Deception

by LostInTheMystery

CONTINUATION OF MANIPULATION: Caught in the middle of chaos from old and new wounds, companions erase lines and battle shadowy figures in the dark with the faces of friends- friends out for blood. - Conan and Heiji as co-main characters - M for violence.

14. Mysterious Demand

Chapter 63: Mysterious Demand

Conan used the elevator, seeing as the buttons for the lower floors were easy enough to reach and he didn't want to be running down the stairs. They stopped once at another floor with a woman who was also going to the lobby he waited with her. Conan walked out, trying hard not to rush. The second he was outside that wasn't something he planned on doing. He ran around the corner, trying to look anywhere for the car. If he was watching them... Who knew? He'd check the parking garage too. After less than half a block though, Conan had to sit down and breathe, just for a second, on the sidewalk in front of a house down the street. "Damn it..." He took a few more breath before getting unsteadily to his feet. Okay, so maybe this wasn't his brightest idea but he still had to know. Conan walked down the street instead of running, his feet getting ahead of his mind at points when he felt better and sprinting. After checking around the block and the next block over- he found it. It was definitely Gin's car. Looking around though, Conan couldn't see anyone suspicious. He went in his pocket, getting what he needed, and slowly walked past the car, taking out a coin and flipping it in the air before he caught it. On the seventh spin he missed it, watching it fall over somewhere off the curb and under the car. "Uh-oh." Getting down on his knees, he reached his hand down and fished for it. Quickly, he put one of the tracking devices to the underside of the car before picking up the coin with a big smile on his face and continuing to flip it for a while until he became bored and put it in his pocket. He looked around every time he flipped the coin. An office building. An apartment complex. Two small businesses; one serving food and the other an eyeglasses store. The car was pretty far away from the hospital. Gin could be anywhere. At least now he had a way of telling when he left. Conan clicked the glasses on to make sure they worked, smiling confidently to himself before walking back over to the hospital. Four buildings with vantage points of the front door. They had to be careful. One of them was definitely out because all you could see from it would be the front door and they couldn't check the other three without being noticed. It wasn't until he walked in that the warm air of hospital made him swoon for a second. It really was chilly out, he just hadn't noticed it. Conan rubbed one of his arms to try and warm his own skin, even as the air was doing it, walking past the people in the reception area and clicking the button for the elevator to come back down.

Heiji had rolled his eyes and headed downstairs when he'd not seen Kudo at all, doing a full sweep of the hospital, including the basement. He was leaning against the back of the elevator and started to head up. 'Why am I not surprised? He was up to something. Kuso. When I find him...' The elevator stopped and he looked over at the person trying to get in.

Conan took a step in the elevator before looking up at Hattori and stopping the doors from closing. His surprise turned to a smile. "Find anything?"

Heiji huffed. "Yeah, top floor ta basement has people that are ranging from a broken bone ta a coma. One guy had had a heart attack, he passed on, an' a few have pneumonia. Oh, and three kids were born last night, all doin' fine. What about you?" He decided to wait to tell him about the guy on their floor until Kudo came in so no one heard him talk about the guy.

Conan walked in the elevator as it closed behind him. "It's Gin. Unless he's sightseeing, he's somewhere nearby." He smiled back up at Hattori and grabbed the side of his frames. "I tagged his car. There are several possible locations he could be at, but not in this building. That would be too obvious for him. What we do know now is they haven't stopped or they have another target who is also conveniently at this location. We have to be very careful leaving here from now on. More so than we have been."

"Another target..." Heiji's mind leapt to the guy upstairs.

Conan's eyes followed Hattori's and he found himself looking at the ceiling for a second before focusing on Hattori's eyes. "You think you found someone else they could be after?" What were the chances? And why now? It would be hard to tell who was one of their targets, but if there was someone, there was no way Conan was going to let them be killed. "We still need to find out where the information is." That could definitely make someone a target- but they would have no reason to come here, and no way to have known Hakuba was here.

"A person I came across on our floor. Didn' wanna talk ta me and said he wasn't here visitin' but called 'imself an ex-patient." Heiji looked down at Kudo and smirked. "Ya think if he's still there ya could work that 'childish charm' on 'im?"

Conan smiled, though he held a tinge of uncertainty. "I'm usually better with girls but I take what I can get." He full out grinned after that. "I'd be better at it then you if he already doesn't like you."

"Ya get him ta talk; I'll wait around the corner so I can hear," Heiji said just as the car stopped.

Conan nodded as he stepped out of the lift. "Don't let him catch you. Sorry Hattori, but you're one of the worse spies I've ever seen." He smiled in amusement before walking away down the hall in front of Hattori, hearing his footsteps behind him. The man in question was down the same corridor Hakuba's room was. "Hattori, who else is in this area?"

"Up this end of the hallway, jus' two rooms have people in 'em. None close ta him. Both had family members visitin' at the time an' both were really patients, nothing faked," Heiji replied, telling him the injuries and what he'd learned.

Conan nodded. "Not the kind of place you would go for sightseeing. But then, I guess that all depends on what you're trying to see." Right away Conan could tell the man was older, somewhere around Mouri-ojisan's age, maybe even younger. It was hard to tell at this distance. "If he is a target, he's way too confident, unless he doesn't think he'll be recognized."

"Or like ya said, he's the one lookin'." Heiji turned away from Kudo and slid into an empty room.

Conan ignored Hattori disappearing, walking on as if he weren't headed for the man's location. If he were one of Them he'd never seen him before. Dark hair, dark eyes from what he could see considering the other half of his face was covered with his hair. Older, with younger characteristics. Maybe late thirties. If he was one of them, he wasn't as well dressed as most of them were. Dirty shoes, hand-me-down or well worn coat that was too light for outside and too hot for inside temperatures. He was trying to look professional but not even managing to fake it as well as even Occhan could. When Conan came up to him he 'accidentally' trip before he made it there. "Owww... tch." Conan got himself to his knees and sniffled, wiping a hand across his nose and acting as if he were about to cry. And ouch. That kinda hurt.

Hibari watched the little boy come towards him, keeping himself uninterested until the little boy fell not far from him. Bending down, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He'd seen him, but this one he didn't know the name of. "Be careful where you step." He smiled, flicking the boy on the nose. "Life is a constant fight with gravity. You don't want to be on the losing end when you're so young still."

Conan sniffled again and looked up at the man, nodding but somewhat confused at the way he would comfort him. He didn't seem as old as someone who would be saying something like that to him. Up close, Conan could see a scar on his face, years old but an identification marker. If he had any other telling marks they were hidden. Reaching up, he grabbed the man's coat where he was holding him, getting himself to his feet, taking a hand to move the glasses and wiping a hand across his eyes. "Arigato, Ojisan." He got some more of his normal composure back before asking, "Are you here because a friend of yours fell?"

He was surprised for a moment before he smiled down at the kid, making sure he could stand on his own before getting up himself. "No, I'm not. I've known a few reckless people, younger than I am now, who have hurt themselves falling down stairs and off of railing and roof and whatever you could possibly find to fall off of though, and falling hurts, so be more careful. You don't want to end up here with a broken leg or arm now, do you?"

Conan shook his head quickly, feeling authentically dizzy for a second. "Nuh uh. Why are you here then mister? I'm here because a friend of mine got into a fight. You really shouldn't get into fights. You get hurt, and it's bad when you get hurt because of something stupid like that."

"Yes it is," Hibari agreed. "When you're fighting over something stupid. When it's something more important to you, sometimes people can't help but fight. Our hearts tell us to, even if it's wrong." He shooed off the boy, leaning against the wall again. "Go see your friend. I'm sure they're missing you."

Conan hid a frown when the guy ignored the first part of his question. He'd likely done something similar with Hattori if he'd gotten no answers too. Conan wouldn't lose this game though. "I will. Bye bye, Ojisan." He turned to go before stopping and facing him again. "What's your name?"

Hibari raised an eyebrow at the young boy, his expression still neutral. "I don't get a lot of people calling me by my name. If you want though, you can all me Fix."

Conan smiled and turned before running off. "That's a really funny name you have, Fix-ojisan." If he stopped at a room too close to this guy, or if he went to Hakuba's, he'd notice. So Conan didn't stop until he got to the one next door to it, the one that his father had been using. He didn't close the door all the way as he leaned against the wall and thought. Nothing. That man was everything he would use to describe ordinary, if not lower class, except for his personality. He couldn't see a reason he would be watching them or one that They would be after him for. And damn it, he couldn't even get his name.

'Kuso, still nothin'.' Heiji waited until the guy wasn't looking before he slipped out of the room and started away, checking the room numbers and marking the pad of paper in his hand. A second glance back showed he was still looking away so he slipped into the room Kudo had left open. "What didja make of that?"

Conan looked up at Hattori. "I don't think he's one of them. When he bent over I checked. He's not armed. I don't see why they would be after him either. As far as I can see, he's just a weirdo." And he meant the word in every sense it could be used in.

"Huh, that's the next thing I was gonna say. He was a weirdo... question is, which of us attracts 'em, since we seem to do that a lot. This may be the first time it's not a dangerous one." Heiji suppressed a small shiver. The last 'hospital weirdoes' they'd attracted kept popping up in his mind still. He didn't break down but that didn't mean he could avoid the uneasy feeling every now and then.

"This is the first I've run across so many. I usually run into murderers, so unless you make a habit of this then I think it's safe to assume that it's Hakuba. Don't tell him I said that though." Conan smiled up at Hattori. "I've notice nothing but weirdoes on his side of things since I've known him."

"Maybe with us instead of that bastard we can get 'im to just come across murderers and such that aren't targeting us."

It started out quiet but then Conan started laughing too much to hold it in. "Right, murders are much better than weirdoes. Those who killed out of hatred just love leaving the detective that found them out alone." Conan put a hand to his stomach, a reminder of both of their pain. "Honestly, where the future alone is concerned, I'm a bit happy he wound up with Kid. He could use the lightening up." Conan leaned his head back against the wall. "Doesn't mean I like the guy anymore than I did before though."

Heiji shrugged. Kuroba had been the main reason that he had found Kudo, not to mention twice stopping the same guy from... not ta mention the whole thing with Taki-kun. 'Hope the kid's doing better with that woman.' He knew if he'd still been connected to that group then he'd be in trouble since the guy he'd been with had been involved with that bastard.

Conan kept his head back, doing that making it easier to look at Hattori anyway. "I didn't say I didn't appreciate what he's done. I just don't like him in general. Call it a personality conflict if you have to. I wasn't trying to make you feel torn about it."

Heiji looked down at Kudo. "Yeah. Ya know, I jus' thoughta some'in'. If he an' 'is mom were dealin' with these people last night... the condition they both looked ta be in, who pulled it? The newspaper I saw in a few of the rooms showed it."

"Pulled it? From the conversation alone, it sounded like his mother was the one that took care of everything. What was in the newspapers? Oh right." Conan put a hand to his forehead. "Sonoko was going on about that." He looked at Hattori and shrugged. "How knows? If his mom isn't his assistant, I would have to guess it was one of them."

"Uh, maybe. She musta been pretty upset he didn' sweep her off her feet like she expected." He snickered a bit, knowing that was something she had hoped for on that blimp ride. He thought he'd lose an eardrum with how he'd freed Neechan but not her.

"Better her than Ran." Speaking of Ran, he had to get back. "If I can say one thing about him, he either makes a great or terrible first impression." Conan used the wall to stand, feeling sore from moving so much and so fast now that it had time to catch up with him. "We'd better get back before we lose an eardrum. Sonoko's not the only one who can pull that off."

"Yeah. She'd chew me out anyway if she knew I let ya go off alone." Heiji reached down and picked up Kudo before he could protest.

"Hey! No! Stop!" Conan struggled in the hold. "Come on. I can walk just fine. A few feet aren't going to matter."

"An' let her ask when? Nope. Ya relax now or I pick ya up and put ya in yer mom's arms."

"Hattori." Conan turned on his friend. "That's playing dirty." But Hattori was already leaving the room. "Come on. Knock it off. It's not like she's not already gonna know I was walking around. It's not all that bad. I'm just going to end up on the bed anyway." Conan sighed. It was a losing battle and it wasn't like they weren't just right next door to the room.

Heiji smirked. "Just relax. Like I said before. Enjoy the ride." He'd only just knocked once on the door when it opened and Kuroba-san motioned them in. He walked by her, wondering how she'd got to the door and known it was them before heading toward the bed.

Conan was going to at least be put down on the bed. No more hands. No more holding. No more little kid. Forget the inspector; Shinichi wasn't going to let his pride be batted about when all but two of the people in the room knew who he was. Hattori may have had his heart in the right place, but some of it was in the wrong place too and he all but demanded to be put down immediately with the look he gave him.

Heiji rolled his eyes. Like he needed that look to know to just put him on the bed. He walked over beside Hakuba and placed him next to him. "There, no need fer the stare."

"All the more the need for it. We were right next door. I would have been fine." He was running around... as close as he could to scouring the streets for that car. He'd told Hattori as much, though he didn't think the fact that he'd been out, and honestly was really regretting moving so much, had hit him. Either way, Conan had got what he wanted. He turned the glasses on for a moment, to make sure the car was still there, before turning them off and looking at Hakuba. "You should eat something. It's about breakfast time. We ate back at the apartment." The lack of smells in the room aside from disinfectant told him that none of those who had stayed overnight had likely eaten. Those thoughts, for the moment, were safer to voice until he knew exactly what it was he was going to do. He had an idea, but Hakuba wasn't going to like it. It could wait until after breakfast at least.

Saguru nodded slightly. He had not acknowledged it with his mind on informing the others but he was hungry. Before he could speak up he heard someone clap their hands together.

"No problem. I'll slip down and get something for the rest of you."

Conan went to protest before he stopped himself. Gin didn't know his mother, so even if he was watching from somewhere, she would be safe. "Just hide your hair this time. You don't need to be going around confusing everyone."

"But that's the fun part," Yukiko said with a sideways glance at her son.

Conan wanted to roll his eyes, instead using his hand to lean back and down out on the side of the bed. "It is not fun. You are the one having fun." He touched Hakuba on his side. "And if you were just walking, it was good you were sitting up for a while afterwards but you were in bed for a while so it would be better if you laid down. Sitting up to eat, and something normal now, should be something you'd want to save your strength for." Conan smiled; some playful tones hinting at what it would be like if he forced him to lay down while he ate and what it would entitle if he did. His mom he ignored completely. She'd do things her own way anyway.

Saguru heard a 'huff' and three seconds later the door opened and closed. Looking toward where the touch came from he nodded. He knew he had pushed himself quite far and while he would have waited a bit longer, he knew not seeing would impede him as it was and that the person that had just said that would be as good as the unspoken threat.

Conan half way raised himself, his hand grabbing Hakuba's sleeve. "I'm right behind you on the end. Don't go past me." He wanted to lead Hakuba's arm to the edge of the bed and over him, since he was too tired to move, but a second thought made him think better of it and he stood so Hakuba could feel around without being afraid of knocking into him. It let Conan make sure he didn't pull or knock anything over in the process. It also reminded him running was one of the stupidest things he could have done, oddly thankful now for Hattori's earlier gesture.

Saguru followed the lead and lifted his legs onto the bed as he turned. He placed the phone on his leg and began to reach back and hoped his arms would support him as he would not just fall back on the pillows.

Conan was mad; about to get Hattori to come help when the inspector pushed past him and grabbed Hakuba.

"Be careful, Hakuba-kun." Nakamori spoke, not wanting to hurt he kid's feelings by saying, 'hey, it's me' or something to tell him just how stupid he was to be moving. "Take your time." He still didn't really know what the younger kid's game was, but he avoided him as best he could as he helped Hakuba-kun get situated, leaning over and having the bed come up to meet him before lowering it down again enough that he was laying.

Saguru relaxed, slightly flushed and grateful that his embarrassment was still hidden by the dye Kuroba had used. He was torn between thanking them for the assistance and saying he would have been just fine but he had the feeling neither would be accepted.

Nakamori ruffled the kid's hair up a bit before backing off. "Don't push yourself. Seriously. It's just stupid. If anything, it makes a mockery of the whole reason we're here." His tone lightened up though. "I know it's different, but get use to it, you're only going to keep hearing it."

"Hey, Hakuba." Now that he was lying down and the threat of any major damage from movement was gone, he wanted to check something. "Do me a favor. Hold your hand out in front of you, one at a time, and open and close your hand- a number between one and ten how much doing that hurts and if you can't do it at all, don't try." He'd wanted to check the other wounds but needed Hakuba's assistance in this way to determine the damage. There was danger now and, like it or not, they might have to do something about it. Knowing each other's weakness was important.

Saguru took a breath and raised his left hand up. At this angle, he managed to get his arm out almost straight however his arm did start shaking and drop down so he put his elbow down, however he kept his hand in the air while he opened and closed his hand with no problem.

Nakamori leaned over and grabbed Hakuba-kun, just past his wrist. "Stop it kid. Don't hurt yourself." He grabbed Conan-kun by the shoulder, not exactly knowing where or how badly the boy was hurt. "Quit playing doctor. And Hakuba-kun, quit listening to him." He looked down at Conan-kun. "The doctor should be the one doing any kind of test that needs to be done and know what's going on." Hakuba-kun seemed a bit easy to influence right now, so he could see why he was listening to the kid, to see if he could do what he was asking. The little boy couldn't know how much damage a bullet could have done though. He let Hakuba-kun go, letting the kid's shoulder go to and patting him on the back. "Lay down yourself and wait until the doctor says it's okay."

Conan felt the reprimand on his shoulders, but he was used to it and, as unwarranted as it was, Nakamori-keibu did think he was just a kid. He smiled and nodded up at him. "Gomen." He probably should wait until Asano-sensei was back and could make his own assessments as well. Conan gave up any argument and shrugged. He wanted to lay down, but he wasn't really up to getting up again if he did.

Heiji smirked a bit because Kudo couldn't say anything to the inspector since he didn't know the truth. When he didn't he rolled his eyes but with the inspector right there... Heiji moved closer to the bed and spoke so just the other three there would hear him. "Hey, ya want some help ta lay down?"

Conan frowned as he looked at Hattori, he the only one that those words could be aimed at. Of course, he couldn't say what he really wanted to with the inspector so close. Instead, since he wanted the freedom without all of the fuss, he tipped his head to the side and started scooting off the bed. "I'm fine, Heiji-niichan. I don't wanna lay down." And it played up on the little kid role, him not being able to sit still, and he wasn't going to let Hattori grab him up again.

Ran saw Hattori-kun say something and when Conan-kun started trying to get off the bed she stepped over to it. He may be Shinichi but he was Conan-kun too and regardless he was going to rest, one way or another. "And just where do you think you're going?" she said, putting her hand out to keep him from getting off the bed.

Conan looked up at Ran, half way between pleading and annoyed, his eyes wide and telling her he wanted to let her go in the best way little kid's could use to get things to go in their favor. "I'm not going far." And he wasn't. He was just sick of all the handling and he wanted some space of his own. With everyone hovering over him, he was sure Hakuba wanted some too.

Saguru turned toward her. "If he tires himself out now I am sure Hattori or yourself will have less difficulty carrying him than trying to do so now."

Conan let out a small breath, keeping his expression as childish as he could while he did. He wasn't going to give Ran any ground and his put his fingertips up to her arm, trying to get her to back off. He whispered to her. "I'm not a child, and I'm not going far." I have a mother with sticky enough fingers; I don't need you doing the same thing. They couldn't expect him, who was always as independent as he wanted to be, to play obedient patient to them. He wanted to move. If he really wanted to, he'd be out there right now looking for them. He was taking them into consideration, and that was as close as he was going to get to trying to be the person they were expecting.

Ran leaned down so her hair hid her face from Nakamori-keibu. "I know but you are still recovering and I had to try or Nakamori-keibu might have." She gave him a small smile. "Just don't wear yourself out like you just told Hakuba-kun not to."

Conan smiled more deviously. "I won't. Thanks Ran." He felt a little too close to her again, with her knowing who he was. Usually he wouldn't care, or could hide it better. She was kind of not leaving him much personal space right now, making their conversation personal. He didn't want to bother with all of that - not that he hadn't already - but he wasn't going to get into any kind of conversation with her until he had time. He got ready to slide off the bed, looking up to her and holding his hand out so that she could at least help him down.

Ran smiled and took his hand and helped him down. As soon as he was on the floor she released her hold so he could do as he wished, still hoping he would take it easy but knowing that his definition of that and most people's were vastly different.

Conan smiled up at Ran as he walked around the bed. He didn't know what all those around him felt so interesting about him that they had to stare. If anything, he was grateful a few of them had switched their attention back to Hakuba. He didn't leave the room. He said he wasn't going far. He went over and sat next to Ran's father. He'd talk to the police officers after, but he felt he owed Mouri-ojisan a little more. He was hoping, with the way he'd sat next to him and pretended like that was all he intended, that the old man would get his message.

Kogoro looked down at the boy sitting next to him. Only reason he could think of was Conan wanted to talk to him. He shrugged but kept his voice low. "What's on your mind?"

Conan pulled up his leg, putting his arm around it as he leaned his chin down, hiding the fact he was speaking from the room and his eyes still closed as if he were resting. "Occhan, do you remember what we talked about before? About those people I told you about? They're here, and they're likely after Hakuba. Don't scare anyone, especially Hakuba right now. I'll tell him when he gets better. They are very dangerous. Be careful that they don't see you and we have to take more precautions when leaving, especially when Hakuba is released."

Kogoro, who'd still had his arms crossed in front of him, clenched them to keep from reacting. "Careful they don't see me? I would think Hakuba would draw their attention. They wouldn't know I'm connected to him anyway."

"Not him." Conan opened his eyes and looked sideways at Mouri-ojisan. "But they've seen me around, and they know you have something to do with me. All of us here would be too much to ignore."

"So maybe a few of us should head out before lunch. So it really looks like we aren't a group." Kogoro looked around at the room. With how crowded it had been maybe the teen would prefer just those he really knew for a while.

Conan shook his head, closing his eyes again. "I had thought about that, but it seems Hakuba wants to leave- or can leave by the way Kuroba-obasan was talking about it. I don't like us being split up when they're so close and Hakuba will be leaving soon. I think we should get more cars, and go in groups. We can't make it look obvious though. Nakamori-keibu and Kuroba-san should go with him when they leave, along with me." Conan did peek his eyes open for that. "They're not looking for a little boy, and I can make up some excuse. I know Kisaki-sensei has a car, and you can Ran could go with her. My dad has one too. As long as we keep it spaced out, it should be fine. I just wanted you to know to look out. I don't think anyone else really knows what these people are capable of, and right now they think Hakuba's a danger to them. I can't predict what they will do about it."

Kogoro wasn't too crazy about that idea. He'd have rather had him with them if these people knew Conan was supposed to be with him anyway. "I suppose ya just wanna keep an eye on him right?"

"I told you, it would be more inconspicuous to come out with a child." Conan sighed. "I'll make sure they can't recognize me. I will be safer for Hakuba this way. You should split Hattori and Kazuha-chan up, make sure they don't speak. While I know they've seen Hattori before, seeing them repeatedly and with their accents, they'll stand out."

Kogoro grunted. "I'm not stupid. You want to get her to let him go alone you bring it up. I'm not gonna get in that."

"I don't think I'll have to. I think Hattori knows better." Conan dropped his head further, his forehead resting on his hands. "Because of me, they know you. Whatever happens, don't let anything happen to Ran- If something happens." He smiled. "I won't go jinxing us just yet."

"Nothing will happen to her." Kogoro looked over at Ran just as she turned away from them. 'She's got that look again.' He looked down again. "Same goes for you... for her sake of course."

Conan nodded. "They shouldn't target me. They're looking for someone older- in both cases. Just be careful. I'm going to tell Takagi and Sato-keiji. Hattori already knows." He didn't see any reason to bring up Kid or his mother. "It seems my father knows they're nearby too, but my mother does not. If I find the chance to tell her when I tell the officers, I will, otherwise I think my dad will handle that." Conan got himself more comfortable where he was and truly let himself rest- his body anyway. "They're too close to the inspector right now. I'm going to try and get their attention when my mom comes back."

Kogoro watched Conan settle down and let him. Kami knew he needed it. He looked over at the others before letting his mind turn over what he'd just been told. 'They are not going to get near any of them... and I will make sure of it.'

Asano was heading back to the room. All his patients were doing better but he'd been called to help in the ER and was running late. He knocked quickly and walked in. Seeing Hakuba-kun laying down, his brow creased. He walked over to the bed and scanned the screens. They all looked good and the teen appeared relaxed. "Good to see you resting. Any discomfort or soreness after your walk?"

Saguru shook his head slightly. "No, Asano-sensei."

Vermouth smiled, listening to the confiscated device in her ear that was broadcasting to her. The boy really did have some fun toys, some even a little better than her own. She shifted the clipboard in her hands, safe in the shadow of an adjacent hallway. She sifted the letter underneath the papers with a seductive smile on her face.

Conan saw the doctor came in and got unsteadily to his feet from the position he'd been in. He let that go unnoticed by himself as he walked back over to the bed, feeling now the pain he hadn't before. It would still be some time until he could walk normally, but he didn't seem to be doing any further damage. Jumping up, he grabbed onto the bed sheets and pulled himself up. "Neh, neh, Asano-sensei? Hakuba-niichan hurt his arm's right? He'll be okay, won't he?" Tsh. Whatever. He'd still get his information this way.

Asano looked down at the boy and nodded. "He'll need to exercise them a bit every day for awhile but he's getting much better. We just have to make sure he doesn't try too much at one time." He turned his gaze to the inspector. "I got tied up in ER but I'm glad you're awake. There is something I need to discuss with you."

Nakamori looked at the doctor and shook his head. "If it's about Hakuba-kun's eyesight he, and Conan-kun, already told us." He narrowed his eyes at the child who had taken over when Hakuba-kun couldn't finish his explanation, wondering where and how the boy could know so much, before looking back at the doctor. "If it's a problem in the future, we'll deal with it. As long as Hakuba-kun is willing to try to deal with it, you can bet we are willing to help."

Asano nodded but looked over at Hakuba-kun. "You're friend was right and I intend to continue to help as well." He looked down at the boy. Conan-kun had proved to be just as smart as the teens and if that was the case, he wondered if the boy had figured it out too. The kids seemed smarter than some of the adults.

Conan tipped his head and smiled up at the doctor from where he was kneeling on the bed. "Arigato, sensei." He got himself into a sitting position with his legs out in front of him more and towards Hakuba so he could see him better. Now he just had to wait for his mom and, if he had to, discreetly help Hakuba. From the earlier display, Hakuba had most mobility in his biceps, at least on that one arm, and weaker in the back muscle. It should make eating fine as long as he had somewhere to prop up his arm.

Asano nodded and looked back at Hakuba-kun, about to suggest he get some food when a knock at the door caused him to look over as it opened.

"Here we go." Yukiko walked in and held the food out to the others. Passing out the food for the officers, Chikage and Aoko-chan before heading to the bed. "You picked this last time, Keibu, so I got it again and this is Hakuba-kun's."

Nakamori stared at the box handed to him and thanked... he was going to go with Conan-kun's mother, in his head. He still wasn't really sure how that all fit in, but that description seemed the most appropriate. He reached over to the side and shifted the table to the right height; putting his food down on it so he could use both hands, and sliding it in front of Hakuba-kun. He looked over at the doctor. "So he well enough to eat?" He'd been wondering that since the kid said something about food. He also wanted to know if he'd be able too.

Conan spoke up before the doctor could. "Don't worry. Hakuba-niisan just had to be careful what he ate because he hurt his throat and some foods could react badly when you're body is getting used to medicine. He should be fine now, though I don't he should eat anything like chips for a few days." He withdrew on himself a little after he had spoken, not sure whether the inspector would have liked the explanation coming from him or not.

Nakamori let out a breath at the little smartass and looked at the doctor, the same question still in his eyes.

"Kid knows what he's talking about. He may need some help if his arms get tired but as far as food, he'll be fine. Chips and stuff that are hard could be difficult to swallow still for the next day or two so ease back to those if he wants." Asano looked over as the woman stepped back and nodded.

Conan snuck across Hakuba and got the button for the bed, tapping him before hitting it so he would be sitting up. That was good enough since the inspector had already gotten the table. He held up his hands to the doctor. "Can I get a pillow and a blanket? A thick one?"

"OK?" Asano went over to the cot where a pillow and blanket were, grabbing them and going back to the bed. He passed the boy the pillow and held the blanket, wondering what the boy was up to.

Conan took the pillow. He was on Hakuba's left side and he saw basically where the problems in movement were. He placed the pillow beside him first, for height, and held out his hand again so he could have the blanket. It would be easier for Hakuba to move when his arm wasn't constantly falling into a soft surface.

Asano shook his head at the boy's thinking and folded the blanket before he passed it over. With Hakuba-kun's difficulty in lifting his arms up too much the extra height and support would help.

Conan smiled, seeing that he and the doctor were on the same train of thought now as he put the blanket on top of the pillow. Conan took Hakuba's hand and put it on the tray, moving his elbow so it resting on the pillow. As inconspicuously as he could, he took the box and opened it up, sliding it to touch Hakuba's hand as he reached over for the inspector's and held it out to him, having it taken from his hands. He sat down nest to Hakuba. He hoped he could eat with his left hand. It would be hard anyway. He spoke quietly to him. "To make it easier, just eat with your fingers. No one will think anything worse of you, except that you'd be stupid not to."

Saguru investigated the box with his fingertips. He felt certain that the meal that it contained was not typically intended to be 'finger food' and while that would not have presented a problem the very fact that it was not did. He was unsure if it was on the same level as being feed by another as he had been the past few days. That, at the very least, while embarrassing, was necessary.

Conan made sure his hand brushed Hakuba's as he reached and grabbed some of the rice. He didn't grab a lot, because he wasn't hungry and because he was afraid he might drop it, but enough to hold in his hand. "Eww. Rice is sticky." He put some in his mouth and ate it, getting the remaining bits off his fingers after. He reached over and grabbed one of the halves of egg, putting it in Hakuba's hand. That was a better starter, considering how odd it must feel to eat something you can't see. "My mom says eggs are good for you too. It's not all sticky like the rice."

Saguru hid a small smile by taking a bite of the egg. 'How would he have done this if he had no need to behave this way with Asano-sensei or Nakamori-keibu here?' He was grateful for it that, even with a majority of those in the room knowing Conan-kun was a teenager himself, that he would continue to act his apparent age.

Conan waited until Hakuba finished the half of the egg. After this, he could pace himself however he wished. Reaching over for one of the blanched asparagus and biting it, he made a small disgusted sound that only Hakuba should be able to hear. "Icky. Why do they make everything full of this green stuff? It's like eating a stick." Conan discarded it on the table. He really didn't mind asparagus, and sliced up carrots would be easy enough to pick out of them. He just really wasn't all that hungry and it suited the role better not to eat it.

Asano watched Hakuba-kun... follow? the child's lead. With his arm popped up, he seemed to have little difficulty as far as moving his lower arm and with some PT his chances were high on getting full use back. He had shook his head when Conan-kun refused the asparagus but wasn't going to say anything as Hakuba-kun continued eating.

Conan turned away like he was bored, keeping an eye on Hakuba. It wasn't like his mom could carry all the food and drinks, and it wasn't like the hospital was short on them. He sighed dully to himself before smiling and turning back to the doctor. "Ne, Sensei? Can I have some more juice?"

Asano looked at the boy when he asked the question and nodded. He glanced at the two teens, knowing Hakuba-kun would need some pain relievers and deciding the other teen, and the boy, should take some as well considering they would need it and knowing that the teens wouldn't bother asking anyway. "I'll be back shortly," he said as he turned and headed toward the door.

Conan smiled until the doctor left, seeing that the others had started eating, some apparently waiting to make sure Hakuba had. "Well, the worst you've got are Hattori and I looking at you. Maybe my mom being nosy. You can relax and eat however fast or slow you want."

Saguru finished another piece of egg. "I suppose that is preferable to a dozen people." He took some more and considered that he should have tried to request some tea. He continued a bit longer until he was satisfied. He moved his hand away from the box, unsure how much was left.

Conan looked up. He had hoped the doctor would get back first and give Hakuba water or something so he could have it while he ate. Since he wasn't moving around very much, and there were a bunch of people around, he wasn't all that surprised that Hakuba looked like he was done eating before his return. Conan grabbed the side of the tray and moved it away, leaving the blanket and pillow where it was so he could grab anything, like his drink, when it came. That, or Conan could. It didn't make much of a difference to him and he climbed the best his could over Hakuba so he was more at his side and the stupid things weren't in his way. After moving he went near the side of the bed that was bent, not much room to sit but enough if Hakuba moved a bit. He didn't feel like sitting or laying down, so this was good mid-ground.

Asano got three bottles of juice so the boys wouldn't have an excuse to not take the meds he was bringing them. He had debated on going with shots but felt getting them on oral meds would be better since they'd be out of here tonight. He knocked and opened the door, going straight for the bed, coming up behind Hattori-kun. "OK, this one's for you." He picked up one of the small paper cups and held it out to the teen.

Heiji looked up and huffed but he was grateful since the doc wasn't saying what they were for. He took the cup and the bottle, downing the pills with the juice as Asano-sensei turned to give another to Kudo.

Conan accepted the cup and the pills with a smile. He swallowed them and handed the mostly empty cup back that he had been offered. He was getting really tired of juice really fast. Next time he asked for something, no matter who, he was asking for pop.

Asano turned to Hakuba-kun as soon as Conan-kun took the pills and set the tray on the table. "OK, here." He put the cup with the pills in them in his left hand and opened the juice, slipping a straw in.

Conan was fine with Hakuba holding it but he needed the tray back. Since it was on the other side of the bed where he had pushed it, he leaned over and reached out his hand, looking at the doctor so he could grab it.

Asano moved the tray toward the boy as Hakuba-kun managed to take the meds himself after he moved the juice so he knew where the straw was.

Conan wanted to sigh, instead getting up as best he could and using Hakuba to steady him. As kind as the gesture was, Hakuba needed and wanted some of his independence. He took Hakuba's cup from the doctor, waiting until the man let it go, before putting it on the table. Hakuba would be able to move it closer to himself when he wanted it and the doctor didn't need to hover over him then.

Asano raised his hands in surrender after letting Conan-kun take the juice. The boy seemed to make it a point to help Hakuba-kun and he thought the gestures he had been doing were both helpful and clever to get Hakuba-kun some independence in a way that he wasn't embarrassed.

Conan turned to the doctor and reached over, pulling on his coat- a very unique coat that he couldn't help but smile at for a second, even though he had already seen it. What was with that guy and girly things? He did his best to move away from Hakuba, just for a second. Half of that was so that he could reach the doctor easily and the other half was that he needed the distance. He tilted his head in a 'come here' kind of way so he could whisper to him.

Asano cringed a bit, wondering if the boy was going to think he'd grabbed the wrong coat or something before leaning down to Conan-kun. "Yes?"

"Ne, sensei? You haven't seen anyone weird around, have you? Anyone asking questions about Hakuba-niichan? He's in danger right? Maybe there are people going around asking question?" Conan backed up a bit, tipping his head to the side. If they were around, who knew what Gin had already looked into? If he thought the doctor had information, odds were he'd be dead by now. The fact that he wasn't either meant they didn't know who Hakuba's doctor was or Hattori was right in his guess that there might be someone else here that they were after.

Asano froze and swallowed. That was out of the blue and he had not expected the boy to ask him that. "What would make you think they'd be people coming here looking for him? Remember, he's suppose to be elsewhere." He tried not to let himself think about that woman that passed herself off as him.

There was tension there and Conan would have been hard pressed not to have noticed it. The doctor's evasive question was even more concerning. He hadn't said no. Damn it. Sometimes it sucked being a child. Conan smiled and pretended to act like he hadn't noticed. "You know the bad guys in the movies. They're all sneaky. I was just wondering if there were any bad guys here. If there were, Hakuba-niisan might be in trouble, right?"

"Don't worry, I've been keeping my eye out for any sneaky people and since Hakuba-kun leaves later today, they won't find him if they try to find him here." Asano hoped that was safe enough and that it would keep the boy from being worried and asking any questions out loud.

"Right," Conan said happily. Later tonight then, in the darkness, might be even more dangerous. Not that there was ever a time They weren't dangerous. "Hakuba-niichan's gonna be going outside finally. The bad guys can't find him there." As if. What did he see? What did he know that he wasn't saying? Conan looked sideways at Hattori. He rolled his eyes towards Asano-sensei before giving him a more serious look. He knows something. That was the best he could do before looking back at the doctor as if all he had been doing was looking at Hattori- from the context, judging if there was a bad guy sneaking behind him. Whether that was the assumption the doctor made or not, Conan went back and sat down next to Hakuba, hopefully none the wiser.

Heiji glanced at Asano-sensei when Kudo indicated him. 'Ya gotta be kiddin' me.' He didn't doubt Kudo was right but if he knew something and wasn't talking the question was, 'Why?'

Asano nodded; relieved the boy had accepted his answer, and straightened. He scanned the others before stepping over to the male officer that had been shot. He kept his voice low so others were able to continue eating. "I want to know how you've been feeling, considering you're up and about too. Any discomfort of pain?"

Takagi looked over at the doctor when he started speaking to him. He nodded. "It just, kind of feels weird. It doesn't really hurt that much unless I move funny." He spoke just as quietly, if not a lot more nervously than the doctor had asked

Asano nodded. "Sounds about right. I suggest you get this filled later today," he said as he held out a slip of paper. "It's only for a week's worth but it will help with any pain and prevent an infection from setting in. Precaution but advised."

Takagi nodded and took the slip of paper, putting it into his pocket. "Thank you." He craned his neck around to make sure that Hakuba-kun and Hattori-kun were still alright. "Hattori-kun is going to be fine too, right?"

Asano took a deep breath and looked over at the teen before looking back and shaking his head slightly. "Breaking protocol telling you instead of his parent but Hattori-kun's too close to the boy right now and I don't want him overhearing. The kid's smart but I don't want him repeating anything. I put a few tests through when we stepped out and the results came back just a little while ago. Confirmed what he said and, as much as I hated that that was positive, good news was the others were all negative. I still need to do another panel in 6 months to be sure but it looks good. He's lucky."

Takagi swallowed a few times before he was able to continue. Even then, all he could do is nod. Hattori had to give consent to the test but- "He does know he's okay... in a... you know, less conventional sense of the word, right?"

"He brought it up and asked, knew there was a chance based on what happened. Again, I don't want Conan-kun to know about it but I have a prescription for him too." Asano put his hand in his pocket where a few more prescriptions were for each of the boys. He'd consider himself shirking his responsibilities if he let them go without making sure they still had medication for what had happened.

Takagi frowned, not knowing what the prescription could be for then. He accepted it anyway. Half of him was torn because he knew, as much as Hattori-kun was worried about Kudo-kun, that there was no way the other teen wouldn't feel the same. Even watching him help Hakuba-kun was enough to see that. If Hattori-kun wanted though, he could tell him. And if he didn't- Takagi knew he would. Conan- Kudo had to know the facts a lot better than the doctor thought, and there was no way he was going to let this drag on without him being told. "Thank you. I mean- not being your patients and all. This means a lot." He nodded to him. It really did mean a lot.

"From what I picked up, the last doctor was a disgrace so I don't have much to live up to." Asano glanced back at the teens and the boy.

"I think you're wrong." Takagi didn't mean to talk as quietly as he did but the words wouldn't come out any stronger. "Because of what happened with the last doctor, I think you would have more to live up to. I- I have to say if I even found one thing that- that made me think for some reason Hakuba-kun shouldn't be near you, even if it was just something small- I don't think... I would have let you near him. I think the others are kinda like that too. So... you had a much higher standard to live up to than you should have. I'm sorry about that." And Takagi was. The instant he'd seen him, after he had seen Hakuba-kun, he had immediately put him under suspicion, and that was wrong."

"Better to be suspected and proven wrong than not to be when you should." Asano wondered if they had still been suspicious enough of him when he'd been replaced if that woman would have been found out. He wasn't sure if that had been a good or bad thing with the chance of a bombing. The news had shown a hotel all but leveled last night and he hadn't been able to shake the feeling of foreboding that that could have happened here... or even still might. The woman had said the guy waiting for her liked to-... Maybe going with them would be better all around. He would still be a doctor but he would be getting a break to. His nerves needed it.

"Maybe it is. I don't think I like that thought though." Takagi smiled, a small laugh escaping him. "Maybe it's different when you're an officer, but sometimes everyone seems suspicious. I like to think that everyone's well," He shrugged and smiled a little more. "Innocent until proven guilty." He lost it soon after that. "Then again... that could be why they got Hattori-kun..." He shook his head. He just couldn't be suspicious like that. He knew he had been trying to look when Hattori-kun was taken, so maybe even if he had put suspicion on everyone- maybe it still would have happened, if not then and there.

Asano shook his head. "I had Hakuba-kun in here so many times but because I was told that it was this or that and nothing was going to be done so to drop it, I did. Now I find out that not only was it targeted, I had done nothing to prevent him from being sent to that man and whoever it was that contacts him just so they could do it again. We did things and I guess it wasn't enough at the time. Would it have changed anything, who knows? If I had said something directly to Hakuba-kun and he had got suspicious about it before this time would he have been sent to me next time or not? Would you have been able to track them when they took Hattori-kun if they had had to wait because you were overly cautious? Either way, they are here and on the road to recovery."

"I know," Takagi said, his smile still tinged with some of the weight that had been added on these last few days. He had thought that same thing not a week ago and things only seemed to be getting worse. "I just meant that- I guess it's okay to be suspicious, but not of everyone?" He shrugged his shoulder when he had no better word. "Now would be a good time to be suspicious though. At least that same fear didn't keep us from you. I don't think Hakuba-kun would have liked any other doctor." And Takagi never would have known that if he hadn't accidentally overheard, so he was happy that Hakuba had found his way to him.

Asano glanced over at Hakuba-kun and then eyed the man in front of him. "I'll assume you found that out in your sleep. Knowing him, he'd still complain and try to push himself too hard. From what's been said, he'd been told that was expected of him. He's still pushing but he's also accepting help."

"I don't know if pushing is that bad a thing either." Takagi smiled, ignoring the doctor's eyes and just looking around him. "It means he want to try."

"I don't mean trying, I mean ignoring the fact that he was hurt and acting like it's nothing." Asano shook his head. "Ah, it doesn't matter now. So long as he rests and doesn't try too hard, I don't mind him trying."

Conan glanced over at the doctor and Takagi-keiji. He wanted to growl. He was ruining his only chance he could safely use and get away with talking innocently enough to them. Then again, it wasn't like this was some plot against him and he would just have to wait. He looked at Hattori. He wanted to make sure the doctor didn't go far. Whatever that tension was, if there was something he knew they didn't, it could hold far more value in his hands than to have Asano-sensei walking around, keeping it to himself.

Takagi almost wanted to laugh. "I don't know if that's really something that just Hakuba-kun feels. I think we're all kinda like that." He wasn't at the hospital he was supposed to be at, and that was proof enough in his favor.

"I noticed," Asano said, gazing around. "Five of you should have been in beds and being treated these past few days while a few others should have been seen to properly instead of just the quick checks I've been giving." He looked over at the two woman, one just a few steps away and the other over with the girl.

"I know." Takagi couldn't help but agree. He also had taken a few- more than a few minutes to realize who Kuroba-san was. Being on the other side of the room made it hard and the new look made it even harder. He must have slept through a lot more than he thought though, and did his best to indicate to her without showing that was what he was doing. "What happened to Kuroba-san?"

"I was told someone attacked her. And while that is consistent with the injuries, her changed appearance and the fact those injuries were to her face were deliberate. The others seemed more accidental rather than defensive. Personally, you're all magnets for strange injuries."

"Deliberate?" Takagi looked back over at her, trying not to be obviously looking at her now. He couldn't see how someone could have, or for that matter tell the difference, between purposeful wounds and accidental ones. And why would she hurt herself on purpose? It looked pretty painful to the touch though and Takagi wanted to wince. He held back on that at least. "Did you give her pain medication too?"

"Not sure who did it, why, or why she didn't fight back- but yes, deliberate. Since they had already been treated when they got here last night I have to think she also had taken something then. I figure she's an adult and will know to ask if anything bothers her."

Takagi couldn't help but sighing. "Half the time I don't know what to expect anymore." He looked over at his partner, reaching out his hand towards her. "Sato-san, does your arm still hurt?"

Sato had been listening and caught some of what had been said. She shook her head and raised her arm, flexing it and making a fist. "Nope, feels just fine. Glad you're better too." 'Especially since I remember your promise while we were waiting for the boys in the other hospital.'

Takagi smiled, going over to her so he could reach and grab her wrist. "That really good news but don't make it worse. It might now hurt but you were bleeding. Let it get better." He would have said or done something, though he wasn't sure what, if so many other people weren't in the room, but they were. That didn't mean he let her wrist go- just that he slid his fingers down it to hold her hand.

Sato closed her fingers around his. She was faintly aware the doctor stepped back and headed over to Kuroba-san and Aoko-chan. She smiled back at him, staring into his eyes. "You take your own advice. Where I was, you couldn't have gotten up easily. Just wake me next time."

"Ah, don't worry. I just needed... to check on Hakuba-kun. It didn't really bother me." Takagi felt his fingers twitch when she held his hand in return, blushing a little. He didn't-... He felt like some little kid, sneaking around with a girlfriend his father didn't approve of.

Asano passed a prescription for some strong painkillers and antibiotics to Kuroba-san after being assured that she was just fine and didn't need anything herself. He nodded and headed over to Nakamori-keibu next. He still wasn't sure which of the other adults to go to for Conan-kun. The boy had gone and sat next to the other man while Kudo-san's wife seemed to be the one the boy went back and forth with and had been the one to carry him when it wasn't the teenage girl, Ran-san. 'This group has been here for three days and I still can't tell what the connections are between these people.'

"What?" Nakamori said irately when the doctor came up and looked at him. He didn't have anything he could want, though he did cool his temper after he realized his words came out slightly too angry. Seeing a kid tell you what to do and, apparently, be right about it, was something he didn't like putting up with. It being Conan-kun, even younger than most of the kids that told him he was wrong, made it worse.

Asano huffed and stuck his hand in his pocket. "Well, seeing as you are Hakuba-kun's medical proxy I felt I had to give you these." He pulled out two slips of paper and held them low but toward the man. "They need to be filled and given to him one once a day the other twice a day, although the 'or as needed' for the second one will likely be ignored, but make sure he takes them if he seems like he's showing pain or discomfort, as long as you don't have him exceed 4 in 24 hours. If you don't feel up to it I believe Kudo-san has enough medical knowledge to take it on himself."

Nakamori waved him off to Mouri's wife. "Give them to her." There was no way, if someone was after the kid, they wouldn't be checking him out. At least she could get them filled and, if anything, bring them to him. Nakamori wasn't going to be stupid about this, not 'till they knew who was calling.

Asano rolled his eyes but this wasn't the first time a man had passed the task off to a woman. "Very well." He turned away and headed over to her. Figuring it would save him the debate, he pulled out the other one.

Eri held out her hand and accepted the prescription slips for Hakuba-kun. She heard their conversation well enough from where she was and, while it seemed Chikage-san would be the better choice, she had anonymity to any suspicion, aside from the man who had called. That would at least make it easy to determine if anything happened to the boy on her watch. She took the other slips, seeing Conan's name on them. While she could get away with saying Hakuba-kun was a client of hers in the hospital and get the prescription filled, it was better that Shinichi-kun's mother had his. She kept them on her for the time being so that the doctor wouldn't be given the run-around. "Thank you, Sensei."

Asano nodded and, for the sake of being thorough, he repeated the instructions for Hakuba-kun as well as mentioning Conan-kun's. "I just want to make sure that someone knows what to do and I'm not sure how much he got of it."

Nakamori growled, not far enough away from them not to catch their conversation. "The first one once a day and the second one twice or as needed, not exceeding four. I heard you."

Saguru let out a quick breath to hide either a sigh or a laugh. Nakamori-keibu was not known to be angry and speak quietly at the same time. While he was low enough this time that many in the room may not have caught what he said, Saguru had and determined that he would be on two types of pills a day for the near future.

Eri stepped in before they could argue for some stupid, unknown reason. "That's fine. I will not be forgetting his or Conan-kun's. Thank you. I'll be able to get it filled sometime soon."

Asano raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Today I'd hope. I guess when the inspector said you'd been told about Hakuba-kun's eye sight, he didn't get around to saying he was being discharged later today?"

Eri couldn't hide the surprise on her face. "No, that wasn't mentioned." She looked at the doctor and then to Hakuba-kun, though her words were meant for the former. "Who is he being released to?" Or in other terms, where will he be going.

Nakamori couldn't tell if he was more surprised, more worried, or more angry he hadn't been told sooner. In the end, he just stayed where he was. "If the kid leaves, someone might see him. No one knows he's here, but they can't miss him walking by. Someone from the force is bound to check my house, if not just to find me."

Asano let his eyes fall on Nakamori-keibu before he looked back at her. "Since he took it on, it would be the inspector. Which house you use doesn't matter but it would be harder to find him in some house than a hospital," he said calmly but he was worried. The woman knew he was here and the sooner he was moved the safer he would be... if they could do it without her seeing.

"Hakuba-kun will not be staying at a hotel." That was out of the question. End of story. Eri knew, while her own house would be fine, it wasn't as close to their own and somehow, someone had already discovered that she knew where Hakuba-kun was. "We'll discuss it when it comes up. For now, there's no need to worry." She looked at her watch. It was still early. They'd discuss arrangements when everyone who was staying with Hakuba-kun was present and would have say over it. She could account for at least two people who weren't in the room, so for now, there was no rush.

Nakamori calmed down. That was fine. Putting things off wasn't usually the best idea, but for now he could accept it. He patted kid's leg, standing at the end of the bed. "You can't go to my house but no matter where you go, you're not shaking me."

Heiji glanced at Hakuba and could swear that there was a tear in his eye until he blinked and it was clear but still staring off into space. 'Didn' think that was possible but I guess even he'd have somethin' that'd hit 'im...'

Conan smiled, more to himself than for any other reason. He enjoyed the freedom that they had, alive, unhurt, and safe in the room for now. They were all together and, in the last few days, that was more than he could say during the most important times anyone had needed someone else. As long as no one went running off on their own, things would stay that way. The scouting he had Hattori had done had been more of a necessity. Feeling that bit of restlessness, even though he had just checked, Conan put his hand up to his glasses, leaning comfortably against the bed. The signal hadn't moved and he turned them off in the next second so he wouldn't kill the battery. He also turned the sound on the bug that Kuroba-san had down since everything was a tad bit slower transmitting and the delay of point-whatever-seconds was bothering him.

…

Vermouth listened as the doctor left, bidding her time. She wanted to make sure the letter got to it's recipient, but she wasn't going to make this too easy. It was only by sheer luck that she had put her plan into motion so fast. She hated doing the hard work so she wouldn't be. Running her fingers down the envelope, all plain and normal with just the scrawled out name of its recipient on it, she took off, a good time after the doctor had already left to make his rounds, and went to one of the other nurses down the hall, asking her to deliver it to the room, saying that someone had asked her to do it and she had an emergency at home she needed to get to. That would solve any questioning of who was in the room and give her time for a quick escape of her own. The feline's smile on her lips when she made it into the elevator was seen my no one but those who couldn't touch this world any longer.

…

When someone knocked on the door Aoko stepped over as a nurse poked her head in and whispered that a letter was left for someone in this room. Aoko took it and smiled. "Yes, thank you." After she bowed away, Aoko shut the door and turned, walking to the bed. "Conan-kun, this was left at the nurses' desk. It's addressed to you," she said, holding it out.

Conan narrowed his eyes, but if anything he wanted to take the letter. Who would know he was here? His dad could have easily called someone and it wasn't like their lines were being tapped. Ran's father hadn't had his phone taken so it wasn't possible. Conan opened the letter, the numbers and words having meaning, but nothing he knew by heart. The only word he could really understand was 'Trade' underlined at the bottom. "Hattori. How much do you know about the Bible? Enough to quote it?" He wasn't stupid. He knew a lot of lines himself but these were so vague that he had never come across them before.

"Enough... at least some. Why?" Heiji leaned forward to look at the paper Kudo had.

...

Leviticus 1:14,15
Deuteronomy 9:18

Trade

...

Heiji stared at the paper and shook his head. "OK, some quotes I'd get by context but pulling a verse from just random references. I ain' that good."

Saguru had been listening and sat up. "What do you need quoted?"

Conan looked over at Hakuba. Since he had asked outright, he likely knew enough that there was a possibility that he could translate some of this. The problem was it was a code, and to him, and he didn't really feel like sharing the information until he knew what it was about though. Curiosity won over discretion. It usually did. "Leviticus chapter one, verses fourteen and fifteen and Deuteronomy chapter nine, verse eighteen."

Saguru closed his eyes and went over them in his head. He kept his head down and recited. "Leviticus one, fourteen and fifteen state, 'And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowl, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the alter, and wring off his head, and burn it on the alter; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the alter.' Deuteronomy nine eighteen is thus. 'And I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.' Not typically verses you come across. Why did those come up?"

"Because someone just sent them, and to me." He had known the first had been about sinners, but not what it had pertained to in general. Most priests ignored that part of the bible when it came up in church since it was about sacrifice- Spilt blood of the innocent to atone for something. Sacrifice wasn't really big in that religion anymore. What it was though, he couldn't seem to get. The two verses didn't seem connectable. He looked at Hattori, trying to see what sacrifice and atonement could have to do with a trade. He had nothing to atone for and he felt something inside of him worry that someone might die, what with the mention of pretty gruesome sounding specifics in those verses. "Did you get any of this?"

Heiji had a funny feeling- the bad kind. He ran the words over in his head. Innocent blood for the sins of another. "Let me see that." He took the paper, hoping to find something that proved him wrong, maybe a number had been mixed up and it was suppose to mean something else. He turned it over to see if there was more and froze for a spit second. The feeling from earlier went even higher when he realized the lip mark on the back was familiar. The costume party he'd subbed for Kudo... the envelope the invite had come in had the same thing. He turned it to Kudo. "I say we all leave now."

Conan watched Hattori take the paper, eye good enough to see what had caught Hattori's attention. "We were seen already. The note was to me. Here." He looked around the room, still not understanding. "What are you getting that I'm not?"

Heiji glanced at Hakuba. "Wha' if it's someone else's 'sins' an' this means we're the ones that'll pay... Not sure what the 'trade' at the bottom means... but I got that feelin' we gotta go or we'll be these pigeons."

"That doesn't make any sense. If we were, why warn us? What if they want us to leave?" Conan was still trying to figure this out and started talking quietly to himself. "Burnt sacrifice... a fowl offering... something to do with white speckled birds... murdering it by bringing it forward to... cleanse?" Best word he could think of. "And then is separated from the next one. Repentance... fasting... for a sin... doing something bad in front of someone else." Conan shook his head. He wasn't getting it still. Burnt murdered bird in repentance as part of a trade? He saw something, some link, but lost it again in the fact that the letter was sent to him. "They know where we are. It might be dangerous to leave."

"The letter came to this room. I'd say risk it. I saw ya fiddle with those glasses, any change in what ya tagged?"

Conan put his fingers up to the glasses again, just to be sure, and turned them off, shaking his head. "He wouldn't be involved. If he wanted something, he'd just go and get it, not go though the trouble of sending a note."

Saguru listened and, while he still could not see what they looking at, he had heard enough. "Would this have anything to do with what- what my father did? I was told today he had connections to some dangerous criminals. I am not sure who would be warning us but I would suggest that we take our chances leaving rather than remaining here." Saguru was not going to allow this hospital to be in danger simply because he was here and the things he had done could have placed a target on him.

"It's not a warning." Conan didn't have the paper but he could tell that well enough. "They wouldn't have put-" He shut up after that and looked at Hattori. He wasn't sure how far to take this with Hakuba, but 'trade' told him right there this person wanted something in return for something else. There was nothing else that word could mean. Being underlined stressed it more but what the hell could someone trade that would have anything to do with any of that? The closest thing he could translate was the bird part, and that either had something to do with the hawk or with the doves that were flying around but neither matched it well enough and the letter was sent to him, not Hakuba, so he felt they were asking something from him. He just couldn't understand what it was. What was there to trade?

Saguru looked toward Conan-kun's voice and knew there was yet something he was missing. "They would not have put-what?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he recalled what Hattori had said. '…what the trade at the bottom means' A trade? Was that it? This person was demanding a trade. If it was because of him-… Yet the letter, according to Aoko-san, was addressed to Conan-kun. Saguru slid his hand forward, trying to come in contact with him. "No."

"They're doing this on purpose." Conan clenched his hand, seeing Hakuba and grabbing his hand, forcing it down. "We can't assume from just one word. The second part doesn't make any sense then. Why put it?" Because they had to. Because it played a certain part. There were countless verses of the Bible that spoke of redemption. Why pick such a vague one?

Heiji frowned and shook his head. This was insane. They should leave; figure out whatever the rest of the stupid thing was later. That woman had been here and sent that letter straight here. She knew he was there and no doubt that Hakuba was too. "Forget this. We kin figure out the rest later. She knows yer here an' what room, it'd be no less dangerous to leave than ta be cornered here."

Conan spoke quieter than he had before, because of where he was. "If he could have left sooner, the doctor would have said. We're still missing my dad and Kid too."

"Perhaps Kudo-san would have some insight." Saguru would not deny he looked up to the man. "The phone here has his number programmed in."

"I don't want my dad's help," Conan said stubbornly. Whatever was going on, that letter was sent to him and he didn't want his dad solving it before he could. If they were in danger right this very second, they'd already be dead.

Asano knocked lightly and entered the room. He saw Hakuba-kun sitting up speaking quietly to Conan-kun with Hattori-kun bent over the bed, his back to him. He walked over, glancing at the monitors to make sure nothing was wrong but he and the other two boys simply seemed intent on whatever they were discussing.

Conan sighed. "Taking this step by step, the first is talking about a sinner. We can't really judge who that could personify since there's no details other than that. What's being sacrificed is a bird for a sin. That we can work with more." Conan looked over at Hakuba. "That could have something to do with you, or potentially Kid. What I'm not sure but a lot of the other sacrifices are for a lamb in those verses. As far as I know, not many talk about birds. Turtledoves in particular have also been the embodiment of love, as well as being sacrificed for Jesus to have been born. They're like life and death but I can't figure out what they have to do in particular with anyone besides the fact that both you and Kid own birds. The thing about the priest taking the bird from the sinner and sacrificing it for the sins... does make me think that it's one of us, but the sinner still has the possibility of being anyone, so I can't narrow down who. What that has to do with the second- I'm not sure." Conan took a breath as he thought about the second, his eyes off into space. "Giving in, and not eating or drinking. A lot of religions have fasting as a means to appease either themselves or a god. Of course, not really going for that long will kill a person. So... a wicked dead needs to be appeased by abstinence from food and water." Conan shook his head. "I don't get that part. So, something that has to do with them both. I get the sacrifice part to an extent, but not the fasting." He moved a hand and rubbed his eye with it, getting a headache. "Mostly I don't get why it was sent to me and not you or Kid, one of you was what it's talking about. The 'trade' I get even less."

Saguru turned his head over to where he knew Watson was in his cage. He knew Hattori still had the dove from before with him though he would not wish Kuroba to lose another dove if it were possible to prevent it. Conan was correct though, if the trade was indicative of a bird why had he or Kuroba not been the addressee?

Heiji looked over the paper, still not convinced. Forget whatever it was. He still thought they should leave. They were getting better but Hakuba couldn't see and had little to no arm strength, Kudo had already been his typical self and took off, no way could he do much and with so many here, including a few that didn't know who he was. He looked at the lipstick mark again. "She sent ya the other one ta get ya to be somewhere else while she did somethin'. What if this is the same reason?"

"Wouldn't that only be applicable if I did leave then?" Conan looked up, out of his thoughts since they weren't getting him anywhere. "I can't say for sure what's best now Hattori, so do what you think is right. I just wish I could figure this out."

Asano stood there and shook his head. He couldn't understand much of what they were talking about but it seemed to interest them and Hakuba-kun's stats were all good. He'd make sure they had lunch before leaving so they wouldn't have to worry about that before getting to a place where they'd be safe. He was about to say something when he thought about the 'she' from a few nights ago and shivered.

Conan looked up at the doctor. He'd noticed a while ago that he'd walked in but he hadn't said anything, too lost in his own thoughts. Seeing as they weren't getting him anywhere he smiled, happy for a time to drop the subject. "Hello, sensei."

Asano forced a small smile for the boy, hoping he hadn't noticed anything. "You three seem better."

Saguru turned to the voice and nodding politely.

Satisfied that he said 'hi', and for the break in his thoughts, Conan went back to thinking. "You know, when you trade something, it's usually because both parties have something the other one wants."

"So what's s'pose ta be fer us, or you, and what's she want for it?" Heiji huffed and crossed his arms.

"If I knew that I would have said something." Conan looked up to glare at Hattori before contemplating the message again. "I can say what I want right now is to have everyone stop annoying me, and maybe whatever Hakuba's dad had on-" Conan stopped. "I'd know what I'd want, and if I were them I think I'd want that same thing." He held out his arms. "It's not like we have it though."

Saguru caught on as well. "You also suspect he had something that he had passed to me. Asano-sensei asked me that already the first night. He never gave me anything and, considering he was dirty, I would highly doubt that he would risk anything concerning those activities to fall into my possession."

Asano was confused until he realized Hakuba-kun must have meant that woman that pretended to be him. That was what she was going for. So, she wasn't done yet. Maybe he shouldn't have kept quiet if she was still trying to find this information and seemed to think Hakuba-kun had it.

"I said it wasn't like we had it. I don't think you do, but with stupid people, the first thing they do when they go to hide something is to place it in the place that no one would think to look. If even you wouldn't believe that he would have given it to you, he may, and thus they may have thought you wound up with it. You never look in the obvious places when it's important. Anyway, I don't think you have it, no. If I did I would have asked you about it, and I have very little doubt about that, so don't worry. Besides," Conan smiled and looked at Hakuba. "I know if he had given you anything you would have looked it over, just out of curiosity."

Saguru nodded. "Thoroughly. Much like I did when he, more or less, assigned me to Nakamori-keibu. Not that I regret it." 'Indeed, looking back, I would have to say, it was the best thing he did.' Saguru was only able to barely pick out, aside from Conan, Asano-sensei and Hattori and was uncertain where Nakamori-keibu was or if he was able to hear any of their conversation as they had ceased whispering.

"Which was why I didn't think you did. But leaves the question as to where whatever he had on them went. There are dozens of places to look." Conan looked toward the note, still wondering what it was about. "Maybe it's a proposition. I would never hand something like that over if I got my hands on it though. She can't possibly think I would."

"So why ask? Unless, should it exists, she intends to have you go find it and follow you to it."

"Then why set this up? She doesn't have anything I could possibly want and, if something were to happen, she wouldn't be someone I'd trust to rely on for help. She has to know that." Conan shifted the frames when he moved his fingers though his hair on the side of his temple. "I don't get it."

"Well, she's weird, we know that. Maybe she thinks she does, or's plannin' somethin'. I still don' like she knows we're here."

Asano looked away at the machines but he had a bad feeling that the fact they were talking about a weird woman asking about something Hakuba-kun had that had been his good-for-nothing-... that man had brought her here and he knew... knew a woman doing the same thing had been here. It was crazy to think it was two separate people and these kids, especially the boy, were talking like they knew her in some odd way. I didn't make sense. It was crazy. But he was agreeing with Hattori-kun.

"It's not only her." Right. Gin and likely Vodka were still around too, but if they knew he and the others were here, Gin at the very least would have already made his move. "Odds are anyone else only knows about Hakuba though." He looked sideways at Hattori, his gaze defaulting to somewhere lower and in front of himself while he was thinking. "I don't think leaving will really solve anything, and if any of them manage to follow us it be easier to get us, not to mention mark whoever's house we go to as someone under their watch, if not the outright spark any of them could have been waiting for. There's danger either way." And Conan didn't really care which way the dice fell. He was going to find them. He wanted them to come-... No. He had wanted them to come before. With Ran and all these other people in danger, he couldn't risk chasing them now. "I don't really care what we do. We'll handle it if anything comes up though."

Asano glanced at Conan-kun and saw him look at Hattori-kun. He followed it then raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze over to Kuroba's mother. Her dyed hair, much like Hattori-kun's, whose was no longer orange, gave him an idea. "What if you don't?"

Conan, for the first time, took into account that their conversation wasn't so private. He was interested though. "Don't what? Leave?"

"Well, yes and no." Asano shifted. "You leave, but as someone else. Instead of one patient, a few of you can be wheeled out, as though you are all being released. If you change your appearance or appear to have different injuries than you really do..." Asano wasn't sure why he was saying this but it was almost like these three had more say than the adults, four if you count the still absent Kuroba-kun. "Just a thought."

"We were already planning something like that." Conan had those thoughts already, as he was sure the others did too. The separate cars and transportation needs he was talking about earlier would help. They'd still have to be careful though. They would be looking for something like that and with her it was even harder to tell what she did and didn't know. Last time she'd had the room he was in bugged. The envelope checked out though, and this felt more like a challenge instead of a game. If he could understand the rules better, how to beat her, it would be going a lot smoother. "We've been fine in here for a while now. The question is, when we leave, where are we going to go?"

Asano looked at Hakuba-kun and saw he was looking toward him, well, to the side of him. He pulled out a notepad and wrote quickly before taking out a set of keys and unhooking one. "This is an option- if you want. It should be fine although a few of you will have to share." He placed both on Hakuba-kun's lap where the others could see it.

Conan reached over and took the key before any of the others could. A few places he had been thinking were now out since Vermouth was involved. He didn't know if he wanted to get the doctor involved, though this- this would actually be a good time to leave the country and getting the doctor to go with them, along with making sure Hakuba-kun was getting better still- it was a better solution. Conan looked at the key in his hand, keeping it there and looking at it for a while before closing his hand around it. It took him longer than it should have to see if he wanted to accept the offer or not, and he wouldn't have if he didn't have a feeling the doctor knew what could possibly happen. He turned to him with a more earnest smile, less childish glee and just gratitude. "Thank you. I can't think of anything better."

Asano tried to give an encouraging smile back. He had been telling the truth when he said he would do what he could for Hakuba-kun and, as he needed to get away from this woman, to do that, he had to get away from here. He wondered if he should bring up that she knew him, but his work history was one thing. He was usually here and his contact number was his cell or E-mail. She shouldn't have a way to find the house. He looked toward the foot of the bed where the inspector was standing. "I'll finish up the paperwork and Hakuba-kun can be discharged after lunch." Asano turned back to Hakuba-kun and reached out to rest his hand on the teen's shoulder. "You take care now, and you don't have to do it yourself this time."

Nakamori caught onto what was happening and, instead of being angry like he wanted to be, he was just happy. The stupid kids were making him soft. Or maybe it was the restraint from not being able to shout at anyone he thought needed it, being stuck in a hospital for so long. Or maybe it was the hospital itself. He was sick of them and just wanted to leave. That time at home when everything was peaceful was like heaven. He wanted the kid to be able to feel that too. He patted Hakuba-kun's leg again, just to show he was there. "Told you you're not shaking me. If that's where you're going to go, that guy's about to get a lot of squatters. You okay going there?" It was Hakuba-kun's opinion that mattered, not Conan-kun's. He got to make the decision.

Saguru looked from where Asano-sensei was to the foot off the bed but was unable to pinpoint Nakamori-keibu other than by voice. He blinked a few times and nodded. "It is the most unlikely and thus safest place so I accept it." He looked over at Asano-sensei and inclined his head. "Domo arigato, Asano-sensei." He felt him pat his shoulder once before letting go. The next sound he heard was the door shutting.

With the decision made and Conan already having the address memorized he shooed off Hattori and spoke to his mom. Better he was stuck with Kid's than his own and both of them would likely smother Hattori, so he evened things up. "Mom, don't take to long. We do want to be able to eat and not rush ourselves." He looked up and grinned at Hattori. "You first." If his mom needed anything, Kid's mom was sure to have it. Since she brought along her own disguises though and knew they were trying to lay low, odds were she wouldn't need to ask.

Chikage saw Yukiko listen to what Shinichi-kun said and light up as she looked over at Hattori-kun and motioned him to the bathroom. She looked over at Shinichi-kun, trying to catch his eye. Yukiko got like that for few things and using the skills her husband had taught her were one of the highest things on that short list.

Conan caught Kid's mom eyeing him and he turned to her, his smile not eager but still a smile. "Out of everyone," he pointed to the two people that Hakuba was close to- The very identifiable inspector and his daughter. "They're the ones who'll be recognized." So would he and Ran and her father, but his mother was closer to them, while Kid's mother seemed closer to the inspector. He left the implications hanging.

Chikage smiled back and nodded knowingly. "I can handle them."

Conan waved her off. They had until after lunch and he did want them to be able to eat and not freak out over each other. There was only one point he was going to keep firm on. While his mother would help Ran and her father, she wasn't touching him, and he was going to stay being a male, even if a smaller male than he should be. He smiled to Hakuba. "You know, I don't know whether or not I'd be happy to not see what we're all going to look like when this is over."

Saguru thought about everything he had seen or heard about what Kuroba had pulled off. "I suppose it is better that it is by choice rather than done without permission." He thought about what they would be like with Kuroba-san and Kudo-san setting to work on them. "You will have to describe it for me as my camera is still at the Agency and I do not believe buying one for the sole purpose of this would be worthwhile."

"Don't worry, I will, unless Hattori comes out in a dress." Conan wouldn't put anything past his mom, and while he didn't want to cross any gender lines, it wasn't like he set any rules for her. "I think I might pass out then."

Saguru refused to so much as entertain that image. "I would not blame you in the slightest although I am not one to talk, as you would recall. However, should that be the case, you can simply pass." He paused. "Although, I believe if she attempts to do so we would hear his refusal prior to them exiting."

"Not if she doesn't let him see the mirror." Conan smiled resting against Hakuba and hoping he didn't mind. He was still thinking and, while conversation was enjoyable, he wouldn't be satisfied until he figured this out.

Saguru smiled too and wondered what they would look like. He was certain that, as it seemed Kudo-san had learned from Kuroba's father, it would be a rather thorough transformation.

Well, Hattori didn't come out a girl but his hair was longer and at least tried to hide his dark skin. Funny how his mom had him for less than half an hour and he came out looking different enough that, while he and the room could tell it was Hattori, he look almost foreign- well, more foreign, to anyone else. The foreign looking clothes helped with that look though Hattori reminded him more of a hippy than anything. He stopped being surprised at the things his mom could pull off years ago, but he knew her skills. If anything, she was just slow, and that was no big fault.

Chikage smiled and nodded at the change than took Aoko-chan's hand and headed into the bathroom. She asked Aoko-chan to close her eyes and, while she took more time than she needed, she added a few tweaks here and there. When she stepped back the person in front of her had lighter brown hair that was falling in waves over her shoulders. She had a long skirt with a blue and green floral pattern and a white blouse. A bit of makeup to brighten her eyes and change her facial features just a touch. She could pass for early 20s and she nodded. "OK, time to go."