The path outside of the café Poirot was full of its usual bustling Saturday early afternoon crowds. People walked to work and to shops almost every single one walking by themselves ignorant of the lives of the person right beside them. Rushing among the crowds carefully pushing and weaving his way through the crowd of legs was a small boy with a budging backpack slung over his small shoulders. He couldn't be older than 8, his young but bright blue eyes darting around as he watched out for anyone who hadn't noticed him.

As he reached the café he quickly ran up a set of stairs at the side of the building and stopped at a door. He reached up only just able to reach the doorbell and pressed it smartly. He waited a moment then pressed it again. And again.

At his fourth press a girl the same age as him opened the door with a part exasperated yet amused look on her face.

"Mou, Shinichi..."

"What you took too long?"

Shinichi was grinning slightly as Ran lightly hit him on the head. "Mum asked me to bake cookies with her." She said as she shut the door behind her and the two of them went down the stairs into the street.

"Really? Did they get burned with her baking them?" Shinichi asked, his taste buds could still vividly remember the last time he was force fed her cooking.

"Not this time," Ran assured. "I helped her so I think they turned out pretty good."

"Oh? Mind me trying one then?"

"No."

With a wide smile Ran took out of her coat pocket a brown paper bag and unfolded the top passing Shinichi a still warm cookie. He blew on it lightly then took a large bite from it. He tasted it a moment before swallowing at smiling at Ran his mouth having a large group of crumbs on one side.

"This is great" he said eating up the rest and whipping his hands together and his face on his sleeve.

"Thank you." Ran said with a smile, they were now at a far less busy part of the town that headed more to the outer area. "Let's go play now!"

"Yeah I wanna go the park!"

The two children hurried down the pavement, Ran putting the bag back into her pocket as they did. They were both very careful however as running as they both knew the dangers and Shinichi made sure to check the road carefully before he and Ran crossed.

However, despite Shinichi checking so carefully, he did not notice the jet black car that came speeding around the corner. The car didn't slow for the children and Shinichi only just noticed it in time to pull Ran hard by the back of her coats neck to pull her out of harm's way and onto the safe pavement. Ran almost yelled at Shinichi for pulling her thinking he was being impatient but she quickly paled when she felt the rush of wind as the car shot through the spot she was stood in moments ago.

"Ran you alright?" Shinichi asked only now letting go of the back of her coat. No one else was around so no one seemed to have seen it.
"Y-yeah" Ran assured calming down slightly. Shinichi was now glaring at the road the car had long gone by now. He was too worried about grabbing Ran and getting her safely away that he didn't catch the cars numbers. But at least Ran wasn't hurt.

"Let's just go to the park..." Ran said pulling on his arm. Shinichi murmured but Ran took it as a yes as he then walked with her. He was quiet for a bit but once they got reached the park and all its relaxing sounds and smells and Shinichi began to calm down again.

They reached a large blue wall near the other side of the park and Shinichi placed his bag at the foot of it. It was bright blue and the white box with yellow and red targets were all recently painted, though it had dirt marks on it here and there from where a grubby football had hit it. Shinichi pulled his own worn but clean football out of his bag then began to do some kick ups as Ran sat on a bench to the side.

"Wanna try?" Shinichi asked as he balanced the ball on the top of his head before letting it fall back to bounce on his floor but Ran just shook her head.

"No, I'm fine with watching."

"If you're sure..." Shinichi then kicked the ball up and quickly stuck his foot behind him bouncing it back up and when it came down he kicked it again and it shot at the wall not having any really aim at the targets as Shinichi was just warming up but Ran still smiled wide at it.

"You're really good." She said as Shinichi kicked the ball back up with a small 'I guess' but you could almost see his ego grow in size.

"Where did you learn that one?"

"I was watching the Tokyo Spirits last night and the defender did some moves to warm up so I tried them out." He said as he began to try more.

"Sugoi..." Ran said smile still strong as Shinichi balanced it on his knee. "You're really great!"

"I bet I'll have it all sorted in a few days." Shinichi said confidently right before missing the ball and it bounced away a tinny bit before Shinichi caught it ignoring Ran's chuckle.

"You going to show a few shots?" Ran asked as Shinichi began to focus on the wall. He didn't answer but instead passing the ball between his feet as he did he ran to the wall and kicked the ball at a slight angle. It shot off the ground and hit the lower right mark spot on. Shinichi bounced the ball off his chest getting his Tokyo Spirits shirt slightly grubby and shot it at the next. This one also hit as did the next but it was close and the fourth and highest took him three tries before he got it and stopped the ball beneath his foot.

"How was that?" He asked Ran with a grin His shirt was now slightly dirty on the chest and his hair was slightly disheveled but he had a wide grin on his face. Ran clapped enthusiastically.

"That was great!" Shinichi's grin somehow became wider and he quickly kicked the ball up and resumed doing it many times. Sometimes he'd try and get Ran to do it and she eventual got up and gave it a small kick making it weakly bounce against the wall and when Shinichi tried showing her how to do it right he ended up distracting himself and Ran sat back down watching him.

It wasn't until far later that Ran, noticing how hungry she was getting, checked the time and saw that they were almost late home.
"Uaah! It's late!" She yelled jumping off the bench, "We should go home Shinichi."

Shinichi glanced over then with a strong up kick he sent the ball up then caught it placing it under his arm.

"Alright." He shoved the now slightly grubby football into his bag then slung it back over his shoulders and walked over to Ran, "Come on I'll walk round to yours."

"Ok." Ran grabbed the cookie bag she had left on the bench and after looking it in used the hair band on her wrist to close it then held it out to Shinichi. "Here you can have the last one."

"Really?" Shinichi asked, "We could split in half if you want."

"It's ok, I can make new ones." Ran said with one of her large smiles that made Shinichi take it with no further argument.

"I'll have it when I get home then." He said slipping it into his pocket and they both walked out of the park.

The streets and roads were far less busy now but it didn't stop Shinichi staring at the road yet more carefully than before after the black car incident but the road was safe and eventually Shinichi nodded though Ran still hurried briskly across the empty road.

Though there was no need as their walk back was uneventful and they were soon at Ran's house saying goodbye for the day. Ran made a quick promise that she would come around to Shinichi's tomorrow then hurried in to her mother as Shinichi made his way to his own house. He walked quietly with his hands in his pockets looking around as he walked home. The streets were still mostly empty and as the street where he lived was ne way there was basically no one there.

He opened the gate into his house making sure to close it behind him as his dad always told him then unlocked the door walking in.

"I'm h-..." Shinichi cut himself off quick noticing something odd. Normally when Shinichi had been out with Ran his mum would leave the hall light on and they would both be in the living room watching the evening news. But the hall lamp was off and he couldn't hear the reporter on the TV. Instead he could hear a voice, a woman's, talking in a serious tone.

"-Would be a waste to burn down the library though."

"Too obvious," A second voice said, it was cold and harsh and made Shinichi shiver as he hid behind a large cabinet. "The family is known to leave without a word we can leave it after taking his files with us, he took them too."

"But where could they be Aniki?" Another voice asked, it likely belonged to a well built man from its sound.

"The files we can look for in a moment, it's the boy we need to find..." The cold one said and Shinichi felt his pulse increase with fear before he noticed what cabinet he was leaning on. A few weeks ago his dad had bought it on a special order due to a special feature he had shown Shinichi's mum when he unpacked it not knowing Shinichi was watching.

"Why the boy?" The woman asked as Shinichi pressed on a few of the carved grapes which pressed in. "He probably didn't even know what his parents were up to..."

The cold man replied in a tone that made it clear he found this suggestion plain stupid "If he's left here they'll know the parents didn't just leave."

"You're not planning to kill him are you?" The woman asked after a pause making Shinichi fumble slightly as he opened the hidden compartment and pulled out the slightly heavy metal item from inside, opening it checking it had what he needed inside it. He then placed the bag ran gave him into the compartment and closed it over slightly.

"Why not?"

"What if we trained him? He's young, probably learns faster than you do too. It's just a waste of talent to just shoot him off."

"He's a brat, like I care." Shinichi could hear the man's footsteps as his voice got closer to the door and he shuffled back slightly as he brought his hands up, "I was told to kill and I will."

"That guy would be pleased if we trained him though, imagine what he could mean for our organization with parents like his."

The man came around the doorway into Shinichi's sight, his face framed by long silver hair looked unconvinced as he walked out holding a large gun in his left hand and Shinichi tried to steady his own shaking hands as he walked out, any second now he would be seen.

"Aniki!" Shinichi jumped slightly as the other man, a shorter heavier man wearing sunglasses walked out and pointed at him. The silver haired man saw Shinichi and quickly brought his gun up and Shinichi closed his eyes tight and pulled on the trigger. Almost at the same instant there were two great bangs and Shinichi felt what seemed t be a sharp needle on fire drag across his left cheek. He fell back slightly his arm hitting the compartment locking it full then leaned on the wall feeling something wet dripping down it as the man cursed loudly gripping his now bleeding right hand.

"You little shi-" He had brought his gun up to shoot Shinichi again but the woman grabbed his arm pulling it down. "Let go Vermouth!"

"Stop it Gin," She warned before walking to Shinichi kneeling down. Even though almost all his body was now limp he still held the gun in his hand. Vermouth was still able to take it easily from his hand though.

"Tsk tsk, it's dangerous to play with these things boya." She warned with a smirk as Shinichi slowly opened one eye was Gin walked off angrily to treat his hand as best he could.

"W-where are my parents." Shinichi asked, his voice shaking and his eyes slowly falling out of focus.
"They are gone boya." She said plainly.

"...wh-what did you..."

Shinichi however closed his eyes and slumped against the wall finally giving in to exhaustion.

"Seems he lost all of his energy." Vermouth muttered picking Shinichi up carefully. She looked the gun over then placed it inside the cabinet's drawer figuring it to be the only place Shinichi could have got it from and closed it.

"Should have shot his eye off..." Gin growled as he wrapped his hand up looking at the large line across Shinichi's face that he had caused, the blood was now dripping onto Shinichi's shirt.

"If you'd have liked to lose your own I would have done that Gin." Vermouth said coldly before turning to the door, "We got the boy now, that's what you wanted right?"

Gin grunted making it clear this was not what he wanted as he turned to the large staircase, "I'm going upstairs to find his files, they might be in his office. Do whatever it is you're meant to do"
"I will"

Leaving the two of them to search for the files Vermouth carried Shinichi outside once looking that no one else would see then placed him on the seat of her bike. He slumped slightly so his head was on the handle as she went into a small compartment and pulled out a small bandage and medical tape and treated the cut as best she could so it wouldn't stay bleeding during the trip. However it was a very deep cut and she couldn't treat it in time to stop what she knew would become a large scar so she just blocked it before climbing on the bike starting it up and driving away from the house leaving the other two behind, she had what she wanted now after all.

"Your parents sure made a mess of it boya..."

This is another of mine and YouthfulLilys roleplays~