So, one thing I want to clear up - this isn't Shinichi as Conan. This is Shinichi as a child.
Blackbird hated his captors. They didn't care about any of the kids they took. He'd been taken when he was ten – almost eleven. With no way to keep track of the time, there was no telling how long he'd been with them. All he knew was it had been too long. He'd resisted for as long as he could, and being older than most of the other children he'd been able to do so for longer than they could. But even he had his breaking point.
When he had, it was as though nothing else mattered. So long as he did what he was told and didn't get sick or cause trouble he'd stay alive. The longer he stayed alive, the more chance there was of one day seeing his family again. While that hope dwindled a little more each day, it never completely disappeared.
And then he'd met White Rabbit.
They didn't understand each other at first. She spoke a language he didn't know, and she didn't understand English or Japanese. The longer they were together, the more he began to pick up on what she was saying. She was beautiful and smart with a sense of humor that made him smile for the first time since he'd been brought in. She played the role of sister and mother to the younger children for a while, but he watched as she slowly lost her spark. He watched as she aged faster than she should have and her humor dried up.
When Bluebird came in, his stubbornness and the clear hope in his eyes that someone would come had been painful, but it had stalled the girl's worsening condition for a little while. Blackbird had been surprised at how long the younger child was able to hold out against their captors. He knew it wasn't because he was fearless – he heard the cries from the nightmares and caught the small flinches when someone would reach out to him – but because he truly believed there was someone coming for him.
As much as he wanted to know where the confidence came from, he knew better than to ask. He just wished he'd made Bluebird understand before he'd gotten the other child killed. That had been when he'd seen the blue-eyed child start to crack.
It had taken some of the spunk out of the younger male, and restarted White Rabbits downward spiral. Blackbird knew there was nothing that could be done when the girl started longing for the release of death. When she'd been killed, Blackbird had been relieved that she was no longer suffering. Unfortunately, her death had also deepened and spread the cracks in Bluebird's willpower.
When he'd been brought back with an arm oddly twisted and chest a horrifying mess that was almost too much to bear, Blackbird knew the youth had finally broken to their captors will. He'd stood with the younger boy as he finally understood the gravity of the situation. He didn't say a word as Bluebird broke down, shattering in a way Blackbird had never seen another break.
He supposed it was true – the stronger you were, the harder you broke.
Bluebird had never been the same after that. He was like a puppet, unable to do anything on his own unless ordered. He stopped speaking, and only slept when his body finally couldn't stay awake any longer. Blackbird did what he could for the boy he'd grown attached to, but wondered if maybe death wasn't a kinder solution for the suffering child.
When he was called less and less, Blackbird knew his time was running out. When he was no longer useful, they would kill him as they had White Rabbit. Bluebird would be on his own then. Without someone to watch over and care for him, the boy would die within a week. It was cruel of him then, to hope someone else would take his place and keep the child alive. He wanted someone to come for the boy he saw as his little brother. He wanted Bluebird to be free again, and regain that stubborn will and hopeful spark he'd clung to for so long.
Remembering White Rabbits final words, Blackbird leaned his forehead against the younger male's and repeated them. "I'm going to miss you Bluebird." 'I hope you find your freedom, and remember what it's like to live. Don't forget who you are.' "Goodbye Shinichi."
Blackbird ran. He could hear the shouts behind him, heavy footsteps pounding against the concrete. They were getting closer.
Gripping Bluebird tighter, he darted into a small alley and dove for the trash pile behind the dumpster, digging as far down as he could without releasing the boy clutched against his chest. There were curses at the entrance as the men tried and failed to locate them. Slamming one hand down over Bluebird's mouth to keep his breathing quiet and another of his own, he waited. His heart was pounding so loud he was terrified for a moment their pursuers could hear it. Muttering voices, shuffling steps, and the sound of garbage bags being tossed or kicked away. The closer they came, the harder his heart beat.
If they were found, they would be killed.
Blackbird had been prepared for that when he'd woken up. He'd been prepared to die as an example for the rest of the children. And then Bluebird had saved him.
Just moments before he'd been thrown into the machine that would tear him apart, Bluebird's small body had slammed against his own and sent him sprawling off to the side. The man who'd been about to lift him in had been so surprised he'd lurched forward to grab him and tripped over the blue-eyed child lying before him, sending him head first to his death.
There had been no sound besides the whirling of the machine and the grinding of bone. It only took Blackbird a moment to realize nobody was moving to grab him and used the shock and confusion to scoop up the other boy and make a break for the door.
His movement had caused the rest of the children to scatter and sent their captors into a hurried frenzy to try and regain control. Blackbird had made it outside and was running towards the tree line before two men burst out and followed.
They'd been playing hide-and-seek with the two men for the past two days, and by some miracle had managed to not get caught. It seemed their luck had finally run out. Just a few more bags and they'd be found. Pulling Bluebird even closer, he prayed for one more miracle. They finally had a chance at freedom again. He didn't want it to end like this. It couldn't end like this. 'Please…'
Two bags left and an angry voice Blackbird didn't recognize started yelling in an unfamiliar language. The bags above them stopped moving and footsteps came closer. Blackbird held his breath. He listened as their captor's voices responded. More yelling. More footsteps and voices joining in. Footsteps leaving, angry muttering and more shuffling as the bags above them increased in weight. Blackbird felt himself relax. He removed his hand from Bluebirds mouth, letting it hover a few inches above until he felt puffs of warm breath on his palm.
They stayed hidden under the trash pile until long after the voices went silent and the footsteps were gone. Only when Blackbird was sure they were alone did he carefully crawl out, pulling the younger boy with him.
Grasping the blue-eyed child's hand, he tugged him along towards the entrance. Peering out, he looked left and right down the deserted street to make sure they were alone. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he all but dragged the other boy in what he hoped was a direction far away from the people chasing them.
Here's the second chapter! Any guesses yet on who Blackbird is? He'll probably seem OOC, but then again I'm writing them as a child and going through a situation they were never in in the first place. I hope I can write them at least a little more in character later on, but for now it is what it is.
Again, a lot of things are left vague on purpose and are up to your imagination. There are other things I will expand on or explain later on down the road, but for the most part you get to fill in the gaps with what makes sense to you. Also, is it clear what the 'machine' is? I didn't want to come out and say it because I wasn't sure if the children themselves would know the name for it, and this is from their POV.
I think that's it for this chapter. Let me know what you thought!