Disclaimer:
No
Oh, and the beginning part of the chapter is a gift to Elena Forest, for inspiring that lovely IggyAi chapter back there. :3 Thank you for all of your fanart and support, I really appreciate it.
Elena Forest- Sorry, I have random little muse explosions and they're usually at night. X3 I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Aleathiel Elendil- X3 That was my favorite part of the chapter (when Shinichi realized no work had been done) I could see the expression on his face so clearly when I wrote that. He's got such a funny annoyed face, Shinichi. -pokes Shinichi with stick- As for Agasa not knowing...it was probably just more convenient not to tell him. She didn't want to waste time explaining it, but she was also aware of the fact that somebody should probably know where she went for like three hours. :3
Ashimattack- I bought the entire anime series the other day, of Furuba I mean. (I probably wouldn't be able to afford DC, even if they had it out...) X3 I'm glad you've loved it. Here's the next chapter...
Chapter Twenty-one- Kidnapping Before Dinner
"NO!" Shinichi yelped, frustration clear in his tone. I grinned, leaning back once more and basking in the purely beautiful glory of victory. "Geez, how is this even possible."
"You suck?" I informed him, "I mean REALLY getting your tail handed to you in video games against two little kids like Mitsuhiko and Genta is one thing, but loosing to somebody who is blind?"
I heard him grind his teeth, and then could imagine him cutting a sideways glance at me. "I know what you did now, before that drug finally wore off...you spent hours in your bedroom. At first I thought maybe you were reading manga or something, or maybe even looking at art. You memorized the courses on this racing game, didn't you?"
"Maaybe~!" I said with a smirk, "Does it really change the fact that I totally kicked your butt?"
Shinichi's complaints could be heard through the entire house after that, which was okay since Ran was out with Kogoro buying groceries. She was going to bring us along first, apparently, but Kogoro had said something stupid that had irritated her so she dragged him out the door.
It had been nearly a week since the camping trip, and I really thought it would have been long enough for me to pull this little trick on Shinichi without him figuring out how I had done it. Inwardly I shrugged, you win some you loose some. Trying to trick Shinichi was no easy feat.
"When will they be back? If they don't hurry Fang and the others will show up before they get home." I said. Hattori had called with something of a mischevious tone in his voice and invited himself over for a week. Yes, invited himself, the guy has no qualms whatsoever. I don't think that Ran minded though, since Kazuha and Fang would be joining him.
So she had to get more food, since he had called from the station without warning.
"What was with that guy anyways?" Shinichi pondered aloud, "If he's planning something..."
"What? Hattori plan something? No, never..." I replied, though I was feeling a tad on the nervous side. The detective could have been thinking of ways to get me back for turning his own plot against him at that restaraunt all those days ago. Especially if he knew about what happened at that camping trip...
Not that anything of any importance that would change ANYTHING at all had happened there.
Don't be ridiculous.
The door opening startled us a little, but it was only Ran and Kogoro. This was easy enough to tell immediately because Kogoro was complaining that he didn't have one can of beer for dinner just because Ran was in a mean mood. The reality of that situation being that Kogoro was already basically trashed and Ran wasn't going to put up with him getting even worse when she had some of her friends coming over. (Not that they hadn't seen the old man drunk before...)
"Thank goodness they aren't here yet." Ran said, sounding immensely relieved. "Conan-kun, Iggy-kun, would you two mind helping me in the kitchen a bit? Iggy-kun I want you to rinse these off, and Conan-kun could you please get the table set for me?"
"Ran-neechan, if you need help I could help cook." I said, jumping up onto my stool (gah!) and turning the water on. She handed some vegetables to me and I thoroughly rinsed them off. "I really like to cook! I used to do it all the time, since nobody else could cook to save their lives..."
"You cooked?" Ran said, sounding confused. She patted me on the head, and I understood that she thought I was just being cute. Little Iggy, making up stories. Why did that rub me the wrong way so badly, "Thank you, Iggy-kun. Perhaps you can make me breakfast someday?"
"Maybe." I replied a little grouchily, stung by her instant disbelief of my mad skills.
"Don't be angry. It'd be hard to believe even if I told her that, she didn't mean it was because you were blind. It's your size." Shinichi advised me in a quiet whisper. I felt a flash of shame. Oh, right. I guess I shouldn't be angry with her for jumping to conclusions when I do the same thing.
The phone rang and I rushed to answer the phone, unfortunately Ran beat me to the punch. She ruffled my hair affectionately as I crossed my arms and grumbled over the fact that she had an unfair advantage with longer legs. "Hello, this is Mouri Detective Agency...Oh! Hello!"
"Is that Heiji-niichan?" Shinichi asked, making himself sound as young and curious as possible. "Eh? No, who is it?"
"I wish people wouldn't just nod or shake their heads around me." I said, just for the sake of saying something really, "It can be really confusing when somebody continues on with their sentences like that. Sounds kinda like Conan-niichan is just talking with himself like a crazy person."
"You really think you're funny, don't you?" Shinichi hissed at me, I only smirked in reply.
"Well...yes that'd be alright. We're already having a group of friends come over for dinner anyways...no, don't feel badly for asking on such short notice." Ran's smile could be heard just in her tone, "I said that I'd pay her back for those things I ruined, and I will! How many people are coming?...eh? Five?...I'll make some food for you to bring her, if you like! Okay, you have the address right? You can bring that cute little dog you had with you too, we have two little boys that will probably like to play with him and pet him. See you later then!"
"Who was that, Ran-neechan?" I asked, curious as to who else could be coming to our dinner. "Friends from your school? Is it Sonoko-neechan? I didn't think she had a pet..."
"No, it was just a girl I ran into at the supermarket the other day." Ran said simply, "I bumped into her and ruined some of her groceries so I invited her over for a dinner. I was a bit surprised though, because a boy called instead of her. He said she's not very good at Japanese though. It was very amusing, it sounded like there were some people in the background chanting, 'Good food! Good food!' over and over."
"Ah-le-le, this doesn't look like enough food for that many people, Ran-neechan." Shinichi said, "Iggy-kun and I could go down to the supermarket for you and get the rest of what you need! Heiji-niichan should be coming soon, so if you leave now you'll miss him!"
"Thank you, Conan-kun, Iggy-kun." Ran said as we both practically rushed out the door. Sheesh, Shinichi would roll over and beg if Ran asked him to, I swear. Oh well, that's kind of nice of him anyways, to practically leap at the chance to make things easier for her.
"When will this rain let up?" I complained, at least we had an umbrella I guess. Still, I sneezed and rubbed my nose. "At this rate the entire country of Japan will be covered in water..."
"That's highly improbably Iggy-kun." Shinichi said with an amused chuckle, "You're in a complaining mood today, ne? What's wrong with you? Has it been too long since you were around Haibara last?"
"What the heck does that have to do with anything?" I said with a scowl. Shinichi's only reply was an amused snicker. I rolled my eyes, and continued walking forward. "I don't know...I've just got a weird feeling that's all."
"Like when those men broke into the school?" Shinichi asked, I frowned.
"Kinda...maybe...I don't know." I rubbed my head, "Maybe I'm just getting tired of being treated like a little kid! Sheesh, and I think it sucks for me. What about you? Doesn't it...I don't know, embarass you to have Ran treat you that way sometimes? I know I wouldn't like it very much if someone I had the hots for treated me like a little kid..."
"I've gotten used to it I guess." Shinichi said, but I could hear the frown in his voice. "That hardly even bothers me anymore, I've come to expect it from almost anybody actually. If they think I'm a little kid then I'm keeping my secret well enough to avoid suspicion. It was terrifying, those times that Ran treated me like...like I was Shinichi."
"You are." I pointed out, "You mean she almost figured it out?"
"Several times." Shinichi sighed.
"That's to be expected though, right? Isn't that...I dunno, almost a good thing Shinichi-kun?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders. "I'd have my feelings a little hurt if Max or somebody would be unable to know who I was right away. Maybe that's a little stupid and childish but..."
"When I first met Ran she really had no reason to believe I was Shinichi." Shinichi pointed out, "I hadn't 'disappeared' quite yet. True, she hadn't seen me since she left Tropical Land, but I wasn't gone long enough for her to tag my appearance to her missing best friend. The glasses help too..."
"I guess they would, when they're as big and dorky as yours are." I said casually.
"Oi, oi, dorky?" Shinichi said, sounding irritated. I stuck my tongue out at him and he continued, "I had to have Haibara dress as Conan once, just to convince her we weren't the same person. It was the closest I ever came to revealing everything to her, you know that? Well...I guess I came a bit close, when she lost her memory that time."
"You have a lot of dramatic things happen to you." I said with a twinge of amusement. Shinichi snorted. "Maybe, when all of this is over, you and Ran should just lock yourselves up in a cabin somewhere and stay alone for the rest of your lives. You can solve cases via webcam or something techy like that. Think of all the lives that will be saved without your bad luck killing them off?"
"Ha-ha." Shinichi said flatly. Then, very softly, "It will be over. Soon."
"With you on the case I wouldn't doubt it." I said with a grin. I stopped suddenly, a wave of nervousness washing over me. It took Shinichi a moment to realize I'd halted (really, the guy's so freaking observant every other time, but when it comes down to me getting drenched because he keeps walking after I've stopped...) and walked back to stand next to me.
"Iggy-kun?" Shinichi asked.
"I feel...like I'm being watched." I said, and knew that Shinichi was scanning the crowd around us. "Do you see anybody out of the ordinary?"
"No." Shinichi finally said, "I don't see anything, Iggy-kun. Come on, we should keep moving. Ran will need to get that dinner started as soon as possible if we want to eat before ten tonight."
My friend shoved me forward, and I complied. If he, Kudo Shinichi, couldn't see anything I probably didn't have much to worry about did I? Maybe I was just being weird or something. Or maybe I was hungry. Whatever the reason, I wanted to get inside the supermarket as soon as possible. I was grateful when we stepped inside.
"She must be making stew." Shinichi commented, "We need more meat...Iggy-kun you can do that can't you? I'll go get some more of the vegetables and stuff..."
I wandered away from Shinichi.
It was one of the most stupid things I've ever done.
"Onee-san..." I asked, pressing my face against the glass. "I need some meat for stew...my Nee-chan is having a bunch of friends over tonight! Can you get me some of it please?"
As the woman gushed about how utterly adorable I was, she bagged the meat. I wasn't all that surprised when she said I could have a discount, since I was such a little cutey. Oi, don't judge me. If you got it then flaunt it, ne? I thanked her as she handed me the bag and walked down the aisle.
A heavy hand clamped on my shoulder. The stench of Eraser, so damned obvious that I felt like an idiot, washed over me like a sick wave. "Don't attract attention, we already have your little friend with us. Would you oh-so kindly come outside with me?"
"Ah, if it isn't Goichi." I said, forcing my voice to remain calm. We walked outside, and I darted away from him to the side. Where he couldn't reach me, "Where the hell is he?"
"Iggy-kun, just go!" Shinichi said, answering my question for me. I could tell that he was being held by somebody, another Eraser. I scowled in irritation. "You can get out of here, just...you know, get away. I'll be fine!"
"We'll break his neck." Goichi stated, contradicting Shinichi. "You fly away from us and we won't hesitate to do it, you know I'm not lying. What's one damn brat compared to the sea of the whole world?"
"Ignore them!" Shinichi yelled, surely a scene was starting. People were surrounding us, murmuring in surprise. They didn't know what was going on...or what to really do. "They're lying to keep you here, you know that! If they killed me here, in front of all of these people, they'd never get away with it!"
"Are they filming a movie?" Somebody asked in confusion.
"Is this for real?" Another person queried.
"True..." Goichi said slowly, "We probably wouldn't be able to kill him, not here. Ah-le-le...there is that other thing that we could do! Iggy-kun...How would you like your friend to become an Eraser? Or maybe we could try adding a little snake DNA in there...how would you like that? Run away now and your little friend gets locked in a cage. Tucked nicely away..."
"People would notice!" Shinichi growled.
"Fine." I said, "Just let him go. I won't come near you unless you drop him now."
"Iggy-kun!" Shinichi snapped.
"Oi, oi, do you really think I'm that stupid, Boy-san?" Goichi growled, sounding irate.
The squeal of tires behind me made people scream and scatter. Somebody yelled to call the police, they didn't think this was an act. Somebody else screamed for them to do something. I heard Shinichi cry out in pain as he was flung to the concrete, and the next thing I knew I was shoved in a sack.
"You're lucky, you damn brat." Goichi snarled as I struggled, "That I'm a man of my word. Sorry about the disturbance, ladies and gentlemen~! Step close to me, and I'd just love to shoot you in the face! Au revoir!"
I was thrown into the trunk of a car.
"Call the police!" Shinichi said, whirling around. He froze, half in shock and half in dismay. Cameras...what? The shrunken teenager let his sharp eyes scan the area. Several of them. Damn, damn, DAMN! Relieved laughter came from the crowd, some girl squealed about the chance that her face would be on television.
Adults that held cameras, versus a little boy.
They'd never believe him. Shinichi grit his teeth, watching with a feeling of incredibly frustrating helplessness as the car sped off. The license plate was covered, of course. It was an inspicous model, one that could be lost among thousands. The detective took a steadying breath.
But they didn't know who they were dealing with.
So you can find him with the tracking glasses...Shinichi thought, referring to another invention that Agasa had cooked up for him. His glasses came with several nifty features, two of them including bullet proof lenses and a radar for certain tracking devices. The devices included some things that Shinichi could plant on others, as well as the Detective Badges that the members of the Detective Boys possessed.
In other words, finding and following Iggy wasn't the problem. As long as they stayed within twenty kilometers of Shinichi he'd be able to find them, he even had an extra pair in case the batteries ran out. (Because for some reason whenever he needed the damn things the most THAT'S when the batteries would die...)
What the hell could he hope to do? He only had three soccerballs in his belt. The belt was another invention Agasa made him, that could produce a soccerball at just the touch of a button. He could change the size of these balls by adjusting the air that entered into them. Unfortunately they only lasted ten seconds, so whenever Shinichi used this method he had to act fairly quickly.
There was the tranquilizer in his watch...so basically he could take care of four people.
He could always wing it, and kick anything lying around at them, but that was a pretty risky and stupid thing to rely on. Shinichi would do Iggy little good if he ran into the place, pissed them off by knocking a few of them out, and then got himself kidnapped. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
Those jerks wanted Iggy because he was one of those bird-kids the news always talked about...
Wait...Shinichi thought, hand flying to his chin as his mind began working. Super-human strength...Fang-kun! Right!
Shinichi whirled, he had to get back to the agency! It was while he was halfway through this movement that he was suddenly hauled in the air by the back of his shirt collar. In case you were curious, getting picked up in that manner happened to be on the top ten list of things Shinichi hated most about being stuck in this tiny body. He was turned around so that he could be eye level with his assailant, "Hattori!"
"Yo, Kudou." Hattori said, a smirk on his features, "What exactly are ya doin', standin' in the rain and pacin' back and forth like that? Somethin' happen?"
Shinichi's eyes flicked passed Hattori's shoulder, to Fang. The teen blinked a little questioningly at him, "Iggy-kun...was just kidnapped by the people who took our school hostage." Shinichi ground out. Fang's eyes narrowed, "I can find him easily enough, but there isn't any possible way that I'D do him any good. Not against Erasers."
"Eh?" Hattori said, "Erasers...? Wait, Iggy-kun's been kidnapped?"
"It'd be faster, to fly." Shinichi also added. Fang blinked.
"Yes, probably." The dark haired boy replied.
"Great, nobody's gonna clue Hattori in on this one, are they?" Hattori grumbled, looking put out and irritated. "So Iggy-kun's been kidnapped by some thugs, but not the guys in black right?"
"No, they aren't those people." Shinichi said, wincing slightly. "But I wouldn't let that be something to put us off guard. These people obviously know what they're doing, they made a mistake before but they're smart enough to correct it now. Has Fang-kun told you that he can fly yet?"
"No, but I figured as much." Hattori said, smirking when Fang looked at him in confusion. "Oh, it's not that you're bad at covering it up or anythin'. It's my job."
"He looked up your name, and easily added you with the Flock because of the fact that you were searching for flying children." Shinichi said, "In fact, he probably stumbled on that website of yours. I don't think you're all that surprised though, if you had really wanted to keep things about that quiet you wouldn't have used your real name. Especially when it's as unique as yours. I did the same thing, after Iggy-kun told me about him. I was curious as to what connections you had with him."
"So, how can you find him then." Fang said slowly.
"The tracking glasses..." Shinichi frowned, "Though we probably wouldn't do much good, just going as ourselves...Hattori it'd probably be dangerous..."
"Ya have ta ask?" Hattori said with an arrogant grin. "Let's fire those glasses up, how many people can ya fly with?"
"Uh...definitely not two." Fang said, "I probably wouldn't be able to carry you, Hattori-kun. Not for a long distance or anything like that. I probably wouldn't even be able to get very far off the ground. Kudou-kun won't be much of a problem though, I can easily carry him for a little bit."
"We have an extra pair of tracking glasses, back at the agency." Shinichi said, "Fang-kun can carry me, and Hattori can come as back-up on his motorbike."
I was shoved from my burlap sack into a cage. I knew it, even though I couldn't see it. There's a feeling akin to claustrophobia that always comes down on me when I'm in a cage. Only it's worse, because I know that the brief moments I'm out of that cage will only be filled with poking and prodding. Relentless pain...
"You could have had better surroundings." Goichi sneered, "But you had to be a little brat the last time we tried to pick you up, didn't you? I hope you don't mind...the docs around here didn't clean that cage out except to remove the body of the last thing to live in it. Does it smell of death?"
I wouldn't answer him.
"Tch. Fine, be difficult. It only makes it harder for you in the long run." Goichi snorted, and I grunted involunatarily as he slammed my cage back. My head cracked against the bars, blood started to flow off of my forehead. "Ah, seems the little baby got a bit of a boo-boo..."
"Back up off the speciman, Goichi-kun." Came a slightly angry voice. "She won't come if you kill it, there is no reason for her to avenge the death of somebody she doesn't know. This one is young, fragile."
"I hadn't realized they'd made one that was as small as this." Goichi snorted in reply. I rubbed my head in an attempt to stop the flow of blood, it didn't work. "I thought that the youngest was that little girl. Specimen Eleven or something like that, ne? So...who is this little boy exactly?"
"It is quite the conundrum. I would think that this was proof that they could merely breed...but that would make little sense. It doesn't look as though the ages would match up." The other man observed. "Greetings, Boy-san. My name is Cyril. How are you feeling?"
I only arched an eyebrow in reply. Turns out you don't need to use words sometimes to be sarcastic, especially when somebody asks something as stupid as that particularly last question. Goichi growled at me, but Cyril seemed to be holding him off from causing me any harm.
"Can you tell me where you came from?" He asked.
Act like a little kid, lie through your teeth. I thought, because if they knew I was part of the Flock I'd be that much easier to use against Max. I couldn't, wouldn't, let that happen. No. "I want my Nii-chan..."
"Don't be difficult!" Goichi snarled, slamming the cage around. I winced as my head slammed into the bars again, "You keep complaining like that then your going to end up in an even smaller cage. Tell the man where you came from."
"America." I said, trying to sound like a scared little boy. "My parents were dead, and I was a-adopted...please, can I just go home? I'm scared..."
"Fascinating...is it possible that they missed one of the ones they distributed to? Do your adoptive parents know about the wings you have?" Cyril said.
"No..." I replied, "I was too scared to tell them."
"Interesting indeed...and were you born blind?"
"Uhm...I think so." I said. Goichi seemed on the verge of snapping in the corner, but I ignored him. "Oji-san, please can you let me go? There is a big dinner my Nee-chan is making, and I'm supposed to help her..." I was rambling, desperate to play on this guy. There was something about him that made him seem weaker than Goichi, "I don't want to be here. I wanna go home."
"Unfold your wings so we can take a picture." Cyril said gently, "And then maybe we'll take you home. Ne, Goichi-san?"
"Yes. Maybe." Goichi said, the sneer so clear in his voice that I knew even if I was really five years old I never would have fallen for that. Not even for an instant. I backed myself up so that my back was pressed against the bars of the cage and stayed that way. "Listen you little brat..."
"Boy-san..." Cyril said, "Just unfold your wings."
"No." I replied, stubborn now. The cute little kid act was all but thrown out the window. I hated how childish I sounded when I added, "I don't want to."
My cage was picked up. I knew by the way it lurched underneath me, and it was slammed against the wall with a loud clatter. My head smacked the back bars and my ears started to ring. Cyril said something about being careful not to crack my head open, and that just made me feel as if my brains were beginning to leak out.
I passed out.
They were getting ready to leave the apartment when the laptop started beeping. High pitched beeping noises that were really irritating. Max grimaced and shot a look to Nudge who ran to make it stop. She returned a moment later looking pale and held the opened computer out to Max.
MAXIMUM RIDE was written all over the screen in block letters. There were some Japanese symbols as well. Dylan informed her that they basically spelled out what her name would be. WE HAVE ONE OF YOUR KIND. UNLESS YOU'D LIKE TO DOOM THIS CHILD TO A LIFE YOU COULD NOT ENDURE COME TO TOUTO TOWER.
"They might as well have added, 'ps. this is a trap' on the bottom. Do they really think you're that stupid Max?" Gazzy complained, "How'd they find the laptop though, that's what I'm wondering. What if they can trace us and find us or something like that..."
"It's not that. This signal was sent to every laptop within about seven hundred miles." Nudge commented, fingers flying across the keyboard. "Hold on, I think something else is trying to go through."
It was a picture. Blurry, and barely distinct. It showed what looked like a little kid with wings curled up in a cage. Total let out a nervous sounding whine and Nudge had stopped typing completely. Max felt her stomach clench a little bit. Dylan turned the computer around to look at it with a serious expression on his face.
"It could be doctored..." Nudge murmured but it sounded as though she wasn't thoroughly convinced. There was something very real about that picture, it bothered Max to no end. Still...
It COULD be doctored. It was OBVIOUSLY a trap. They were expecting her to go...
"We've got a dinner to go to." Max said gently, closing the laptop. "Nudge is right. It's probably something made up in an attempt to trick us is all. Let's go."
Heiji took the steps two at a time. Fang and Kudou were waiting for him at the end of the block, it was all basically up to him to get the glasses and meet up with them before they took off. When he flung open the door he ignored the surprised looks from Ran, Kogoro and Kazuha and headed straight for where Kudou had said the glasses would be.
"Bingo." The Osakan teenager hissed through his teeth as he shoved them in his pocket. He headed for the door but was stopped when Kazuha practically wrenched his shoulder from it's socket grabbing him. "Ahou! I've got to get movin'! I don't...have...time..."
He realized partially through his sentence just how incriminating those words were. A nervous laugh escaped his mouth as Kazuha tilted one slender eyebrow up at him. "What don't you have time for, Heiji?"
"W-well...ehehehe...see the kids got a little confused and didn't bring enough cash for the dinner! That's it! So I have ta get back to em' and give them this!" Heiji jangled the change he had in his pocket, "So I gotta go if we all want to eat dinner on time!"
"Heiji!" Kazuha yelled as he whirled around and practically leaped out of the door. Thank goodness for that, he didn't think he'd handle much more questioning. He was bad at lying.
"Finally!" Fang hissed through his teeth as Hattori's bike came to a screeching halt next to them. He leaned down and picked up Shinichi from under the arms. "I'm sorry, you probably aren't going to be very comfortable but it's kind of the only way I can carry you."
"I don't care." Shinichi ground out.
Fang wondered just how close the shrunken detective had gotten to his friend Iggy. It was a little strange that he felt a twinge of jealousy at the fact. He shoved it aside. Iggy was still his friend. This little mission could end in failure. In fact there was a large chance that it would. Yet Shinichi seemed convinced that somehow they'd end up on top.
"Let's go then." Hattori said, revving the engine on his bike. "We don't got a lot of time do we?"
Fang nodded grimly, and headed for the alley. It wouldn't be so great if he took off in the middle of the street. Just as he turned to go that way though he heard something that made him stiffen so much that Shinichi let out an irritated, "Ow! Watch it!"
"Fang?"
How was it that he was in one of the biggest cities in the world, and he still managed to run into her? Fang turned around slowly, wincing at the way his heart started to pound. Hating how happy he was to see her, and how unhappy that made him at the same time. "Hey Max."
So I leave it there!
ZOMFG! Iggy's kidnapped!
Gotta go rescue him!
But then Max ran into Fang! -gasps-
:3 Reviews please.