn't pick it up, but there was a small voice in the back of his mind which demanded he do so. So he lifted it out of the small box, the box that had arrived anonymously on the doorstep of the Mouri Detective Agency, and stared at it.
The metal was cold, almost freezing to the touch, but as he held it, it began to grow warmer, until it was perfect. And Conan could almost feel it hum in his hands. What sort of watch was this? His gaze fell to the catch, and his fingers itched to open it. The voice grew louder, demanding release.
"Conan-kun, dinner!" The spell was broken. Absentmindedly, he pocketed the watch, forgetting it as soon as it left his sight. He didn't even register its weight as he went down the stairs to join the Mouri family.
It wasn't time yet. Not time for the one truth to be revealed.
()
Conan paced the cell he now occupied, mind going over the events of the past couple hours, leading up to now.
It had started as a typical murder case with the Detective Boys. Call in Satou-keiji and Takagi-keiji, drop clues to both parties, let them solve it. Bad guy goes to jail, the kids are proud of themselves for their abilities, and he is still safe.
Then he saw the car parked just outside the building. A black Porsche 356A. Gin's car. What was he doing here? Then, there were the arms that grabbed him tight and refused to let go. He turned to see a girl, one of the suspects from the case. She smiled at him, and he shuddered at the malice behind it. Damn Haibara for staying home today! He might have been warned, at least!
She dragged him outside and into the car. He would have struggled, had she not threatened the kids, who had left a few minutes earlier without him, with Chianti and Korn. Once inside, he scrambled out of her grasp and burrowed himself into the corner between the seat and the door, as far as he could get, eyes continuously flashing between the faces of the other three occupants.
The face that constantly haunted his nightmares. The long hair, a silvery blonde. Those cold green eyes, piercing him as well as any detective's. That sinister smile, promising pain. Gin.
His constant companion, the ever-present Vodka. He never really was scared of the stocky man, just of the fact that if he was around, so was his 'aniki'.
And the final occupant, the new member, for him at least. He'd not payed much attention to her before, but he did now, ignoring her doubtlessly false identity from before. He'd estimate her to be in her late teens, twenty-one at most. Her hair was black, obviously dyed from the blonde roots, and cut short, barely brushing her slim shoulders. Her figure was slight and unassuming, but he could see the coiled muscles underneath her loose black clothing, and so knew she wasn't one to be trifled with. And her eyes, which had struck him earlier as simply odd, were a deep green flecked with bright gold, and sparkled with mirth at his actions.
He spent the entire trip glaring at the others, his gaze being matched only by the girl. Thankfully, they were all quiet, allowing him to think as he watched them. Why did they want him? Had they discovered his identity? He clenched his hands, his fingernails digging into the flesh of his palms. If so, what would they do? Why hadn't they just killed him already? And...his breath hitched. What about everyone connected to him?
Ran, the only girl there'd ever been.
His parents, they'd abandoned him when he was younger, but it didn't change his love for them.
Heiji, the man he was proud to call his friend and rival.
Haibara, a girl he felt such a connection to, even if it wasn't romantic.
The kids, still innocent even though they were always around him.
Agasa-hakase, his long-time friend, even through all this trouble.
Division One, not knowing who he really was, but still not treating him as a kid most of the time.
They could all be killed, thanks to him. Haibara was right, he was an idiot to keep solving mysteries, but could he help it? Dead bodies practically followed him around, and someone had to help the relatives cope by putting away the one that did it. The thrill was just a bonus.
"Get out," Gin barked, jerking him out of his thoughts. He complied, slipping out after the girl, daring not to move afterwards. Chianti and Korn hadn't followed them, so they were likely still following the Detective Boys. "You know what to do Martini," Gin said before racing off, leaving Conan to cough on the dust his tires threw up.
The girl, Martini, rolled her eyes at the man's actions and instead looked down at Conan. "Come on chibi," she said, gesturing towards the large house they stood in front of. He glared at her for her comment, causing her to laugh, and then turned his view to his surroundings.
They were in a forest, possibly Beika Forest, but Conan couldn't be sure. On the ride over, he was too focused to tell the passing of time or of scenery. So he had no idea where he was, even if he managed to escape.
The house was western-style, but seemed rather ordinary otherwise. Definitely not something he'd expect to be a stronghold of such a large and shadowy organization. But he supposed that was the point.
Conan yelped when he suddenly felt himself lifted off of the ground by his shirt. "Come one chibi-tantei, this isn't the time for sight-seeing."
Inside, Conan grumbled at being called a chibi (twice!). It wasn't his fault he'd been turned into a child again. But on the outside, he made his face look curious and craned his face around to look at her. "Ne, are you a spy neechan?" It was a long shot, but maybe she would fall for it. Even the cops had passed him off as simply odd when he acted so childish after a moment of seriousness.
She looked at him puzzled for a moment before brightening and laughing again. "Oh, you're good. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were just an ordinary kid, if a bit weird." She carried him into the house, still laughing.
He was surprised by the interior as well. It was done in mostly browns, and done such that in seemed open and airy, like the forest that surrounded it.
"It's not like we could afford to have our bases all creepy and suspicious," she said, setting him down, as if reading his mind. "Besides, that sort of expected decor is tacky."
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Then what about your organization's dress code?" He cursed himself as soon as the words left his mouth. What was he doing?
She laughed. "Oh, I know! I tried telling anokata, but..." The sound of the song Nanatsu no Ko filled the air, interrupting her. She brightened. "Speak of the devil. Moshi moshi boss." She paused for a moment, listening the the voice on the other line.
"Yes sir, he's here, and exactly as you described." Another minute, and her face fell.
"Yes sir. I'll await your arrival." She snapped her phone closed and turned back to Conan, who had been trying to sneak away. He froze in her gaze.
A loud sigh escaped her lips. "Sorry chibi-tantei, fun time's over." With a quick burst of speed, Martini lunged forward and hit him in the neck, making everything go black.
So, here he was, stuck in a small cell. And the young criminal had taken all of his equipment from the hakase, too. He searched his pockets, desperately hoping there was something, anything, he could use. He was surprised to feel the smooth coolness of metal and pulled out the silver watch. He stared at it, enthralled by it just as before.
With quivering fingers, he clicked open the time piece and out poured streams of golden light, along with the truth of time.