Per angelwingsonline's constructive criticism and suggestion (big thanks), I have removed the bell and replaced it with a creaky floorboard. I have also shortened the amount of time between them entering and calling out to the kidnapper.
A/N: That only took, what, two weeks? Sorry for the long wait. Writers block and excessive homework has been drowning me. Definitely a four-parter, so look forwards to the next chapter! On a side note, I keep writing Sharokku instead of Conan in all of my stories... Tantei KID has taken over my life.
Thanks to LadyShadow26 for her superb betaing! She is amazing, and I am an idiot author and probably shouldn't be the one writing this! She completely catches all of my weirdly written sentences and all of my weird ideas that don't belong anywhere. Not even in my head.
Another thing I forgot to put, but I hope Genta's father isn't to OOC. I haven't been introduced to him yet, so I went off of Wikapedia articles.
Just realized I forgot to put added Japanese words... *sweatdrops*
New Japanese Vocabulary
Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu- Doesn't really have a direct translation. It means something along the lines of "treat me well" in the sense that I used it in this chapter.
Ano: From what I understand, it's kind of like "umm".
Warning: Violent man.
Thanks for all the support as well! I'm super happy to get all your reviews, and I hope you all keep doing so! Well, here's part three!
Chapter 8: Adventures in Beika
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Part 3
Following Sharokku's lead, the oddball group walked into Kojima Liquors, hoping to find a trace of what they had been searching for. They were on the right trail, Sharokku could feel it. This had to be it, unless the man had taken the boy out of Beika. There were only two more shops in Beika they could look into that would have sirens blaring in the background at the time of the phone call.
These two shops were by Beika General Hospital, which was the only hospital in Beika, and the closest one to the accident. In conclusion, the liquor shops closest to it were the only ones that could house the kidnapped boy.
"Welcome!" A square-jawed man called out, giving a smile. Kaito nodded in greeting, holding a hand up. Sharokku couldn't help but note that the teenage magician seemed to have taken the position of leader on this case. It honestly really annoyed him. He was supposed to be the one leading the investigation. He was the detective, after all. Well, currently he was damn kid... The not-child grumbled to himself, a sour look on his face.
"What brought you to our store today?" Sharokku noticed that this man spoke in a distinct, old-fashioned dialect. It seemed that would be hard to hide over a phone if you were incredibly used to speaking it, but there were exceptions of course. He couldn't rule out this man being a kidnapper just on that alone.
"I'm doing a school project. I have to look at several different liquor stores and see how they run. Is it okay if we look around?" Kaito explained. For an ordinary teenager, he was sure good at lying... This sparked Sharokku's interest, as he had thought of Kaito as quite honest, though maybe not entirely open. It may just be a magician thing, but Sharokku had a strange feeling about it. He would have to look into it some more at a later time.
The man seemed to think on it for a second. "You might as well. Just do not break anything. Got it?" He said, giving the group a stern glare. Ueda and her maid nodded, looking a bit nervous at the intensity of the man's gaze.
Kaito smiled. "Thank you. Actually, if it's not too much to ask, could we get a tour of the shop? I would like to see the wine cellars and such..." The teenage magician added to his request, now looking a bit sheepish.
The man looked unsure for a second, as he seemed to be weighing his options, finally he sighed. "I guess it can't hurt. Fortunately for you, we don't have much business at the moment," he then waved Kaito and the group over. "Just follow me and do not touch anything."
Sharokku trotted after Kaito. There were now multiple things that pointed out that this was most likely not where the kidnapped child was being held. The man being willing to give then a tour, for example.
Suddenly the man paused and looked down at Sharokku. "You have a child with you? In that case, would he like to go play with my son? They are home from school today due to a gas leak. He has some friends over at the moment, and it would likely be more interesting for him than getting a tour of the wine store, yes?" The man inquired.
Sharokku's eyes widened and was about to exclaim a "no" when Kaito answered for him.
"That would be great! I'm sure he would enjoy that. Wouldn't you, Sharokku?" Kaito asked, sending a glance down at the miniature detective.
Sharokku stared up in a bit of shock at Kaito, his mouth agape. He really didn't want to go. That just sounded like the most unappealing thing in the world. Plus, he was essential for the investigation, after all! The shrunken detective had no idea what Kaito was trying to get at. What would the teenage magician gain from it? Nothing. What would the group as a whole gain from that? Nothing! In fact, it may just ruin their whole excertion!
Kaito sighed, reading Sharokku's expression. "Just a second. It seems my brother is having trouble deciding. Do you mind if we excuse ourselves for a minute? We'll be right back," Kaito grabbed Sharokku's arm and pulled him to a far corner where the others wouldn't be able to hear before the man was able to give an answer.
"Just go. It looks suspicious if you don't want to. We want you to have the best disguise possible and it may be good to make some kid friends in Beika. That way we can come here with an excuse. We don't even know if this criminal ring of yours runs in Ekoda, after all," Kaito explained his reasoning in a quiet mutter. He leaned closer to Sharokku, his gaze intense.
Sharokku chewed his lip, thinking. Kaito definitely had a point. "Fine," he conceded, hanging his head a bit. Even if it was for the best, that didn't mean he had to like it. "Don't mess up this investigation, though. I am going to trust you to look closely for clues, and report even the smallest thing to me."
"Aye-aye, captain!" Kaito stood straight and saluted, a somewhat teasing grin on his face.
Sharokku shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. "See you in a bit, and please don't take too long," he half-pleaded. He didn't want to be making "friends" with little kids longer than he had to.
"No promises, Tantei-kun!" Kaito sang in a cheery voice, bouncing back over to the small tour group. Sharokku stared after him for a moment, then followed himself.
"What did you decide?" The man who owned the liquor store asked as soon as they were both back.
"He'll go meet your son. He's a poor lonely child and really needs to make some friends, even though he doesn't want to," Kaito explained, using this chance to poke some fun at the miniature detective.
The man gave a chuckle. "He won't have a hard time making friends with Genta and his friends, trust me," he assured.
"They're upstairs at the moment. Just take a left at the end of the first hallway, enter the second one, and it will be the second door to your right. Got it?" He then said, leaning down a little and directing his attention to Sharokku.
Sharokku nodded, smiling and doing his best to act excited. "Okay, Ojisan! Thank you!" He waved to the small group and ran to the stairs, footsteps pattering. His body sagged as soon as he reached them and was sure he was out of sight. He wiped his forehead, eyes drooping. This was going to be fun. Not.
1412
Kaito watched Shinichi patter away, putting on a childish act. He always managed to do the cutesy child pretty well, though he overdid it some. Kaito was definitely giving him some acting classes along with the Tai Chi stepping. Shinichi had a lot to learn. On that note, it was also kind of worrying that he thought he could run after criminals without even proper defense skills. Kicking things around didn't count. Kaito was definitely working on getting those gadgets as soon as he could, as well. Man, that not-child seemed to be giving him more trouble than a real child would.
As soon as Shinichi was out of sight, Kaito turned back to the group. "Shall we go, then?" He asked, giving a grin.
The man nodded. "Let's. This way. We shall tackle the wine cellar first," the man started walking.
"You better have brought note-taking tools if this is a school assignment," he said after a few moments of silence as he approached a pair of doors.
Kaito nodded, poofing a pen and a notebook into his hand. "Right here!" He called out, waving them in the air.
"Good." Was all the man said in reply, not even looking to see the notebook and pen. He then pulled a key out of his pocket, and got to unlocking the wine cellar doors.
1412
Sharokku quickly found his way to the room. He stood out there for a couple seconds, staring down at the floor. He really didn't want to do this. Wasn't going to school with a bunch of brats enough?
It was but a few moments when the door suddenly opened, and a young girl with a headband stepped out. She was carrying a few dirty bowls, and had a wide, kind smile on her face.
She quickly noticed Sharokku standing there and tipped her head to the side curiously, making a small 'o' with her mouth. Sharokku waved sheepishly, trying not to look exasperated.
"Hello! My name is Yoshida Ayumi. Ayumi is pleased to meet you!" The girl said almost immediately, pulling her head back up and going from her tiptoes to her heels joyfully. "What's your name?" She asked, her eyes wide and innocent.
Sharokku almost laughed at how cheesy it sounded. He managed to stay perfectly child-like though. "I'm Kuroba Sharokku. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," He bowed a little, and the girl, Ayumi, bowed back.
"Why are you here? Are you one of Genta-kun's friends from somewhere?" She asked curiously after a couple of moments.
"No, my older brother is taking a tour here for his homework," Sharokku replied, cringing a bit at how well he seemed to be able to sound like a child and how easy it was to converse with someone who was so much younger than him. It just proved that how old you were (or, in his case looked) really did effect how you interacted with others.
"Cool! We get homework like that sometimes at Teitan, except touring convenience stores and restaurants," Ayumi replied gleefully.
"Yeah, cool..." Sharokku muttered, loosing his child act for a second. The act was harder to keep up than one would expect.
"Ayumi has to take these dishes to the sink. Does Sharokku-kun want to join me?" She asked, clutching the dishes a little tighter her eyes a bit hopeful. Did every child make everything they did this dramatic?
"S-sure, I'd love too," the shrunken detective replied a bit awkwardly. What exactly was he supposed to say to that type of question, anyways?
Ayumi gave a hop. "Alright! Let's go then!" She said enthusiastically, and Sharokku dropped his head forwards with a moan. He could have turned it down, yet he didn't. His mind must not be functioning right at the moment.
Ayumi used the hand that was not occupied by bowls to grab Sharokku's arm. Sharokku let himself be dragged, trying not to care about this whole situation. If he could just kind of block out the whole thing, it might not be so bad.
They soon reached the kitchen. It was sizable with plenty of counter space, marble-tiled floors, and a large kitchen sink. There were a few cupboards and drawers, as well as an oven and a stovetop.
Ayumi headed straight for the sink, dropping the bowls in with a smile. "There!" She exclaimed, drawing back to face Sharokku.
"Now you can meet Genta-kun and Mitsuhiko-kun!" She informed, pulling Sharokku out of the kitchen. "We were just playing on Genta's Wii," she told him as they headed through the living room.
"That's cool," Sharokku replied, trying to sound at least somewhat interested. He had never been interested in video games, being such a bookworm. He wasn't exactly good at them, anyways. He was a bit unsure as to why that was.
They soon reached Genta's room once again. Ayumi opened the door, waving him in with an excited grin. Sharokku nodded thanks, walking into the room. There, he was met with the sight of two boys sitting in front of a smaller TV, both with rectangular game controllers in hand. They were moving from side to side, shouting excitedly almost every second as they continued to enjoy whatever game they were palying.
It took the pair of boys a few moments to see that Ayumi and Sharokku had entered the room. The first one to notice was the thinner, freckled boy. The boy tore his eyes from the TV, looking over at Ayumi who had shifted herself so she was standing directly in front of Sharokku. The boy cocked his head, trying to make out who was standing behind his female friend.
"Who's that behind you, Ayumi-chan?" He eventually asked. The other boy drew his eyes from the screen at this, blinking a few times as he tried to figure out who might be behind Ayumi as well.
Ayumi smiled. "This is Sharokku-kun! His brother is here to do a homework assignment, so Sharokku-kun came up to play with us!" She explained, stepping aside to reveal the messy-haired boy who stood behind her.
Sharokku waved a single hand in greeting, not exactly sure what else to do. He had introduced himself to others before, but it had been awhile since he had been a seven-year-old introducing himself to other seven-year-olds. There was a difference, he knew that.
The freckled boy shot to his feet, leaving the controller on the floor. "My name is Tsuburaya Mitsuko. Nice to meet you," he said with a bow, suddenly looking nervous. He then nudged the other boy with his foot, gesturing with his head for the portly boy to follow suit.
It took a moment for the other boy to grasp exactly what was happening, but eventually he jumped to his feet and bowed. "I'm Kojima Genta!" He said in a louder voice than was really necessary, causing Sharokku to cringe a bit.
The shrunken detective then laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Nice to meet you..." He replied, feeling completely and utterly awkward. Somehow, it had been easier to communicate with Ayumi than it was with these two and he wasn't exactly sure why.
The boy, Mitsuhiko, shuffled his feet. He kept glancing from Sharokku's head to the floor, seeming to be wanting to say something. Sharokku raised an eyebrow at the freckled boy, making a circular motion with his hand to indicate that the boy should just spit it out.
"Umm, why is your hair pink?" Mitsuhiko eventually asked, pointing a finger up at Sharokku's hair.
Sharokku paused for a moment, a bit taken aback. He hadn't exactly expected that question. He had thought he would ask something more along the lines of where he lived, or what school he went to. Yet, the pink hair seemed to outshine all other curiosities.
"My brother likes to play pranks. It annoys the heck out of me," Sharokku responded a bit vaguely after a moment, shrugging nonchalantly.
Mitsuhiko went "oh", seeming not exactly sure how else to respond. Then there were a few moments of awkward silence, in which even the other, actual seven-year-olds seemed a bit unsure of what to say next.
"Let's play Genta's Wii!" Ayumi suggested once the silence had dragged on for a bit too long. She rushed over to the controllers with a large smile and scooped them up. She held one out, facing Sharokku. "Sharokku and Ayumi get to go first!" She announced joyfully.
Sharokku sighed a bit reluctantly, but took the controller. He couldn't help but be amused at the jealous glares Mitsuhiko and Genta were sending him. It almost reminded him of how he had felt towards Ran at this age, that silly childish crush. Not that he had ever let that go. Instead, he had let his blossoming love grow. That blossoming love... that he may never get to express to his childhood crush. It was a depressing thought, and Sharokku had to quickly shake it away. He would confess to her one day, this would all end one day, it had to.
1412
"There was nothing?" Sharokku asked a bit indignantly. Kaito had toured all of the rooms, even the staff rooms and found nothing. Sharokku himself had also checked upstairs as soon as he had gotten the chance (bathrooms would always give the best excuse) to no avail. Now he was wishing they had tried the other shop first. That might have actually gotten them somewhere. Also, he wouldn't have had to hang out with little kids for over half an hour...
"Nope, absolutely nothing. No clues as to a child being held here. We kind of expected that for this store though, right?" Kaito asked, looking a bit unsure as he watched Sharokku's sudden droop in defeat.
"We did... but it would have been nice if there had been some sort of clue, at least. That was pure torture, I swear!" Sharokku exclaimed, waving his hands around a bit for effect.
Kaito smiled, shaking his head a bit at the shrunken detective. "Come now, it couldn't have been that bad. Children are fun. They have such imaginative minds, and see things in a completely different way then they will six years from now. Also, they are the easiest to please with magic tricks," Kaito said with a wink, holding up a single finger and waving it matter-of-factly.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't find the same joy in pranking innocent children as you seem to. To me, this was immensely boring. We had to play some stupid driving video game the whole time..." Sharokku trailed off, feeling about ready to bang his head a million times into a wall. It was official, being a child was the worst thing that could have ever happened to him. Well, it might not be worse than death.
Kaito laughed a bit. "Yeah, video games are the worst. Much worse than having to converse with the little kids for a whole half an hour. Completely," the teenage magician replied sarcastically.
Sharokku rolled his eyes. "You have no idea how bad I am at those," he muttered, immediately regretting what he had just said when he noticed the amused look that was now on Kaito's face.
Kaito smirked, the corner of his lip twitching in something like laughter. "So, the detective who can shoot a gun can't play video games?" He teased, eyes twinkling.
Sharokku crossed his arms, turning his gaze to the ground. "I just never had much interest in them, that's all," he muttered, hunching his shoulders defensively. Kaito just seemed all the more amused by this, as he let out a snort.
"Ano… Are we going to get moving anytime soon? We don't have unlimited time to find my son," Ueda Kotone came up behind Kaito from where she had been standing at a distance with her maid. She looked a bit nervous, and immensely worried.
"Oh, yeah. We should go now. We only have one more wine store we can check, anyways," Kaito said, then gave a reassuring smile. "I promise, we'll find your son and bring him back safe and sound," the teenage magician swore, his face sincere. Ueda chewed her lip for a moment, then gave an assured nod, her face determined.
The group then moved out, heading towards the last suspect in this case.
1412
This wine store was the most dilapidated shop Kaito had seen yet. There were a few cracked windows, and the paint was so dull that what once might have been blue just looked like a watered-down grey. The blinds were tattered, and the door was made of a wood that looked as if it was molding. It was almost haunting, Kaito couldn't help but feel. It just gave a whole eerie feeling to the place. He looked up, noticing a worn-looking sign that read "Grapevine Goddess". What a beautiful name. It was kind of sad it was used on such a run-down, poorly cared for shop as this one.
This didn't help the foreboding feeling that was once again growing in the pits of his stomach. He didn't like it, not one bit. He felt like something terrible was going to happen, something utterly tragic. It was all he could do to keep his poker face on. He couldn't let the others know of his discomfort at this point. It was much too late for that.
Kaito gulped as they drew closer to the door of the shop. Unlike the others, this one's sign read "closed". On top of that, when he tested the door he found it firmly locked. This shop was indeed suspicious. It was unusual for a shop to be closed at this time of day, for one thing, and its state for another.
Both Kaito and Shinichi leaned towards the window simultaneously, blocking out the sun with their hands so they could look into the completely dark shop. It wasn't working very well, and Kaito was briefly distracted by both the maid and the woman whispering behind him. They were saying something about how dark and creepy the shop was and how they hoped that the kidnapped boy wasn't being held there.
Kaito's eyes were immediately drawn to the light that was coming from behind a pair of double doors, when he came back to focus on the dim store. He had no doubt that those doors led to the wine cellar. The teenage magician looked down at the locked doorknob. It definitely wouldn't be hard to pick, as it was quite rusted and old. Well, that was his only choice now, wasn't it? Other than knock on the door and demand to come in. Seeing as this was most likely where the kidnapper was keeping the child, however, that didn't seem like the best idea.
"Ladies, please do stay out of this one. Sharokku and I can handle it ourselves," he said, pulling out his lock picking kit from a hidden pocket.
Ueda Kotone and her maid looked unsure, the maid shuffling her feet a bit. "Is... is this the place where Young Master Ueda is being held?" The maid stuttered, stepping forwards with her hands clutched to her chest. "If so... can I help? I haven't done this kind of thing before... but I could still do something, right?" She asked, her face pleading.
Kaito's eyes softened, and he shook his head. "Thank you for your brave offer, my lady. Please do consider that you have never done this kind of thing before and would only be troublesome for us who have. I do not mean offense by this, merely that my brother and I have experience in this type of thing. The best thing you can do for now is go hide with Ueda-san in a place close by," he said in a charming voice, causing Sharokku to raise an eyebrow up at him.
The maid thought on this for a few seconds, then nodded. "I see your point. We'll go wait at a safe distance," she said, sounding a bit disappointed but understanding. She then went off with Ueda Kotone to hide.
Kaito then got back to lock picking, pulling the necessary tools out of his kit. "You've done this kind of thing before?" Shinichi asked incredulously as Kaito did his work.
"Nah, I just told her that so that she would feel comfortable going off to hide," Kaito explained with a nonchalant shrug.
Shinichi gave a nervous laugh. "Well then, good luck rookie," he said.
Kaito paused, blinking a few times. "You know what?"
The shrunken detective blinked in reply. "What?"
"That is the weirdest thing I've hear you say. It even tops the glitter-powered skateboard. It really doesn't help that you're a child at the moment."
1412
They entered the wine store. And, as soon as they did, Sharokku stepped on a creaky floorboard. This earned him a glare from Kaito, to which Sharokku gave a nervous smile. It was an uncontrollable factor, unfortunately. At least, Sharokku thought so.
As soon as they were fully inside the wine shop, a loud crash came from the double doors that most likely led to the wine cellar, and a voice sounded. Due to the thickness of the door, Sharokku couldn't make out what it was saying, but he was sure it was something like a curse.
The tiny detective took a moment to study his surroundings. Grapevine Goddess was honestly quite barren, a layer of dust covering everything but the few wine bottles that were placed on the shelves. The register was an extremely old model, and the wines weren't anything to brag about. He noticed cobwebs in quite a few places. What a poorly kept store, this was... Even the floor was covered in a good layer of dust. Only one line leading to the wine cellar didn't have any of the dust.
Wait, a line on the floor leading to the wine cellar? The tiny detective bent down, looking closely at it. The only strange thing was that it was quite wide. A single child being dragged across the floor couldn't have made this line.
They then waited for a little, Sharokku going over what might have made the line in his head, but the man never came out.
After what Sharokku estimated to be the fiftieth second of wating, Kaito went up to the door and knocked on it. "Sir? Hello? Is anyone in there?" The teenage magician called. Sharokku left Kaito to this, looking around the shop for any hints as to what could have made the line in the dust. That was when he noticed a box of empty glass wine bottles in the corner, a bag laying besides it. Suddenly, it struck him. So that was why the line leading up to the door had been so wide!
"Kaito, this is the place! The boy's here! Open the wine cellar!" Sharokku called over to Kaito, his voice a bit panicked. They needed to act fast. Since the man most likely knew they were here... Well, a lot of bad things could happen. One being the death of the kidnapped boy they were trying to save.
Kaito nodded, immediately taking action. He set to picking the lock, but a frustrated look quickly crossed his face as he did so. "This guy's done something so that it's not only the lock that's keeping the door closed. Probably a chair or something, maybe even more. Heck, he might have even done something even more drastic! I'm pretty sure this guy's despereate. It's going to take me longer than I originally planned to get this open, damn it," Kaito cursed, pulling out some more various tools from different hidden pockets.
Sharokku shifted. They didn't have enough time. They needed to save that poor boy now. He needed to do something, but what? He had no idea what the man was doing in there, but speaking of how heavily he had berricaded the door... That was when an idea struck him. It would be incredibly chancy, as he wasn't sure if the wine cellar even had one, but it was a risk he needed to take.
Sharokku checked to make sure Kaito wasn't paying attention. He didn't need the teenage magician to worry about him right now. Fortunately, Kaito was deeply enveloped in his work with getting the door unlocked.
Shaorkku gave a determined smile. It was now or never. Turning heal, Sharokku pattered out of the room, timing his steps with whenever Kaito made a sound in his lock-picking exertions. He opened the door slowly, watching Kaito carefully to make sure he was still too deeply involved to notice.
Soon, Sharokku was out. He made his way around the building, satisfied when he found that what he was looking for was indeed there, and very luckily open.
1412
Kaito gave a frustrated sigh, putting down his tools for a second as he examined the door. He couldn't damn tell just how many ways the door was barricaded. He had tried many different tricks already, and so far none of them had completely worked. He might as well bust down the door at this point, but he was pretty sure the guy really had done something like super-glued the hinges at this point.
Kaito looked around himself, suddenly noticing the shrunken detective's absence. Where had he gone? Kaito had only been distracted for a moment, and the guy slips off? This was indeed harder than watching a real child. Not that Kaito knew all that much about watching an actual child, having had not done it much in his life. He had done a few odd babysitting jobs for extra money, but that was all.
Kaito studied his surroundings, prodding his memory to see if there had been anything off during his lock-picking. He had put his full focus into it, as the task required it, so he hadn't been paying the attention he apparently should have to the shrunken detective.
That was when a thump sounded on the other side of the door, and a yell that sounded like Shinichi's own child-voice. Kaito whipped back towards the door, panic blooming inside him. How had Shinichi gotten in there?
It only took a few moments for Kaito to figure it out. Usually rooms like wine cellars had small windows that might be big enough for a child to fit through. If Shinichi had managed to get it open and go through that... Kaito could only silently curse. The shrunken detective didn't have the means to protect himself in the least. What had that not-child been thinking?
Kaito turned his attention back to the double doors. He had no choice, he had to break in, and fast.
1412
Sharokku had been pleased when he had made it into the wine cellar without a hitch. He had quickly spotted the man and the kidnapped boy in a far corner of the wine cellar. The boy was tied up with tape over his mouth and the man standing over the boy, a bag behind his foot. The man was holding a glass wine bottle in his hand, and the boy's forehead was bleeding quite a bit. Head wounds always bled a lot, however, so it definitely wasn't as bad as it looked. In fact, the boy was still conscious, so that was a good sign.
There had been a shelf underneath the window, and Sharokku had slid silently onto it, being careful not to make a sound. The man's expression was pained, and he stared down at the child with an apologetic look in his eyes, though there was something a bit angry about it. "Just black out, will you?" He growled pulling the bottle upwards. "I have to get out of here and escape! I can't have you telling them about what I look like until I'm long gone," the man sounded almost pleading as his hands shook.
Sharokku felt like banging his head against the shelf he now laid on at this. This man was clearly not in his right state of mind. It was pitiful, really; that this man was even thinking he had a chance of escape. This wine cellar clearly didn't have any escape routes other than the door that this man could take.
The tiny detective was quick to act, he slid off the shelf, landing on his feet like a cat. The man seemed to wrapped up in his harming of a child to have heard him, and Sharokku quickly ran over to them, taking a leap in front of the boy just before the man brought the bottle down. The man didn't notice, as his eyes were closed, and the bottle came down onto Sharokku's side, fortunately not shattering. He obviously wasn't trying to hit very hard, thank the gods. The shrunken detective could feel the boy staring at him with wide eyes, worried eyes as this played out.
Sharokku couldn't help but cry out as his body hit the floor with a dull thud. Even though the man hadn't hit with much power, the miniature detective landed wrongly on his arm, and he could hear it snap underneath him. Damn, it hurt. Well, it could have been worse, he guessed.
Sharokku managed to use the arm that was relatively uninjured push himself up, panting. He looked up defiantly at the man who was now staring down at him in shock. He wasn't going to lose this battle, not in a million years. Even if he was a child, there must be something he could do to stop this!
"Another child gets in the way? Why is this so?" The man asked no one in particular, and he gave a reluctant sigh. "I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" he murmured, looking up at the ceiling. He then dropped his gaze, reading the wine bottle like a baseball bat in his hands, showing teeth as he prepared to bring it down on the shrunken detective.
He held it up above Sharokku, who had now positioned himself in a sitting position in front of the kidnapped boy. Sharokku put one arm out, glaring up at the man as if daring him to do it. In reality, he really hoped the man didn't do it. If he did, Sharokku would probably lose consciousness. Well, at least he had been able to protect this boy for a good chunk of time. Hopefully Kaito could-
Sharokku's thought train was interrupted when the room erupted into smoke, the whole place quickly filling with the dull-grey swirls. The man froze, shock filling his gaze as his head shot up and he looked around the room. Sharokku couldn't help but smile. Finally, that dang magician had unlocked the damn door. This would be over in moments, Sharokku was sure of it. Then, they could continue onto his parents mansion to fulfill their original mission.
TBC
A/N: Cliffish hanger? Well, have fun with that. Next chapter may not come for a bit, as I'm going to consider how I write things and how I think. Oh, please do review. Those things keep me going more than anything else. Favorites and follows are appreciated as well. Thank you.
Also forgot to put this in earlier.
To Rockster: Thank you for your review! The word 'wine' and 'whine' do not in fact sound similar in Japanese, I just don't know much Japanese, so I can't quite write cases involving that language. Yet. I'll work on it. I'm glad the case is okay, though! I did work very hard to through it together.