I've been wanting to write something like this for a while and finally got the opportunity. I will warn in advance that this will take some pretty dark turns, so if that isn't your thing, beware.
Main warnings for this chapter: Some cursing and physical harm to protagonist.
How did it all end up this way? Everything had started off so simple, so normal… and suddenly that turned into the scent of blood and the cold feeling of chains binding his right leg and arm. Now all that was certain was that he was chained to some unknown object.
Admittedly, he took longer than he should have before realizing that the darkness around him was different from blindness and that nothing was obscuring his vision. This came to his attention when his eyes began to adjust, revealing silhouettes scattered on all sides of him.
As his focus came, he took in as much of the scene around him as the darkness would permit: a minimal of five silhouettes in front of him, lying on the ground. Upon turning his head for a better scan, he came to the realization that there was another silhouette directly next to him. This wouldn't have been a bad thing if his chains were not also bound to the object under the silhouette, restricting his movement.
This wasn't good. Darkness. Blood. Restricted movement. His captor certainly knew what they were doing. The fact that there was blood meant that the others had either been beaten before coming here or that they had tried to resist or escape and had been beaten then. Either way, it wasn't heartening. The realization also hit him at that moment that these people were injured and potentially dying right before his darkened vision and that he could do nothing to help. That thought brought a cold feeling to his stomach.
First thing's first, he thought, composing himself, I need to get rid of these chains, or at least get a longer leash than what I have. After that I can hopefully help these people out… Using his hands to locate something that he could use to pick himself up, he was able to carefully get to his feet, hearing the soft clink of his chains as his right arm and leg moved. Just those two limbs, huh? Guess I lucked out. Following the length of the chains with unsteady steps and careful hands, he managed to find where the chains fell under the fallen shadow and lightly pulled; only receiving a louder clink in return. No good. It might be better to just move the person instead… And so, he shifted his efforts to moving the person enough to find the object he was chained to, pushing to get the person away, but cautious in case of wounds as well. Further injuring someone wasn't on his to-do list.
Even when it felt like he had made some progress in moving the person, however, nothing was added to the chains' lengths. Either he had made no progress at all or he was chained to this individual. Darn it. Well, it couldn't be helped. He'd just have to find some way to bring them back to consciousness.
"Hey," he started, shaking where he believed to be the person's shoulder to be, "wake up…" He stopped when he felt warm liquid drip to his hand. Blood. Don't tell me they're dead… he thought in alarm, feeling that familiar cold sensation creeping into his stomach.
"It's no use," a cold feminine voice spoke, breaking through the silence of the darkness. "He's been unconscious since he was brought here. Who knows," an oddly pleased tone came upon the voice, "he may already be dead for all I know."
Startled, he looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "What do you mean? What's going on here?" he asked with urgency, quickly looking for the shadow's neck to try to find a pulse. Thankfully the person was still alive.
"The one you're trying to wake was already beaten prior to being thrown in here with us." A soft giggle emitted from the darkness, sending a slight chill down his spine as it left the pit of his stomach. "That's what happens to those that resist his might."
"Whose might? Who captured everyone? Where are we? Why are we here?" Everything came out in quick succession before he could stop himself.
The giggle sounded again before the voice answered, "Why, we're in Hell, Little One. The devil himself came and stole us, one-by-one. We're here because he desired it to be so. And there is no escape."
"There has to be some way," a new male voice groaned, joining the conversation.
"Ah, so you are alive after all. Pity."
So he's okay… Good. At least I know there are at least two living people here aside from me… he thought, relieved that the other male seemed alright.
"Apologies," the other groaned. "Had I known you wanted me dead, I would've gladly obliged, Your Highness." Sarcasm laced the other's remark and a slight huff was heard from the feminine voice.
Oi oi, looks like these two won't get along well. No help there…
The sound of shuffling clothes and chains broke him out of his thoughts as the other male moved, trying to get into a proper sitting position. Yes, he was chained to this guy for certain. "What hit me…?" the other's pained voice questioned as an arm moved to rub the most prominent wound.
"Are you alright, Onii-san?"
"Ah… yeah. I think so. Just sore and have a headache."
"You were captured by the Forsaken Soul; of course you're in pain. But don't worry, I'm sure you won't live long enough to feel much more." The feminine voice chimed in, annoyed.
"Harsh. I was thinking something more along different lines. I'm going to get out of here so I won't have to worry about this 'Forsaken Soul' guy. If you're nice, I'll even help you escape as well." Confidence radiated from the other's tone; he was entirely convinced that he'd be able to make it out of this place alive. "By the way, why am I chained to something?" He asked in a nonchalant tone, more curious than concerned.
"I suppose I should learn your name then," she replied coldly. "Little One's as well. You two are the only new arrivals in quite some time."
"Just call me 'Kai,'" the other replied with a yawn. "When my eyes adjust I plan on exploring this place a little."
"Ah, um," he said, trying to decide on what to say, "I'm Conan. And who are you, Onee-san?"
"Akeru," she replied. "You'll learn the others in time… if you live that long."
Conan nodded, glad to have some type of identification for these two beyond just voice. "Akeru-neesan, what all do you know about how we got here?" Hopefully this time he'd receive a better answer.
"I don't know much, Conan-kun," she replied, somehow kinder and more thoughtful with her answer, "but I do know that, in some capacity, Kaitou Kid was involved. At least, according to the ones that brought you two here. A lone child—you—were wandering the area after Kid's heist and were taken. I do not claim to know why. Kai, on the other hand, tried to be a hero and failed, thus you both were captured."
"Explains my aching head," Kai murmured, clinking the chains as he continued to rub the back of his head. There was something about Kai's voice that sounded familiar, yet unfamiliar all at once. It'd probably be impossible to place until Conan had more than just a voice to work with, however. "Oh, and what am I chained to? No one ever said."
Conan would've replied, but found that as Kai stood and stretched that his own body was forcibly lifted from the ground. "O-oi! Don't do that!" Conan yelled, startling Kai into dropping the stretch.
"Oh, I'm chained to you. Gomen, Conan-kun." Kai let out a slight chuckle, "looks like we're going to explore together then. Gotta find a way out of here, after all."
"You'll only kill yourself and Conan-kun by doing this, you realize."
"I'm a professional," Kai chuckled, "we'll be okay." Gaining a more serious tone, he continued, "and anyways, if we want to escape alive, we can't just sit still and wait for them to get us. We need to act first and fast."
"Good luck then," Akeru said, falling into silence. She had lost her previous annoyance and seemed to have moved into a tone of hopelessness. It was hard to say which was worse: her confidence in the complete impossibility of escape or her lack of confidence in those around her.
"Thanks," Kai replied, moving to face Conan's shadow. "You ready to look around, Kiddo?"
"Yeah," Conan agreed, following Kai as the larger boy led him around their dark prison. Once or twice, the two stumbled over a shadow they hadn't noticed, but overall, their progress in finding and following the walls went unhindered.
The room was larger than anticipated, with cracked stone for walls and odd pieces of metal jutting out every few meters. Everything was cold and, from following the walls, they discovered that there were no windows in this room at all. The shadows of the others seemed to vanish the further into the room they went and the darkness seemed to become more oppressive and deep.
How is it possible? Was there some light where we were earlier that I didn't notice? Conan thought, trying to find some explanation for this oddity. Kai either didn't notice the change or didn't mention it, which slightly bothered the boy. Just who am I chained to exactly?
As they wandered the walls, the smaller boy began to feel a cold wind blowing. It was weak, but present, forcing an involuntary shiver down his spine. Were they close to an exit?
"Oi," Kai spoke up after a long time of silent searching, "I found words in the wall." Carefully feeling over the kanji-shaped scars in the wall for a short while, he murmured, "'Here is Start. Death is Finish.' Well, that's a pleasant message, ne?"
'Here is Start. Death is Finish'? Seems like what Akeru-san said is exactly what our captor wants us to feel. And he's doing it well. We need to get out of here and get the police's help.
"It's almost like someone wants to scare us into giving up from the get-go." Kai's tone changed, becoming resolved, "then no matter what, Conan-kun, promise me that you won't be scared by such things. I'll promise that as well."
"Uh, yeah," he agreed. "We need to get out though."
"Easy enough once I know the lay of the land."
"Huh?"
"I'm really good at escaping from impossible odds," Kai's tone was once more light and nonchalant, as if he were smiling while speaking.
"Also, what do you think about the rumors that Kid's got a hand in all of this?" Conan asked, troubled by Akeru's words about the Moonlight Magician.
"I don't know," Kai answered sincerely, "he may have had a hand in it, or it could be a rumor. I wouldn't like to think that he would do something like this though… It doesn't suit his style at all…"
Conan nodded, he's right. This kind of thing isn't something you'd expect from Kid at all. Someone may be using his name again though.
The two continued on, feeling their way around the room. No sound broke the spell of silence and even the sounds of their steps seemed to get muffled into nonexistence as more time passed. A turn, followed by another shortly after, and another soon after that. An alcove, perhaps? The next wall lasted for a while, much like the first, leading to another alcove, leading to yet another long wall returning them to the captives' shadows.
Before reaching them however, Kai stopped, causing Conan to bump into his leg. "Ah, gomen. I found more words."
"What do they say?"
"Hmm… 'Suffer together. Die alone. Carry the burden until death.'"
"That's not talking about people like us, is it?" Conan asked, fairly certain of the answer.
"Probably is. It's disturbing, to say the least…"
Kai returned to silence, once more helping Conan avoid the others as they made their way down the third main wall, returning to the more visible darkness. Rounding the final main wall, Conan noticed what he had missed before: the faintest of light coming from under what appeared to be a door. So that was it. The thing that made all the difference in this world of darkness. Small wonder the shadows were all gathered near there, then. They were all trying to reach the light. But the light leading to where, exactly?
"Who are you?" the weak and terrified voice of a small child called to them, startling both boys. "You're not gonna hurt me… right? I've been good… right?" The voice got quieter and quieter and more fearful as it spoke.
"Uh…" Kai stalled, regaining his composure, "I'm Kai, and the little guy next to me is Conan." He was trying to be friendly and quiet, lowering himself so that he wouldn't seem threatening. Nothing soothed the frightened child, who began to whimper instead, making Kai retreat a few steps to see if that would help.
"It's okay," Conan said with a soft tone, "Kai-niichan isn't a bad guy." Well, he was pretty sure Kai wasn't bad, at least. He offered a hand to the child, hoping they would accept it. Thankfully, they did. Well, Conan mused, there are some advantages to being small, I guess.
"Y-you s-sure?" the child whimpered, probably crying. "A-Akeru-neechan s-said n-not to t-trust anyone b-big…"
"I'm sure," Conan reassured.
"It's okay," Kai said softly, "I'll keep my distance if that's what you'd like. I just can't stray too far from Conan-kun because the bad guys chained us together."
"H-huh? Why would they…?"
"Not sure," he answered. "Bad guys are strange like that."
"Can you tell me your name?" Conan asked, ignoring Kai's response to the child's question.
"U-um, I'm Hoshiko," the child answered, starting to calm down. "Am I gonna see Momma again…?" The question, simple in nature, drove a spike through the boy's heart. Nothing was for certain. But telling that to a child would be a poor choice. Best to offer what words of support he could.
"Ah, of course," he answered, "Kai-niichan and I are gonna get everyone out safe. Then everyone can go back home."
"R-really?" Hoshiko immediately brightened at this idea. The kid must not have been there too long if they believed him so quickly. That was good. The more the captives believed in the possibility of escape, the more successful they would be when they tried.
"Definitely. Just leave it to us," Kai said, a smile once more in his tone. That guy was interesting, being so optimistic even when trapped in a world of darkness.
Somehow, this seemed to make Hoshiko quieter and more trusting of Kai's presence. Another good thing if they were all going to escape.
"Beware," Akeru's voice cut in, "he draws near. The demon of the moonlight." At this, all the confidence that they had been building for Hoshiko instantly vanished, leaving the child in a worse state than before, shaking and crying, whimpering for their mother.
Both boys quickly turned their gazes toward the door, not knowing what to expect. Footsteps began to sound, getting louder and closer as the seconds passed. Anticipation worked its way through Conan's spine, tightening his small muscles as the steps drew ever-closer.
Just what will happen? He wondered as the steps suddenly stopped. A shadow was cast over the faint light from under the door. Someone was there. Time to meet the demon, Conan thought with resolve. No matter what, he'd already decided not to give up and he intended for that to remain that way, for his sake as well as the others'. No demon would keep him from returning to Ran and the others.
The sound of the lock clicked into the room. He was caught off-guard already. While watching the door expectantly, Conan neglected the idea of the lights, being blinded as they completely illuminated the former world of darkness. He wasn't the only one caught by that trick, however, and several groans and yelps permeated the air as the denizens of shadows desperately tried to shield their eyes from the brilliance of the light.
During the confusion brought on by the sudden brightness, the door quietly opened and four men clad in black suits moved in. In unity, three of them grabbed the stunned boys and dragged them out of the room, with the fourth ensuring the door was soundly locked once more before rejoining the others.
The men dragged the blinded boys and led them through the building, hallway after hallway until they reached another door and were forcibly stopped. Conan's eyes were finally able to withstand the light, and he noticed that they were pinned against a wall by the three black-clad men while the fourth unlocked this new door. If there was a chance for escape, now would be their best bet. He stole a glance up at Kai and a slight grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he noted that his companion had also readjusted to the light.
As the door was unlocked and opened, with a slight nod at Kai, the two boys quickly lashed out, surprising their captors, and fled while during the confusion. Before they had made it too far, Kai had scooped up Conan and sped up in order to ensure escape. Even if Conan hated being manhandled, this was a far better option than the others, so he didn't speak against it.
Each hallway looked the same as the others each and was filled with various doors and windows. Light—genuine sunlight—streamed through the dirtied glass, giving the duo invigorated hope of escape. The walls meant nothing if they couldn't confine them!
The only problem was, neither was aware of where the real exit was. It was impossible to know, having been confined in the darkness for as long as they had been, and impossible to figure out while being pursued by the black-clad men. Sooner or later they would have to fight or find a lucky break. Granted, luck was not on their side to begin with, or they wouldn't have been captured in the first place...
"Damn," Kai quietly cursed, "you remember any of this place's layout at all?" Sure, they were running and the guys in black were out of sight for now, but that didn't mean they were out of the fire quite yet, and slowing down at all could bring about both of their deaths. Turn after turn, straightaway after straightaway, and yet no progress. They were trapped like rats in a maze.
"Try the door up ahead," Conan urged. From the scenery beyond the window, it looked the most promising out of all the doors that they had already passed, at least. Granted, a tree, a road, and a car were not promising things to throw their survival onto, but it was the best they had.
Kai followed the younger boy's instruction, bolting to the door that could potentially lead to their salvation. Locked. Damn it.
"I can pick the lock, but I need about twenty seconds. Think we have that long?" the older boy asked, dropping Conan to search his pockets for a lock-pick.
The sound of approaching footsteps was more than answer enough, bringing Kai to quickly pull out his tool and work on the lock as quickly as possible. Their captors drew closer and closer, approaching their location too quickly. How did they find us so fast? Conan thought, checking to make certain that his shoes were still in-tact and grinning slightly when he found they were. Still a chance to escape!
"Got it!" Kai exclaimed, quickly opening the door and placing his lock-pick back in his pocket. "Let's go! Huh? Gah!" Before the teenager could even whirl back to face Conan, a black and white-clad man had pulled his gun and shot, hitting the teen in the leg and flooring him.
"It was a nice run you had there, but it's over now." Upon closer inspection, Conan was taken aback. This guy… through and through he was an alternate colored Kaitou Kid. Black suit, pants, and shoes with a white undershirt and trim to his dark clothes. He seemed slightly taller, though that could've been the boy's imagination. Even his voice sounded similar, albeit with a lower basic growl.
"Y-you…!" Conan stammered, hoping this was just a bad joke. Kid was a lot of things, but the boy couldn't believe he'd turn to something like this.
A predatory grin crossed over the man's face, "what's the matter Tantei-kun?" he sneered, blue eyes meeting Conan's own, "don't tell me you're scared of me."
The detective took a moment to compose himself, eyes never leaving his captor's. "I never thought you'd turn out like this…"
The man snorted in amusement, "I don't know what you're talking about. I am what I've always been."
Then I have no choice. I have to take you down with everything I've got. Conan thought, tensed fingers already on his belt, inflating a soccer ball to kick. The ball flew fast, taking the altered Kid off-guard, yet it was still dodged. The unfortunate accomplice behind him was nowhere near as quick and took a direct hit to the face, instantly knocking him unconscious and flinging him to the ground. Damn it! Missed!
The remaining accomplices drew closer, with their leader standing center, expression unreadable. The leader shook his head and murmured, "You really are quite something, you know?" He drew nearer slowly, followed by his men as Conan quickly flipped his watch's lid for his next strike. "But the thing is…" he was closing in, "I'm quite something as well."
Before Conan could react, he was sent flying into the wall near Kai by a powerful kick to the chest. "G-gah…"
"You got close. Closer than anyone else for sure. I guess I'll have to fix it so that it never happens again." As soon as he turned his back, Conan noticed Kai toss something small in their captor's direction before covering his mouth and nose, which Conan mimicked. The ball burst and some type of gas came out, knocking the remaining underlings unconscious and forcing their captor back in order to avoid the same fate. Kai worked his way back towards the door with Conan close by. They would escape! Injured or not, they would make it out of there!
Another gunshot fired, hitting Kai in the right shoulder and drawing a pained gasp from the teen, freezing him in place, preventing Conan from moving by extension. As the gas faded from the air, the man drew closer yet again, this time snatching the chains and using them to drag his injured quarries where he pleased. A small trail of blood followed as they continued back into the labyrinth, leaving hope of escape behind them for now as Conan realized that the man had damaged his watch so that the tranquilizer dart wouldn't release. Both boys lagged behind as much as possible, but when this brought their captor to start pointing his gun, they did what they could to keep at a moderate pace, though this was more difficult for Kai because of his injured leg.
Once more dragged through the endless hallways filled with an infinite amount of doors and only slightly fewer windows, the three made their way back to the previously unlocked door. "Get a move on," was all that was grunted at the duo before they were pushed in front of the man and forced down the narrow staircase into a basement area.
The stairs creaked with every step and the entire area was only lit with an exposed light bulb hanging from the center of the room. The familiar chill from their original location returned, though down here it appeared to be a deep cold, one that settled into the bones and slowly numbed a person completely. The room was much smaller than their original prison, though made using a similar stone design and hosting one last door to another unknown room. If that door needed unlocked, it might offer them one last shot at escape.
When they reached the bottom of the staircase, the two were pushed towards the door, just as Conan assumed they would be. What brought a shiver down the boy's spine wasn't the temperature, but rather what his captor said next and the purely delighted tone he used when saying it. "This, this room is where we'll have our fun. You'll get to bear witness to my red art and everything else that goes along with it."
We need to get out of here! Conan thought, very concerned about just what he'd find on the other side of that door that could bring out utter glee from that guy. By the looks of it, Kai was sharing similar feelings of dread, fidgeting with his hands the entire time.
All too soon, they realized that escape would be impossible from this point on, as the man quickly caught Kai with an unexpected punch to the stomach and then kept the chain secured in his free hand as he unlocked the door. Both boys were dragged into the new room filled with nothing but cold, a ring of flickering light near the center, and a strange metallic table with restraints attached. Oh, this would certainly be bad.
"So who's first?" the man asked, attaching the chains connecting their legs to a post and walking out of the ring of light. "Both of you were pesky, so both of you will lose something today. Pick your poison. Though I must admit, it must be hard to pick locks…" he trailed off for a moment for effect, "without arms, that is." A quick look of panic passed through Kai at the mention of this before the man continued, "Likewise, it'll be rather difficult to run or kick objects without a good leg to stand on, ne?" A smile was definitely in his tone. This guy was pleased with himself, no doubt.
Damn it! Not good! The boy thought, looking around for anything to use against the man, to no avail.
"This is what happens to those that resist. You should've known better, Tantei-kun." He sneered again from the darkness. After a brief sound of metal-on-metal, he reappeared dragging something akin to a sledgehammer behind him and smirking in an almost typical Kid smirk. "I'll ask once more, who goes first?"
"And what difference does position make?" Kai asked, immediately regretting this decision as the man once more winded him with a punch and forced him onto the table before placing the restraints. "G-guh…" Kai's arms were restrained oddly, likely just to make what would come next easier on their captor. His legs were pinned down and stuck together so that thrashing would get him nowhere.
No! Damn it! There's nothing I can do to help! I'm stuck to this post while Kid's going to maim Kai! Not good! Damn it!
"This is what happens to those that interfere with my goals," the man stated calmly as he lifted the hammer. Kai's face was filled with a mixture of terror and shock for a split second, before switching back to his odd nonchalance, as if daring the man to continue. Conan closed his eyes and looked away. Nothing he could do with his small form would save his companion and trying might only worsen their luck. "I wonder how much you'll scream."
The room was filled with thick silence for what felt like a small eternity. Just when he thought nothing would happen, the sound of a sharp crack! mixed with a strangled scream filled the air. Another wave of dread filled Conan's tiny frame as the anticipation of what was to come drew closer and closer. Even though he wasn't being harmed at the moment, the boy still tensed, knowing his turn would come soon enough and that no one would be able to save him.
Somehow, Kai was able to regain enough control of himself through the pain to return to silence—the silence that lasted until the second and final blow was made—sending a more profound crack! than the first and being mixed with a scream of pure agony that lasted much longer than the first.
Through the cover of Kai's agonized cry, Conan never heard his captor close in on and grab him. He only opened his eyes once he'd noticed he'd been bodily moved to the table. Kai had either fallen off or been pushed to the ground to leave room for the second victim. The teen didn't appear to be moving anytime soon, paralyzed by pain.
"Ready for your turn?" Struggle as he might, Conan was no match for the man's power. It really was the ultimate disadvantage to being in such a tiny body. The only thing the boy did in response to this question was watch his assailant's eyes as calmly as possible. If this guy was Kid, maybe he'd snap out of it. Kid wouldn't attack him, right? The smile faded from the man's lips and he got Conan into position, never breaking eye contact with the small detective. Regardless, the hammer was brought down once more on Conan's right leg, sending the third crack through the ice-cold room mixed with a third cry of pain and an odd, loud clang.
Expecting more, the young detective braced himself and gave one last pained look to his captor. Time seemed to fade as the two watched each other. And as quickly as it started, it ended. The man shook his head and dragged the hammer back into the darkness before returning and undoing the restraints.
"Time for you two to return to 'Start.' If I come back here and find you still hanging around, I will make your injuries worse. Who knows," he shrugged, "I might just kill one of you there and then. That'd be such a pain to have to carry each others' dead-weight, ne?" With that, he left the room and vanished from sight.
Urk… what… what was that…? Was that look on his face… regret? Wincing badly, Conan got himself off the table and next to Kai, stumbling and having to concentrate in order to keep his balance due to his injury. "Oi, Onii-san, snap out of it." He was too tired for this… but right now, returning to Start seemed to be the best idea.
The teenager opened his eyes and took a few steadying breaths. Conan followed suit, knowing that keeping his breathing evened out would be best for now. For some strange reason, his leg didn't hurt nearly as badly as he thought it should. After that, he helped pull Kai into a sitting position so that the teen could stand. Noticing Conan's damaged leg, Kai kneeled down just enough to offer the boy a ride on his back, which Conan reluctantly agreed to. He hated being babied. It just didn't suit him, but this would have to be the exception.
The two made their way slowly and painfully back to Start, with Kai having to rest for several seconds on the staircase because of his own leg injury and Conan's added weight. Slowly and steadily, however, the duo made their way through the hallways and past the doors. Escape, while a wonderful thought, seemed to be impossible right now. Neither had the stamina left to try. And so, after a short while of trying to remember where Start was located, they were back to the beginning of their troubles.
And the game shall continue...