Yahyah, I know. I do this way too often. Shaddap. x.x

This is the result of a crack-addled mental image which I had at like 3am
while marathonning Bleach, which just WOULD NOT GO AWAY...

But really, isn't that how MOST of these things get their start? ^_^;;





THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH

a Meitantei Conan x Bleach crossover fanfic

by The Eternal Lost Lurker

DISCLAIMERS: Meitantei Conan property of Aoyama Gosho, Shogakukan, Yomiuri,
Viz, Funimation. Bleach property of Kubo Tite, Shueisha, TV Tokyo, Viz.

Used without permission.

PROLOGUE

Shinigami.

Higher-order spirit beings, generally invisible to humans, who exist to
facilitate the transition of human souls from the living world to the world
of spirits--the world which is referred to by the Shinigami as 'Soul
Society'--and to disperse sin and impurity which cause human spirits to
transform into soulless, evil monsters which prey on innocent
souls--creatures known as Hollows.

Strict laws govern the behaviour of the Shinigami, who are considered by
many to be the highest authority of the spirit domain, and others to be its
most notorious scum. Punishment for violation of the laws of the Shinigami
is severe. Interfering in the affairs of the Shinigami usually leads to
death.


One of the more important tenets of Shinigami law is the noninvolvement of
living humans in the affairs of Soul Society. Violations are severely
frowned upon and carry heavy penalties. The most severe penalties are levied
for the offense of imbuing a mortal with the powers of the Shinigami--an act
that completely contradicts the delicate balance of the mortal and spirit
planes.

And even so, occasionally, it does happen--a human being becomes involved in
the affairs of the Shinigami, and is subsequently, by one circumstance or
another, changed--given the power over dispensation of the deceased that
rightfully belongs only to the Shinigami.

The most infamous case in recent history of a human becoming a Shinigami
involves one Kurosaki Ichigo, possessed of immense spiritual power and
awakened to his potential as a Shinigami by Kuchiki Rukia, who was
subsequently sentenced to the most severe penalty administered by Soul
Society law.

This is not their story.

Rather, this is the story of another human who became Shinigami, through a
completely different set of circumstances...

*****

"P-please...please go away! Leave me alone...!" Amano Michie was not having
one of the best days of her short life. The seven-year-old girl had come
home to find police and firemen and reporters and lots of strangers around
her apartment building, and nobody could tell her where her mommy was--and
wouldn't let her go home. Frantic, she'd slipped away from the policeman who
was keeping her from going into the building and snuck inside to look for
her mommy. She had trouble finding her home in the hazy smoke clinging to
the hallways, and when she did, things were black and ugly and didn't look
right, and just as it hit her that her home had been on fire and burned
and...and...

Her mommy...

And then suddenly it had HURT REALLY BAD

and then it got all white

and then all black

And now she was standing at the end of the hall, by the elevators, cowering
in the corner--why wouldn't the elevator come? She needed to get away...

Away from...

She'd seen it for the first time after she tried to crawl over the broken
door of the apartment, after everything had started hurting really bad. It
was a monster, like something out of Kamen Yaiba, only...worse. Because
those monsters were never *really* scary, and you always knew the good guys
were going to beat them.

This monster was really really REALLY SCARY, with five arms and sharp claws
(it had already cut her leg twice and it hurt it hurt MOMMY) and a snakelike
tail and a skull face with way too many teeth and its breath smelled rotten
like...like...

And it kept coming after her and moaning and telling her it was hungry and
it wanted to eat her...

"NOw, lITtlE gIrL," it cackled, foul breath rolling off it in waves as it
bobbed in front of her, "lET Me dEVouR YouR sOUL..."

Michie opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out...and the monster
was laughing...and...

"Saa. You're the one."

Michie blinked, and looked up. The monster also stopped where it was and
started looking around. "WhO'S thEre?" it asked.

Down the hall, from the direction of her apartment, a small figure--no
larger than Michie herself--calmly approached the scene. The flickering
hallway lights reflected off the large lenses of the approaching form's
glasses, long before he drew close enough to make out any features.

"This girl--you're responsible, right? And her mother as well?"

"ThaT'S rIGht," the monster cackled, turning to fully face the newcomer. He
really WAS just a little boy--about Michie's own age--with dark brown, messy
hair, wearing a black kimono that reminded the girl of the clothes her daddy
wore the day her grandmother went away to be with her ancestors--a full two
years before Michie herself understood what that really meant.

Except Daddy hadn't worn a sword on his obi--which this boy did, although it
was a short, child-sized sword, and it couldn't really be a real sword,
right?

Michie shook her head. Why was some strange boy playing samurai in a funeral
kimono in her apartment building while she was trying not to get eaten by a
monster? And what was that about her mommy?

The monster tilted its head, observing the boy. It chuckled--not a nice
sound. "i'M SUrpRIsEd You cAN See Me, boY. yOU sMeLL lIkE a hUMaN tO mE."

The boy smirked. "Saa...you're right. I'm a living human. But..." And here,
he drew his sword, which gleamed in the dim lights.


The monster laughed. "YoU ARe aN AMusING chILD. I cOUld ALmosT swEAr yoU
tHInk yoU'rE a sHi--"

The monster trailed off suddenly, examining the boy more closely. A note of
hesitation entered its horrible voice. "...maSAKa..."

The boy smiled even more grimly. his blue eyes hard and sharp behind his
glasses. "And now that I've identified the criminal, it's time for the
judgement." He held his sword before him in both hands and closed his eyes.
"Detekoi...ZENIGATA!"

Michie's eyes widened as the sword...changed. It got longer,
sharper-looking, like a grown-up's sword...and the boy grasped it firmly by
the hilt, looking as though the weight and bulk of the sword meant nothing
to him. The ribbons on the butt of the sword started to glow, then
lengthened, transforming into a chain with a large, heavy shackle on the
end. The boy reversed his grip on the sword, and the chain lashed out, the
shackle clapping itself around one of the monster's wrists.

"wHAT...?!"

The boy's smirk grew; his eyes flashed dangerously as he leapt high in the
air, sword raised over his head...

There was a bright, blinding flash of light as the sword connected with the
back of the monster's head, and suddenly the monster wasn't there anymore.
The boy landed in a crouch, the now-empty shackle and chain clattering
heavily to the floor in front of him before shrinking back into two silk
ribbons, even as the rest of the sword shrank back into the child-sized
shape it had originally been. After a moment, the boy stood and approached
her. She shrank back uncertainly; she was a little afraid of this strange
boy who had just...made the monster go away? Like Kamen Yaiba, only...

"Wh-who are you?" she asked timidly.

The boy smiled gently. His smile would have made Michie feel better, if only
he didn't still have his sword out. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"U-un," the girl nodded, swallowing.

"Saa," the boy replied, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I bet you're
tired...bet you want to sleep now, right?"

"I...I need to find my mommy--and my house is all burned up..."

"Aa," the boy nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I can't do
anything about your house, but about the other...I can take you to where
your mommy is. Is that okay?"

"You--you know where my mommy is?" Michie asked curiously, tilting her head.
"But how? I mean, I don't even know who you are..."

He smiled. "My name is Edogawa Conan. And your mom...well, why don't you
come with me and I'll show you." He held out his hand--why wouldn't he put
the sword away?--and waited patiently.

Nervously, Michie stood and, hesitantly, took the proffered hand.

"Yosh'...let's go." The boy began leading her back down the hall toward her
apartment.

*****

"MICHI!"

"Mommy!"

The sobbing mother clutched her daughter tightly, tears streaming down her
cheeks as she smoothed the little girl's hair. "Michi..."


"Mommy, I was so scared! I couldn't find you anywhere, and there was a
monster, and I--"

"Shh. It's alright now, I'm here..."

"...Mommy? You look sad. Like...you did...when Daddy..."

The woman sighed, her lips quivering as she looked at her daughter with eyes
full of pain. "Eto...Michi...the truth is..."

Conan stepped forward, eyes full of sadness. "Gomen nasai," he whispered,
"but...it's time."

"I...I know."

Michie looked from him to her mother, confused. "Mommy? What--"

"Shhh...it's alright, Michi. Mommy's here. Everything's going to be
alright."

"But...our home..."

"We're going to have a new home pretty soon."

"Oh. ...will it be far away? I don't wanna leave all my friends..."

Fresh tears streamed down her mother's cheeks. She pulled Michie into a
tight embrace for a long moment, then drew back. Voice quivering, she said,
"Michi...can you close your eyes for just a minute for mommy?"

The little girl looked confused, but nodded, and did as asked. A moment
later, she felt a soft pressure on her forehead--but when she tried to open
her eyes, all she saw was light...

*****

The woman sighed as the presence left her embrace, then turned her
tear-streaked face to the boy standing beside her. "She'll...be okay, won't
she?"

"Un. She's where she belongs now. Where both of you belong." He swallowed.
"I'm...sorry I didn't--"

"It's okay. I think it was already too late when you got here...I'm just
glad you kept that thing from taking her away from me for good. Thank you."
The woman took a deep, shuddering breath, then closed her eyes. "I'm ready
now. Send me to my little girl...and my husband."

Conan nodded, and pressed the butt of his sword to the woman's forehead...

As she began to vanish, she opened her eyes once again, smiled, and said,
"Arigatou...shinigami-kun."

After the soul of the deceased woman faded into nothingness, Conan slumped
against a ruined wall, removing his glasses and wiping tiredly at his eyes.
"I really *hate* this fucking job sometimes..."

But he knew there was no turning back now. Not after...what happened *that*
day...



(To be continued...)



The Eternal Lost Lurker
www.lurkerdrome.com




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