Getting Ready

It was a nice and peaceful evening in Beika Street, the birds were singing, the sun was bright, and the wind blew slowly causing a very peaceful whistle, which pacified even the most tortured soul.

Our great detective, Kudo Shinichi, now 20 years old, was in his studio reading one of his favorite Sherlock Holmes books… again. For him, it was always a moment of entertainment to read Conan Doyle's books over and over, but this time, he wasn't enjoying the reading at all, actually, he even wondered if he had paid any attention to the story. He had read it so many times that he had already memorized the whole book, so he couldn't tell. He had spent the whole evening reading the book, or at least he was trying to, but he had never intended to read the story, he was trying to clear his mind from that question, or said in another way, the mystery that had been crossing his mind for a while now. Why did he felt his life was so… empty? He had money, fame; people liked him because of his sense of justice, not to mention his many female admirers. But he felt lonely; he never had that special someone to share his life with. Indeed, he had Ran, a childhood friend, a loyal partner, and a very special friend. He knew she would always be there for him when he needed her. But was that really enough? He felt horrible to think it wasn't, but he couldn't help but wonder. Wonder why couldn't she understand his passion for mystery, how much he loved being a detective, or even appreciate his abilities in soccer.

"If only she could understand, everything would be just perfect", he kept telling to himself, thinking that just wishing it would make it come true.

He would spent hours wondering what could he do to end his feeling of loneliness, how could he calm his mind from doubts, complains, and everything that bothered him, or if he would ever find that special someone, that would admire him and love his passions as much as he did. Sometimes his doubts would become just too unbearable while trying to find their answers, stress was starting to accumulate, and not knowing where that stress was coming from, stressed him even more…

"Vacations… yea, I need some vacations." It was perfect he thought, he would clear his mind, relax a bit, and maybe, he would find a solution for those questions, those, that not even he could answer as much as he tried.

He picked up the phone and called the hotel his mother was staying at, she was still on a world trip with his father, they were now in England, "Hi, this is Hope Hotel, how may I help you?"

-"Yes, with Miss Kudo please, room 156."

-"Ok, please wait a moment."

After a short time the service lady talked again, "Ok, you will be connecting with her phone line now."

-"Thank you"

-"Hi, this is Kudo."

-"Hi mom, it's Shinichi."

-"SHIN-CHAN!!! HI, HOW ARE YOU?!?!

He was a little shocked because of his mom's reaction, but after a moment he managed to answer, "I'm fine mom, I just wanted to tell you I'm taking some vacations, so I won't be available for a time, I'll call you as soon as I'm back."

-"When are you coming back Shin-chan?"

-"Don't know, days, weeks; guess I'll just buy the ticket when I feel like coming back."

"Are you alright Shin-chan? You seem to be… sad? You didn't even get angry after I called you Shin-chan, and I still remember how much you hate me to do so."

"Don't worry mom, I'm ok. I guess I just need these vacations urgently."

-"Ran-chan knows already? You know she gets worried when you disappear without telling her anything."

-"I know, I know, don't worry mom, I'll tell her as soon as I buy the ticket."

-"So where do you have in mind Shin-chan, The Himalayas, China, or maybe Russia?"

-"No, I was actually thinking of something very exotic and tropical, ummm… Acapulco, they say it's incredibly nice at this time of the year."

-"Acapulco??? Wow, you sure want a very new experience. But ok Shin-chan, if it's what you really want, but please promise you'll call as soon as you come back ok? Try not to burn yourself up!"

-"Ok mom, I will, and no, I won't burn myself up, I'll see you soon, bye."

With that, his plans were almost ready, he had expected much more talk from her mother, but he guessed she was just busy with his dad. He called the first airline he saw in the phone book, and reserved a plane ticket to Mexico; he would be departing in two days. He had just noticed this were his first actual vacations in more than a year. Now that he had bought the ticket, he just needed to tell her.

-"Ran? Hi, it's Shinichi."

-"Hi Shinichi, what's up?"

-"Ummm, I just wanted to tell you I'll be out for some short vacations, so I won't be around for a while, I'm telling you so you won't get worried or anything."

-"I-idiot, why would I be worried about you? It's not like I'm always behind you!"

-"HEY SHINICHI-KUN!!! Why don't you take her with you? It'll be like a premature honeymoon!" Sonoko had stolen the phone from Ran, so she would obviously take a chance to bother her.

-"SONOKO!! Geez, don't do that! It's not funny!"

After a moment of noise, probably coming from the fight for the phone which obviously Ran won (he thought it sounded like a cat fight, except that Ran was a lion and Sonoko a little kitty), he was able to talk again:

-"Ummm, sorry Ran, I really want to go alone this time. I promise I'll call you as soon as I get back."

-"It's ok Shinichi, but are you alright? You talk like you're a little bit down."

-"I'm ok, don't worry, I'll see you soon. Bye Ran."

-"Bye Shinichi"

And with that, his plans were complete. He sighed…he didn't expect it to go that way. He was really happy he would be taking those vacations, but something deep inside him kept bothering him, he had a strange feeling that something was going to happen at that trip, but he couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad one. Who knows? Maybe something interesting was really going to happen.

Meanwhile, not too far away from Tokyo City…

We find ourselves in a place where murder is the second most used word of all, just one place after dead. In contrast with Beika's peaceful atmosphere, this is a place with no space for weak, a place where even the most strong minded could fall crazy. Every single person in there, had a look in their eyes that made you feel as if you were seeing a hollow body with no soul, like an empty cocoon.

But there was an exception, between the countless number of cold-blooded killers, there was a member who never took the path of a murderer. With the codename "Sherry", her soul had always stayed pure, but it was being destroyed little by little, being forced to do the atrocities her family had started, the APTX. Not only she was forced to make a deadly drug, which was used to kill hundreds of people, but also, the same organization that had literally held her captive for her entire life, killed her sister, her only existing family and received no explanation, like with every murder committed by the organization.

The fact that she grew without any parents made her acquire a strong and serious mind, and also made her gain her independence since a very young age; it also kept her strong and sane during all her years working in the organization, but she was never totally alone, she had a sister, and a very nice one too. She was attentive, joyful, and a very nice person who would take any chance to pass time with her little sister, she had also tried for many years to free her from the organization. Having someone with her had also helped her not falling to desperation, but now that she was gone, she had no one…

"Sherry wants what?!" asked the boss with a very surprised face to the member Vermouth.

"Vacations, or at least a short time to free her stress. No wonder she is, she's being pressured to her limit to finish the APTX, not to mention she recently lost her sister."

"She must be crazy if she thinks we will be giving her any vacations, something in those drugs must have gone to her brain," said with malice the member Gin. He was the best and most cold assassin of the organization, he was as skilled with the gun as he was cruel, no one dared to challenge him.

"Hmmm, certainly it is a very strange petition, she should know how impossible it is," answered the boss to Gin's comment. "What do you think Vermouth?"

"Me? I think we should let her go and take them."

"What?! Have you totally lost your mind?"

She took out a cigarette from her bag, and lit it on with a calm face, she had already expected Gin's reaction would be something like that, but she continued talking like she didn't care…

"Why not? The APTX is almost finished, and if we can get her to rest her mind, she might even finish faster. We all know that the faster she is done, the quicker we will get to achieve our goals. Plus, we can get Tequila and Mescal to watch over her…"

"Te-Tequila and Mescal?" Rather than surprised by the fact of assigning her watchmen, he was surprised by the strange combination of members, he perfectly knew where those names came from, "Where the hell does she wants to go?"

She was still smoking with a serenity which was almost irritating, but she still had a straight mind and she answered to him like he wasn't shouting, "Acapulco."

"Acapulco… she wants to go to… Acapulco." Gin's voice was as sarcastic as it was malevolent. It seemed like he was going to start laughing, like a crazy doctor who has just given birth to a lifeless being, but he somehow managed to contain himself.

"I must admit she is original, and I can see your point Vermouth. Truly, a rest could actually make her work faster after her return; I'm going to take it in consideration. I would also like you to go and tell her about this. If I say yes, she will be leaving in a couple of days." This was the boss's finial decision. Gin knew that arguing with the boss would be stupid, but he was so shocked that he couldn't help it.

"But boss, it's too risky, we know she might try anything, she's not stupid. It's too dangerous to take a chance like that!" Gin's voice had turned from sarcastic to irritated, he definitely didn't like the idea of letting her go out.

"Exactly, and because she isn't stupid she knows that trying to run away would be exactly the same as committing suicide, and as much as she can be depressed, I can assure you that suicide isn't in her plans, she doesn't have he guts to do it."

"BUT BOSS!!"

"GIN!! Are you challenging my judgment?! You know that questioning my decisions won't be tolerated, so know your position!" the boss's tone had turned to a deep and strong voice, it showed a perfect demonstration of power, just as expected from the boss of a bunch of cold assassins.

"Y-yes boss, I apologize…" Gin hated to apologize to anyone like you can't imagine, but he wasn't going to challenge the boss, he knew that it could cost him his life.

"Well, I say this reunion is finished. Vermouth, I leave it to you." His voice returned to a calmed tone, but his authority was as absolute as ever.

"Understood boss," Vermouth had listened to the boss's and Gin's discussion with much attention, she thought that seeing Gin get down in his knees before someone else was just as good as a movie.

So now we get to our favorite strawberry blonde. At first view you would think she is just a normal but serious person. But she has a very sad past. Except by her sister, she never knew what trusting a person was like, she never had what you would call a "true friend". But she is strong, just try to put yourself in her position: no parents, you just lost your only family, and you are being forced to kill hundreds of people… try to keep sane and you'll see its no simple task. One would say that she has already lost any hope. Now that her sister was gone, she had no one that would be waiting for her if she ever got out of the organization, she felt lonely. But she didn't want to die; it was exactly the opposite, she wanted to live, and wait for the moment she could feel again that there was someone she could trust, someone who would tell her that everything was going to be alright, that he would be protecting her.

She was just finishing a long self-meditation of her circumstances in her room at a base of the organization when someone knocked her door, but came in without even letting her answer. It was Vermouth, one of the members she hated the most of the organization, she always thought that hearing nails scratching a chalkboard would be more bearable than talking to her more than the necessary.

"What do you want?" She was as displeased with her visit as she was anxious to receive an answer for her request, even if her face showed her always calmed attitude.

"Ho ho, seems like someone is in a bad mood, you hate my presence so much sweetheart?" She was talking in the tone Shiho hated the most, her voice was irritating, and it also provoked a sense of fear in her body, like she was waiting for the perfect time to kill her.

"Going to the dentist would be considered a pleasure compared to your presence, so get to the point and get out."

"Ok, that was actually what I was asked to do, I'm here to tell you that your request is being taken in consideration, so you should prepare yourself, if the boss says yes you will be leaving very soon, but of course, you will be watched."

Shiho continued quiet and calm, she thought of saying something, but she kept quiet after remembering how much she hated her. Suddenly, Vermouth approached her ear and whispered, "You know, I was the one who recommended that we should let you go, you should thank me."

Shiho suddenly opened her eyes wide-open, surprised by the fact that she was telling her this, and more because she found so strange that she had actually helped her.

"Hm, the sun will turn off before I ever thank you, now go," she answered in an irritated voice, but you could also sense some surprise in her tone.

Vermouth got out as suddenly as she had come in, she still had that smile in her face, the one Shiho hated so much. But at the very least she felt some relief, she was very surprised that her request was actually accepted, she had only made it out of a moment of depression, but she was also happy, she would at least get some rest from making atrocities.

"Well, guess I should be getting ready."

To be continued…