Hooray, another story begins! I was originally going to wait until tomorrow to start uploading this, but I'm way too excited~ *lightly coughs* Anyway, I should probably say here and now that the beginning is probably a bit boring. Spare with me though, and you'll see the rest of the story slowly unfold as I realized the truth of what I would be doing with this. There may be some OOC-ness, but... it's crucial to the story, I guess. As the synopsis states, there will be character death and a couple OC's. (Because it would almost be boring to just use one of the members of the Organization that are already there. I preferred making my own for this since their personality is... quite unique. That's for much later though; for now, we have simplistic beginnings as the characters aren't even aware of what is soon going to take place... *evil laughter before I disappear behind a cloud of smoke, silently squealing "I'm just like Kiddo-sama~"*)

And since I should probably add this disclaimer, Meitantei Conan and all of its characters are sadly not mine. The only things that are mine are the plot of this story and a few OC's. With that being said, let's begin Preventing the Truth~

Chapter One: The Gloomy Genesis

"Heya, Neechan! How's it goin'?"

An eye twitched. "Hattori-kun, don't you know how late it is? I was about to go to bed. What do you want?"

Hattori Heiji cringed. "Ah, sorry 'bout that. I was just wonderin' if I could talk ta Ku-ku-Conan-kun 'bout comin' ta Osaka sometime!"

Ran in her half-asleep state of mind didn't notice Heiji's slip-up. "He already went to bed, Hattori-kun. I don't suppose you want me to wake him, do you?"

"I do," Heiji replied, surprising Ran. "He hasn't spoken ta me in a while, an' I wanna show 'im a lotta things 'round Osaka!"

Ran hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense; he's been rather quiet lately and won't say why. Alright, I'll see if he's awake." She slowly opened the door to Conan's recently-built bedroom and peered inside. He had been fast asleep but woke at the sound of his door opening.

"Ran-neechan?" he softly asked. "Is something wrong?"

Ran smiled. "No, but Hattori-kun wanted to talk to you about coming to Osaka and spending some time with him. I think it would be good for you." Ignoring Conan's protest, she handed him the phone and left the room.

"Alright, Hattori, what's up?" Conan grumbled as he lied back down in bed. "It's not like you to call at one-thirty in the morning."

Heiji laughed. "Oi, that doesn't mean ya gotta be so grumpy with me! I'm just a concerned friend right now since ya haven't talked ta me in a while. Did somethin' happen involvin' them?"

Feeling a headache start to form, Conan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Hattori, I do not want to talk about it right now."

"Oi, ya can't go hidin' somethin' like that from yer friend!" Heiji exclaimed. "Just tell me what happened!"

Conan hesitated. "Well, nothing's happened. Normally, they would have done something by now, but no one's heard a thing from them."

Heiji's brows furrowed. "I get where yer comin' from, Kudou, but can't they still be doin' things with the underground that ya can't find out 'bout? I don't think ya should be worryin' 'bout it anyway since they don't know 'bout ya yet."

"That is a possibility, but I just have a feeling…" Conan trailed off, for he could sense his fellow detective's frustration. "Hattori, you don't have to do anything towards stopping them," he said hurriedly, "so you can just forget about the whole thing."

There was a period of silence before an idea came to Heiji. "How 'bout ya come ta Osaka ta take yer mind off o' those guys in black then? I heard that yer Neechan said it'd be good fer ya anyway, which is enough approval fer me!"

Conan rolled his eyes. "When would I have to leave?"

There wasn't a denial, which enlightened the Osakan. "Ya can leave as early as two hours from now! I checked online, an' the first train fer Osaka leaves at four!"

Conan huffed. "I suppose I can for a couple days since I'm on break from school, but I'm not staying for more than three."

Heiji clapped his hands together. "Great! See ya at eight!" He hung up on Conan, leaving him with a major unimpressed face.

Oi, I hope you're not expecting me to do a ton of activities that waste my time. I need sleep sometimes too, Hattori—I'm only human.

X

After a four-hour train ride and no sleep whatsoever, a worn-out Conan arrived at Osaka and quickly found Heiji with his characteristic grin. "Hattori, I hope you don't have too much planned," he rubbed a hand over his eyes, "because I am seriously tired."

Heiji lightly waved it off. "Nah, not too much; just a few little things here an' there." He could easily see Conan was tired, but they had to have fun too! He took Conan to over a dozen places in Osaka that day, most notably a small okonomiyaki restaurant for lunch.

"This is the best!" Heiji shouted to the owner, whom he had known most of his life. "An' I hope my friend here can say the same!"

Conan glared at Heiji before putting on his childlike façade towards the owner. "Yeah, this is great! Thanks, Heiji-niichan!"

Once it grew dark out, Heiji noticed his friend was yawning quite a bit. "Oh, yer done already, Kudou? We've hardly started!" He playfully ruffled Conan's hair.

Conan rubbed his temples. "Hattori, I've hardly slept in the past week. I just want to go to bed and hopefully get four hours of sleep tonight."

Heiji pouted but still led Conan to his home. "Well, this is it! I'd normally give ya a tour an' all, but ya look a bit tired fer that. I'll just skip over that an' show ya the guest room." He walked down a hall and pointed to the next-to-last door on the left. "Here it is! Ya can get yer stuff settled, an' I'll get extra blankets an' such." He left Conan alone, allowing the not-child to sigh in relief.

Now I can try to sleep. He shrugged off his backpack by his bed and flopped into it, dozing off before he could take off his glasses or adjust the covers.

"Okay, I'm back…" Stopping in the doorway, Heiji's eyes widened a bit before he chuckled. "Wow, Kudou's tired! Let's hope he can relax while he's here."

Just as Heiji was taking off Conan's glasses, his phone rang. It was Otaki. "Wassup, Otaki-han? Yer forgettin' that I got a guest at my house right now."

Otaki apologized heavily. "I'm real sorry, Hei-chan, but it's kinda important that ya come to the station immediately."

Heiji quickly stood up, fully alert. "What happened? Was there a case?" He turned off the guest room's light and started walking to the front door to get his shoes.

Otaki agreed. "There was, but I don't wanna explain it just yet…just get to the station." He hung up, making Heiji grow nervous.

Did somethin' happen ta Oyaji? He wondered as he slipped on his sneakers, but he shook his head. Nah, that's not likely. It's probably just a kidnappin' that the police can't get involved with. He jogged his way to the station, unaware of what was occurring back at his home in the guest bedroom.

Conan was walking down a street with Heiji when a number of black silhouettes suddenly surrounded him.

"Get away!" he cried. "Leave me alone!"

Then, the figures began to fall and disintegrate into pieces…one by one. Once they were gone, Heiji suddenly collapsed.

"Hattori!" Conan screamed, seeing blood pour out of his friend. "Stay with me!"

Conan jolted awake in a pool of sweat and a tremor passing through his body. What was that? I haven't had a nightmare in years! He clutched his pounding head in frustration. I doubt that's a very good sign, is it? Let's just hope that was from my recent anxiety. As he lied back down and tried to go back to sleep, a figure silently passed by and stepped into the next room.

"First that case an' now this…" Heiji whispered to himself as he sat in his desk chair and turned on his computer. "An' I was hopin' Kudou could relax fer once! Maybe I can keep 'im outta this…"

The only sounds within that home for the next few hours were the sounds of typing and quick breathing. Eventually, the typing stopped as Heiji decided it was best to quit. "I guess I gotta get some sleep 'fore Kudou wakes up. Speakin' o' that, I should see how he's doin'." He tiptoed to the guest room once again, where Conan had been tossing and turning before noticing someone in the doorway.

"Hattori, you're up already?" Conan sat up, revealing dark bags under his eyes as he coughed. "I figured you'd sleep until at least seven."

"Oh, what time is it?" He checked his phone and saw it was only six-thirty. "I guess I was ready ta go today! But I thought ya said ya were tired yesterday; ya look like ya didn't sleep much."

Conan coughed again as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I said I haven't been sleeping well, Hattori, and last night wasn't very different." Memory of his nightmare returned to him, making him shudder.

Heiji frowned. "I remember comin' by here sometime last night on a whim ta check on ya, an' ya were sayin' some weird things in yer sleep. Do ya remember what it was 'bout?"

For some reason, Conan froze. He didn't know why, but the nightmare he had the previous night was making him more on edge than it should have been. Why am I so afraid of a fragment of imagination? He forced a smile. "No, I don't remember anything like that! You were probably just dreaming it!"

But Heiji could see Conan pull the blanket closer to himself as his small body trembled, showing how vulnerable he was. "Oi, Kudou, somethin's up, ain't it? Somethin' happened last night. A nightmare, maybe?"

Conan turned pale, proving Heiji correct, but still tried to lie. "N-n-nothing's wrong, Hattori," he stuttered, "You're just over thinking it."

Heiji crossed his arms. "Oh, is that so~?" he asked, sarcasm obvious in his voice. "So yer not shakin' like a little kid an' worryin' over somethin' that ya haven't told me 'bout? I guess I'm never observant either, huh?"

Conan winced. "H-H-Hattori, I don't wanna talk about it," he whispered. "L-let's just forget about it and g-go do something." He started to stand up, but Heiji shoved him back onto the bed.

"Kudou, yer not leavin' 'til ya tell me what happened last night." Heiji allowed disappointment to show in his tone. "If somethin' happened that's worryin' ya, I should know since yer my house guest!"

Conan let his bangs fall over his eyes as he looked down at his blanket. "I had a nightmare, Hattori…a weird one at that. I know you'd probably laugh since I shouldn't be scared about a nightmare, but I haven't had one in years, let alone one like that."

Heiji was surprised. He had only thought of a nightmare being a vague possibility. "Are ya serious, Kudou? Are ya really stressin' o'er just a bad dream?"

Conan's lips pursed. "I'm afraid that's so. For some reason, it just keeps replaying in my head—almost like it's trying to tell me something. However, I can't think of anything being possible with the specific circumstances it required."

"What was it about?" Heiji inquired. "I could help ya think o' somethin'."

Conan merely shook his head. "It's no use to tell you, Hattori; I'm not exactly sure what happened in that nightmare myself. Let's just forget about it since it probably came due to my recent agitation, and I'll bet you have a bunch of places picked out for us to visit today, don't you?"

Heiji silently sat at the end of the bed. "Kudou, we can stay here fer a while if ya need some sleep. I don't think it'd be very good if ya suddenly collapsed or somethin' an' had to go to a hospital. Wouldn't they find somethin' 'bout that poison in yer body?"

Conan leaned back against the headboard. "You bring up a good point, but I won't be able to sleep much."

Heiji quietly laughed. "Kudou, it's better than nothin', ain't it? Just get some sleep, an' I'll change some o' our plans fer today." He watched as Conan curled up on his side and began to doze. See? I knew ya were tired! He stayed beside Conan's sleeping form for a while until his phone buzzed. That number…

"Kazuha, whaddya want? I'm kinda busy." He quickly left the shrunken detective in case they started fighting or yelling.

"Heiji, ya were the one that said ta come ta yer house in the mornin' so we could go 'round Osaka with Conan-kun! I was callin' 'cuz I'm only 'bout ten minutes from yer place."

Heiji chose his words carefully. "Kazuha, we had to change plans. Ku-ku-Conan-kun didn't sleep well last night, so I'm makin' 'im stay here fer a little while an' sleep."

"Aho, why didn'tcha tell me sooner?" she exclaimed. "I coulda waited a while 'fore leavin' an' bought somethin' fer Conan-kun!"

Heiji barely kept himself from yelling back. "Aho, ya think I had that planned in the schedule? We just made the change a few minutes ago!"

"Well, ya shoulda told me a few minutes ago then!"

"Ya shouldn't 'ave left so early in the mornin'!"

"Ya were the one that told me ta 'cuz we were gonna do a bunch o' things today!"

"Ya can go do other things then 'til it's time ta leave!"

"I can't 'cuz I'm almost ta yer house!"

"Then turn 'round!"

"Otaki-han's the one drivin' me an' has ta go ta work right away!"

Heiji noticed their argument was slowly rising in volume. "Fine, do whatcha want. Since I was up all night, I'm gonna try ta get some sleep. I'll leave the door unlocked so ya can get in."

Kazuha grew concerned. "Heiji, why didn'tcha sleep last night? Even if it was a case, ya still manage ta get some sleep."

Heiji sighed. "Ask Otaki-han 'bout it 'fore ya get here; he knows 'bout it." He hung up before anything more could be said and made his way to his bedroom, locking the door and tossing his phone on the desk. Great, so now Kazuha's gonna know 'bout it. I gotta try an' keep her outta this too, don't I?

X

After talking with Otaki, Kazuha felt tears start to form. "I can't believe that happened last night…poor Heiji." She let herself inside the Hattori home and went to Heiji's room, which was locked. "Heiji?" she whispered, knocking softly. "Are ya asleep yet? I wanted ta talk ta ya."

There wasn't a response, which made Kazuha instinctively look downward. "Wait, what's that?" She bent down in front of the door, where a spare key to the bedroom laid waiting to be used. She picked it up and used it to unlock Heiji's door. Her childhood friend was lying in the bed and lightly dozing. "Heiji, ya need ta learn ta not be so stubborn when yer body wants sleep!" She bent down beside Heiji and kissed his forehead before fleeing to the kitchen to make the three of them breakfast.

An hour later, Heiji awoke to the sound of bacon sizzling in a fryer. "Sheesh, how long did I sleep?" He glanced at his alarm clock and saw it was only an hour. "Ah, I guess that explains the headache." He trudged to the kitchen and plopped in a chair. "Heya, Kazuha, I see yer comfortable here already."

Kazuha whirled around, one hand holding a spatula and the other clenched tightly in a fist. "Heiji, yer supposed ta still be in bed! Weren'tcha just sayin' 'bout how ya didn't sleep last night?"

Heiji rolled his eyes. "Aho, I couldn't sleep with ya bein' so loud in here. 'Sides, I gotta do some stuff 'fore Ku-ku-Conan-kun gets up." He paused. "Oh, speakin' o' that, did ya see if he was awake or not?"

Not in the mood to start another fight, Kazuha turned back to the stove to attend to the bacon. "Yeah, I did while the biscuits were in the oven. He may 'ave been sleepin' pretty hard, but he still looked real tired too. Do ya know why he didn't sleep well last night?"

Heiji shrugged. "I think he mentioned somethin' 'bout not sleepin' much fer the past few days, but he never said why." It was partially true, so he knew he could put on a good poker face.

Kazuha huffed. "Now why does that remind me of someone?" She shook her head and placed the fully-cooked bacon on a plate beside a mountain of biscuits. "I figured you wouldn't want too much to eat, so this should satisfy three of us."

Heiji smirked. "Thanks, Kazuha." He was about to start eating when Kazuha suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. "Wha-what are ya doin', aho?"

"Are ya okay?" she asked in Heiji's ear. "After what Otaki-han told me 'bout…"

Heiji silenced her before she could speak further. "I'm fine, Kazuha! It's just another case I gotta deal with, ain't it?" He began to eat before the girl could contradict, making her release the embrace.

"I'm gonna check on Conan-kun real quick while yer eatin'." She quickly left so as not to show Heiji her tears and fled to the guest bedroom, unaware that her sobbing woke Conan.

"Kazuha-neechan, is something wrong?" he asked innocently. "You're crying."

Kazuha quickly wiped the tears away and forced a smile. "N-no, I'm okay, Conan-kun. How are ya feelin' though? Heiji told me ya didn't sleep much last night an' that we had ta wait 'til ya got some sleep 'fore doin' what we had planned."

Conan let a childish giggle slip out. "Heiji-niichan is so thoughtful, isn't he?"

Kazuha's smile became more genuine as she led Conan to the kitchen. "I guess he is. After all, he's takin' that new case by 'imself…"

Conan barely kept himself from panicking. "What new case, Kazuha-neechan?"

"Oi, ya shouldn't go tellin' a little kid 'bout stuff like that!" Heiji leaned back in his chair with a grin. "He should be worryin' 'bout stuff like Kamen Yaiba an' tradin' cards instead o' stuff like cases."

Kazuha grew as confused as Conan. "Heiji, aren'tcha the one that always takes him off ta crime scenes when Ran-chan an' Kogoro-ojichan are with 'im?"

Heiji ignored the statement and stood up. "Well, I guess I should be gettin' ready fer our big plans today! Ku-ku-Conan-kun, ya an' Kazuha can eat what's left on the table. Remember, we're leavin' in an hour!"

Conan watched Heiji race out of the room with an unimpressed face. Oi, what are you planning this time? What have I gotten myself into?