Tales Of Edogawa Ranpo and Edgar Allan Poe

Hi! Sorry for the inactivity. I hope everyone is safe.

I'll be moving some of my fics here to ao3 to make it eaiser to write and read I found tumblr to be an inconvenience with writing multi part fics and long fics.

I'll still continue to post here, but mostly one shots instead of multis.

You can find my ao3 here

day six (february 14th, 2020)

date night ♡ affectionate

“The idea, you know, is that the sentimental person thinks things will last- the romantic person has a desperate confidence that they won’t.”

-This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Rampo wasn’t sure what other couples do, during this day of exchanging chocolates and roses. The streets littered with pink and red with floating hearts everywhere. And the streets of Yokohama are full of couples gazing at each other eyes intensely or doing whatever they are doing. But he and his companion are a bit different. 

The day started with a crisp white envelope, about the size of Kunikida’s notebook, on his desk. The red seal with E.A.P imprinted on the envelope, sent a smirk on Rampo’s face. He proceeded to open the ‘mysterious’ envelope, tearing from the side, leaving the seal intact. The letter slid out of the paper pocket and Rampo leaned back on his chair reading the messy cursive writing;

To whom it may concern, 

You have been challenged to a battle of wits, deduction and logic. 

When the ebony clock rung 12 times, the game will commence. 

By accepting the challenge, you agree to terms of the challenge, which I assume you are familiar with. 

I’ll be waiting.

The letter wasn’t signed, but Rampo knew instantly who the writer is. He propped his leg on his desk, tucking the letter in his drawer full of similar letters from previous years, stared at the clock in boredom.

Rampo stood in front of the mahogany door with the sign 

Manor’s Mystery: Escape Room

He knocked twice and like magic the door opened. Rampo walked through the Victorian wallpapered hallway, filled with portraits of people, their eyes looking back at him. The hallway opened up to an antechamber, and there stood a tall man, his hair tied up in a small ponytail, wearing his usually long coat, with leather boots and a white blouse underneath it. 

“Poe-kun!’ Rampo waved catching the writer’s attention. 

“Rampo-kun. You’re here.” 

The ebony clock rung twelve times, as their eyes met with passion. The exit became flushed with the wall and the timer popped from the wall, and the game began.

The door opened to the next room, the room with three shelves about Poe’s height. The timer displayed ticked down the seconds, showing them the surplus of time they have. The shelves are full of knick-knacks, which made Rampo lift a brow at. Like routine, they split up. 

Rampo walked around the perimeter, he found the door locked, a keyhole is on the door. Rampo looked through the hole only to be met with darkness. A keypad next to it with a combination of letters and numbers; K, B, M, 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 0, and a note pinned next to it.

Malleable

Burnable

Consumable

Meanwhile, Poe was observing the objects on the shelves. A silver ball displayed in the middle of the first shelf had a label M1-008, and similar shapes made of the same material was displayed on the first shelf. The next shelf, a shelf, full of keys stood in front of him. A rusty key labelled K3-880 lied on the top shelf, near the left-hand corner. The final shelf was lined with books, with various titles, that doesn’t recognise. He pulled a book from the shelf, the leather binding looked worn out. There was no title on the book, but a blurb behind;

Issac who was raised and worked in the mines for all his life. He wanted to leave this dreaded mining town, but Issac should be careful about what he wished for as a dangerous rare ore from myths was unearthed which everyone wants their hands on.

Issac was given the ore and to flee the town with it, to protect it from anyone and to destroy it. 

A dangerous journey which will test Issac. 

Poe cringed at the blurb, sounding like a typical cliche adventure-fantasy. He opened the book, flipping through the blank pages, till the end. The spine had a label on it. B2-809. Poe pulled a few more books, reading the blurb of the book, which a similarish story at the back. Poe slid the book back onto the shelf, he checked the timer and about 5 minutes had passed. Poe met with Rampo in the middle of the room. 

“Any observations?” Rampo asked.

“Each object are labelled a different code. Which starts with a letter M, K or B and then numbers.” 

“There’s a keyhole on the door, but it is fake, as there is a keypad with all the letters and numbers, you said earlier.” Rampo glanced at the shelves, “there is also a note next to the door.”

Poe nodded, deep in thought, as both of they exchange their notes.

“Well, I’ll give you a chance before I activate Super Deduction.” Rampo teased, fiddling with his glasses.

Poe sighed, disappointed. “The second shelf full of keys is a red herring.” 

Rampo nodded, a shadow of a grin formed on his lips. 

“The first shelf doesn’t fit the description of note, Metal is not burnable nor consumable.” 

Rampo pouted, impatience on his face, which Poe thought it was really cute. 

“Poe-kun, you are taking all the fun away.”

He looked at Poe’s inviting expression, putting on his glasses and in a flash of green, he dialled the code B2-809 on the keypad and the door opened, leading them to the exit. 

“I’m disappointed…” Rampo sighed, as Poe was filling in their record-breaking time. “Your books were better.” 

Poe flushed before straightening himself up, “Let’s go to my place…” Poe took a deep breath, playing their suave comment he had in his head. 

Tales Of Ranpoe Reached 200 followers 🎉

Thank you all for the support, even though I struggle to post consistently.

I'll post second part of Ridding Hood retell next week.

Chapter 1

“Are you sure you’ll be able to deliver this medicine to Fukuzawa?” The town doctor, Yosano asked, her arms crossed and disbelief was on her face.

“It's fine,” Ranpo said, brushing her concern away. “All I have to do is follow the path, right? Even an idiot can do that.” 

He snatched the medicine off Yosano’s table, stuffing the glass bottle into his pocket. He headed out the door, slammed it shut behind him. 

The town centre was full of people; children laughing and playing. Merchants lined the streets, from foreign lands, exchanged their smiles with their customers as the jingle of coins were placed in their greedy hands.

“Hey boy!” A merchant called Ranpo. “I have a puzzle for you that I bet you won’t be even to solve it.”

Ranpo stopped, he turned facing the merchant with a bored expression on his face, “Next time, I’m on an important errand.”

“Stick to the path!” The merchant warned.

He waved his hand in dismissal, as he continued walking down the cobbled streets.

                                                           ~

The building rose around Ranpo, following the path that led to the forest, even a genius like him could’ve figured that out. The cobbled street beneath him, turned grainy and his footsteps were soft, his feet sunk into the dirt path. The forest was still, the only sound was the crunch of his footsteps and the occasional rustle of leaves. He saw a shadow in the distance, which then vanished when it realised Ranpo noticed him. Without thinking, he chased after the shadow, running through the leaves, the grass light on his feet, the shadow’s outline was still visible when he reached a clearing. The shadow was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, checked every tree, every bush, every nook and cranny, but nothing. He realised that he was lost, but shrugged, knowing he would find his way back to the path, (eventually). But in his heart, he secretly wished to know who the shadow was. 

                                                          ~

The huntsman’s cabin was warm, the fire roared and danced in the fireplace as the head of a moose was mounted onto the mantle. Ranpo looked at his hot chocolate, steam floating into the air. The clock ticked, the suffocating silence lingered.

“Kid,” The huntsman broke the silence, “What’s your name.”

“First, I’m not a kid,” Ranpo corrected. “And second, who are you?” 

“Nakahara Chuuya. And you?” he said impatiently.

“Edogawa Ranpo.” He huffed, taking a sip from his hot chocolate.

“You can sleep here for the night.” Chuuya said, “But you leave at first light. Got it.” 

“That was the plan, to begin with.” Ranpo snapped, finished his drink and slammed the mug on the table, “I’m going to bed.” 

He can hear the huntsman grumbling. “I can’t believe I have to babysit this kid.”

Sorry, I haven’t been active for a while, I had to deal with an academic emergency ;w; This was something I wrote about a few months ago and I just found it sitting in my computer lol. (There’s also a surprise at the end.)

Walking down the alleyways when the moon is at its highest shouldn’t bother Poe, but it does. The flickering street lamps illuminate his path, casting long shadows dancing on the walls. His footsteps echo in the eerie silence. The walls squeezing the breath out of him. Poe brings his arm to where he expects to feel the soft smooth fur of his companion but remembers, his companion is at home. His heart quicken. His eyes darted around the narrow space. His steps are louder but more cautious. 

“Where is he?” Poe whispers to the silence.

Walking deeper into the alleyway, the darkness engulfing him, the warm light of the street fading away. Anxiety wraps around him, whispering to him, 

“He left you, like all those years ago.”

“No... He didn’t,” Poe cries weakly, holding on to his hope, “He...promised…” His voice is soft and weak.

His words replay in Poe’s head, “We will meet tomorrow night.”

“What makes you so sure?” Poe questions, still sceptical.

“When have I’ve ever been wrong?” He says before he fades into the night.

Poe stands there on the same spot he is standing the night before. Imagining green eyes emerging from the darkness.

“Where is he?” He asks the silence once more, desperation in his tone. 

A sudden shadow crosses his vision, and the next minute he knows he is tackled to the ground. Stunned. Confused. He looks up to see iconic green eyes staring into his. His anxieties fade away like mist and a wave of relief lapses over him.

“Ranpo…” Poe whispers, unsure of what to say.

“I told you, we will meet again.” 

Even in the darkness, Poe can see Ranpo’s smirk, the confident gleam in his eyes. He can feel the small man’s weight on him, an embrace. His cold breath on Poe’s ear makes Poe blush a radiating warmth.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispers, Rampo’s voice with so much care and sadness.

“Where have you been?” Poe asks.

Ranpo silences him with a kiss, their tongues entrance in a dance.

“I love you,” Poe whispers.

Their arms all over each other, Ranpo’s hair is soft and greasy as Poe’s fingers glide through his hair. Ranpo goes in the aggressive, biting his lower lip and moving down to his neck, biting and sucking. Poe let out a soft groan. 

“I’m sorry.” Poe heard Ranpo’s faint whisper.

A jolt of pain runs through Poe’s body. The world was hazy, spinning, the last thing he sees is how those emerald eyes turned blood-red, tears streaming down his eyes and before his conscious loses its grips, slipping into darkness. 

Poe collapsed onto Ranpo’s arms, his body feels limp and fragile, his ash-grey eyes, losing their shine and glimmer as the red liquid keeps pouring onto the ground. Ranpo’s hands were stained red, his fangs dripping the life essence of his lover. Tears streaming down his face. He picked up the limp body in his arms and leaves the alleyway through the darkness.

“Please don’t leave me,” Ranpo whispers, soft and hurt.

                                                      ~

Poe's eyes flickers, fighting the darkness and haziness in his head. He tried to get up, but he winces as pain throbs in his neck. He places his hand on the spot of pain, but instead of smooth skin and body heat, he feels the scratchy, soft material of bandages.

“You’re awake.”

Poe blinks a few times, adjusting his eyes to the dim lighting.

“What happened?” Poe still in a daze.

A silhouette sits at the edge of his bed, looking out at the window. The city lights illuminate his face, showing his vivid green eyes, his passive face that shows a hint of sadness and fear in them. 

“It’s my fault, you got hurt. It’s all my fault. I’m a horrible boyfriend.”

Poe shuffles slowly to Ranpo and sits next to him. Ranpo shuffles further, his eyes avoiding Poe’s eyes. 

“Ranpo, what’s wrong?” Poe asks.

“Get away from me.” Ranpo whispers.

Poe moves his hand to Ranpo’s cheek, but he slaps it away. Poe’s hand hangs in the air and he feels his heart slowly tearing apart. 

“Get away from me,” He shouts.

“I don’t understand, Ranpo.” Poe feels the tear growing bigger.

“I-I,” he sighs “All I do is hurt you. I almost lost you.” His voice frail.

“I’m here, Ranpo,” He grabbed Ranpo’s hand, drawing circles on his palm, “You can hear me, feel my warmth,” moving Ranpo’s hand to his chest, “My heartbeat,” and Ranpo’s eyes met Poe’s, and Poe gave him a soft smile, “And you can see me. I’m here, physically.” 

“I have something to tell you.” His tone is serious and cold.

“What is it?” 

A silence hung between them, Ranpo fiddles with his fingers, looking away from Poe and onto the wooden floor.

“I-I’m,” he sighs, “The one who gave you that wound,” 

Poe touches the bandage in impulse, confused, but listening to his words carefully.

“I-I bit you…”

“It’s not your fault,” Poe interrupts,” We were maybe a bit too keen.” A blush spreads across his cheeks.

“No, no, no. I’m responsible, I bit you because I was hungry.” Ranpo blurted out.

Poe snickered, soon let out a laugh, “At least you are alive, that what really matters.” 

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Alternate ending (Bad ending)

Poe collapsed onto Ranpo’s arms, his body feels limp and fragile, his ash-grey eyes, losing their shine and glimmer as the red liquid keeps pouring onto the ground. Ranpo’s hands were stained red, his fangs dripping the life essence of his lover. Tears streaming down his face. He picked up the limp body in his arms and stares at the smile on Poe’s face.

“I love you too,” His voice dry, “I couldn’t control myself. I’m sorry, Poe.”

Footsteps rattled the floor beneath them, growing louder at each step. Ranpo quickly shoved everything in the cabinet underneath the sink. They turned towards the back door, but a shadow emerged on the wall. They were cornered, Ranpo’s eyes darted around the room, as Hinata stood there stupidly. His eyes met the small space underneath the kitchen, quickly crawled underneath and dragged Hinata underneath. The door clicked, their eyes glued on the doorknob, as it turned clockwise. Ranpo felt his coat pocket vibrate, pulling it out. It was a text from Poe and he grinned. A small furry head peeked through the door, leading to the alleyway. Ranpo’s eyes widened,

“Isn’t that your friend?” Hinata asked.

Ranpo ignored him, but he felt his skin jolt in alarm as he saw a tuft of brown hair, then grey eyes, wide grey eyes filled with so much worry. But reality hit Ranpo when the door’s hinges squeaked, shattering the silence. Poe's eyes opened in alarm, panic.

“Excuse me?” A polite voice asked.

Poe met the eyes of a stumpy man approaching him, his brain short-circuited, stealing glances at Ranpo.

“Can I help you?” He asked, wearing a plastic smile, that made his eyes squint.

“Uh-um… I was wondering if your establishment is still open?” Poe lied,

Poe saw the edges of his mouth dropping, the smile faltering, but he managed to quickly recover it.

“I’m sorry, sir. We are closed until the police investigation is over, Sorry to inconvenience you.” His voice was covered in too much sugar. 

Suddenly Carl jumped off Poe’s shoulders and started running around the kitchen, “Carl!” Poe cried,

The raccoon climbed onto the shelves, knocking pots, pans and ingredients to their demise.

“Carl!” Poe cried, taking a step towards the door, “I’m s-so sorry, I’ll go get him.”

The man blocked Poe’s way, “You can’t enter. This is staff only.”

“But Carl,” Poe protested, weakly, a small smile on his face.

Karl jumped off the shelf and onto the counter next to the door leading into the cafe. Placing a paw, onto the doorknob, the door clicked, slightly ajar, for Carl to squeeze through the gap.

“But, I need to get Carl!’ Poe took another step, backing Yamamoto inside. 

“Sir, please calm down. I’m certain your pet would be alright.”

There was a squeak as the door slammed shut and a click lingered in the air.

“Hello, Mr Murderer.” 

Mr Yamamoto turned behind him. A short man stood in front of the door, a huge grin on his face.

“Excuse me?! How did you get here? This is trespassing!” His eyes darting around the room and his voice is firm.

Leaning against the door, putting his glasses on, “You killed Mr Fitzgearld, your investor. You invited him here for some coffee. You spiked your own coffee and since the victim is exhausted he wouldn’t notice you switching the mugs while discussing business.”

“Spiked? You’re kidding.” Yamamoto said.

“There are sleeping pills in the cabinet, and while Fitzgerald has been drugged, you stabbed him. You then dragged the body to the table, where you were certain his wife would find his body. Now I wonder if you were trying to find them, where would they have gone?”

Yamamoto’s face went pale, they could hear sirens from a distance.

“Why did you do it?” Hinata asked, crawling out from under the kitchen counter.

“H-he was going to buy the cafe and make it into another office building,” Yamamoto confessed,

“I couldn’t do anything…” He whispered, dropping down to his knees.

Carl was waiting outside of the cafe, Poe crouched down scratching Carl behind the ear.

“Good job, delivering those sleeping pills to the police.” 

Carl purred, jumping onto Poe’s shoulders.

Yamamoto was brought to the police car, the sirens flashing red and white, as the sun sank into the horizon. 

“Well, I’m hungry, let’s go get something to eat,” Ranpo said.

Poe nodded, lifting himself to his feet, “I think I have a rough idea for a new story.”

“Tell me over, dinner,”

Sorry I haven't been active much, I've been busy and I'm horribly disorganised right now.

But, Part 11 will be uploaded next week and I'm working on it. I haven't abandon all of you, this blog or novelist AU

Thanks for your patience!

“Is it what I think it is?”

“This is the actual scene of the murder,” Ranpo stated bluntly.

“But how? He dropped dead in front of his wife, in front of everyone.”

“This proves my hypothesis, He pulled out a plastic bag filled with the torn pieces cloth. Bits of red exposed underneath the dull phone’s flashlight. 

“What is that?”

Ignoring Hinata, Ranpo poured the pieces onto the counter and like a puzzle, the pieces fitted perfectly. 

“No way.”

The pieces of cloth formed a white dress shirt stained with red. There were no signs of a stab wound or anything that suggest the shirt was the victims.

Poe sat across from the window, a mixture of classical music and faint clatter of ceramic mugs. The sun sank into the horizon, the nearby tables were empty and the street outside was almost empty. Empty plates and steaming cups of tea laid on the table, the widow have her hands wrapped around the cup.

“Anyway, back to business,” Poe broke the silence between them, “Your husband, Mr Fitzgerald was going to invest in the cafe. What time did you get there?”

“Around 11 am, we met the owner of the cafe. I think his name was Yamamato. Mr Yamamato brought my husband at the back to discuss business over coffee. My husband told me to wander around, sightsee, go shopping. I did that.”

“How long were you gone?”

“About an hour?”

“What happened next?”

“I got back, my husband was sitting on the table. I thought he was asleep because he hasn’t been sleeping well lately. Then he collapsed onto the floor, I saw- I saw the blood on the chair and I saw blood pooling on the red carpet,” Her hands wrapped around her cup, they were trembling, and her grip was so tight that Poe saw her knuckles turning white, “I screamed, then Mr Yamamoto came out from the back and called the police.”

Poe stood up and placed some money on the table. 

“Thank you for your time.” 

Poe ran out of the cafe, he knew who the murderer was, and he knew Ranpo have the same idea.

Ranpo crouched down to the cabinet underneath the sink.

“What are you doing?” Hinata hissed, keeping watch of the door.

Ranpo opened the cabinet to see cleaning supplies and other knick-knacks. He started chucking them away out of the cabinet. Tucked in the corner, behind a maze of pipes Rapo reached out and felt the hard plastic, leading into a cool metal. He pulled it out and in his hands were the murder weapon. A normal kitchen knife. He reached in the cabinet again and felt something smooth and cold. The smooth ceramic mug, with the insides, stained brown. The strong smell of coffee still lingered in the mug. There were clumps of brown and white at the bottom of the mug, and it clicked in Ranpo’s head. 

I'm going to be really cheesy, but you can skip it if you want.

Thank you for your ongoing support for my work especially for the Novelist series. There were times I was thinking of giving up, but you gave me motivation. Also, thank you for being really patient with me. I tried to keep a consistent upload schedule but that went out the window. I hope you will keep reading my works and continue to support me.

If you don't want the cheesiness I will do my impersonation of Ranpo.

"100 people obviously know that I'm the superior writer. No the greatest writer in the whole world."

Please don't smite me.

I will probably upload part 10 tmr.

Ranpo’s thoughts were murky, he stood in the middle of the street placing the facts in his mental jigsaw puzzle. The torn pieces of white cloth stained red in the dumpster, a mysterious daylight murder, no signs of struggle. He tried to remember the crime scene, the man laid on the velvet carpet, eyes glazed, lifeless. Decided on his next course of action, he glanced at the alleyway.

“Stupid boss, making me work on my day off,” Hinata said with a scowl on his face.

Ranpo saw the annoyed waiter stormed towards him and a shadow of a smile crept on his lips. 

“Yo!” Ranpo shouted, waving his hands in the air.

Hinata had a face of horror and disgust when he saw Ranpo, and in defeat, he let out a sigh.

“What do you want?” He asked impatiently.

“Help me sneak into the cafe.” He demanded.

“What! Why would I help you?!”

Ranpo was already inside, in a huff of hot air he stormed behind him. 

Their footsteps heavy on the tile floor, the lights weren’t giving off their fluorescent glow. Their reflection bounced off the multiple metallic surfaces of pots, knives and pans.

“Hey, we shouldn’t-”

“Shhh!” Ranpo hissed at Hinata.

“Are you still playing detective?” 

“Shh!” Ranpo hushed him.

He noticed a source of light near the end of the kitchen. Light leaked through the half-opened door, leading into the main cafe. Ranpo crouched in the darkness, followed by Hinata. They can barely hear the conversation on the other side. 

“I’ve already told you everything I know.”

“Hmph.”

“Is that, the owner, what is he doing here?” 

“Owner?” Ranpo pressed, “You mean the sketchy looking businessman?”

“Who you call a sketchy looking businessman? He is well respected by every staff member including me.”

“Shh!” Ranpo shoved his elbow in Hinata’s stomach and moved in closer.

“Well thank you for your time.” The gruff voice said.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I hope the criminal will be brought to justice.” 

There was a silence, before a hustle of footsteps. Ranpo felt a tug on his sleeve.

“Hey.” Hinata 's voice was soft but coated with fear.

Ranpo turned around. Hinata stood a few steps away from the kitchen sink. His phone was shining on the floor and the sink. What stared back at them was a pool of red liquid.

“I hope its ketchup,” Hinata said,

Hello, Reagan here~

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