Inquisition: The Growth

He stared into her eyes, into the dark abyss that had a single twinkle of light, the ray of which pierced through the haze present in between them and reached his own, sufficiently hooking his gaze into hers. He badly wanted to pull away from this sweet enchantment, but the hope and determination that seeped out from those orbs articulated him a million things.

He never had believed in telepathy or any such thing, but he knew that some people do have a special connection; that if one gets hurt the other feels; that some things aren't said, they are just felt; that sometimes lives are so intertwined that they coexist, feeding off each others presence. Maybe this was termed as the 'red thread'. He knew that their life was built on the support that they provided each other, that they were foundation stones of each other, that they were puzzle pieces that fit each other, Yet he had broken this unspoken connection just so that she would be alive and far away from his darkness. He knew that he had underestimated this link, how can two hearts that beat together not know the tribulations of other.

And after all this, she had still been able to step in the deepest darkest page was of his life. Maybe this was fate, that they were inseparable. So, be it! This time, hopefully there was more to their story, this time he would not sever this bond. This time, he would spin the threads into an unbreakable rope. Maybe, his mistake was that he had to kill himself, kill Kudo Shinichi, but that was the necessity of the plan. This time, they live together or die together. No, this wasn't suicidal, this was survival, cause he knew that without each other, they would break and shatter. Funny, how people don't get 'it', and then a flash of realization clarifies 'it' when life is played in contrast.

He could see the red in her eyes, of pain, frustration and longing. He could see her gagged and taped. It unfolded in slow motion, as she was dumped into the cell in front of him, as rugged hands grabbed her ruthlessly and roped her into the wooden planks. He could feel his blood boil, his head throbbing in anger, as a punch left a blue bruise on her eye. Anything more, then forget survival, it would be revenge. Was this what most of the criminals that he had caught felt? He knew that he was being tested by what he loved the most and what he feared losing the most. He was also a human, he had a breaking point. His priority had always been the safety of his dear ones, now his core theme of life was directly challenged, a proof of which mirrored in his eyes.

His throat was sore, he couldn`t speak, couldn`t call her loud even if he wished. Gin was a beast, and his body was an evidence of that. Like a rat that was experimented with numerous ways of torture, Gin had applied every tactic, everything that made him want to die but never killed him. As long as it was with him, he could peacefully accept it, but the mere thought of Ran going through all this was suffocating him to death. He had kept his mouth shut these fourteen days, hadn't disclosed his confidants, lest they face this torment, but if Gin was going to knife her muscle by muscle or break her joints or half-roast her on coal, then he didn't know what he would do. He knew that the battle outside wasn't yet over, that there was someone far bigger and corrupter out there, that a traitor could flip the battle you were about to win. And traitors did exist, in both his rank and theirs. He didn't know how they had found her, neither could fathom what was going on. But her eyes said a lot to him.

It was almost laughable, how his life, her life, their lives had become a game of death.

.0.

And if the battle was going to begin, then he was going to win the toss. He would drag them into the maze that he had planned, into the battle field he had structured.

Kudo Shinichi was the silver bullet, and he would damn sure prove them that.

And plan he did, checking off his priority list one by one, deciding who to keep safe and away and who to involve.

First, the Mouris, Suzuki Sonoko and the Detective Boys were sent away on a trip that Ran had won and Kudo Yusaku had funded. At the last moment, Edogawa Conan falls ill and is taken back home by his mother, Edogawa Fumiyo.

Besides, it was summer vacation after all.

Haibara was suspicious, and he lets her be. Instead, he just pleads her to watch over Ran. At least, this was a point of no conflict between them.

Second, Kudo Shinichi was officially proven dead. His parents expressed with fake tears their grief, their reason of keeping quiet and performed his funeral with an empty coffin.

Megure, Takagi, Sato and all those for whom he was alive had to be included in the plan, but they just get a pinch of the mountainous detail.

And then the real battle began. The rest were smart, but he knew he could use them, just as he had before. It worked better than explaining every tiny detail to everyone. He had long mastered using people`s reflexes, their reactions, to get them to do what he had planned.

It saved time, and gave him leeway for improvisation.

Most of all, the winds seemed to be with him.

But winds are a fickle thing. They falter and they break things apart. And during a storm, they are the least trustable thing.

-To be continued-

A/N: I figured out that I can`t just write anything. It takes a lot of time and effort to get personal satisfaction, and of course, reviews and comments give that instant dose of energy and inspiration to continue. So, if you have any favourite phrase, or line, drop a review, it`ll feed my soul.