Oh man, it's been an awesome ride, guys. I'm a bit sad to reach this point, but at the same time, it's a new beginning as well. What better time than New Year's to end one project and begin another? I can't thank you all enough for all the views, reviews, favorites, and follows this story has gotten. When I started off, I assumed it wouldn't really stand out and that no one would actually read, but you guys proved me wrong.

While this may not be the ending that is deserved, this is the ending that works best for this portion of the story. Time to close doors and open new ones.

I'm going to apologize for the long wait and the things I may have missed on my edits. I'm actually kind of sick at the moment and it's very probable I missed things.

As for my final warnings... well, it's the finale, so expect stronger cursing and gore. Thanks again, everyone!


Time started to blur as the minutes marched onward. Before he'd even noticed, about an hour had passed since Kid and Daisuke had left with the paramedics. Although he'd been noticeably wounded earlier, the thief seemed physically okay upon departure. That, in and of itself, was certainly strange, and it was agreed upon that a trip to the hospital wouldn't be a bad idea. Hopefully the doctors would have some idea as to whatever the hell just happened… though a nagging voice in the back of his mind said otherwise.

Hakuba, much to Conan's relief, had decided to go to the hospital with the neo-werewolves, stating that someone should be there to let the medical staff know just what they were dealing with. Although the British detective had offered the idea in a fairly stoic manner, from the way his gaze kept moving back to Kid (who had been sitting statue-still with his head slightly bowed), it was clear that he was genuinely worried about his friend. Thinking back on it, that was probably why Conan hadn't insisted on going with the thief instead. Of course, that meant that it was his job to relate what had happened to the police.

Surprisingly enough, although not quite over her shock yet, Aoko had decided to go with them to the hospital as well. It was admirable that she'd managed to work up enough courage to at least want to be there for Kid. Though, even if she had forgiven him, judging by Kid's expression as they left, it would be a long time before he would be willing to forgive himself. Although that was terrible for morale, at least it would motivate him to be more cautious in the long-run. Regardless, the thief's childhood friend wouldn't be scared off. Kid was certainly blessed to have such a friend by his side.

As an afterthought, Hakuba instructed the remainder of Kid's friends on what to tell the police and where they would find himself and the infected males. Both the crimson-eyed girl and the bespectacled girl had nodded and soon were left behind as the ambulance took off. The former watched with a grim expression, while the latter looked on in concern. However, there wasn't much else they could do by this point, other than to wait for the police. After that, they had promised to meet up with Aoko and Hakuba at the hospital. Honestly, with friends like these, it really made Conan wonder why Kid had thought himself alone.

His ponderings, however, were cut off by the arrival of the inspector and Takagi. The other officers had been busy talking to the witnesses, collecting testimonies, and preserving the scene as much as possible, which left precious little time for Conan to actually speak to them. But, that's what happened when a violent situation became a public display. Oh well, that's also why either Conan or Hakuba absolutely needed to stay on the scene. Megure would likely value their word more than the rest of the bystanders' on the simple merit that he knew them (well, probably knew Hakuba through the grapevine somehow) for so long. Given the general story being offered to the police seemed to be that Kid and Daisuke suddenly went bat-shit crazy and attacked everyone out of nowhere, it was probably a good thing Conan had chosen to stay behind. It wasn't like the other witnesses were wrong, per se, but they just lacked the knowledge of what started the whole mess. Thankfully, both Megure and Takagi trusted his judgment and usually followed his hints and insights, almost to the same level as they had when he was Kudou Shinichi. Almost.

Last out of the police cruiser was Mouri, looking over the crime scene and taking in everything with a grim expression. When the older detective's eyes came across Ran, he made a beeline over to her and noticed Conan as well. He knelt down to Conan's level with a mixture of confusion, agitation, and relief in his expression. Rather than offer some biting comment about where the boy had been, he settled on simply ruffling Conan's hair and murmuring, "You gave us quite the scare… Where on Earth did you run off to, Conan?" Judging by his tone, it was clear that he didn't believe for even one second that his young charge had simply run off without a word. He knew something about what had happened, though what, Conan couldn't say.

The diminutive detective's eyes met Mouri's tired ones. There was no anger there, even when he'd hesitated on his answer… or was it because he'd hesitated? Really, all that Conan could make out was something akin to a hidden fear. No one pressed him to answer, and he wished he didn't have to. Everyone already knew.

Taking in a deep breath, Conan murmured, "I got knocked out and taken to the serial killer's place after the last Kid heist." Just looking at the others, and seeing the blatant concern on everyone's faces struck him deeply. It finalized the blow. Struck the nail into the coffin. Everything that he'd been trying to push back, to ignore in favor of survival, finally flooded in. It hurt. It was beyond frustrating. He was a detective! He shouldn't have fallen prey so easily… And yet he had…

Before he could bring himself to say anything more, Mouri carefully brought him into an unexpected hug. "Are you okay, Conan?" he asked with uncharacteristic gentleness. It was weird, hearing such a tone… it almost sounded like what he used to soothe Ran when she had been upset back when they had been kids. It felt almost fatherly.

"I… I'm…" Conan couldn't bring himself to lie to such genuine concern, and, rather than answer, shifted his gaze to his feet. "I'm home." He would recover, both physically and mentally, but right now… knowing that there were people—even children—dead because of his choices back at the slaughterhouse… knowing that he'd gotten his rival-turned-friend nearly killed over his own safety… those memories would definitely haunt him for a long time to come. Maybe Kid wasn't the only one stuck with demons after all… They were both broken, if only a little. Funny how he could only maintain his cool while everyone else was panicking, yet, left in relative calm, that was when his fears and nightmares started taking hold. No, he wasn't okay. Not right now… but he was home, and that was a start.

"Right," Mouri quietly agreed. "You're home now." The older detective probably had a plethora of unanswered questions, but he kept quiet rather than prying, and Conan appreciated that more than he could really express.

When he'd found his voice again, he'd quietly explained everything from the beginning, this time offering a full disclosure (though he censored the fact that he was with Kaitou Kid, of course) of the events that had occurred. He was released from Mouri's embrace just to be held by Ran as he told his tale. The police needed to know. And… and Ran and Mouri deserved to know, too. Kid's friends had every right to know as well. He was interrupted several times, though, mostly just to see if he was willing to continue or reaffirming that something happened in a particular way. Occasionally he would go silent, his fears and regrets choking the words off, but even then, they all waited patiently for him to continue, and continue he did.

As the story came to a close, Ran once more hugged him close and the others (even the officers) looked on in a stunned silence. "I told him not to do it…" Kid's crimson-eyed friend murmured almost inaudibly and certainly to herself. She, alone, looked more agitated than surprised, as if she'd known all along that this would be the outcome.

After a brief pause, apparently not hearing the girl's words, Megure softly asked, "Do you happen to remember where you and Kaito-san were held?" Conan shook his head slowly. All he really had to go on were those dreams he'd been having, and there wasn't a great probability of those being accurate. Back when he and Kid had fled, they hadn't really had the time to scout their surroundings short of what had been directly in their path. With a slight, but noticeable disappointment, the inspector murmured, "I see."

"What about Kaito-san?" Takagi asked, somewhat hopeful. "Do you think he'd remember?" Conan couldn't really fault him for asking. Plain and simply put, if they didn't find Vampire's slaughterhouse, they risked not catching him at all, and that would put them into a pretty massive bind.

"Most likely," the diminutive detective nodded, puffing a breath onto his cold hands and sticking them into his pockets. He really should've suggested that they went inside for this… "Kaito-niichan led the way and found places to hide and rest. Just… be careful around him. He's already pretty upset about everything…" Megure and Takagi were usually pretty mild mannered around civilians, so it wasn't likely that they would upset Kid… but better safe than sorry. They already knew the whole neo-werewolf thing, after all…

Both officers gave simultaneous sighs of relief. Yes, there was still a chance of a silver lining to this dark and misery-inducing storm. There was still the hope that Vampire and Futoshi hadn't quite abandoned the slaughterhouse and that they would be confronted and stopped. Everyone's nightmare could potentially disappear within hours… Too bad Kid won't be able to enjoy that, the unhelpful voice in the back of Conan's mind reminded him. Right. The nightmare wouldn't truly end until the neo-werewolves were cured… but at least they could take a step in the right direction by apprehending Futoshi. While he had no doubt that Haibara and Agasa could potentially find a cure on their own, having the drug's maker would help… probably. Assuming Futoshi kept some kind of information log and remembered things, anyway…

"Oi, Conan," Mouri started, giving the boy a quick once-over. "I'm still taking you to the hospital to get looked at. I want to make sure you're actually okay." Again, the older detective's concern felt pretty strange, but it wasn't bad, either. Conan nodded. It was a logical next step that would offer him time and safety to rest and think things through while being relatively near his now shaken and demoralized friend. Plus, Kid would probably react better to being questioned if a familiar face was nearby, which would make things easier and safer for everyone.

And so, their large group split between vehicles and collectively made their way to Beika General Hospital. In retrospect, Mouri had been pretty on-point in wanting Conan at the hospital. Although the car ride was relatively short, the diminutive detective was starting to feel the sensation start to leave his extremities, and he was starting to feel a heavy exhaustion take hold of him. Without meaning to, he ended up leaning heavily against Ran and letting out a slight groan. He knew she was probably trying to say or do something, but honestly, he couldn't tell… And damn it, he had a headache…

By the time they'd reached their destination, Ran had opted to simply carry her small charge inside. If he hadn't been feeling so sucky, he probably would've fought the action on principle alone, but now was not the time for that. Right now, all he felt like doing was keeping his head against his childhood friend's shoulder and keeping his eyes closed. Maybe the headache would start to fade when he slept or something.

He could hear her say something to him, but his tired mind refused to interpret more than her tone… which was noticeably worried. Not that that was a surprise at this point. His headache was only getting worse with time and it wasn't long before he'd screwed his eyes shut and leaned as far into Ran's shoulder as he could. It was horrible. It was like nothing else he'd felt before, yet still so similar… Am I dying…? And wouldn't that be ironic after all he'd been through? He'd survived Gin and the Black Organization. He'd survived Haibara's poison. He'd even survived Vampire's slaughterhouse… just to die from who-knew-what? Was it even worth it? Had his survivals been worthless after all? Please… please don't let me die like this…! Not as Conan…! Not in her arms…!

But maybe this was justice. Justice for all of the mistakes he'd made. Justice for everyone he'd doomed to death. If the other survivors had seen him for what he really was, instead of this misleading child's body… there was no doubt in his mind they would hate him. He'd led them straight to the slaughter, straight to their friends' deaths at the hands of a madman. He had been powerless back then and now his life was in Fate's hands… Was there nothing he could do…?

He choked on a breath and his body went numb. Survive.


When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a hospital bed with Ran by his side and Mouri keeping watch from the adjacent wall. Conan still felt pretty bad, but at least his headache had finally left him and he could feel his limbs again. But, even so, what had happened? He couldn't remember much past Ran picking him up… "Conan-kun?" his childhood friend asked, concern evident in her tone. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Oh… so she had noticed that… On the plus side, at least he could hear again.

His mouth felt incredibly dry, but after a while he was able to find his voice and hoarsely replied, "Yes, I hear you." Seeing Ran's expression tore at his heartstrings. She shouldn't have to worry so much about him… Why couldn't they ever find a break? Why couldn't he ever make the right choices… why did he always have to hurt her with his bullheaded heroics?

"Are you feeling okay?" she tried, trying to break him from his thoughts. She took his hand in one of hers, sat by him in the bed, and watched him with those lilac eyes, so filled with worry. If only she knew how much those eyes cut him to the soul…

Forcing a smile, Conan said with far more cheer than he actually felt, "Yep! I'm okay, Ran-neechan!" His own words felt so obviously hollow that he wasn't really surprised when no one seemed to believe him.

Mouri shot Conan a knowing look, and Ran's worry only seemed to deepen. Damn it! Why did they have to be so perceptive now of all times?! "You don't need to…" the older detective trailed off, apparently looking for the right words to say before deciding on "You don't need to be tough for our sakes, Conan. It's okay not to feel great right now. You went through hell and came back alive. That, in and of itself, is a miracle."

"Yeah…" Conan muttered, looking down at the bed sheets. "I came back…" And that was the problem. This was entirely his fault, from the beginning to the end. He was supposed to be the detective. He was supposed to catch murderers and prevent them from hurting everyone. Not only had he failed, but he'd also been the cause of so many others' demises. Hoshiko had still died, despite his promise to her. Kid had gotten experimented on. Mia was still stuck in that awful place. Each and every captive he'd freed (successfully) was probably already either recaptured or dead by now… What kind of detective was he?! "I failed everyone."

Walking over to the bed and kneeling down to meet Conan's eyes with his own, Mouri said, "You're wrong. You didn't fail. It's because of you that we have a fighting chance against that bastard. Megure-keibu got the location of that place from Kuroba-kun and is getting his men ready as we speak." Conan watched the older detective quietly. "You two survived. And, because you survived, the police were able to track Vampire down. You've done more than enough good."

Before he could stop himself, Conan snapped, "No, I haven't! You don't get it! So many people are dead because of me! D-damn it! We-we promised Hoshiko-chan she'd be able to make it home and see her parents again, and the next morning! The next morning she'd been drowned to death! And I couldn't do anything! It was all we could do to carry her corpse back to Start and place it in a hole! A fucking hole! It's not good enough! And I'm not good enough!" What didn't they understand?! That's all he'd done the entire time! He'd misled people with false hopes and led them all to the grave! How was that any form of good?! He felt himself shake from anger, but he couldn't stop himself. Here they were, praising him for surviving, when he'd only achieved that by denying everyone else their lives! It was sick! "And don't get me started about Kid! He risked everything to save me, and I repay him by getting him turned into a werewolf, of all things!" In the brief silence that followed his outburst, he realized his error. Damn it Kudou! Can't you do anything right?! Still, he could kick himself all he liked, but it wouldn't change the fact that he'd just ousted Kid to Mouri…

He was dragged into Ran's warm embrace. His childhood friend rubbed slow circles over his back and quietly 'shh'ed him into some semblance of calm. No one said anything further for a long while, allowing the silence and companionship of his pseudo-family to say more than words ever could.

Conan let out a long sigh as he finally stopped shaking. What more could he have realistically accomplished? Even if he'd been Shinichi through all of this, pretty much everything would have turned out the same. Maybe, just maybe, he would have held his own against Vampire, but, chained to Kid, the two of them would've still gotten in each other's way. That would've still led to the first trial. And, because they'd both been exhausted from that trial, Hoshiko had been taken away without their noticing… Everything had been completely out of his control… and that was probably why he couldn't accept it. In almost every case, he was used to making some kind of difference, whether it was catching a criminal or vindicating the dead… but he wasn't used to being the victim. He wasn't used to his lack of power.

Mouri finally broke the silence, heaving a deep sigh and sitting on the bed next to his daughter and Conan. In a quiet, almost defeated manner that showed just how tired he was, the older detective asked, "How do you think I feel about all of this, Conan? How do you think Ran feels? Or Megure-keibu? Or any of the other officers?" When the boy turned his eyes to him, Mouri continued, "I'm a detective and a former officer… and at least for the time being, I'm supposed to be your guardian. And I lost you to a serial killer." The older detective let the statement hang for a long moment. "I tried everything I could think of. I looked everywhere, got every police contact I had to look for you… and I still couldn't find you. I couldn't save you. And, in the end, it was Kaitou Kid that ended up bringing you back to us." Mouri once more sighed and closed his eyes. "We really owe him a lot, I guess…"

Conan could only blink owlishly at the older detective's words. The thought had never occurred to him that anyone else had been trying to find him. Well, Ran would've been, but that was something he'd expected. To hear that Mouri, himself, had been concerned enough to bring in the police's aid… and to see how exhausted the man was… it really drove his message home. He hadn't been the only one trying…

"Sometimes…" Mouri continued. "Sometimes we just can't do everything on our own. Sometimes we can't stop the evil in others' hearts… It's our job as detectives to help as many as we can, but we can't place the weight of every life on our shoulders. If we did, we'd fall apart after every case. We save everyone we can, and we vindicate those who have fallen. And listen, Conan," he paused, once more meeting the boy's eyes. "No one. Not you. Not me. Not even Megure-keibu or any other officer could've possibly saved everyone in that kind of environment. But you tried your best. You managed to save lives, and," he said, lightly ruffling Conan's hair and offering the boy a fatherly look. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Oji-san," Conan murmured with the faintest of smiles. Although Mouri's words had cut through parts of his self-blame, they hadn't changed the fact that people were dead… and that Vampire still needed to be caught. It would probably be a long time before he could look himself in the mirror and be at-peace with the person he saw… but he would get there. Time had faded his embarrassment of becoming Conan, and time would help fade the pain from this terrible experience. What was important was that he learned from this and did his best to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

"Still," Ran thoughtfully said. "We were really lucky that Kid-san was there for you. I don't want to imagine what would've happened if he hadn't been there…"

"Yeah…" Conan agreed. "If he hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here now. I would've been alone, even if I had managed to escape…"

"I wish there were some way we could thank him," she said, slightly hugging Conan closer to herself. "Or at least help him through this… He looked so… hopeless when he'd left us…"

"I'm okay, Ran-san," Kid's voice murmured from the room's door. Looking up quickly at that familiar voice, Conan found that Aoko and Hakuba had followed him. "Heard Conan-kun got sick..." he said as an explanation when he'd caught Mouri's questioning look. "Wanted to be sure it wasn't… yeah. But you seem to be doing better now." Although there wasn't much of a scratch on him, the thief still looked to be a mess. The weight of his guilty conscience was breaking him down pretty quickly, it seemed…

"It's okay," Conan said quietly. "You never bit me, so it's probably something else." A quick wince was all it took for Conan to realize he shouldn't have mentioned that. "I'll be back on my feet before too long. Don't worry."

Kid nodded. "The police are probably going to take care of Vampire soon. That's one less headache for us, I suppose."

"…It's not your fault, you know," the diminutive detective said, rather than going along with the superficial conversation. It would be better for everyone to just get to the point.

"…You're wrong," Kid replied, walking over to the room's window and staring out at the sunset.

"K-Kaito…" Kid's childhood friend stammered, looking very much like her heart was breaking for him.

"…I disregarded the warning I was given that night…" the thief murmured, keeping his back to the others. "My misfortune is entirely on me. And I even dragged Conan-kun down with me…" he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "Everything I tried failed. Everyone I tried to save died… I guess you're right, Aoko. I really am pretty weak."

Aoko let out a surprised noise and Hakuba stepped in, offering the thief's back a slight glare. "Self-pity isn't quite your style, Kuroba-kun. Anyway, weren't you the one that fought off those gunmen a couple of months ago?"

"That was different. They were predictable."

"Listen..." Conan started sympathetically. "I know how you feel. The two of us… we're not used to this… We're not used to failure… But there was nothing we could do."

"There had to have been something…" Kid shook his head again.

"Kuroba-kun," Mouri said, voice slightly harsher than it had been toward Conan. When the thief turned his head toward the older detective, Mouri continued, "Were you the one that killed those people?"

"No. But-"

"Did you ask for that drug?"

"Of course not!"

"Were you even remotely aware of what was going on?"

"…No…"

"Then why is any of this your fault?" the older detective asked, watching Kid with stern eyes. "You denied killing anyone, denied wanting the drug, and denied knowing what was even going on. And look," he continued as the thief was about to answer. "You're what? Sixteen? Seventeen? You're still a kid. It's not your responsibility to bear the weight of Vampire's crimes. You couldn't have possibly known he was around. You should be grateful you're still alive and do your best to wait for a cure."

"…Yes sir," Kid answered, looking down to the floor. "…I… I guess I wanted to be the hero this time… I wanted to save them."

"We all did, Kuroba-kun," Mouri replied, tone growing a bit softer. "As much as you were trying from the inside, the police and detectives like myself were trying on the outside. If anyone should be ashamed, it should be us, not you."

The thief didn't reply, keeping the silence for a long time before murmuring, "I hope this ends soon. Get well soon, Conan-kun."

"Hang around a little, Kaito-niichan," Conan invited. To his surprise, Kid winced at this as well. "You're not a monster, you know. If you are, then you certainly suck at it." The thief turned and blinked.

"He's right, you know," Hakuba added, placing a hand on Kid's shoulder. "Were you frightening, yes. But you frighten us on a regular basis with your childish pranks."

"We're scared for you, not of you, Kaito," Aoko added. "I mean… it was scary when you went after me like that… But you didn't know what you were doing! It's not your fault!" And, to add impact to her words, the inspector's daughter walked over to the thief and trapped him in a hug.

"O-oi! Come on, let go!" Kid whined, somewhat struggling to get out of his childhood friend's embrace. Though it was to no avail. Conan let out a slight snort of laughter. It was kind of hard not to laugh at the two's antics, and it was clear that even if he was struggling, the thief was glad that his friend was still by his side. Ran was doing her best to hide her chuckles, though it was easy to tell that she was amused.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something…?" Hideki's voice came from the doorway. He looked fittingly embarrassed as he glanced over at the still-together Kid and Aoko.

"Ah… I'd just go ahead and say what you need to," Kid said, awkwardly turning toward Hideki with Aoko still holding him. "I uh… don't assume you're going to drop me anytime soon?" As smooth as he was with other girls (Ran included, frustratingly enough), Kid was pretty awkward around Aoko. Since there was no evidence that they were a thing, it was pretty likely they just hadn't really noticed their feelings yet. Well, Conan would be rooting for them.

"Er… okay," Hideki mumbled, rubbing at his neck. Turning his gaze to Conan, the black-clad man said, "I uh… wanted to apologize to you guys… Sorry for shooting you, Kaito-san."

"Yeah…" Kid drew out the word, clearly incredulous. "Well, it was only a flesh wound, I guess. Try not to shoot me in the future, okay? I mean, I know I'm apparently made of steel or something, but let's not push our luck, ne?" Aoko slightly elbowed him for that response and finally let the thief go.

Hideki nodded his agreement. "I am sorry though… Master… isn't quite rational right now… I'm sure you've noticed."

"Who, me? Oh no, no!" the thief continued sarcastically, getting elbowed again. "Okay, okay, sorry."

"So Vampire's not rational?" Conan asked, choosing to ignore Kid's sarcasm for the moment. "Can you explain that a little more?"

The black-clad man nodded. "Now, er… how should I put it…? Master was… Master was essentially Patient Zero for Master Futoshi's drug… He… he finally lost his rationality," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Kid asked, a slight amount of worry creeping into his tone.

"…Master Vampire… Kichirou-sensei… started attacking his own men. We thought he'd snap out of it… but he didn't. Master Futoshi and Junko-san had to flee. Anyone left behind… they're all neo-werewolves now… or dead."

Conan watched Kid tense noticeably. The thief didn't speak, but his eyes showed his horror. Vampire had gone full wolf. Had attacked those on his own side. Had scared even Futoshi off… Oh shit, the police!

"O-Oji-san!" Conan exclaimed, looking to Mouri in alarm. "We need to let Megure-keibu know what happened!" Mouri nodded in understanding and left to call the inspector.

"Damn it! Then why'd you really come here?" Kid almost snarled.

Hideki winced, unable to meet the thief's eyes. "I need your help."

"Our help? With what?" Conan asked when it was clear that Kid was a bit too irritated to pretend to be civil. "And why us? Couldn't you ask the other grunts in black?"

"… I wanted to ask you two because… well, you two were the only ones clever enough to lead an escape. And Mia told me you two were reliable enough for the job." Hideki said, fidgeting. "And… I uh… kind of figured it'd be safest to use a wolf to beat one, so…"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Kid growled, offering the black-clad man a sharp glare. "I don't plan on wolfing out ever again." The statement was made with such decisiveness and quiet determination that Conan thought it sounded more like a vow. One that was unlikely to succeed, should they not find a cure. "For the record," the thief added in a low growl, "I'm not a fighter. Vampire already steamrolled me twice. If you're looking for a wolf to beat him, it's not me."

"R-right," Hideki nodded, looking oddly tired. "Just… please help… Mia's still there in the attic. She hid up there when the other neo-werewolves got free… took the only two non-infected kids with her… She needs help out. They need help out… Please…"

Conan watched Hideki for a long while, searching the man's eyes for any signs of deception. Because if they went, they were signing away their lives. There would be no chance to escape if this was a trap, and that was the brutal truth. Although he and Kid had gotten a lot more in-sync through all of their trials and hardships, they were both badly shaken. It was too easy to falter, and if they did, that could very well be their end. No, they had to know without a doubt that Hideki wasn't lying to them. That he wasn't trying to lure them straight to death's door. Still, in those eyes, he couldn't make out anything malicious. Just pain. And that was what bothered Conan that most. Pain and desperation were dangerous. They could drive people to do amazing things, both for good and for bad. But which one the man before him was aiming for was impossible to tell.

"Okay," Kid nodded. "As long as I don't have to fight Vampire, I'm pretty sure I could sneak them out." So that was the thief's choice… to believe Hideki and to return to the awful place…

"Kaito?!" Aoko exclaimed, beyond a doubt worried. "What are you thinking?! You just got back!" She had grabbed at his arm and kept him in a vice-like grip. Conan couldn't blame her. Even he wasn't certain if going back was worth it… But Mia and those kids… if Hideki was telling the truth, then not going back would be the same as killing them…

With great reluctance, the diminutive detective sighed and said, "I… I'll go too."

"C-Conan-kun!" Ran, who had mostly kept her composure up until now, cried out in surprise. "You can't be serious! There's no way Dad or I would let you go back there!" To make her point even stronger, she, too, kept him restrained in her arms.

"Kuroba-kun, Edogawa-kun," Hakuba admonished. "Are you two really that thick-headed? What if this is a trap? You'd be killing yourselves just by trusting him."

Hideki remained quiet, keeping his eyes on the floor and his hands balled up at his sides. A deep frown was etched onto his features. But what drove Conan to finally trust him were the small tears that worked their way down his cheeks. There was no way he would be putting himself through this, even if he did want to trick them. He was, for the most part, a fairly composed man. Sure, he could be scared off, but through it all, he'd never cried or whined about his roles. He wouldn't be here begging if it wasn't important. "Please guys… I'm begging you… Daisuke's infected… Mia's all I have left…"

Kid shook himself free from Aoko's grasp and walked over to Hideki. "I'm choosing to trust you… but if this is a trap, understand that I'm not responsible for the consequences." He left the threat to the imagination, though Hideki just nodded, either unfazed or uncaring. "Conan-kun," the thief said, turning to the diminutive detective. "Don't come with us."

"Wh-what?!" Conan almost choked on the exclamation. "You have to be joking! Do you really think I'm going to leave you alone against that many enemies?! Idiot! I'm going too, if only to make sure you don't die."

"…Thank you," Kid said, voice genuinely grateful. He walked over to Conan's side and somehow managed to pick him free from Ran's grip and place him on the floor next to him. "There's no one else I'd rather have backing me up."

"Please don't…!" Aoko pleaded. "We already lost you once… and you almost died right in front of us… please…"

"I'll be back, I promise." The thief moved back to her and gave her a hug, which she readily returned. "I'm always back eventually," he added with a smile. "'Fraid you guys can't get rid of me that easily."

"You're incorrigible and quite possibly the biggest git I've met…" Hakuba sighed in frustration. "But you're right. What can we do while you're gone?"

"H-Hakuba-san!" Ran still wasn't convinced, but to be fair, she was pretty sure her charge was just a small child. It would be insane of her not to fight the arrangement.

"I've seen Kuroba-kun in action and I've seen Edogawa-kun's intellect for myself," the British detective replied. "Both of them are more than capable on their own. Together… I pity their enemies." Kid grinned and offered Hakuba an outstretched fist. Despite rolling his eyes, the British detective lightly bumped his own against the thief's. "Don't make me regret this, Kuroba-kun."

"Who? Me?" the thief chuckled. Turning back to Conan, he said, "Well, Boss? I think we'd best get Hakuba on the hunt for Futoshi. Sound good? The guy's like a bloodhound when it comes to tracking people." The British detective in question simply offered a shrug.

With a relieved grin of his own, the diminutive detective nodded. "He goes by the name of Maeue Futoshi. He's the one that created the drug. If we find and capture him, we stand a good chance of getting a cure for Kaito-niichan and the others." With that, Conan described the druggist with as much detail as he could muster. Everything would ride on Hakuba's ability to find and capture him while Conan and Kid helped the police and saved Mia and the kids. Both jobs were going to be tough, but such was the nature of the beast. Much to his surprise, Hideki also offered information on likely places the druggist would run and confirmed that they had Futoshi's real name. With all of this in place, they at least had a plan of action.

When Mouri walked back into the room, he was met by Conan, Kid, and Hideki as they left. Halfway through a question of where they were heading, he was interrupted by Kid who simply left it at they "would be back later" and that he would "take care of" Conan while they were gone. Before he could demand more, the trio had already taken flight, leaving it up to Hakuba to explain the situation. There was no doubt in Conan's mind that Mouri would be furious with both him and Kid, but there wasn't a whole lot of effective other choices available.


They had taken a slight detour and first headed to Agasa's home. Conan and Kid had both agreed that restocking was the wisest decision. It was impossible to guess what they'd see there, and it was better to be well-armed than underprepared in this situation. Part of it had also been to put off the rather daunting and painful task ahead of them, though it was best not to remember that part. Agasa was able to offer Conan a restock on his tranquilizer dart and a fresh soccer ball belt, and was even able to help restock Kid's more basic equipment. It had definitely been a trip worth taking, though both were chewed out by Haibara for their idiocy in going back. Well, you had to take the good with the bad, Conan supposed.

Agasa had been the one to offer to drive them, and with Hideki's instructions, they were able to make it back to the slaughterhouse in a painfully short time. Police officers surrounded the premises, though Kid had found a way through their line almost immediately. They were so focused on the front of the slaughterhouse that they'd mostly neglected the back. In the evening gloom, the trio was able to part ways with the professor and sneak their way through the line.

Somehow, the building and grounds looked more ominous than when Conan had first seen them, though that was probably a trick of the mind… Not that knowing this did anything to relieve his nerves or the dread that was quickly welling up in his stomach. The trees still looked like they were reaching out with jagged branches for them, and the building itself looked like it was sneering at them with broken windows and a fragmented door lying just ahead of them, beckoning them inside. Small wonder his instincts were all screaming at him to flee. He was pretty sure the same could be said for Kid, given how tense the thief had gotten. This was going to be a nightmare… but hopefully it would be the end.

As it stood, if things went awry, Conan would contact Agasa and he would let the police know what was happening. But, short of getting mobbed by neo-werewolves, which was looking like more and more of a possibility in the creeping silence, they probably wouldn't need to worry about much else. All they were here for was to get Mia and the kids out. Short, sweet, to-the-point. Somehow, Conan doubted it would be that easy, but it was always good to hope… There was also the question of the other neo-werewolves… would they be rational like Kid, or would they be wild like Daisuke? And if they ran into Vampire, they were going to be in well-over their heads.

Kid nodded for Hideki to head in first, and followed the black-clad man close behind. Conan was the last to enter the darkened building, straining to listen for anything at all. It was very likely that Kid was doing the same. They moved slowly, as per the phantom thief's silent instruction, footsteps barely making a noise at all and Kid's own footsteps were completely silent. Well, he wasn't known as a phantom thief for nothing.

As they made their way to the edge of the entry room, a gunshot rang out from somewhere above them, making Conan flinch and Kid immediately search around for anything near them. Based on the sound, it probably came from a couple of floors above them… Hopefully that was Vampire. If he was upstairs, then that gunshot would just have to serve as their warning to his whereabouts. At last, it felt like their luck was returning…

What the diminutive detective noticed next was the abrupt atmosphere change. While here the first time, the slaughterhouse had held an air of danger and activity… though now it felt colder and heavier, like there was nothing but doom and desolation awaiting them in the darkness. The shadows danced in the distance, but he couldn't hear any accompanying noises. As with outside, it looked like his paranoia was going to get the best of him for the duration of the mission… It felt almost as bad as the time he'd had to hide from Gin in those lockers…

Sometimes he cursed his keen eyesight. From the corner of his eye, he'd noticed some different shadows that had clung to the wall. They'd had an almost reddish hue to them and spread all along the light-colored wall. And then he'd noticed the corpse just below. Whoever it was had been completely butchered here… mostly likely when they tried to escape. He swallowed back the instinctive fear that came from such a sight. It wouldn't do if he let himself get intimidated by one corpse, regardless of how butchered it may or may not be. He had a job to do…

At the doorway leading further into the slaughterhouse, Kid moved Hideki behind him and crept ahead to scout the darkness. It was at this point that he realized just how lucky he was to have Kaitou Kid leading this particular mission. Each step was taken with extreme caution. If there was so little as a creaky floorboard, the phantom thief had them immediately lower themselves and keep pressed against the wall. Admittedly, the first few times it had happened, nothing came out to get them, but as they progressed, footsteps and ragged snarls filled the air. Apparently Kid had been hearing this long before Conan or Hideki had even picked up on the sounds, as frightening as that was to know…

And this came with a painful revelation: the neo-werewolves were most likely all irrational. De-humanized and vicious. Although he'd heard Hideki mention that the wolf population here had risen, seeing it (or rather, hearing it) for himself made the fact even harder to swallow. All of those innocent people had had their reason stripped from them and had been left as Futoshi's dogs… But, hearing the activity on the first floor made Conan wonder just what the police were doing outside. Were they trying to draw attention or something? If so, it wasn't working.

The next problem they encountered was at the staircase to the second floor. Kid had forced them into a crouching position in the hallway as he'd dissected the scene. He turned back to Conan and shook his head. Although Conan's eyes had mostly adjusted to the darkness, he couldn't quite make out what the thief had seen, though it was probably bad all the same. Still… they needed the staircase to make it to the attic. That meant they'd need a way around the neo-werewolves… Maybe the trick he'd used before could work here…

Conan lightly traced a circular shape on Kid's hand, essentially asking for a ball-shape item. Sure, his soccer balls could work, but those were one, loud to inflate, and two, not in a comfortable supply. Using one would not be a great idea. Kid's response was a straight line. It would probably be a one-and-done trick that hopefully, they wouldn't need to repeat on any of the other floors.

Kid helped him to angle properly, though there was no way in hell he was going to super-kick the ball. The sparks would be a dead-giveaway with extra emphasis on dead. Honestly, he was also worried about the noise that would come from simply kicking the ball at all… He couldn't say how acute the wolves' hearing was, and if, somehow, the drug had sharpened their sense of hearing, they'd be able to find the trio easily. Slightly shaking off the paranoia, he opted instead, to toss the ball into the far hallway, letting it bounce off of the wall and floor and roll into the distance. Soon, the sounds of hurried footsteps and growls filled the air as the neo-werewolves chased after the noise. Yes, tossing the ball had definitely been the best choice.

Their trio hurriedly, but silently, made their way up the staircase. Though, unfortunately, like so many others of its kind, there was a creaky step and nowhere to hide. Growls from not-so-far-away filled the air once more, and Kid quickly grabbed Conan and bolted up to the next floor with Hideki hard at his heels in panic. The neo-werewolves drew closer and, in a blind sprint, Kid and Hideki both tackled the nearest door, forcing it open and quickly slamming the door shut behind them. Kid dropped Conan and he and Hideki both placed their full weights against the door, doing their best to keep the horde of snarling man-beasts out. Conan's own heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest as the first assaults on the door started. Would just the two of them even be capable of keeping them all out? If only they had something sturdier to keep the door shut… Damn it all!

Scanning the dark room for anything useful or anything door-shaped, the diminutive detective felt his heart skip a beat when he'd found nothing but walls surrounding them. There were no other exits… and the clawing and pounding only got worse with time. The growls had turned into howls of rage, sending a sick feeling through him.

"Th-there's no way out!" Conan whispered urgently, running back over to his companions. That thing he'd thought earlier about their luck getting better? He took that back. This was a giant leap far beyond the reaches of misfortune. This was an absolute disaster.

"Do we-" Kid grunted, holding back what sounded like a full-bodied tackle on the door. "Do we call for help or-or do we wait it out?"

A loud screech cut through the howls and growls, followed by several shrieks and cries of pain. The sounds of struggle and fighting reached their ears. Were-were they killing each other out there?! "Oh Kami…" Hideki whispered, horrified. "I think… I think Kichirou-sensei's here…!"

Vampire was here?! Then… that loud screech had been him? The pounding against the door stopped, and soon the sound of something getting repeatedly bashed against the floor was heard. There was a fearful whimper before something rolled away from the door and what was definitely blood started spreading under the small space between the door's base and the floor. There was another sound, one of something ripping and tearing, before Vampire left the area. Thank the gods that Vampire hadn't realized they were there! Even so, they stayed put for several more minutes, straining to hear anything beyond the silence. Damn it… it felt like his heart was going to beat its way out of his ribcage and dive out the window or something!

After enough of their collective wits had been regained, Kid took in a deep breath and carefully moved Hideki out of the way. He opened the door as slowly as he could manage, and only just enough to quickly inspect the hallway before picking Conan back up and leading Hideki out and around a couple of brutalized corpses that, even in the dark, were clearly missing limbs. Conan was pretty sure one of them was likely missing a head… ugh… Yet again, he found himself not horribly upset to have been manhandled… but then again, those corpses were kind of… all over the place. Yeah, he definitely would've tripped over them had he been walking.

If they hadn't been told that Mia was in the attic, this would've been more than enough reason to turn-tail and flee. Though, possibly because of Vampire's interference, there were no further encounters on the second floor. Plenty of bodies though… Most of them looked pretty fresh… The places where limbs were supposed to be were really bloodying up the corpses… And the gore hadn't stuck to just the floor…

By the time they'd reached the next ascending staircase, they'd found only one neo-werewolf lurking about the hallway, oblivious to the carnage around it. Either Vampire had killed off most of them, or they'd fled downstairs… As loathe as Conan was to admit it, either option worked for him at this point in time.

The third floor was completely devoid of life. They only encountered a small number of corpses at this level, and those were surprisingly intact. No missing parts and no gratuitous gore were noticeable, thankfully. Still, despite not finding evidence of anything lurking the halls, there was no way anyone planned on bringing out a flashlight anytime soon. Better to take a slow approach in the dark than to run into any more trouble.

Finally, they'd made it to the fourth floor, with even less to see here than anywhere else. Nothing alive or dead blocked their passage through the halls. It was… a relief and a concern all in one. Hideki once more took the lead, guiding them into a room and pulling carefully on a cord. Kid finally placed Conan back onto the floor as a ladder reaching to the ceiling fell down into the center of the room. A couple of frightened gasps from above were followed by a quick skittering of feet. Well, at least the kids were still in one piece.

"Hey," Kid quietly called up to them. "We're friends. We're here to rescue you." Somehow hearing him, the kids shuffled back to the ladder and poked their heads out. "Come on, we're all going to get out of here."

"R-really?" one asked in a quivering voice.

"We're gonna get out?" the other asked, slightly more composed, but not by much.

"Kai?" Mia's voice whispered. "Is that you?" So Hideki hadn't been lying after all… At least their getting through that miserable horror show hadn't been in vain.

"Yep!" the thief replied in much better cheer than Conan had thought possible. "We're okay. I don't think there are any wolves up here. Well, we didn't see any."

"You know that doesn't mean anything," Mia warned, helping the kids down before carefully making her own way down the ladder. The kids were approximately Conan's size, it seemed… Well, at least it'd be easier for Kid and the others to carry them if they had to.

"Mia…! I'm so glad you're okay...!" Hideki whispered, sounding truly happy despite their current location and circumstances.

"Hideki?" the girl asked in surprise. "You came back…? What kind of idiot are you…? Don't you realize you could've been killed?" Although there was admonishment in her tone, there was also a softness and gratitude that couldn't be missed.

"I… I… yeah… But I couldn't just leave you behind like that. You're… you mean a lot to me." So that's what it was…

"Come on, guys," Conan murmured. "If we wait too long, they might come back up here." The kids both slightly whimpered at the idea, and the diminutive detective slightly winced. If they made noise like that on the way out, things would turn really ugly really fast. "We need to be quiet, okay guys?" he said to the kids, trying to get them to keep calm. "If we don't make noise, they won't find us."

"…R-right," they stammered in unison, keeping close to each other and to Mia.

"Lead the way, Onii-chan." Kid made a slight grunt of agreement and headed to the door. There were probably far too many people to use his glider, assuming he even had it on him. Kid checked the hallways before making another small noise for them to follow him. Thankfully, no neo-werewolves had made it to the fourth floor. There weren't even any around the third, despite hitting another creaky step that immediately set everyone on-edge. If Conan ever had to deal with creaky steps in the night after this, it'd probably trigger a panic attack or something along those lines…

By the time they'd reached the second floor, one of the kids had tripped over something on the floor and let out a surprised squeak that quickly turned into a terrified shriek when they'd realized what they'd tripped over was a severed head. Damn it! It was that head, wasn't it?!

Howls, growls, and rushing footsteps raced to greet their cries. Composure abandoned, Kid cursed, roughly snatched Conan into his arms, and barked orders for Mia and Hideki to grab the kids and follow him as quickly as they could. They barreled down the halls, hoping against hope that they would make it out of this alive.

From the thief's arms, Conan could feel Kid's pulse thundering as they fled, or was it his own? From the darkness, he could make out the neo-werewolves quickly closing in on them from behind. "You might want to pick up the pace!"

"I know!" the thief snapped back, waiting for the other two to speed up before doing so himself. Deciding now would be an excellent time to see where they were going, Conan turned and flicked on his watch-light, much to the runners' gratitude. Of course, the downside also became quickly apparent when the first floor hall filled with the remainder of the neo-werewolves, forcing a change in directions. "I thought you said they were mostly dead!"

"How was I supposed to know they all got turned?!" Hideki exclaimed, panting behind Kid.

"Stop complaining and run, you idiots!" Mia snapped at them both.

The front door came into view and the faded light of night greeted them as Kid and Hideki tackled the door open and bolted outside. Hopefully the police wouldn't mistake them for the wolves… On second thought, looking back at the frenzied neo-werewolves that were hot on their heels, that wouldn't be a problem. "A little help here!" Kid yelled at the officers as he narrowly avoided becoming a chew toy by side-stepping a pair of jaws and clawed hands.

As quickly as the stunned officers could manage, they surrounded the escaped neo-werewolves and got the six escapees past their perimeter. Hideki, Mia, and the kids made their way to the front gate before stopping to breathe. Kid had gotten half-way to the gate before turning back and watching as the officers managed to systematically shut down the attack. Numbers really meant a lot in this kind of thing. It was clear, though, that the thief was exhausted. He was panting pretty loudly and had dropped to a crouch. Ready to act, should he need to, but still able to somewhat rest.

Megure and his men had thankfully been well-informed. They'd come wearing body armor, enabling them to shrug off any bites and to strike back. Though, Conan could've sworn there had been more than six chasing them back there… He wasn't going to complain. His mind was probably just playing tricks on him in their rush. Although saddening to watch, it was good that the officers were able to subdue, cuff, and muzzle the wolves, even if they didn't really look particularly pleased to do such to other humans.

When the last neo-werewolf was caught and contained, everyone could breathe a sigh of relief. Still, looking at them brought a stab of sympathy to Conan's heart. They all looked horrible. They were almost emaciated, had fingernails that had grown claw-like, matted hair, and skin and clothes saturated with blood… even their eyes looked feral. Although they weren't the monsters from the stories, they were the next closest thing to them. Hopping out of Kid's arms, Conan placed an arm around the thief's shoulders (well, as much as he could). Kid remained silent, and Conan felt his heart sink slightly for his friend's plight. The thought that anyone would be so arrogant as to cause this kind of suffering was infuriating. How dare that bastard go this far! And go figure, as soon as things turned sour, Futoshi had fled. He really hoped Hakuba would nail him down soon.

"C-careful!" Kid yelled, snapping Conan from his thoughts and regaining Megure's attention. "There's… there's something coming! Be careful!" The thief had started visibly trembling as he spoke, though what could throw him into such panic, Conan couldn't say… No. Vampire.

Sure enough, a vicious screeching howl split the air just moments before the maddened serial killer dashed out of the slaughterhouse. Before the officers could so much as pull out a weapon, Vampire was upon them, tackling Megure to the ground and slashing at the inspector's face and neck with what appeared to be knives. Megure let out a surprised cry of pain as the officers scrambled to get the madman off of him. Unlike the other wolves, Vampire didn't even attempt to bite and was so single-minded in his onslaught that even gunfire didn't move him.

"Sh-shit! We need to help him!" Conan yelled before he could even think through the situation, dashing into range and readying his belt and shoes. He'd managed to knock Vampire off of Megure, but that only turned the serial killer's focus to him.

"F-fucking dammit!" Kid swore, forcing himself to get up and help. When Vampire had gotten close enough, the thief tossed a card at him. Once it had landed on the ground near the madman, it burst in a small explosion, making Vampire let out a small cry that quickly turned into an enraged roar. "Son of a bitch!" Kid cried as he became Vampire's next target-of-choice.

"Damn it! Keep him in one spot!" Conan ordered, inflating another soccer ball and setting his shoe's power to maximum.

"I wish I could!" the thief retorted, just barely avoiding a slash to the jugular. "Find another way to help me, damn it!"

"I need a straight shot for that!" Conan barked back. Then the thought struck him. "Up against the wall!" Again, he counted his lucky stars that he was working with Kid on this one. The thief managed to evade most attacks and managed to get within a few meters of the edge of the slaughterhouse. In that moment, Conan launched the soccer ball at full-force, ricocheting it off of the wall and straight into Vampire, effectively grounding him. Kid took the moment to scurry back over to Conan's side… or at least, he tried to before Vampire snapped out of his daze and grabbed the thief's ankle.

Kid immediately started to struggle and yank at his leg, but apparently that wasn't enough. Even worse, Vampire managed to wrench backward and dragged the thief to his back before looming menacingly over him. If anyone had a right to piss themselves in this moment, it would definitely be Kid. The fact that he'd frozen up and started trembling spoke for miles.

Damn it! What could he do?! He'd managed two shots at Vampire and both had been high-powered! All they'd managed to do was stun him for a few seconds! But if he did nothing, then Kid was dead. Guaranteed.

Rushing over to Kid and Vampire alongside the about half of the officers, Conan flipped his watch open and aimed for the madman's neck. He darted Vampire in the neck, but there was no noticeable effect. Instead, he clawed at his neck in irritation and slashed at Kid when the thief got free from his grasp. Despite getting a pretty nasty gash to the stomach, the thief still pulled himself beyond the close-knit line of officers before letting out a groan and collapsing in a heap on the ground.

Before Vampire could act again, a gunshot rang out, bullet hitting the neo-werewolf in the shoulder. He hissed in pain and unsteadily got to his feet before turning to Takagi. The young officer slightly faltered under the serial killer's malice, but held his gun at-the-ready. He managed to land another shot in Vampire's leg, effectively felling the man and making him howl in rage.

"Vampire!" Conan yelled. "Akira!" Vampire turned and faced him, feral blue eyes meeting with Conan's for a brief, terrifying moment. Against his will, he'd slightly frozen up. And then he saw through the bestial gleam… He was in pain. He needed help, just like the rest of them. As calmly as he could manage, he walked over to Vampire, leaving enough room between them so that he'd not get the idea to attack.

"C-Conan-kun!" Takagi shouted, already raising his gun with a much less steady hand.

"Don't," Conan replied, doing his absolute best to stay calm. If he was shaking, it wasn't from nerves. Clearly not. There was no pressure… just a fifty-percent chance of brutal death standing in front of him… "I'm going to see if I can calm him down. Maybe… maybe he's not lost yet."

The serial killer considered him carefully, watching with curiosity for what felt like hours before slightly hunching over. Apparently the tranquilizer was working now that Vampire had calmed down… Conan was going to need to have a long conversation with Agasa about the efficacy of that tranquilizer… But, at least for the moment, they were safe.

Takagi ran over and made sure Conan was okay, checking him over for any serious injury, and still dumbfounded by what had just happened. Conan, on the other hand, felt his legs give out from under him and ended up sitting back in Takagi's grasp. That had been far too stressful…

For the second time that day, he and Kid had been brought back to Beika General. Inspector Megure was going to need quite a bit of time to recover, but he'd make it through. Kid's wounds weren't horribly severe, but that gash had certainly scared the hell out of Aoko. It had also been decided that Superintendent Matsumoto would have to deal with the neo-werewolves and the manhunt for Futoshi. Hakuba had managed to find some traces of the druggist, but hadn't quite been able to find him in such a short amount of time. Also put on priority was finding some kind of cure for the Werewolf drug's victims. As it stood, they were doing everything in their power to move progress along.

When Kid had finally woken up, he'd been surrounded by his friends and fussed over by Aoko and a woman that was probably the thief's mother. Nakamori and an older man were standing to the side, both looking incredibly relieved to see that Kid was okay.

Leaving Ran and Mouri at the door, Conan walked over to his wounded friend. "Glad to see you're okay."

"Ah, you know me… Can never quite count me out," Kid said with a slight shrug. "Give me about a week's rest and I'll be back to the usual tricks." That response warranted a slight smack from Aoko and a long-suffering sigh from Hakuba.

"Sounds good. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

"No promises, Meitantei, no promises," he grinned and offered a two-fingered salute. "Thanks for saving my life," Kid said with warm sincerity.

"Thanks for saving mine," Conan returned the smile before heading out with his guardians. "See you later, Kaito-niichan!"

And so it was that after such a long struggle, Conan was finally able to return home to the Detective Agency. Honestly, a bit of normalcy and routine sounded amazing at the moment. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was also glad he'd be able to be with the Shounen Tanteidan again, though Haibara would likely get on his case about recklessness…

And sure, there were a lot of things he'd change if he ever got the chance… Hindsight was twenty-twenty, after all. There were going to be nightmares that would haunt him, no doubt about that. Yet, somehow, through it all, he'd persevered and would continue to. The nightmare was over. He'd live to see another day. There were still things that needed to be done, such as catching the druggist and finding the gem Kid had stolen and lost, and rest-assured, they would get done, but now was the time to rest. Now was the time to leave things to the police… and continue when he'd gotten his second wind.


Thank you all so much for reading! I'll see you later for The Inferno!