Chapter Text
"Ranpo Edogawa. The world's greatest detective, a true genius, adored by all" - Read the tombstone, it was grand and adorned with sweets and everything he could have wanted. He would have liked it.
He was dead, there was no questioning. Everyone saw it after all, how his body weakly fell from the building. The faint expression on his face as he leaped. The whole agency attended his funeral, even the police officers he frequently helped. They all mourned the tragic death of the seemingly cocky, arrogant, and slightly annoying yet undoubtedly charming and endearing detective.
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You could say the whole world was mourning, everyone but the detective himself.
He was unconsciously lying in a dark yet flawlessly spotless enclosure. It was a smallish room with no windows, it looked normal so as not to raise suspicion. Oblivious to anything, the detective was calmly sleeping on a mattress.
Ranpo would have probably slept forever if a small black cat had not entered the room and softly walked around him. There were no exits or windows so the animal must have been let in there purposely.
Edogawa jumped up, a cold shiver running through his body
He was slightly confused yet not at all fearful. The sleepiness he felt due to the not-so-pleasant waking only deepened the state.
He didn't stand up at first and continuing to laying down as if nothing happened, despite that, he could not help but notice some details regarding the place. The room was slightly cold and smelled of coffee, just like he liked. The first thing he noticed was a table and a chair, right beside the mattress he awoke on. Right next to it was a tall bookcase filled with all kinds of beautifully adorned books. He made a mental note to check that out later and looked further.
The room was quite dark so it was impossible to see all of its corners at once.
There was a small shelf filled with all of his favorite snacks. A little to the right was a big empty closet, he deduced it must be a hidden door. As Ranpo looked around he noticed a couple of hidden cameras, the one who kidnapped him must be behind them.
As he assessed his situation, he sat down to try and think of a plan,
"What a pain in the ass."
He quietly mumbled to himself.
Everything was going just as he had planned, his beloved, precious Ranpo was here. The agency believed in his death, how naive are they?
All it took to fool such a grand institution was the use of his ability "Black Cat in The Rue Morgue" and a genius plan made himself, the extraordinary Edgar Allan Poe.
He released a black cat into the room Ranpo was held in, starting the gears of action.
The grand mystery featuring the world's greatest detective himself was about to begin, how thrilling.
He sat by the desk in his office and watched the computer screen in front of him, observing the detective's every move with utmost curiosity.
A few hours passed, and the detective was still holding on to his sanity bravely, not at all fearful. His demeanour calm as he layed there nonchalantly, eating snacks, unbothered by the fact that they could possibly be poisoned. Any other person could have thought it a sign of stupidity, maybe even carelessness for his own well being. Only Poe, knew the true intelligence behind those eyes, that had caused him so much pain. The detective must have saw through him, and his arrogance, knew no bounds.
This was quite a strange reaction nonetheless, yet he wouldn't expect anything ordinary from the world's greatest detective. How intriguing. It pained him to see his dear rival trapped but this was the best possible way to place him in a battle of wits once again, on his terms.
It was time for the next phase of his plan, one in which they would get to meet again, after those long dreadful six years.
As he walked through the corridors of his mansion, memories of the night couldn't leave him alone. The defeat. The disappointment. The disdain in his rival's eyes and most importantly all those emotions. Never before had any other person bested him, in fact it was the first time someone had even come close to challenging him in that way. It was excruciating, even after all those days he spent mending. He shook out those thoughts, it was no time to dwell on his past, and quietly entered the room where Ranpo was locked. He walked up to the other, as quietly as the wind, making sure his expression betrays no distress.
As Ed finally saw him face-to-face again and it was as if those six long years barged in, punching him in the face. It felt so similar, as if nothing changed, except now.. he could finally redeem himself. There was a chance after all to save all those sleepless nights and regain his dignity. At the thought, he could barely keep a faint smile from forming on his face. The prospect was just too wonderful, a dream come true really. After all, what could be better than seeing the demise of his foresworn enemy!
He chuckled to himself at that thought, barely looking at the detective who had by now stood up and was looking at him with confusion.
The great detective was rather confused facing his kidnapper, he saw a tall, quite young man laughing to himself and practically monologuing barely paying attention. Not at all what he had anticipated.
He stared for a good minute before the strange man finally decided to snap out of his own thoughts, as their eyes met, Ranpo couldn't help but wonder. Has he seen him before?