Detective Conan: The Road To Hell

Zero

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"Zero is where everything starts! Nothing would ever be born if we didn't depart from there...And nothing would ever be achieved!"
-Kudou Shinichi, episode 621: 0 is Start
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Kazuha's father was on the way to drive them back to Osaka. Sato promised to drive Ran and the kids back to Tokyo. All Shinichi had to do was get his skateboard and talk to Ran before he could leave.

His skateboard was missing.

He asked each of the kids, the officers, Nakano and Ishiwatari, but no one knew where it went.

He sat on the stairs after running up and down the halls. His heart pounded in his chest, his breathing shallow. Calm down, Shinichi. Low blood pressure, low blood pressure. Stress is bad. Calm down.

"Excuse me."

Shinichi looked up. An officer, likely only a year or two older than him, held his skateboard out to him. "This is yours, I assume?"

"Yes. Yes, it is." Nodding, Shinichi took it gratefully. "Thank you."

"Anything for the Savior of the Japanese Police," the officer said, calmly sticking his hands back into his pockets. "I hear you've assisted Division One more times than anyone can count. I may be new here, but I'm happy to return the favor."

Shinichi pressed the button on the skateboard twice, shrinking it down to the smallest size. "A new transfer? Congratulations on the placement."

The officer laughed. "I wish I could say I enjoy it. They kicked me off the KID task force. We might not seem like the most competent of people, but KID's a genius. The only people I've met who can really keep up with him are tantei-san and tantei-kun. Honestly, I expected them to keep me in Division Two, not send me to Tokyo."

"It's odd they'd transfer you to a higher division," Shinichi said in agreement. "Do you specialize in any fields?"

"Technical genius," answered the officer with a wink, taking off his sunglasses. Indigo eyes? wondered Shinichi. "They called me on site to analyze the data on Akagi-san's computer."

Shinichi's jaw dropped open. "Oh! You found the emails?"

The officer nodded,a twinkle of pride in his eyes. "I knew they were relevant, so I asked your friend to pass them on to you."

"Thank you. Those were what helped us prove Kakei-san's involvement. It was the last piece of evidence we needed."

A smirk. He hid his eyes once more behind a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses. "Glad to be of help." At last, the officer held a hand out to Shinichi. "Kuroha Hikaru."

"Kudou Shinichi."

Shinichi shook Kuroha's hand, suppressing the shiver that ran down his spine. Kuroha's hands were freezing.

"If you ever need assistance, I'll be happy to provide," promised Kuroha.

"Give me a call any time you like," Shinichi responded. "I have a feeling we'll cross paths again."

"Oh? That implies this is our first meeting, meitantei." That grin. Kuroha dared Shinichi to say it out loud.

"Don't be so childish," Shinichi muttered, hinting at the truth they both knew hid just beneath the surface. "The last time I saw you, you were taking your sweet time while I called the shots ."

KID smirked. "You always were the bossy one. You know, it's been quite a long time since we've played cops and robbers together." Where have you been?