A New Beginning

Chapter 12

After several frantic phone calls to the ambulance service and Hakuba later in between trying to get the body in the bathroom to breathe again, Kaito was in the back of an ambulance speeding away to the local hospital. In his panic he had called the Japanese number for an ambulance as he had completely forgotten the British equivalent and had had to call Hakuba to ask him for the correct number.

As they approached the hospital and the paramedics jumped put and wheeled the stretcher away Kaito spotted Conan waiting for him by the entrance. Conan waved to him, but Kaito didn't respond so he walked over to Kaito who was still sitting in the ambulance, feeling numb from the sudden suicide attempt.

Silently, without saying a single word or asking any questions Conan led him skilfully through the white corridors of the hospital passing nurses and doctors, to a plastic bench outside the operating theatre. He pushed Kaito onto the hard bench and walked off in search of something sugary to bring the normal Kaito Kuroba back.

Kaito sat there staring at the cork message board covered in faded poster encouraging children to be inoculated against Tetanus. He couldn't feel anything but shock from the suddenness of it all. He didn't even jump or flinch when Conan pressed a cold drinks can against his cheek.

"Here," Conan said, passing the Coca Cola can. "You need the sugar."

Kaito accepted it and felt the sugar rush through him after he took a few sips. He began to feel more alert now due to the caffeine and sugar kick.

"Do you have any idea why…?" Conan asked, leaving the rest of the sentence unfinished.

"We confessed to each other last night," he informed Conan who smiled slightly and nodded understandingly. "This morning she was happy, then she answered the door and after…"

As Kaito said the words Conan put the pieces together. It seemed as if Gin had arrived earlier than they had been informed and had probably coerced Aoko Nakamori into committing suicide by threatening Kaito's life.

"Kuroba, what did Hakuba tell you last night," the boy asked quietly after darting suspicious looks around to make sure there was no one to listen in. Luckily the corridor was deserted.

Doubtfully Kaito looked at him as if to ask why he was asking such a question, but he suspected there must be a sensible reason so he outlined the plan Hakuba had told him.

When he had finished Conan's fact twitched ad if he was trying not to smile. "You know that he was making the whole thing up?"

That made Kaito pull a face. "It did seem slightly implausible, but why did he tell me all those lies?"

"Your house is bugged," he stated plainly as if it was obvious. "You wanted the truth, but we couldn't tell you there so Hakuba and I agreed that he could make up anything as long as it kept you from asking any questions and would mislead The Organisation. Sorry."

Kaito was about to protest that he could have told him that the house was bugged before by writing it down and there was no need for Hakuba to come up with a plot that could have come from a Hollywood film when a nurse came rushing out the door of the operating theatre. Fear about Aoko's condition lurched through Kaito.

"What's wrong?" he called out to her, beginning to panic again.

"We've run out of blood for the woman. She needs a transfusion quickly or she will die," the nurse informed them. "Are any of you two willing to donate if your blood type matches?"

"He's the same blood type as her," Conan replied pointing to Kaito. "He's Type A."

"No, the patient is AB Negative."

Conan blinked in surprise at her words before subtly smirking and a glint passed through his eyes.

"I'm AB Negative and I'll donate."

Kaito watched as Conan and the nurse hurried down the corridor and sighed. Unlike Conan he couldn't do anything but sit there and wait to see whether she lived or died. Briefly he wondered how Conan had known his blood type and then he realised it was probably in his file. It seemed to him that he and Aoko were just files of information to convert into playing pieces on a chess board, pawns that could be controlled and manipulated to end up as sacrifices.

"Aoko, please don't die," he said aloud, clasping his hands together.

"How touching," a familiar sarcastic voice rang out and Kaito glanced up to see Sherry and Hakuba standing opposite him.

"Hakuba Did you see this one coming?" Kaito spat angrily. "If she dies…"

He stopped his threat when he saw that Hakuba did not resemble his normal self that he had become accustomed to seeing. His hair was unbrushed and he was wearing the same suit that he had been wearing the day before which was now crumpled.

"I'm very sorry Kuroba-kun," he apologised sincerely. "It seems that They arrived earlier than we were informed. I believe that the person that visited Nakamori-san this morning was Gin."

Kaito flinched at the name. Damn Gin, he was the sole person responsible for ruining Aoko's life and he swore that he would throttle him if he ever did get his hands on him.

"How did he persuade her to slit her wrists and I thought he was supposed to land in England tonight?"

Hakuba frowned; it seemed as if he had lost his major source of information of things that were occurring within The Organisation if she was transmitting false information.

"He most likely threatened to kill you if Nakamori-san did not commit suicide, They have a collection of snipers," he paused. "I think that my informant had been compromised."

"Is your informant Kir by any chance?" Haibara spoke up.

"Yes… How did you know?"

"She's been under suspicion for a while. They were only keeping her alive so she could feed inaccurate information which she thought was accurate to people like you that want to destroy them, she explained. "Judging by the fact that we all know now that the information is false she's probably dead and she has outlived her usefulness."

There was a silence as the detective and magician digested the information. Hakuba ruffled his already untidy hair whilst trying to think of what to do next and Kaito finished his drink.

"Where is Kudo-kun?" Hakuba asked finally.

Kaito looked down the corridor and spotted the Conan who was running his arm and the nurse from earlier who was carrying packs of blood. Conan sat down next to Kaito whilst the nurse swept past them into the operating theatre.

"Thank you for donating blood," Kaito said sincerely, bowing his head.

"It's all right," Conan smiled before turning serious. "Unfortunately we don't have the time to wait for her to wake up. We need to move now before They get the upper hand."

Hakuba nodded in agreement. "You have a pint, now that we now that some of Them are here we need to get moving now. Kuroba-kun, are you going to help us? We cannot do it without you."

Kaito glanced at him and then at the doors to the operating theatre. He didn't want to leave Aoko, not knowing whether or not she was going to survive. However he knew that nothing would be achieved if he didn't put any effort it.

"I'll help. On one condition."

"What is the condition?"

"I get to kill Gin." His eyes narrowed dangerously.

The blonde considered it for a few moments, adding up the possible dangers of allowing Kaito to have a free rein with Gin. He needed Kaito's help and he could understand why he wanted to go after Gin.

"Fine, but only if he tries to kill you or crosses your path- do not go after him deliberately," he ordered sternly.

Kaito nodded, it seemed fair enough. "What do I have to do?"

"Please go to this address," Hakuba passed him a scrap of paper. "Incapacitate the man you will find there and impersonate him. His codename is Bourbon and he is the agent that has always been here observing me. The disguise and the stun gun that you will need is in the boot of my car along with a normal gun and a Kaito Kid outfit in case anything should happen."

"Got it," Kaito said as he memorised the address and set fire to the note using the lighter in his pocket. "What do I do if he isn't alone?"

"He should be alone since he is primarily a spy and not a field agent and they will probably contact him for help as he is the only person familiar with this village. If he is not alone give me a call."

Hakuba turned to Conan. "Please call your American friends and them that the time they have been waiting for has come." Then he switched his attention back to Kaito. "You need to go as soon as possible."

"I would if I knew which car was yours."

Hakuba blinked the shock of a near suicide and the stress of everything else as building up and he was beginning to forget small things. He dug in his pocket and threw his car keys to Kaito.

"It is the Porsche."

"Figures."

Kaito started walking away, and then he stopped and turned back, having just thought of something.

"Hakuba, do you have a plan or are you just making it up as you go along?"

"That is the plan. They are expecting me to have a plan so I decided to do the opposite."