#riddle in reverse

[ninthfeather]

getting back into dcmk a bit

(yes this is meant to be the Saguru from RIR)

[ninthfeather]

Let’s tell the truth, just for once

Also available on AO3!

A/N: This is @hawk-in-a-tree’s commission piece, and it’s extremely indulgent for both of us. She’s been developing a certain Kaito-centric AU, and we’ve tossed around the idea of making a crossover between it and RiR’verse, so she asked me to write this. Needless to say, it got kinda long. Since there’s a lot of characters with the same names here, have a key: Hakuba=RiR!Hakuba, Kuroba=RiR!Kuroba, Hattori=RiR!Hattori, Kaito=V!Kaito, and Conan=V!Conan. What does the V stand for? Hmmm, guess you’ll have to read on, and then wait for the rest of Hawk’s AU, won’t you?

Title is from the song “Death Stranding” by CHVRCHES, which is on the updated RiR playlist.

Just in case you didn’t figure it out, this has major Riddle in Reverse and Steeplechase Spoilers!

Let’s tell the truth, just for once

“I don’t even know why I’m surprised by this kind of thing anymore,” Hakuba said.

“Speak for yourself,” said the unfamiliar version of Conan.

With Conan, it was the details that were off—the material his blazer was made of didn’t catch the light the same way, and the frames of his fake glasses were just a touch thinner.

The version of Kaito that was with him, on the other hand, was as different from their Kaito as Hakuba himself was. It wasn’t so much the fact that he was wearing a shop uniform or that his hair was cut differently than Kaito’s. It was the way he held himself.

Hakuba knew he had a tendency, on his worst days, to avoid eye contact and shrink away from people. But he never quite folded in on himself like this version on Kaito. It was…worrying.

“You can’t really be that surprised that magic exists,” this world’s Kaito KID—the person Hakuba typically called Kuroba--argued. “You literally got deaged.”

Conan snorted.

“Give it up, Kudou, there’s three of ‘em now,” Hattori said. “Yer outnumbered.”

Conan and Kaito both gave Hattori a baffled look.

After a few seconds, Kaito ventured, “Three?”

Hattori blinked. “Yeah. You, him, and him,” he said, pointing at Kaito, Kuroba, and Hakuba respectively.

“Why did you point at Hakuba?” Conan asked.

“Because he’s a Kaito?” Hattori said.

“I don’t understand,” Kaito said.

“Hattori, I think perhaps their timeline did not involve time travel,” Hakuba ventured.

“Hold on, time travel?” Conan squawked.

“Wait, then, how did you recognize him earlier?” Kuroba asked.

“Because we do have a Hakuba,” Kaito started. “I’ve met him…once?”

“Once?” Kaito asked. “How? Even if he isn’t…if he’s still got the last name Hakuba, wouldn’t he at least show up to like, one heist?”

“Heist?” Kaito asked.

“You know, a Kaitou KID heist?” Kuroba prodded.

“Kaitou KID disappeared when I was still a kid,” Kaito said. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

Kuroba gaped. “You don’t know.”

“What don’t I know?” Kaito asked, eyes narrowing.

“Our father was Kaitou KID,” Hakuba said. “As were Kuroba-kun and I, after we found his room in the house. What happened, that you—”

He broke off, when he noticed Kaito hyperventilating.

“Look what you did,” Conan snapped. “He doesn’t live in the Kuroba house, you moron.”

“Why not?” Kuroba asked. “Did Mom finally stop paying the mortgage? Did he move in with the Nakamoris?”

Conan was glowering at them, even as he rubbed circles into Kaito’s back.

“Okay, walk us through what happened here?” Hattori said. “None of us meant to hurt the guy, all right? And we’ll apologize, as soon as we can understand what to apologize for.”

“He hasn’t seen Kuroba Chikage since he was 10,” Conan hissed. “And, as far as I can tell, he was there when Toichi died.”

Hakuba felt like he couldn’t breathe, even as Kuroba’s jaw dropped.

“Like, in the audience?” Kuroba asked. “Sh*t, no wonder… but go back to the part where he hasn’t seen Mom in nearly a decade? She’s not the best, always, but she at least videocalls, and she didn’t leave that soon after—”

“She found him after the performance,” Conan said. “I’m beginning to think things were different, for you.”

Kaito’s breathing was beginning to even out.

“The way ya said ‘she’…” Hattori started.

“You might know her as Chris Vineyard,” Conan said cautiously, without looking up.

“Vermouth?” Hakuba demanded, loud enough to make Kaito flinch.

Somewhere, under the haze of panic, he did feel bad about that.

He lost time, probably. It was the only thing that explained the abrupt shift in topic, the changes in everyone’s postures, and the pack of cards in his hands. Ah, he had good friends.

“But yeah, so then we finally dragged his ungrateful butt back from England and now he has a therapist,” Hattori was saying. “Once it’s safe, you should probably have a therapist too.”

Kaito didn’t seem too keen on the idea, but Conan looked interested.

“First, though, we should probably go talk to the local witch about getting you back to the right world, at least, if that’s something you want,” Kuroba said.

“People would miss Conan if we stayed,” Kaito said quietly.

Hakuba was reminded of himself, so much that it ached. “I think they’d miss you, too. But that’s something you have to work out yourself.”

“Wait,” Conan said. “Local witch?”

A/N: If you, too, would like to commission a thing, 4 slots have been formally filled, so there’s still time! The post is here.

Thanks for reading!

[ninthfeather]

I am super-behind on Steeplechase, and aware of it.  A combo of writer’s block and health stuff (a mild but persistent version of the seasonal flu, I think, and of course migraines, because they show up whether invited or not) are conspiring against my productivity. Also my beta has been eaten alive by adult responsibilities, which isn’t helping matters.  Things will update as soon as possible.  Sorry for all the wait!

[ninthfeather]

Re: Steeplechase

Hoo boy have I blown the update schedule.

Chapter status: roughly half done?

Author status: tired, probably alive

[ninthfeather]

Okay, so I specifically wrote this up for @hawk-in-a-tree, who is in the process of watching DC and MK because we’ve been pulling each other into fandoms as a pastime for a while now, but I figured I’d post it publically in case it was of interest to anyone else. I’m also gonna incorporate some edited version of this into updated Ch. 1 A/Ns of Steeplechase, in particular, since what canon you need to know has changed slightly since the first chapter (oops characters from later in the series showed up). The timeline of the fic is slightly sketchy because I’m bad at continuity sometimes, but I’ve been trying to be good at spoilers at least.

So, without further ado, the absolute minimum amount of DCMK canon you need to read my Riddle in Reverse fic series:

Riddle in Reverse:

The fic is primarily based on the Magic Kaito 1412 anime, and there are really very few episodes of it you can skip—pretty much every episode is referenced in either this fic or the sequel, either directly or in terms of characterization.  In addition, however, please watch:

Akako’s Delivery Service (MK ch. 17/MK special 9)

Dark Night (MK ch. 27-28/MK special 12)

Sunset Mansion/The Gathering of the Detectives (DC ch. 299-302/DC ep. 219)

Detectives Koushien/Three Days with Hattori Heiji (DC ch. 562-566/DC ep 479)

Steeplechase:

This fic pulls on the same sources as the previous fic, so I’m assuming you’ve already watched them.  In addition, I’m using @silverbulletsama’s Detective Conan Watch Guide, which is a good way to speed-watch the series.  You can use that method to more quickly get to episode 561, which is the most recent episode you absolutely need to watch the fic. (Please note that you actually could watch the series, or at least the best bits of it, more quickly than that watchlist if you don’t care about things like spoilers and linear timelines, but this list is for hawk-in-a-tree, who is being sensible and trying to do this in order and with details)

In addition, please watch and/or read:

Clockwork Heart (MK ch. 3) [optional, but several jokes will make more sense]

Moonlight Sonata Murder Case (Manga 18, Anime 11)

¥1,000,000,000 Robbery Case (Manga: 013-016) [in place of or after episode 13]

Bond of Fire Case (Manga: 150-153, Anime: 77-78)

Stabbed Wallet Case/Naniwa Serial Murder Case (Manga: 185-188, Anime: 118)

Detective Conan Movie 3: The Last Wizard of the Century

Detective Conan Movie 13: The Raven Chaser

Finally, there will be some minor spoilers in the fic for places slightly past Ep. 561:

While the fic is set at a point in canon at which most readers had guessed the mystery regarding Okiya Subaru, if you have not, please keep reading canon until that mystery is revealed or you figure it out, unless you are prepared to be spoiled.

There are some minor spoilers regarding who is involved in the Mystery Train Arc (DC ch. 818-824/DC eps 701-704), though they are fairly nonspecific.

There may be discussion of later developments in the Black Org plotline, in terms of clues they find out about the organization and its members.  I’m not good at keeping track of what comes up when.  No Black Org members that aren’t introduced by 561 will appear, but that’s as much as I can promise.

Finally, when the London Arc (DC ch. 818-824/DC eps 701-704) is discussed, I spoil a few things regarding how the major case concludes, because I’m salty forever about that arc.  Skip the conversation in Chapter 21 regarding what resources they have in England and you should be fine.

[ninthfeather]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 46

Ginzou does his best with all of his kids. 

[ninthfeather]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 44

Hakuba reunites with Watson, and Kaito works through some things.

Also available on Fanfiction.net

[ninthfeather]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 45

Reunions are good, but sometimes they come with complicated conversations.

Also on Fanfiction.net (see reblogs for link).