"This is getting too dangerous. First Hakase's in the hospital and now Haibara and Hattori. I don't know what to do…" Shinichi along with Kogoro, Eri, Kazuha and Ran had been waiting in the hospital lobby for upwards of six hours. They had arrived in the middle of night and sat patiently as the sun rose outside the hospital walls. Shinichi was by far the most distraught about the situation. Kazuha had cried for the better part of an hour when they first arrived but soon afterward fell asleep soundly with her head on Ran's lap. Ran had consoled her with all the tenderness of a sister which had made the whole experience bearable for Kazuha. Shinichi, despite his mind being engulfed by thoughts of guilt, frustration and helplessness had still found a few moments to appreciate Ran's gentle spirit and beautiful character.
"Shinichi you can't blame yourself for this" Ever since Kazuha had fallen passed out Ran had taken to comforting the person that meant the most to her though her efforts had been to little avail
"How can you say that? If I had just…" Shinichi dipped his head down and caught it in his hands. Ran took her hand away from its peaceful stroking of Kazuha's hair and brought it Shinichi's cheek. Shinichi's skin warmed at her touch and he turned hesitantly to meet her eyes. When their gazes locked he felt a wave of solemnity wash over him. He couldn't help but marvel at the effect just her eyes had on him
"Shinichi if you had continued to live as Conan it wouldn't have helped anything. If what Okiya said is true then they were already suspicious of you. It wouldn't have made a difference" Ran's serious expression altered slightly into an encouraging smile "so please stop sulking". Shinichi obliged her with a feeble grin. His effort however didn't seem to satisfy her and she decided to attempt a different tactic. As Shinichi hollow smile disappeared from his face Ran removed her hand from his cheek and ducked her head down hastily to look at Kazuha. She wore a grimace on her face that Shinichi couldn't help but notice and interpret
"Ran are you hungry?" Ran glanced back at him with admittance written all over her countenance
"W-Why would you say that?" she solicited in an effort to goad him into answering which she quickly she found to be successful
"Ran I've know you since we were children, you really don't think I recognize the face you make when you're hungry?" Ran blushed faintly but continued to face her companion whose head was still pressed against her lap
"Baka Shinichi…" Shinichi grinned genuinely for the first time in hours
"I'll go get us something to eat from the kitchen downstairs" he declared as she rose from his seat
"Wait!" Ran exclaimed with restrained volume to gain his attention. He turned to see what why she had beckoned him
"Hmm?"
"I want to come too" she whispered, seemingly embarrassed by her own desire to accompany him
"Ran aren't you busy right now?" Shinichi teased, gesturing toward the young woman currently occupying the upper half of her thighs. Ran looked down at Kazuha then back up at Shinichi. She contemplated the situation for a moment before apparently coming up with a solution. In an 'Indiana Jones'-esque movement she carefully removed the sweater she was wearing and placed it between herself and Kazuha's head. Then she slowly and precisely edhed herself out from under her friend while still holding her head up with the sweater under it. Once Ran was completely free from her seat she delicately lowered Kazuha's head onto the seat where her body had once been. Kazuha sniffled and shifted slightly but quickly returned to her deep slumber.
"Ready to go?" she asked cheerfully. Shinichi was impressed by her poise and skill and amiably nodded at her. Together they started to walk toward the main hall that led out of the lobby until a shrill voice stopped them dead in their tracks
"Oi where are you two going?" Kogoro asked without so much as a movement. His eyes were still closed and Eri was still propped up against his shoulder. She didn't seem to notice his words because she hardly moved either
"Otosan we're just going to the kitchen to get something to eat" Kogoro remained still but internally he was giving the notion seriously thought. After a few seconds of awkward silence he finally responded
"Bring me back a bagel or something" just then Eri's head shifted slightly and her lips formed a subtle grin
"And some yogurt if they have it" her volume was hardly enough to reach the ears of the two teenagers standing across the room
"And get some yogurt for your mother" Kogoro reiterated, apparently addressing Ran exclusively
"Hai!" Ran returned happily as she turned her back to her parents and began to walk away. Shincihi quickly followed her and caught up, taking a place by her side. In a spontaneous and bold gesture Ran reached out and took Shinichi's hand in his. Shinichi was baffled by the contact and quickly went to work trying to deduce its meaning and significance as they strode down the hall toward the stairs
"Sir?" the self proclaimed new leader of Okiya's syndicate subgroup had been pacing and deep in thought since they arrived back at the dock where they had been stationed to begin with. It had been six hours since their botched reacquisition of the two hostages Kudo Shinichi and former Black Organization agent codename Sherry. The rag tag group of criminals had yet to take any sort of action toward a second attempt at gaining back their lost captives. This huge lapse of time had left the group nervous and anxious
"Let me think alright this situation is delicate" the leader responded angrily
"But sir we haven't even contacted Gin yet and informned him of the recent developments. He is expecting the vessel he sent to be in Panay by tomorrow with those two kids" a large vein began to pulsate atop the pseudo-captain's forehead
"You don't think I know that! Look we can't go back to that person empty handed. If Gin finds out what happened to Bourbon he'll kill us for sure. We need to find a way to get that Kudo buy and Sherry back. I would rather be late with the hostages than be on time without. Do you understand?" the underlings nodded
"Hai. So then what are we going to do?" the interim leader took a firm hold of his chin and thought hard. Then, with a look of determination he raised he head and addressed the entire group, which was littered around the area but all within earshot
"Listen up this is the plan. We are going to stake out the Beika Hospital. We will make no move to enter the building, the setting is far too public. The last thing we need is attention from the media so we will wait for the targets to come out of the hospital and capture them in that fashion. Is that clear?" the group all nodded in unison except for one subordinate who raised his hand to ask a question. The leader rolled his eyes and unwillingly pointed at the raised hand to accept the inquiry
"Uh what if the targets are not alone when they exit the building?" the leader shot the man an evil grin
"Eliminate the company"
"Are you ready yet?" Gin solicited impatiently, looming over the helpless pilot as he detached the gas cap from the underside of the left wing
"I'm sorry but I can only fuel the jet so fast. I've already completed fueling on the starboard I just need to finish the port" Gin growled in his throat, effectively petrifying the pilot
"How much longer?" he asked in a husky baritone. The pilot stuttered in fear as Gin moved his head closer
"A-About fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty…." Gin gave the poor man a stare full of hate and wrath then drew back and chuckled maniacally
"You best hope so" As he turned and walked away the pilot began to fumble with the gas cap in his hands and shake nervously. Gin walked stiffly until he reached the rest of his associates who were all lounging around in the sun waiting begrudgingly.
"How much longer?" Korn asked curtly, apparently bothered by the intense desert heat
"Not long just be patient" Gin reassured him condescendingly. No one in the group felt any obligation or inclination to speak with one another so all were silent. Vodka Gin and Korn all sat in fairly close quarters while Vermouth had herself spaced out across from them. This sort of awkward instance had not been uncommon to the coworkers throughout their flight.
"So Gin I wasn't aware you were such a snorer" Vermouth stated with an air of amusement in her voice. Gin grimaced and lifted a pistol out from his jacket
"What was that you annoying b-"
"Gin" Vodka caught his attention and shot him a disapproving look. Gin looked down at his gun and then laughed outlandishly which terrified all of the people present including Vermouth
"My apologies, it must be the heat" he declared calmly as he lowered himself back into his seat. Korn crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in his chair, feigning disinterest as he usually did. Vermouth meanwhile was completely focused on Gin, who despite his now cool demeanor was still obviously fuming. 'I need to be careful, at least for now. If he goes off like that again and no one is Vodka isn't there to calm him down who knows what he'll…' she trailed off in her thoughts, trying to avoid the mental image she knew continuing on that thought track would lead to. Silence befell the black clad team again until after what seemed like an eternity the very timid pilot came over to them and leaned over Gin's ear. After listening to what the pilot whispered to him Gin rose and gestured for the rest of them to do the same
"Are we ready to go?" Korn asked casually, already fairly certain of the answer
"Hai. A few more hours and we'll at Panay Island"
"Hello KID" Snake said in an uncommonly welcoming tone
"Good evening my black clad friend what brings you to this fine rooftop this evening?" Kaito asked mockingly but earned no response from Snake
"That's amusing KID but tonight I have no time for your games. I have a message for you" Katio raised an eyebrow of curiosity, only displaying a small fraction of his actual interest
"Oh? And what could that possibly be?" Snake grinned maniacally and slipped his gun into his jacket
"You can have that Pandora Gem. Turns out my superiors have no use for it now, we're dealing with something much bigger" Kaito was now in full blown astonishment. So much so in fact that he was hardly able to maintain his trademark Poker Face.
"Are you sure about that? Has the prospect of eternal life somehow lost its luster?" he solicited, trying his hardest to coax any more information he could out of the murderous fiend standing before him
"Oh I'm sure. What we're planning is something much grander with more staying power, something that no one can stop. Not even the illustrious Kudo Shinichi or you Kaito KID. This will be by far the Organization's greatest gift to mankind." Kaito could feel his palms sweating under his leather gloves which seemed much thicker than they had a few moments prior. For the first time he could remember he was speechless. When he put on the guise of Kaito KID his character usually included having the infallible ability to come up with a witty response at any moment.
"Really? Well perhaps I'll have to apprehend this miracle of yours" Snake scoffed at him as if he was making it his business shatter the magician's spirit with every breath
"Oh I don't think that will be happening Kaito KID. What we have is no jewel or gem that you can simply pick up and fly away with, it's something different, something groundbreaking. Don't feel too bad though, this won't be the last time you see me. I promise you that" as he finished his statement a sleek black helicopter appeared behind him. He smirked arrogantly as he grabbed the aircraft and swung his leg in the door. As he pulled the rest of his body in Kaito could only look on in horror 'There's no way I'll be able to glide with that helicopter there. By the time the area is clear enough to take off they'll already be gone. But there has to be something I can do…' As the chopper flew off Kaito grinned contemplatively and raised his communicator to his ear
"Jii-san" Kaito said, awaiting a reply
"Master Kaito what is it?" he asked worriedly. The only times to his knowledge that Kaito had ever called him during a heist was when he either damaged his glider or lost an article of his costume. In either case it meant he had to go and pick him up
"I need you to track a helicopter. It's heading in your direction, it should be above you in less than two minutes"
"Understood Master Kaito, are you returning now?"
"Hai I will be there in ten minutes I'll see you then"
"Right" Kaito put the communicator away and looked at the rooftop door with a tired expression. 'Any second now Nakamori-keibu should be coming.' In an uncharacteristically unshowman-like move Kaito simply placed the Red Sky jewel on the ground and ran toward the roof ledge to fly away. As the doors flew open revealing a plethora of police officers Kaito leapt off the roof and activated his glider. Nakamori could only watch and curse at him as Kaito fluttered away gracefully and eventually disappeared into the night.
"I'm glad that went smoothly" Kaito muttered to himself as he breathed a sigh of relief. 'But…' he started internally, feeling a heavy weight crash down on him 'What now? I've spent so long pursuing this gem, so many nights. How am I supposed to justify my actions now that I have nothing to show for it? I failed to attain retribution for my father's murder and I've hurt the people closest to me in the process. All this time I was fixated on attaining vengeance and now I am left with nothing.' As he flew on, feeling the wind in his hair he took in a full breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. He had always enjoyed the scent of the night air, especially when he could sift the clouds. Despite everything that had happened and all of the lurking self-doubt in his subconscious one lighter thought dominated his mind 'I want to take Aoko flying one day. I think she would like it…'
A few things
1.) for those of you who had been waiting for it there, Kaito is now in the picture. I told you its all part of the bigger picture
2.) I will be starting school up again as of Wednesday so I want you to be aware that I will not be posting everyday as I have throughout this month. I will update as often as possible so please be patient with me
3.) I feel the need to give a few thanks
- Thanks to Chelsea and anyone else who left me reviews. I appreciate both encouragement and criticism so thank you and I hope to get more feedback in the future as the story progresses further
-Thanks to those of you who don't review but still keep up with the story on a chapter to chapter basis. Its thanks to you that TBAW had reached well over 3000 hits just this month
-Thanks to those of you who took the time to recommend this story to fellow readers. Its great to know its getting circulation
4.) For the record, thus far my streak stands at 36 straight days. I will most likely post a chapter tomorrow but its highly probable that the streak will end at 37
5.) And if you're starting to pick up my other project Gosho Couples don't be alarmed I will definitely that often. If you're haven't read that yet you should because I believe at the end you will appreciate the spotlight it's going to give some of the less appreciated couples and the perspective it gives to the main couples
This is Matt Gallion, once again thanking you for tuning in. Please continue to do so
and Happy February