A New Method of Persuasion

Thanks to my reviews who never fail to make me smile: Zeropanda, Kat-Sakura, Aniki-xvi, Chelseaj500, kuroange1, fan girl 666, spiritgurl21, and Verona-Mira (who seems to have left their review on chapter one... :D) An alternate name for this chapter might have been... "Are we there yet?"

A/N: I have things to say, the first is I must apologize again for the delay with the last chapter, and secondly, "It's Raining Men, Hallelujah", by fellow ff dot net author Asuka Kureru spawned one of Gin's comments later on in this. It was recommended to me by my beta, and know I am recommending it to you all for reading and Favorite-ing that fic as soon as possible. This about sums it up: "Conan already has some kind of corpse magnet power, but when Heiji is in his orbit the corpses actively come to them. From above. Witness." HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. You can find it on my favorites if you are feeling lazy.

PART TWENTY FIVE- KISS FROM A ROSE

The problem with being involved in the situations that Shinichi often found himself tangled up in, was the people he ended up with in these situations with. Most of them were either clueless or dangerous, and the latter of which couldn't even hope to hold a candle to the man that was driving beside him. Gin was also cunning, which left Shinichi guessing at what was going through his mind. He hadn't been told where they were going, but Shinichi assumed that it was somewhere he was to deny ever going to.

The car purred, and despite the pain it was possibly giving to its owner, they were moving farther away from the city. Shinichi couldn't help but worry, he had never been so isolated, alone, with someone he knew to be a threat. Never mind that whole adventure in the air with Kid—he'd never been so isolated in his life. Help had always only been a quick shout away, but not this time. His mind kicked into overdrive with the panic, he knew roughly what direction they were going. He also knew roughly what speed, and judging from the lack of expression on Gin's face, who was likely to be there.

"Where are we going?" Shinichi decided to ask. The blond didn't take his eyes off the road, another indication of how fast they were going. They were quite possibly breaking the speed limit, probably going between 125 to 130 kilometers per hour…

"Somewhere Sherry suggested," the blond answered in a bored tone. Shinichi could not help but flinch at the idea, places that Haibara would suggest generally ended up with him either uninterested or in questionable situations working on a murder case. Usually the murder cases, not so much the uninterested, because that would imply he wasn't running for his life during the process.

"Is that so? Did she perhaps include some sort of solid alibi for us as well?" Shinichi muttered. Only once had he ever been accused of being the perpetrator of one of said crimes he stumbled upon, and once too much for his liking.

"What type of alibi?" the blond asked, barely glancing in his direction. Shinichi decided that perhaps he had best stop distracting the blond before he decided to break his word and simply shoot him instead. Although… that really wouldn't be breaking his word since Shinichi's own life was not part of their agreement. Perhaps he should elaborate…

"I have been dubbed the 'Murder Magnet' by the majority Tokyo Police Force. They mistakenly thought my bad luck at being at crime scenes was somehow associated with Mouri as of late," Shinichi started, "generally either I get kidnapped or end up in grave danger in the places Haibara suggests. I am just a little hesitant to follow her anywhere after the last time…" The blond quirked an eyebrow, beckoning Shinichi to continue his statement. "I'd rather not say, it still gives me shivers…"

"Sherry recommended a place far away from 'Hattori', stating that he was a catalyst to the 'Murder Magnet' that you already possess," the blond informed him rather bored still, "I see no reason why being a 'Murder Magnet' would upset someone…" Shinichi truly had to fight down his urge to laugh. Of course, Gin, as a serial murderer, would say that in response…

"Most people aren't the cause of said murders," Shinichi responded, "and it is upsetting to come home and find someone you cared about dead. That is unless you are the killer trying to get away with it, then you're just trying to blend in."

"You don't have to blend in if you don't leave any evidence," the blond smirked, Shinichi found himself frowning at that. He was going to have to stop walking straight into these obvious statements, it was somewhat embarrassing to discuss murder cases with the assassin. The blond found many of them dull, if not redundant. It also decreased the likelihood that Gin would ever be caught, judging from his comments and reactions he thought those who managed to get caught surely deserved whatever became of them. Not that Shinichi disagreed with him, but he also didn't agree with sending innocent people to jail for crimes they didn't commit. Better yet, using experimental poisons to shrink people into oblivion.

"So where are we going?" Shinichi asked looking out the window. His nerves were on edge from the last few minutes of conversation. Remembering the day he was shrunk to this size was never pleasant, and remembering that while discussing murders was not something he counted as enjoyable. The blond glanced over his direction, there was that sneer that scared the living crap out of Shinichi.

"Ask me again and the answer will be your funeral," the blond responded coldly. Shinichi wisely decided it would be a good idea to keep his mouth shut.

When the tiny detective next awoke he was surprised to be on a soft plushy bed. He remembered falling asleep in the assassin's car, so how did he get here? His backpack sat on the chair across from him, which further surprised him. Why hadn't Gin woke him up when they arrived? Shinichi remembered the pained looks crossing the blond's face as he fumbled with the window. He also knew that the blond's ankle had been visibly swollen when he slipped on his shoes at their first attempt to leave Kudou manor. If he was in that much pain, why had he shown up then?

"I see you're awake Fox," the voice startled him, Gin stood at the doorway with a neutral expression. Shinichi could see something with steam rising from it in his hands, was that? By Kami… the man had brought him coffee! "A peace offering for the earlier threat, don't expect an apology." Then he crossed the room, Shinichi noted that he must have taken something for his ankle since the steps favored neither foot. The coffee was placed in his waiting hands, and the blond was gone before he could even utter a simple thank you.

He examined the room. It didn't appear to be the same one that he used when he had last taken Haibara's antidote. Then again, he hadn't really explored that much the last time he was here. That coupled with the reefer that Vermouth had somehow managed to slip him… wait… Shinichi's mind kicked into overdrive. Reefer had another purpose besides causing hallucinations, the shrunken detective almost face palmed. The drug Cannabis could result in general analgesic effects, or in non-scientist terms, pain relief.

The real question was whose drugs did Vermouth use on him? Were they hers or the blond assassin's? Shinichi shook his head, from what he knew about the blond he didn't do drugs, he smoked like a chimney, but after living with Mouri Kogoro for so long, that didn't bother him so much. He sipped his coffee, running through different scenarios that could ease pain, and each time he came to reefer/Cannabis his mind refused to consider it. His reasoning was that Gin would never take anything that would jeopardize his mental capabilities. Something Shinichi would back with his life considering Gin had shot himself in the arm to avoid succumbing to a harmless tranquillizer dart. When he could no longer bear the guessing he slid softly off the bed, he would ask.

GIN

When the mini detective wandered into the room, his expression was slightly puzzled. He fidgeted, drawing Gin's attention from the newspaper he was looking over. This was no small feat to do when the assassin had to prop the newspaper up on the right side. His right hand was cradled in his lap, as carrying the boy earlier had left it rather tender… He had all but forgotten about his ankle with the pain that was shooting up from his arm. Not that the boy wouldn't know his arm hurt, the assassin had spent too many moments contemplating the mini detective's strange actions to keep from jostling the injured limb.

"You've been out for three hours, we have arrived at our destination, and no, there is nothing in your coffee," Gin spoke coolly looking back to the paper looking for anything suspicious. Generally, as a rule, Anokata was more cautious, but when some of his operatives decided to be less than discrete, he returned the favor tenfold. A newspaper hit-order was not unheard of, and Gin honestly didn't feel like arguing with the bastard about being discrete with such things. He was sore enough, and Vermouth had been testing his patience again prior to his earlier arrival at the Kudo home.

"All nice to know," the Fox replied, "still doesn't answer the two questions I have though. I cannot help I have been here before though…"

"Sherry said that you enjoy solving mysteries, particularly murder mysteries," Gin placed the paper down when he was content that there was nothing in it worth reading, "I have an interesting mystery for you to solve. There is a leak that will be silenced here soon here, if you can deduce how it happened without managing to tip off the police you'll get the chance to test the latest antidote. If not, I'm sure you can imagine the result of my gun pointed at your head." The mini detective looked rather surprised, but then again death threats coming from his mouth shouldn't really surprise anyone who actually knew the blond.

"I will try," the mini detective bit out, "what did he do to deserve dying?" Gin supposed that would be something important to the detective. If it would further influence his actions to what Gin had asked for, so be it. Besides, he was curious how the Fox's mind worked in terms of justice.

"He's a traitor actually, but unlike Sherry he killed several other operatives on his way out," Gin answered rather coldly, "I applied for the assignment, but the matter was taken out of my hands two weeks ago." As the best assassin he had been the easy choice, even injured his success numbers spoke for themselves. Vermouth had redirected the assignment after his injury, much to his extreme displeasure.

"I think my conscience can live with his murderer not coming to light," the mini detective frowned, "just being in your presence seems to be warping my judgment now…" He shook his head and headed back into the bedroom he had appeared from. Gin was left to ponder why he had felt the need to tell the boy anything at all, and more so why that statement was so amusing.

SHINICHI

When Shinichi found out he had permission to leave the room he was ecstatic, there were of course silent threats about what would happen if he got himself in trouble. It was a very familiar place for the detective, and it was one of few places that didn't hold a murder case he had been a part of, he realized. Not that it mattered, there had been terrible incidents in almost every place he had been to.

It was a remote lodge, Shinichi remembered that much about this place. It had a couple of interesting trails, and the lack of light out here was also perfect for stargazing at sunset. It also had a sinister feel to it at the moment. Gin had already told him why that was, but it still made shivers run down his spine. To know that there were at least two more black org members here-would he be able to solve this case without the police suspecting Gin or the other operative? He didn't know, but his current freedoms were as a result of the blond's little trust in him.

He was almost run over by a room service cart on his way down to the lobby. He flattened himself against the wall resisting the urge to do something that would attract the staff member's attention. He continued his trek downstairs, keeping track of the guests and staff alike as he descended. It was no wonder Gin hadn't wanted to leave the room, if Shinichi was right, he had carried him all the way up to there. The mini detective felt a small measure of pity for the assassin, even after Araide sensei had set his arm, the recovery was supposed to take almost half a year. With the blond abusing it like he was, it was liable to take even longer…

"Ah, Edogawa kun, it's a surprise to see you here," the voice was female, and vaguely familiar, "what happened with you and your friends?" He cringed, this might be Vermouth, but that was unlikely considering his luck… It wasn't one of his mother's disguises, that was for certain.

"Ano, who are you?" he honestly couldn't remember this woman. He had met a great number of people as both Shinichi and Conan, and keeping the two of them separate was becoming difficult. This time however he could honestly swear he didn't remember this woman.

"I am terribly sorry, you were with the Shonen Tantei at the time," she knelt down with a soft smile, "I was one of the people interviewed by both your little group, then by the police. I am glad the culprit was caught, and that no one else was hurt." Shinichi suppressed a little sigh, so this woman was just a random fan of the Shonen Tantei. There was nothing for him to get so excited over, not yet…

"Ah, sorry," Shinichi put his best Conan face and pretended that something had attracted his attention, "I have to go!" He waved, and ran off in the general direction of the trails. He knew if the blond caught him running, he was as good as dead, even with a good excuse. He was supposed to be avoiding being noticed for the most part, and this certainly wasn't going to help his cause. He slowed and tried to think about all the people he had just seen.

There was the old man that was probably in his early seventies, (late sixties at the earliest Shinichi suspected,) working in the lobby at the front desk. There was a young woman in her late twenties who was signing in the guests and running the stairs in the old man's place. There was a cook that was also running the room service, he was in his mid thirties. There was a groundskeeper, it was obvious he and the cook had something going on, or it was a one sided affection from one side. There was no one suspicious amongst the workers of this place. He soon found himself overlooking a cliff, there was no one amongst them that stood out. Then perhaps it would be a guest, he could see the lodge from where he stood. Gin's car parked amongst the others far down below, the black Porsche gleaming like a dark omen.

Only it wasn't just a dark omen anymore, Shinichi smiled softly looking down at the rare car. He had noticed that he wasn't the only one acting strange, the blond assassin had been strange as well. It was true that he was still highly paranoid, but he had started to stop his shoot first ask questions when all the witnesses are dead approach. The Shonen Tantei were harmlessly recovering playing games at the professor's house as proof of this, Haibara was alive, and so was he for that matter. Gin had also saved Shinichi's life, and provided back up for the shrunken detective despite his own injuries. The mini detective could admit it to himself, he trusted the blond, but he also knew that he would have to show that to the blond still.

Running around causing all sorts of chaos wasn't going to make this case solve itself, and the blond hadn't brought him here to see how well he solved cases. It was only now that Shinichi realized his motive for bringing him here. The blond was testing how reliable he was, not to mention if he even could keep the real results of this case to himself. It was a test of where his loyalties lie. Shinichi smiled, the blond hadn't lost his touch one bit. Letting him roam around the lodge was just more of the same. He would do his best not to let the blond down.

a/n: Again, I am so sorry that last chapter took so long to get posted. don't forget to take a look at that fic I mentioned above. It will make your day.