A/N: If you kill me, you'll never know what happens at the end. Keep that in mind. o.O
I could probably give you fifteen reasons why I wasn't able to publish this earlier. Chinese finals, piano auditions, work, karate, other creative stuff, etc. I was also sick for a few days. And I have a killer allergy. Plus, the end of a school year always gets so cramped. But I guess you didn't come here to read my excuses. I'm surprised you actually bother reading this note. But yeah, I always read author's notes, so...
Obvious disclaimer I haven't put up in a while, DC members aren't mine. DC is not mine. These ideas are mostly mine. Mostly. If you've got a problem with that, try to think up a completely original idea. Completely un-influenced by others.
...
Exactly. Anyway:
C/A:Yes. A lot.
and
C/H: Yes. Have fun.
Well hopefully I kept that short and sweet. (No, not really.) Enjoy these short ten pages! (I'm sorry okay? TT-TT)
-Icie911
Conan stared at the crazed man in front of him. Did he recognize him? … No, not really. He strained to recall a man with a cap and a few strands of silver hair. Silver hair… that seemed kind of familiar. But nope, he didn't really remember ever seeing the man in front of him.
Haibara stood, frozen, rooted to the spot. Gin was here. That… that meant… It couldn't be! Impossible! The organization was trying to kill Gin! Just when the world didn't seem like it could get any stranger… she didn't even bother finishing the thought. So the organization would have been smart enough to realize she probably wouldn't take Conan back into the same hospital, and the chances of him being even in the hospital were slim. But it seemed that when hunted, even Gin lost some of his mind, his sense of common logic that after a month Conan shouldn't even be near a hospital anymore.
Conan squinted at the knife. "Hey." He said to Gin, to the man he had been furiously hunting down for a year, easily and in the way only a clueless child could. "Knives are dangerous. Ran-neechan said so. You should be more careful. Ran-neechan said you should never point a knife at someone."
Gin cocked his head. What kind of nonsense was the brat spewing out? He sounded like an actual snot-nosed kid. And who the hell was this 'Ran-neechan'? Wait… she was probably that stupid crying girl he had seen with Kudo at the park during that first murder in Tropical Land. He shook his head in disgust. This brat was trying to confuse him, and it was working.
"Shuddap." He growled.
Conan scrunched his face up, unaware of the danger. "Ran-neechan says that's a bad word. You're gonna get in trouble~"
Gin decided to turn away from the kid. He could spend a precious minute or two before he killed the tantei. Either way, when push came to shove, all he needed were his gun, himself, and the brat. Nothing else would matter. But for now…
"Well, well, Sherry… what kind of company are you linking yourself with?" Gin drawled, his voice silkily laced with poison. Haibara shuddered at the cold scrape of his voice, frighteningly familiar. Gin's grin broadened when he saw his effect. This ground was familiar. That stupid brat acted like he was any regular person, but not Sherry. No, he could always count on Sherry to give him that shot of pleasure, seeing her so frightened of him.
"Gin." When Haibara spoke, she managed to keep her voice indifferent and icy. "To what do we owe the pleasure…?" She was the picture of calm and cool, her eyes just as cold as Gin's.
She didn't fool Gin for a minute. He saw how her jaw trembled, and how her hands shook ever so slightly.
"I think you know well enough, koibito." Gin's eyes sparkled coldly. "I'm here to finish business-" he waved his knife in Conan's direction, "with him."
Haibara squared her shoulders, and stood up straight. Her eyes were just as stony and cold as Gin's. Her face just as icy and hostile. Teeth clenched tight, fists tighter. Only a distraction… a single distraction. Just one moment… She tensed. She knew all the gadgets hakase made were in the drawer just three steps away. But a single movement when Gin was solely focused on Conan and her would result in severe injury if not death.
Suddenly a movement caught the corner of her eye. A flash of a brown hat and trench coat. And a finger pressing the connect button to a four-way radio. Her face moved not a single inch.Megure. She thought gratefully. Thank you.
Haibara got ready to sprint. The silent silhouette of Megure's figure raised up, a heavy metal pole clutched in both hands. He took a step forward, right behind Gin, and raised his bat. A rustle of his sleeve whispered as the bat swung downward at high speed, aiming at Gin's head. Five inches from his head. Four inches. Three. Two… one.
Gin moved suddenly and whirled around. In that split second, Haibara raced toward the dresser. Pulling both drawers out with speed and power she never knew she had, she swiftly removed the precious sneakers, soccer ball belt, and the stretchy suspenders. In a lightning quick afterthought she took the bulletproof glasses and bowtie as well. She didn't think anything else would be much use. Meanwhile, the resounding crack sounded as Megure's bat connected… with Gin's wrist. He revealed his trademark sinister smile.
"Damn." Megure spat. A broken wrist wouldn't do anything. That was my only chance. Shit. He cursed silently.
Gin revealed a wider toothy grin. "It was close," he complimented, reading Megure's face as easily as a book. "But that rustle? That one moment, I heard you." His voice raked down Megure's back.
Sato, Takagi, and Shiratori listened in horrified silence as the radio broadcasted their inspector's misadventures. Ran stood frozen… the juices slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a thud. That brought the officers back into focus.
Ran's mouth opened. "I have to do someth-"
"No." replied Shiratori swiftly. He barked out orders. "Takagi, with me. Sato, stay with Ran. Protect her, and if we can't stop that goddamned bastard then it'll be up to you two." The males raced off.
Ran reached after them, her hand trailing the way it had the day Shinichi left her. That fateful day. "Conan…" she whispered hoarsely.
"Don't worry Ran." Sato replied, trying to sound upbeat. "Takagi may seem like a wimpy, no-good, useless, scatter-brained, addled, clumsy, weak…" She wrinkled her brow. "Where was I…?"
Ran raised an eyebrow. "Takagi may be a 'fool,' but…?"
"Oh yeah!" Sato recollected. "He's a lot braver and stronger than you think. And Shiratori's got that cool head of his and his composure… even though he can't shoot for his life." She muttered the end under her breath.
Clenching her fists, Ran thought, I'm useless. I can't do anything. NOTHING. I couldn't do anything a year ago. And after Shih- Haibara told me, after all that, I still can't do a thing. Not a single thing to protect Conan. Not a single thing to save Shinichi. Why? I know karate! I can protect myself! So why, WHY, am I still just a burden? Ran felt a despairing, hollow anger fill her. Balling her hands into tighter fists, she screamed silently, WHY? But her fists remained by her sides. Anger, despair… she couldn't punch what she couldn't see. She was a helpless burden. She was useless.
Conan gaped as Gin smiled on coldly. Megure shuddered, but his every muscle was tensed, ready to act on a moment's notice. Now it was Gin who needed a distraction. But like hell would he pray for one. He noticed the green light on the radio strapped to Megure's waist was blinking. Connection was on. Killer ecstasy rushed through him. Why don't you officers come running to your precious inspector… and to your dooms!
Confusion swam in Megure's eyes. He pretended not to notice Haibara emptying… was that a bowtie…? Never mind. But he was worried, very worried about that certain gleam in Gin's eyes. Was there something that he missed…? A green flash flickered. The radio.
Holy shit. Sato, Shiratori, Takagi! Ran-san!
There was a pounding of footsteps… No! Not now! I forbid you- The footsteps thudded louder… louder.
Megure whipped his head quickly around, roaring, "No! Don't! Get back don't come any-"
Gin cackled, and drove the knife deep into Megure's stomach. A look of complete surprise crossed his face. He looked down at the foreign object protruding from his stomach. It was blocking the bleeding… for now… And then the pain hit him.
"Shit." He muttered as he stumbled back and crumpled to the floor. Haibara froze. I'm so sorry… Megure-sama…
Oh no. The officers!
"Get back!" She screamed, paying no regard to what attention she drew from Gin. "Don't you fools-"
"Megure-sama!" cried Shiratori, eyes wide. "Why…! How dare you!" He whipped the gun from his holster. Leveling it at Gin's head, he steadily said, "You're going to pay for that."
Gin laughed. The sharp, cold sound filled the room. Megure groaned, "Shiratori… don't try… knowing…you… you'd hit the children… instead…"
Gin looked at his empty hand. "Hmm… I have no knife anymore… but judging by what your beloved inspector said, I won't be needing it!" He fixed the gun at Shiratori's heart and pulled the trigger with no hesitation.
"NO!" screamed Haibara lunging at him from behind. She managed to pull him off balance just enough so that the bullet wouldn't do vital damage. Shiratori went down, a smoking hole protruding from the right side of his chest.
"Damn." spat Gin, shaking Haibara off. "Don't get in my way!" He whipped around, a powerful backhand catching Haibara in the face and spinning her until she crashed into the bed, next to the dresser. A thin line of blood trickled from her mouth. "I'll deal with you later." Gin dismissed, just as Takagi ran in.
Whirling around, Gin was already shooting when he hit Takagi. Five bullet holes spattered the hospital walls, two near Takagi, one wildly off course, and two in Takagi's flesh. He stumbled and fell, a gun he never had a chance to shoot clattering from his hand. He clutched his left leg, where two neat bullet holes oozed blood.
"Wow," Gin commented, spinning the gun casually in his hand, "that was easy. The police are such fools." A breeze rustled through the open window, fluttering the curtains. "Well," he said, turning toward Conan. "What now, our dear tantei brat?"
"I'm not…dead… yet!" Haibara struggled to her feet, wiping away the blood. She stood unsteadily, but a determined fire lit her eyes.
"Ah, Sherry." Gin flicked hair out of his eyes. During the struggle, his cap had fallen off. It was nice to feel his long silver hair hanging down his back again, slightly rustled by the wind. It almost felt… like old times. He savored the thought. "Still have some fight left in you, eh? I suppose it runs in the family… Akemi was always such a defiant girl."
Ai stiffened. The fire in her eyes had turned to ice. Her fist tightened around the watch, hoping that the hakase had made the tranquilizer stronger… since the last one had barely worked on Gin. Her socked foot silently, stealthily moved toward the sneaker, the left one, the one with the dial that cranked up her strength. A ghost of a smile flickered across Gin's face.
"Still trying to play games with me, eh, Sherry? I know all about those shoes and that watch!" He whirled around, swiftly stepping just far enough to neatly snatch the knife from the inspector's wound. He paid no attention to the sudden blood spraying from Megure's gut, nor to his anguished cries.
Haibara stared in horror, her foot in one shoe but not the other, her attack forgotten, as Gin tsked and muttered, "Damn that inspector. This was my best blade… now it's going to rust."
"Why… you… you despicable…!" Haibara clenched her fists. She moved away from Conan, who was watching these events unfold with wide eyes. If Gin were to try and shoot, it'd best not to have those bullets near the child. Damn you Kudo, where the hell are you when we need you? Haibara cursed at him silently.
"Now, now, don't run away…" cooed Gin in a sickly, insane tone. "I'm not finished with you yet…"
"Running?" Haibara glared ice daggers. "As if." She snatched the bulletproof glasses from the table. Pushing the lenses out, she held one in each hand. Let's see if that half year Akemi spent training with me, just in case physical strength or agility was needed, finally comes into play… With each hand holding a disk of bulletproof material durable for approximately three to four hits, she just had to move fast enough to block. Bullets from the average pistol that Gin was holding travel about 1100-1350 per second. If Mouri-san… Ran-kun, can dodge them, so can I!
Gin wasn't stupid. Oh, he might be insane, he might have sold his soul to Satan, but he wasn't stupid…yet. He recognized the certain gleam of bulletproof glass. It was slightly thicker, and anyway, why would a former organization member be dumb enough to attempt using normal glass as a shield? He grinned. A challenge. He loved it when his victims resisted. It was ever the more fun to see them fall.
He fired three quick shots in succession, Three vital organs: heart, kidney, and lungs. Haibara's hand flashed as she blocked each bullet a millisecond before they hit their targets. Sweat trickled down her face, which was intense with its concentration. He fired five more. The first three were blocked. The fourth, her hand was shaking slightly, and it ricocheted off, grazing her wrist. Blood ran down her arm, the slightly cracked lens falling to the floor, useless. She barely had time to curse before weakly attempting to deflect the last bullet with her other hand. It was blocked, but the glass shattered in her hands. She dropped the shards before they could cut too deeply into her palms.
She summed up her feelings quite nicely in one word. "Fuck."
Gin's eyes shone. Oh how he'd waited for this moment! This moment, to strip Sherry of her accursed pride and rightfulness, to finally destroy her! He raised the knife, aiming. Haibara tensed, waiting for the moment when she could try and dodge. Gin grinned wide. His throwing accuracy was the second best in the organization. He rarely ever missed.
Conan suddenly felt something. Deep inside, something swirled. A deep voice, a voice he'd never heard before (had he…?) was telling him something. CALL OUT! It screamed at him. Save Haibara! Conan shook. Who was this person? Why was he calling to him? HURRY! THIS COULD BE OUR ONLY CHANCE! What chance? What was this person talking about? Conan's never seen this killer person before in his life!
Don't be an idiot! GO! Don't you recognize him?
The voice overwhelmed him. Suddenly, thoughts, words, flashed through his mind. They poured from his mouth without him even thinking.
"Hey Gin. Long time no see." Gin had started to throw when Conan started: the voice was so sudden and unexpected that his hand jerked. Barely, but just enough. Haibara dodged, and the flash of silver and rusted blood sank into the wall. She had jumped closer to the door, a little farther from Conan. She mentally cursed her stupidity.
Gin cursed his own as well. For the first time, he realized just how much his touch had slipped. Two months ago, he wouldn't have even heard the child's voice. His world would've solely been focused on the kill. The glorious kill.
"What's wrong, Gin?" Conan's thin voice was cold, like a slender rod of black ice. "Have you lost your touch?" Gin suddenly saw an older version of this boy. He never remembered his victims. Never. But suddenly, Kudo Shinichi's face was crystal clear. Crystal clear.
Before, the brat had treated him like he was dirt. Now… he was charging at him full on, with no fear. He could feel his cool slipping. What was wrong with him? His cool never slipped!
"Discomfort? Why, I thought you were just a cold-blooded murderer. Is there something wrong? Could it be…" Conan's laugh seemed to rival Gin's in coldness, "that you're afraid of me? A mere child? Maybe that tantei you tried to kill in Tropical Land? You failed to kill me there, Gin. Oh, you've gotten so many chances to kill me. You all have." There was a dangerous gleam in those brilliant blue eyes. "I've nearly died so many times. So-many-times. But every single time… my death has failed to arrive. What will you do now? What if you fail to kill me once again?"
Haibara's hopes soared. Could it be…? Did her pill… actually… work? "Kudo!" she cried out joyously. "You're back-"
Her voice shook the child amnesiac back into reality.
"Wh-who's… K-kudo…?" Conan's voice suddenly quavered. It lost its mature touch, the slight tint that made him the beloved meitantei. His words suddenly dried. What was he talking about? How could this man have tried to kill him? Was he that special? Could he have avoided death so many times? I-i-idiot! The voice inside him cried. You nearly had him! Who? Conan didn't understand anything. Why did Haibara-san look so devastated? Why did the killer man look… afraid…? Of him…? Baka, it's because- the voice seemed to be getting fainter. Conan still didn't know who he was. Let me talk…! The voice cried desperately. Let the voice… talk? He would have… but the voice had suddenly faded.
Completely.
No way… Haibara despaired. Why? What use is my work if it doesn't work at the most crucial times? It was so close! What happened!?
Gin shook himself. Whatever that sudden reaction was, it was just a bluff. Damn. It nearly worked too. But now… that brat was just another victim to kill. A dark butterfly rippled at the edge of his vision. But he wasn't going to allow his attention to stray from his victim anymore. Oh no, he'd learned his lesson. Maybe the tables had turned in his favor once again… one last person to kill. He'd finally get to see crimson blood stain the ground again.
He'd get to paint one last scarlet work of art.
"I dunno what the hell you were spewing, but it's over now, ain't it. I'm finishing you first. You were the only person I came here to kill." Gin drawled. Haibara was stunned. It was unlike Gin to talk to his victims. He usually had a policy: kill first, then talk. If that made any sense whatsoever. But either way, it was buying time. And maybe Gin was trying to torment Conan…?
"Sherry has become quite troublesome. I never thought-"
"Who's Sherry?" Conan interrupted. Haibara winced. Gin glared.
"Shut the fuck up. She's that other kid there." He continued, talking over Conan's persistence that her name was 'Haibara Ai.' "She has proven to be quite difficult… And then when I'm finished with her I'll see if I get to kill the others. It'll give me great pleasure," his voice scraped down Conan's back, who shivered, "to kill that 'Ran-neechan' you keep talking about."
Conan scrambled from his bed. He didn't know what was going on, but he heard that Ran-neechan was going to be in danger. He remembered, faintly, from somewhere, that the "man" was supposed to protect the lady. He stood bravely, the effect of his actions somewhat diminished by his flimsy hospital gown and slippers. For some reason, the nii-san inside his head wouldn't talk to him, but he had a feeling, a strong feeling, that he was supposed to protect Ran-neechan.
"I won't let you kill Ran-neechan!" He cried, holding his head high, his cerulean eyes blazing with the anger of a child. "Even if you kill me, I won't!"
Haibara felt a pang in her heart.
That was something Kudo would've said.
"Very well." Gin's eyes glittered with malice. "Brave last words. Maybe someone here should engrave it on your tombstone… though I doubt anyone will survive to tell the tale." Haibara's heart was in her throat. She anticipated what would happen half a second before Gin flashed out his gun and used his last bullet. His hand was firm and steady, his aim true. No one had interfered with this shot.
"No!" a scream tore from Haibara's throat.
It was a beautiful shot: steady and true.
The bullet streamlined toward Conan's heart.
Meh. XD I have run out of reactions to give you after a cliffhanger… maybe this signifies something…
Mwahahahaaaaa!
There. Somewhat appropriate but immature reaction.
Ha.
Um, yeah. I'm done with this whole: Give me (insert number) reviews and I'll post!
Because there's just too much pressure. And guilt. 'cause I can't write that fast. And, hey, who woulda guessed, but I'm also lazy .