Today
A Shinigami Story
By Icka! M. Chif

Today, While the blossom still clings to the vine
I'll eat your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine.
A million tomorrows shall all pass us by, 
For the joys that are known... Today.

Today my life changed. Big time.

I think I'd cheerfully kill Kudo right about now if it weren't for the fact that the pipsqueak is already dead. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me back track today to this morning. 

It started out as a normal morning, aside from the fact that Kazuha was running late. Which is not a big deal. Sometimes I'm running late, sometimes she does, it all works out in the end. Just means that who ever is on time has something to bug the other with the rest of the day. But the next morning, it's forgotten.

So I waited outside of her bedroom door, shouting at her to hurry up. People say we act like siblings a lot. They aren't far wrong as far as I'm concerned. We spend enough time at each other's houses that it would impossible to say which house I've spent more time at. There's been a few times when I've sworn that Mom was about ready to add a new bedroom to the house and formally adopt Kazuha as her daughter too. 

Kazuha for her part was running around inside of her room, frantically taking care of her morning ritual as I glanced at my watch for the n-th time in the past five minutes. She was really late. I sensed an opportunity to tease her.

"If you're not out by the count of three, I'm going to throw you over my shoulder and carry you to school like that." I called. Of course, I had no intention of doing so, but it sounded good.

"You wouldn't dare!" She sounded promptly outraged at the idea, which only made me grin.

"One!"

"HEIJI!!!" You wouldn't believe how she can scream like that. No one else can quite seem to match it. 

"Two!"

"Don't!"

"Thre-!" 

Here's where several things happened at once. I started to turn the doorknob. Kazuha went to lock the door. The door flew open. I fell backwards, grabbing something long and furry on the way down. Kazuha screeched and landed on top of me. 

Kazuha, with her big emerald eyes set in the face of a feline. 

Insert stunned silence here. 

After that, things get a little blurry. I can remember Kazuha being angry, and tears springing up in her eyes, and her mother forcibly escorting me from the house, informing me all the while that I was no longer welcome in the house, or anywhere near Kazuha. 

Think that was a polite way of saying 'kiss off'. 

After that, I went to school. I think I made up some excuse about Kazuha not feeling well and not being able to make it in today. Other than that, my mind was pretty much on automatic reflex the rest of the day. Which, as anyone can tell you, is not a good thing. I kept trying to turn to Kazuha and comment to her about things... and she wasn't there. 

Which is more than a little unnerving. Once it sunk in that she wasn't there, the rest of the school day was spent swinging from sulky to down right angry. Sulking because she wasn't there and angry because she had never bothered to inform me of one very important fact, that I, in all my detective glory, had never figured out.

My Girlfriend was a Cat.

I said best friend there, right? Definitely not girlfriend. Best friend. Yeah. Best friend, Girl friend, they sound alike sometimes. Right?

Anyway. I ended up skipping Kendo practice after school because I was in the mood to do some harm, and Kendo isn't about hurting other people. That may be an end result, but that's not what it's about. And in the mood I was in, I probably would end up hurting my sparring partner, which is something I didn't want to do.

What I really needed to do was talk to somebody, maybe get some advice on this. I wasn't sure what to do, and Kazuha's phone had been disconnected. Out side of Kazuha, there's not many people I talk to. Or can talk to. 

And this was crazy enough that out side of Kazuha, most people would call the loony bin before they heard me out. 

Which is how I ended up calling Kudo. If there's anyone out there who can't complain about strangeness, it's Mr. 'Sudden Second Childhood' himself. Anyone who has that many murder cases following him around like a lost puppy has no room to talk about what is or is not normal.

The conversation with Kudo ended up only adding to my confusion. First off, he wouldn't let me finish explaining what happened, abruptly cutting me off. Then he proceeded to make me promise not to tell anyone, like he already knew what had happened. Finally he told me that him and Neechan would be here by nightfall.

The entire phone call took less than two minutes. Talk about freaky.

It got even freakier Kudo called back.

It was just a location, and a 'get your ass over there' message. Got to love Kudo's bluntness sometimes. Wasn't exactly sure how that was helping, but I went anyway. 

Was a good thing too.

Kudo met me at the side of a walkway inside of a park between Kazuha's and my house. We often met there, and I thought I knew just about every inch of the park. Until he proved me wrong. 

He led me down a small pathway I'd never noticed before, into a grove of trees. We talked along the way. Not our usual 'I'm the better detective than you so ha-ha' banter, but more along the lines of 'this is dead serious, do you ever want to see Kazuha again' type of talk. 

I think it's also the first time that Kudo's ever given me goosebumps. Believe me, that's not easy to do. The odd part is that he didn't -do- anything to give me goosebumps, just talked.

It was about the time that he remarked about how Kazuha's -Clan- had certain rules of conduct for if this sort of thing happened. Usually one of two things happened: They killed the person, or they swore them to secrecy and left. If the person told, they died. Horribly. 

Since nobody, myself included, really liked either idea. So he explained that I had a third option, an idea taken from a different clan. A test.

Trial by combat.

The whole situation nearly gave me the shivers. I had never really put much stock into the old stories, Kazuha's the superstitious one, not me, and this whole thing sounded like it was out of one of the old myths we'd learn about in grade school. I might have laughed it off if it wasn't for two things.

It was Kudo who was telling me this, Mr. 'Only One Truth'.

And he was dead serious. Deadly. He wasn't even mad but I still got the feeling that if I miss-stepped the situation, the phrase 'Looks could kill' would have a whole new meaning. I'd be dead before I hit the ground. 

But again, I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I agreed to the deal. It wasn't like I had much of a choice anyway, Kazuha and I have been friends for too many years for me just to turn and walk away. So Kudo offered me a shinnai, and explained that the challenger would meet me in the clearing at the end of the trail. 

I was figuring that I would end up facing a cat person like Kazuha, or maybe something else out of an old story. A Naga maybe, or even a Kumo. Boy was I wrong.

Ran-neechan was waiting for me.

Have I ever mentioned how big of a bastard Kudo is sometimes? 

Neechan smiled at me, saying something about the two of us sparring against each other, like it wasn't a big deal. To her, it wasn't. She didn't know what was going on. 

So I smiled back and bowed politely, playing along. Sometimes I have to wonder about Neechan and Kudo's relationship. He never tells her -anything-!

We got into our respective fight stances, and started sparring. Easy punches, easy blocks, easy rolls, giving us a chance to adapt to fighting someone with a different style. It might have been fun if I hadn't been aware of our audience. 

Then I scraped my arm on a roll and everything changed. At first, it was small things, the attacks became fiercer, stronger. Then the scent of blood became stronger as the temperature appeared to drop. Everything just seemed to fade away, washed away in a haze of red.

Until a voice cut through the fog.

"Stop."

And everything did.

Both Neechan and I turned towards the sound of the voice and I'm pretty sure our faces mirrored each other's shock and confusion. 

Kudo and Kazuha were walking towards us. Well, Kazuha was walking anyway. Kudo was floating above the ground, a pair of bat wings spouting from his back flapping occasionally as he did so. His strangely glowing eyes and smirking fangs caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I think that was the first time I've ever truly been afraid of him. Every instinct in my body was screaming for me to run away, before it was too late. 

Practically the only thing that kept me from bolting was the fact that Kazuha was calmly walking next to him, like it was an everyday occurrence. Even if I wanted to run screaming, I couldn't just leave her there. So I held my ground and waited to see what would happen next.

"See? I told you she was beautiful as a Yuki no Onna, Kazuha-neechan!" Kudo chirped, sounding disturbingly like a little kid, even as he fluttered around her like some sort of deranged deadly butterfly. Neechan just looked at him in confusion.

"Yes she is." Kazuha agreed, a small smile on her cat face. "But I think I prefer Heiji's new look."

It took a few moments for her statement to sink in. First of all, this was the first opportunity I'd had to look at Kazuha as a cat. Really look. And it's not bad looking at all. Second off, she was wearing a kimono. Kazuha in a kimono is a noteworthy event no matter what is going on. She doesn't wear them very often, which is unfortunate in my option. 

I looked down to try and figure out what she was talking about when I first caught sight of my skin. Now, it's always been dark, a trait from my grandfather. But now it was a deep dark red, darker than the blood drying on my arm. 

Kazuha offered me a mirror and I hesitantly took it. My face was still the same one I was used to seeing in the mirror every morning, and yet it wasn't. My eyes were a light yellow where they had been white before, crowned by a pair of thicker eyebrows. Slightly above and between them there was a slight curve, a black line on top of it that looked suspiciously like a closed eye in the middle of my forehead. Crowning the top of my forehead on either side were two bumps. They weren't quite formed enough to be horns, but they were bumps. When I went to touch them, I received another surprise, claws where I had had fingernails before. 

Which means I have to be realllllllly careful when scratching an itch while I have those.

I also had fangs. But that wasn't as big of a deal. Everyone had fangs. Neko-Kazuha had long sharp fangs, the demented bat Kudo had fangs, even Ran-neechan who was sparkling silver and blue had fangs. So the fangs didn't bother me nearly as much as unexpectedly looking like some sort of gaijin devil.

Kudo flew within arm's reach and I grabbed him by the collar, bringing him up nose to nose with me. "KUDO!!!"

There was a sharp -zap!- and for a split second, it was Kudo Shin'ichi's face that was staring me in the eye instead of the smaller Conan face. 

Startled, I let him go and stumbled back a few steps, frozen grass from Neechan's attacks crunching under my feet. Kudo looked startled, and not a little guilty as he hovered in mid air, wide eyed and pale faced. I didn't quite understand until I glanced down and realised the there was a circle of grass a few feet wide in front of where I had been standing was completely dead. Dried, yellow brown stalks lay flat except for a dirt patch right in the middle of it in shape of a pair of adult sized feet. Mine.

Neechan was the first one to break the stunned silence. "Could someone please explain what's going on here?" There was no anger in her voice, just a puzzled tone as if she were a lost child. 

Kudo let out a breath and nodded, escorting us to a couple of picnic tables nearby. Kazuha linked her arm through mine as we walked side by side, occasionally brushing each other as we did so. It was soothing somehow, having her that close. 

Don't you dare pass that on to her, it'll go straight to her head and I'll never live it down.

We all sat down on the tabletops, Kudo looking rather uncomfortable as he folded his wings up and began explaining how the myths we had grown up weren't exactly myths, and that he himself was a Shinigami, a Kami of Death. Then he explained how the youkai and monsters of those myths had disguised themselves and lived along side ningen for centuries. Occasionally they would breed with the ningen creating hanyou that were usually un-aware of their dual ancestry, even generations later when the abilities would pop up again.

He told us about Ran-neechan's awakening into Koorime abilities the previous month, when they were nearly hit by a car. Neechan looked horrified as he described what had happened that night, where she had drained him of both blood and energy. It took a few moments to assure her that it was alright, and that he didn't mind. 

I think there really is something wrong with Kudo's mind, besides being Shinigami. Either that or he really is that much head over heels for her. Either way, he's crazy.

Once Neechan stopped looking so disgusted with her self, Kazuha began to explain her history. She was of the Okesa Clan, a family of cats with the ability to shape shift when they wanted to. As a kitten, a childless young couple had taken care of her when she had been injured. In gratitude for their kindness, she had become their daughter for them. 

No one had found out until my blunder this morning. The trial Ran and I had fought in was both a ritual done by other Fushigi na Dobutsu as well as some Kami, for ningen to prove that they were worthy to stay with the non-ningen. In this case, Kudo had used it to see if Ran's transformation into a Yuki no Onna was a one time error, or if it was permanent. 

It also worked out to Kazuha's advantage. I couldn't very well be mad at her for not telling me that she was a cat if I never told her that I was part Oni. The fact that I hadn't realised that I was part Oni before this was insignificant, really.

I think I'm still mad about not knowing. Definitely going to have to have a talk with Grandpa about this... 

We ended up talking a little bit, just random, everyday things that we would talk about normally anyway. There was a bit of a surreal feeling to it, knowing that the four of us weren't normal, and yet here we were, acting like it. Just a group of teenagers hanging out.

Then Kudo had to ruin it by making a comment about seeing if they couldn't get me a studded club. Since I was only a quarter Oni, I wouldn't need a full metal bar. So I hit him over the head with the remains of the shinnai. Between my crushing the handle in my grip and Neechan accidentally freezing the blade, there really wasn't much left of it anyway.

Ran decided to take that as her and Kudo's cue to leave. I get the feeling the two of them have a LOT to talk about. Namely about that sudden flash back to his normal self Kudo had. He's not gonna be happy with me the next time we see each other. Ah, well. Ask me if I care.

Kazuha and I are still here waiting for me to relax enough to look human again. Kudo says that in time I'll be able to summon and dissipate the Oni strength consciously, but for the moment I'm rather comfortable with where I am. Kazuha's leaning against me, a rather contented look on her face as she purrs. 

She -says- that this doesn't change much between us, we'll still squabble like siblings like we always do. But I'm not completely dense. I may not know the myths and the legends as well as she does, but I do know what passing the test that she set out for me means. Eventually she and I will probably end up getting married because of this. 

Does that mean that we're dating now?

I think I'll hold off on asking her that. For the moment, I happy just to sit back and muse about the changes brought about today.

Fin.


Whew... think this fic gets the record for most random research read.... (Myths, Kansai-ben, Kansai humour, Osaka-ben, Maneki neko, Sumiyoshi Taisha, Tsutenkaku Tower... o_O ) 
Really wanna go to Osaka now!

Neechan - Sister. Conan calls Ran 'Ran-neechan', Hattori often just calls her 'Neechan', which is much more casual. 
Fushigi na Dobutsu = Shape shifting animals. (foxes, cranes, monkeys, pigs, dogs, goats, etc, etc,)
gaijin = Foreign
Naga = Serpent monster
Kumo = Spider spirit
Ningen = Human
Kami = Spirits, minor gods
Neko = Cat >^.^<

Okesa - Okesa was a black cat who gratitude for an old couple's kindness, became a geisha (who was very good at dancing) to make money . One day, a fisherman saw her in her true form, and she made him promise not to tell her secret.
The next day, when he was ferrying a boat load of passengers, he told them all that the famous dancing geisha was actually a cat. Instantly, a large black cat came out of a cloud and killed him. (the passengers got away to safety). 

'Okesa' is also a form of dancing.

Also found references to 'Hattatsuneko', which is a lucky cat that wears a kimono. You can get them at Sumiyoshi Taisha (famous Shino Shrine in Osaka) once a month. Local myth has it that your wish will be granted if you collected 48 of them over 4 years. 
(-I believe that Sumiyoshi Taisha is also the shrine that Hattori, Kazuha, Conan and Ran get their fortunes in the 3rd movie.)

Odd fact as well: Maneki neko ('lucky cat' statues, you've probably seen them at Chinese food places. They're very distinctive with their raised paws and a bell around their neck.) come in various colours. Tri-colour (white with gold and black spots) is the most common. Black Maneki neko are supposed to be a ward against evil or misfortune. >^.^<

Oni - Come in many colours, the most common ones seem to be red, blue and black. (Hattori became a red one after the story of 'Aka Oni' and 'Ao Oni', Red and blue respectively, in which Aka Oni becomes friends with human children at the cost of his friendship with Ao Oni. Conan epsiode 38 is also called the 'Aka Oni Mura Fire Festive Murder Case') 
Horns, long fangs and a tiger skin around their waist are common signs. (Which is why Lum and her family from 'Urusei*Yatsura' wear tiger patterned clothing. This reference is a common one. Slayers Next and Flame of Recca also have minor references as well.) The third eye in the middle of the forehead was something I only found about half the time.
In Buddhist Mytho, Oni guard the gates of Hell with large studded iron bars. Hence Conan's joke about not needed a full iron one.

Anybody know what Kazuha's Father's name is? All I can find is their last name, 'Toyama'. *puzzled*

Title thanks goes to Ysabet, who threatened to sing the Beatles. *shudder* (Not that! Anything but that! argggggghhhhh!!! -tho I did find a site that translated Beatles songs into Kansai-ben. *giggles*) Was on my 3rd version of the fic when she suggested 'Today' and *click* everything fell into place. ((MASSIVE GLOMPAGE))

Um... I have no clue where the song at the top is from. My step-mom Gigi *hearts* used to sing it to all us kids before we fell asleep at night. Since the first and the last words are the same, you can sing it over and over, just take out one 'today'. I.E.: "-For the joys that are known... today, while the blossom-" 
Neat, huh?