Disclaimer: No, I don't own Detective Conan.

Word Count: 997

A Day in Autumn:

Chapter 1: Ill Tidings

Shiho was cold… very cold. It was now 3:00 A.M., twenty minutes past the appointed meeting time, and she still saw no sign of Vodka… and she was still cold. The fact that Vodka had not yet arrived wasn't entirely surprising; he tended to do it quite often, arrive late, that is. However, it was late fall, and the temperature was just above freezing. To further the mockery of her situation, she had not worn a coat because she herself had been behind schedule and disliked being late, and the idea of someone leaving their clothing store open for business until three in the morning was ridiculous.

Shiho's eyes wandered around the park once again, staring down the particularly dark alleys in the vain hope that Vodka's looming figure may appear. She began stamping her feet to try and generate some warmth, but it was to no avail. They continued to remain numb.

"Where is he?" she thought furiously. Even if this was Vodka she was dealing with, he usually would've arrived at this point, and she desperately wished to return to her lab for some sleep. She shivered slightly as the breeze picked up, blowing her hair across her face and lifting the few remaining leaves into the air and across the park.

At that moment, she felt a rumble in her pocket and quickly fumbled for her cell phone. Making sure to keep the screen covered, she read the text message inside:

Meeting rescheduled, possible discovery of current location, return to lab.

Her grip tightened on the cell phone for a moment after reading the message. Shiho whirled quickly, considering a mad dash to her car, but immediately discarded the idea. If someone was actually waiting, it would be better to approach slowly. With this thought in mind, she slowly began retracing her steps along the little stone path to a small, nearly unnoticeable parking lot behind a line of stores.

She stared hard once she reached the edge of the path, seeing if there were any figures or other out of the ordinary objects… she continued to stare… and saw it. Standing off to the side with his/her back to the wall, a person was definitely standing there in wait, at least she thought so. She stared for a few moments longer, hoping she hadn't been noticed, but the figure hadn't moved. Slowly turning her head to one side, she began to gradually creep back the way she had come, into the park. She repeatedly checked over her shoulder to see if the figure followed, but she seemed to be alone.

Scanning around to see if there were any other people she should be wary of, she began making her way around the park. It would seem that she'd be walking back to the lab tonight, which, by the way, would take about 40 minutes. Had she really planned on getting some sleep?

She opened the door softly, just in case. She had managed to return to the lab with little trouble, other than that she had to walk, but she was still feeling a little paranoid. Being just as quiet, she turned softly and began closing the door when…

"You're late."

Her eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly forced herself to relax before turning around.

"You never showed up, Vodka," she was unable to keep all the accusation from her tone.

"You must've gotten the message if you're here now," he replied with a frown, "even if you're really late. Did something happen after all?"

Shiho watched him for a moment. The normally placid Vodka seemed uneasy, and she was starting to feel bothered by it.

"I thought there was someone by my car," she finally admitted. "It was dark though, so I may have been wrong."

"Or right," he muttered, now clearly frowning, "We think someone in the police discovered about the meeting."

Now Shiho was surprised. "Do you they already know who figured it out?" The news made her a bit uneasy as well. Certainly, this wasn't unheard of, but she couldn't remember another time where she had personally been involved in a discovered meeting.

"No one knows much," Vodka interrupted, "but there are some rumors of a new detective who's been helping out the police, supposed to be pretty good, too. Gin is looking into it."

Shiho said nothing, slowly digesting this new information. One detective didn't seem to be much of a threat, but if it became a danger to her or her sister… she didn't pursue that thought further.

She looked up again;" I'm assuming you're here for the prototypes?"

"Yeah," Vodka grunted, "still got 'em?"

"Obviously," she muttered before reaching into her pants pocked and pulling out a small packet. "There are six in here, completely new, just as asked." Shiho handed the packet with a frown. She felt an intense dislike for the use of her poisons, but she wasn't stupid enough to believe that she or her sister could get away with any insolence on her own part.

Vodka opened the packet briefly, checked the contents inside, and then resealed it with a nod. He looked at her once more, and without a word, made for the door.

Shiho listened to his heavy footsteps plodding down the hall for a moment before she shut the door and sat down at the computer desk. She was tired, so very tired. The clock on the computer now read 4:30 A.M.

"No more work will be done tonight," she thought with a dull sigh. Her eyes suddenly seemed infinitely heavier, now that the night's events had passed. The thought of rising early in the morning tomorrow only further galled her. She slowly began shutting down the computers in the room, listening as the whirring fans began to slow to a stop. Resting her head on her arms on the desk, she slowly began to drift off to sleep…

Hey all! Here it is, the first chapter of my first chapter story. How will it go? I pray very well, but we'll see... As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, constructive criticism or otherwise. :) I'm pretty busy with finals coming up in a few weeks though, so I probably won't update again until.... Thanksgiving? Anyway, enjoy!