ELEMENTARY MY DEAR CONAN

Disclaimer: The clues are all there and the only conclusion is that I am using the characters of Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century and Case Closed (Detective Conan) to write this fanfic.

< >: Thoughts

Chapter 8

Across Space and Time

Rachael felt as if she were on Cloud Nine as she and Jimmy walked arm-in-arm through the crowds at the Tropical Land Amusement Park. It was like deja vu, only this time, she had no intention of letting her boyfriend get away.

<Boyfriend... what a wonderful word.> Richard Moore’s daughter became even more giddy as she snuggled even closer to him. To any passerby, they appeared to be like a carefree pair of young lovers. She was no longer shy about being so intimately close with him. In fact, she wanted to shout out to the whole world that Jimmy Kudo was now officially hers, and woe to any hussy who would dare try to take him from her!

She then took a moment to calm herself down. She was being over-possessive and there was no need to worry about such things. Jimmy already admitted that he loved her and there would be no more lies. She should enjoy the time that they had together, and not waste a single minute of it. Jimmy only had four hours and thirty-seven minutes before the antidote that Watson had given to him wore off.

“You okay Rachael?” The teen detective asked.

“I’m fine. I feel great. Everything’s fine, Jimmy.” She replied happily as she brought her mind back to reality. “You know, this really brings me back to our first date. I hope you’re not going to go on and on about how great Sherlock Holmes is, like you did last time.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Her date assured. “Believe me, any praise I say about Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t even begin to do him justice. I mean, when you’ve actually been with the real person, those books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle don’t come anywhere close to describing him. He’s incredible and...”

“Jimmy....” Rachael said in slightly dangerous tone, giving her beau a not-so-subtle warning.

Kudo immediately got the message and laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head. “Ah, sorry Rachael... heh, heh... but, you can’t really blame me. I mean, if it weren’t for him and Watson, we wouldn’t be here together now.”

Kudo’s girlfriend softened the expression on her face, as she reluctantly admitted with a nod. “All right, I’ll let that one go. I do owe Mr. Holmes and Watson. Sherlock really is as great as you’ve always said he was. But for today, no detective stuff, okay? We‘ve got four-and-a-half hours, and I want to spend them with Jimmy Kudo, high-school student, not Jimmy Kudo, teen detective.”

“Okay.” He then saw a nearby cotton candy stand and asked if his date wanted any. With her assent, he went off to purchase some.

Rachael smiled as she let off a contented sigh and watched him walk toward the stand. She felt her heart skip a beat and thought that nothing could ruin this special time.

Then she noticed a certain someone heading toward her and her mood started to sour a bit.

Though Serena was her best friend, Rachael really did NOT want to see her today, especially since Serena was one of the biggest gossipers in Japan. She could only imagine her rich and spoiled compatriot blabbing her mouth off once she saw Jimmy.

At the same moment, Serena caught sight of Rachael and waved to her, while dragging her latest flame with her. Though she cared for her friend, she couldn’t help but feel jealous of Rachael’s relationship with Jimmy Kudo. With Kudo still missing, Serena had thought she could find true love and this time, she could show off in front of Rachael of her latest catch.

“Hey, Rachael. Fancy meeting you here. I want you to meet Chad.” Serena said proudly as she introduced to her friend a sly-looking character with a short ponytail hairstyle.

In some ways, he reminded Rachael of that character from the diner murder. When Chad gave Rachael a bit of a leering once-over, she immediately became uncomfortable. He then flashed her a smile that wasn’t at all sincere. Though she knew that she shouldn’t label a guy as a letch with first impressions, she couldn’t help but feel disgust. This creep was undressing her with his eyes, right in front of Serena.

“Hey there. Wanna join us in the Tunnel of Love?” Chad asked in a not-too-subtle tone.

Serena became a bit irritated that her date was openly flirting with her best friend. Why was it that guys always went for Rachael? Wasn’t she pretty too? And the fact that Rachael still held out for Jimmy Kudo, which only made her more desirable to other guys, sometimes made Serena want to scream. It wasn’t that she was desperate or anything, but why was it that boys always flocked to her, while she had to almost bludgeon a guy to get him to notice her?

Giving her date a hard squeeze on his arm, making him wince and keeping him in line, Serena put on a happy, but strained expression. “So Rachael, what are you doing here all alone?”

“Oh, I’m not alone. I’m on a date.” Rachael said with confidence and with some pride.

This statement surprised her best friend. Serena wondered just whom Rachael was going out with. Surely, it was not with Jimmy Kudo. After all, he was more interested in mysteries than girls and he was hardly ever around. So who was Rachael seeing?

“So who’s the guy? Don’t tell me that it’s that Conan kid.”

Rachael smiled triumphantly as she looked over her shoulder and saw her beau walking back toward them with two cones of cotton candy in his hands.

“Sorry that it took too long, Rachael. There was a long lineup and...” Jimmy then noticed Serena and her date. “Oh, hi Serena. Long time no see.”

Serena’s eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the good-looking teen detective in the flesh. “J-J-Jimmy Kudo?!?!”

“Who were you expecting, Sherlock Holmes?” Jimmy remarked with a bit of humor in his tone. Beside him, Rachael couldn’t help but giggle.

----------

The Holmes’ Detective Agency...

“Tch-Choo!”

“Bless you, Holmes.”

“Thank you Watson. How curious.” The great detective then turned his attention to his company as Harley Hartwell continued to petition Holmes to take him on as a disciple.

----------

Meanwhile, in the 22nd Century of Holmes’ Universe...

Inspector Beth Lestrade was perplexed. The recent string of robberies at several genetics labs, over the past two weeks, had Moriarty’s touch written all over them. However, without Holmes, New Scotland Yard was at a loss of how to deal with them. Each crime had been executed with brilliance and for the most part, did not leave any worthwhile clues.

Though she was proud of her own hard-won investigative skills, Lestrade had to admit that she needed Sherlock’s powers of deduction to figure out what Moriarty was up to. What occupied her attention the most was that the labs that centered on Sir Evans Hargraves’ research on cellular reanimation had been especially hit. What was Moriarty up to, and why did he want the information on how his greatest adversary was brought back to life?

Though Inspector Grayson had concluded that Holmes and Watson had perished during that tryserium explosion, Lestrade did not buy it. Investigation of the scene had revealed no trace of DNA remains nor any other kinds of matter. Holmes and Watson had simply... vanished. Basic physics demand that matter cannot be destroyed, only altered. There should have been something left. So unless the Law of Conservation had been repealed, then there was still hope.

When she had the investigative crew do an electromagnetic scan of the area, they had discovered a strange emanation of phase-shift particles near the spot where Sherlock and his associate had been standing. After consulting with the Irregulars, specifically with Wiggins and the crippled boy genius Tennyson, the inspector had learned of a science article about how phase-shift particles were theorized to be able to form gateways to other dimensions. Though it was a long-shot and seemed just about impossible, Beth had decided to look deeper into the matter. After all, didn’t Holmes always say to eliminate the impossible?

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Back in the 20th Century of Conan’s world...

“Come on, Mr. Holmes!” Harley begged as he continued in his bid to become the great detective’s student. Currently Watson had left to check on the mail.

“I must say, you make a very tempting offer, Mr. Hartwell.” Sherlock said as he contemplated the possibilities behind his desk. “It is very rare that I come across such a promising detective, such as yourself, Conan Edogawa and Jimmy Kudo. Though I do have my hands full with my two disciples as of now...”

At that moment, Watson walked into the room with a huge sack in his hands. “Holmes? I have today’s mail here. It seems to grow every day.”

Harley’s eyes widened at the size of the mail bag in Watson’s hands. “THAT’S the daily mail?”

“Oh, I am quite used to such, Mr. Hartwell.” Sherlock said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “I have been the recipient of hundreds, if not thousands of fan letters and cases, every day. I’ve even received quite a few correspondences all the way from London, England. It seems that my exploits have become well-known. But enough of myself. Your desire to become my student is interesting and I might just consider your request.”

Harley’s expression brightened and his spirits rose at the possibility to become the great detective’s apprentice. At that moment, a trio of youngsters came to door of the office and knocked.

Sherlock smiled as he nodded to Watson to allow them in. The Junior Detective League excitedly entered and came up to the desk. However, before they could speak, he held up a hand and motioned them to keep quiet. He then addressed the teen sleuth from Osaka. “Let us begin with this simple test, Mr. Hartwell. This will be good practice for your observational skills. Tell me where these youngsters have been and what they have been doing. You may not ask them any questions, and you must draw your conclusions from what you see.”

Harley looked down at Amy, Mitch and George and found himself under pressure. The Junior Detective League looked like a bunch of ordinary elementary kids. The skinny boy had dirt on his shoes and they were all panting a bit, but there didn’t seem to be anything else that was out of the ordinary.

“Uh... well, they must have run over some place muddy... and I guess they must want to see that Conan kid...”

Mitch snickered a bit as he shook his head. “Nope. We didn’t run over anything muddy. We came down Tsuka Avenue and that street was just cleaned this morning.”

“Huh? But what about the dirt on your shoes?” Harley asked.

 

“Oh, that’s because I ran through a mud puddle two days ago and I didn’t clean my shoes yet.” Mitch replied.

Sherlock smiled as he nodded and rose from his desk. “Let that be a lesson to you, Mr. Hartwell. You can only draw the right conclusions, when you have enough information. If you had noticed that the mud on Mitch’s shoes was dry, then that would have ruled out the possibility that he had just run through a dirty area. Furthermore, as you had assumed that all three of them had run through some mud, then wouldn’t it be logical that they would ALL have dirty shoes? And just because Young Conan resides here, you cannot automatically assume that they are here to see him, though that is a possibility. Now then, Junior Detective League, why did you come here today?”

Mitch nodded as he said, “Well, we’d like to see Conan, but we were kind of hoping that you would let us come on another case, Mr. Holmes!”

“Yeah! We could be a big help like we did last time!” George concurred. “And we can also help your gather evidence and stuff.”

“Please Mr. Holmes?” Amy pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.

Holmes smiled as he considered their request, then nodded. In some ways, the kids reminded him of the Irregulars, and that band of orphans back in London during his first life. “Hmm, actually I do have a case that may require your services, Junior Detective League. Young Conan is not available at this time, but I believe we can handle this on our own. Come! You too, Mr. Hartwell.”

----------

A little while later...

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Harley asked as he walked with Sherlock, Watson and the Junior Detective League. They were currently heading through downtown Tokyo. “I mean, bringing kids along on a case...”

“Tut, tut, Mr. Hartwell. They know my methods, and I see no reason to not let them apply them. Young Conan does so all the time. And this case will be a good exercise for your detective skills as well. If you wish to learn from me.”

The Detective of the West smiled as he heard these words.

----------

At the amusement park, Rachael Moore was having the time of her life as she and Jimmy Kudo had just gotten off the roller coaster. Serena and her date followed after them, though Rachael’s friend was in a bit of a snit. After meeting up with Jimmy Kudo, Chad had been going on and on about the famous teen detective and had been practically ignoring her. It was bad enough that her date had been flirting with her best friend, but now Serena was all but invisible in the presence of the adolescent sleuth and partner to the equally famous Sherlock Holmes.

Just as she was about to whack Chad upside the head to remind him whom he was going out with, there was a huge explosion near the parachute drop ride, which caught everyone’s attention.

As Jimmy looked over towards the commotion, Rachael became concerned and held onto his arm tightly. When he looked back toward her, she shook her head and her eyes became slightly tearful.

“Please, Jimmy... no! Not now! Not today! We’ve only gotten back together... and we don’t have much time left!”

However, the disciple of Sherlock Holmes couldn’t ignore it, and replied gently. “I’m... sorry Rachael. I have to investigate! There may be someone out there that needs my help! I’ve got to check this out!”

“Not without me, you’re not!” Richard Moore’s daughter declared as she followed him toward the source of the commotion.

Serna and her date got lost in confusion as crowds of people began surrounding the now smoking ruins of the parachute drop ride.

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The 22nd Century World, in a dimly-lit warehouse...

Martin Fenwick cringed slightly as his master, James Moriarty went on a tirade.

“You fool! See what your carelessness had caused!” He threw a handful of useless data disks at Fenwick.

“Non! It was not my fault, Master!” The lowly henchman pleaded. “Sir Hargrave had encrypted his work with a deletion function. It was impossible to get at his files without the access code. It eez tres difficult to decipher a reverse Maziton code!”

“I want results, not excuses!” The arch-enemy of Sherlock Holmes said angrily. “I must have the research that brought Holmes back to life and I want it now!”

“Why would you want something that brought Holmes back to life? Holmes is dead and gone now and there is nothing to stop you.”

“Yours is not to question why, Fenwick! You are to follow my orders without question! And since your incompetence has cost me Hargrave’s files, then we will simply have to get the information from Hargrave himself! Come! It’s time we paid the good doctor a visit...”

(incomplete)