Special thanks to: Tears Parallel, PhoenixShadow, Clams-and-Rainbows (Very cute username!), Kat-Sakura, Vetis1056, Solera, Lilgreyblob (O_o I just realized I've been mispronouncing your username when I've said it aloud, gomen yo...), Panda San (Thank you again for the help), Aniki (much love and hopefully this isn't too long of a wait!), Gray Maka, and Kuroange1 (sorry, but I guess I am forgiven because I updated right?). VERY VERY SPECIAL Thanks to HittocereBattosai who patiently puts up with me and betas this, even when I am not very agreeable some days about it. It makes a world of difference when she goes through it! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT! I will try to have the next part up by mid April.

Takes place after the bio-terrorism plot of the last chappie, at Kudou manor. Course that kinda goes without saying doesn't it…. ^_^* I am terribly sorry for the skipping around, I hope it's not too confusing. Please enjoy Vodka in all his clueless glory. Oh, and please enjoy!

PART THIRTY SIX- WHEN IT RAINS…

GIN

"In earlier news, our sources have reported that there were American agents working with our local police departments. Sources also say that their goal was to thwart a massive bio-terrorism plot," Kir reported with that creepy doll like smile staring back at her viewers, "Nakamori keibu was unavailable for comment, but Megure keibu of the Tokyo metro had this to say—" satisfied, Gin switched off the television. Kir. She could handle putting a spin on it, and her producers believed her story, going by the broadcast style he saw.

He frowned. This was the same Kir that failed in her task to eliminate Akai Shuichi. She would be considered a traitor as soon as Chianti got back to HQ. If the female sniper said anything before he got back anyway, Gin wondered if it was worth keeping the reporter alive after such a blatant act against Anokata's orders.

Kami sama, he still had to tell the Fox about the Chianti Situation… He was not looking forward to telling the Fox that Chianti had gotten wind he was working with an outside force, and considering that she had been on that last mission she probably knew who the Fox was now… He wondered how the detective would react. It was an unspoken part of their deal that no one else would know that the shrunken detective was involved in the Organization's affairs.

The blond sighed, taking a sip of the coffee that the Fox had brought him when they reached Kudou Manor. The assassin wasn't looking forward to this… he looked forward to shooting people, not notifying others of their mistakes, at least not without some form of bodily harm. Currently the Fox was occupied making some calls in the kitchen, a couple were in reference to the Bio-Terrorism incident, making sure no one had any questions about his involvement or had any suspicions about the Organization's involvement. The last one might be too obvious for even someone like the Fox to cover up though.

The Fox seemed to be just as paranoid as he was, judging by the half of the conversation he could hear. Someone on the other end of that line was not happy, Gin smirked at the idea of some FBI agent's plans being changed because the Fox said they had to. So he could be manipulative as well as clever, too bad the Fox had no intentions of joining the Black Org's ranks, other than just with assisting Gin's own missions.

"No, I can't explain what they were doing there. The only thing I can tell you is what was in the warehouse is better off gone," the Fox spoke calmly into the phone, coffee firmly in hand, "you want a reason? It had no cure, I think I can get to the schematics if needed… No, I already told you I don't know." Gin watched the Fox field questions for a couple hours, it was amusing to see someone else do all the 'hard' work for a change. He hung up the phone and looked at his now cold coffee sadly.

"Which agencies did you deal with?" Gin asked watching the expression on the Fox's face.

"Which one didn't I? CIA wanted to know what the hell was going on, they got my number from the FBI. The FBI said I jeopardized some ongoing mission to infiltrate the Organization with that 'little' stint. The police department found out 'I' was involved so I had to explain things from that perspective as well thanks to Kid, and now my coffee is cold," the Fox growled nearly spitting out his favorite substance, and for the first time since he met the Fox he was met with a cold stare, "just what did Akai mean by my lovely Koibito san? Is there something you haven't told me?"

"Rye has called me that ever since he was outed as a traitor," Gin shrugged, "why, should that mean something?" The Fox blushed, mumbling something that Gin couldn't quite pick up.

"No, not at all," the Fox sputtered. To the detective's visible relief the doorbell rang, the Fox was off and running before Gin could read anymore of the Fox's tells.

SHINICHI

That last question that the assassin put to him, it was… surprising to think about. He found himself jealous of Akai's comment, his familiarity with the assassin. He wondered who would be stopping by at this hour, seeing as Hattori was still in the hospital for two more days and Kid wasn't coming anywhere near the assassin for the time being. Shinichi frowned, he wasn't exactly tall enough to check the peep-hole of his own front door anymore. As the bell rang again he cautiously opened it, weary of visitors while the blond was in the other room.

"Ah, Shinichi kun!" Agasa Hakase greeted him warmly, "how did your errand go earlier?" Shinichi wondered if the assassin would mind if he let the professor in.

"Only the terrorists died, no real casualties on our side," Shinichi gestured for Agasa to come inside, "what brings you over Hakase?" Agasa nudged his glasses slightly, and a serious expression appeared on his worn face. "Now's not a good time for a visit, I still have one of the agents here tying things up." Agasa nodded, looking towards the study doorway then back to Shinichi again.

"Your father called, he was trying to get a hold of you earlier, but you were still out on your case," Agasa spoke softly, "he called me when you didn't answer. Have you talked to him yet Shinichi kun?" He placed a gentle hand on Shinichi's shoulder which confused him further, why did Agasa feel the need to comfort him?

"He's probably just being nosy again," Shinichi thought aloud, "did he leave a message?" Agasa nodded grimly, "what's wrong?"

"Your mother… she was in a car accident Shinichi," Agasa's hand felt like an anchor now, the older man was watching him carefully, "she's stable according to your father, but you should call—" Shinichi was already pulling out his phone, dialing an often neglected number in his contacts. Guilt settling heavily on his mind as he noticed the missed call notification, he hit send. After the third trill it connected.

GIN

He could hear the entire conversation from his position in the study, the Fox seemed genuinely upset at the news. His voice was strained, Gin figured he was returning his father's earlier call. There was a pause, a heavily silence before the Fox spoke again.

"So she wasn't the cause of the accident? That's a relief, wait… Are you serious? No, it doesn't mean anything to me," the Fox sounded relieved, "so 'kaasan is okay, really okay? Yes, I'll call back sometime during this week… No, absolutely not, that case is none of your concern. It's been handled, no… and yes. Yes, yeah… no, yes, alright… take care of 'kaasan. Yes, of course, bye."

Gin busied himself reading the margin notes of the Holmes book while the Fox took care of his unexpected guest. They were an interesting insight into the detective's mind he discovered. He had noticed the scribbled notes when he was leaving messages for the detective early on. The detective's observations of Holmes and his methods… they spoke volumes more than the Fox's body language did at times. The Fox knocked on the doorframe before entering the study, causing Gin to smile inwardly. It seemed that the detective was tired of guns pointing in his direction.

"That was my neighbor, my father called him earlier when I didn't answer my cell," the Fox explained, slowly sitting down in his usual chair, "my mother was in a car accident earlier today." He leaned back in the chair, Gin briefly wondered why he was moving so oddly, then recalled the boy still had his pistol.

"Where'd you leave the pistol?" he asked. The Fox frowned and reached behind his back. After tugging slightly he stood up and walked towards the assassin with a displeased expression.

"It's stuck in my belt," he muttered tugging at his pants futilely, "if you would?" He turned around pulling up his shirt to reveal where the pistol was wedged.

"Hmm.. you've got the holster clip stuck on the tag of your pants," the assassin informed him, carefully removing the clip without jarring the weapon to much, "did you finish the clip, or this still loaded?" The boy's back clenched, Gin looked up to what he could see of the Fox's face.

"No, there's still rounds in it, and I think one's chambered actually," the Fox shrugged against him as the thing was removed, "why did you give me an American pistol anyways?" The assassin chuckled as he checked the gun's action, where sure enough a round was loaded, he ejected the clip and the round placing them on the table beside the Holmes novel.

"The Americans like their guns Fox. Unlike the standard police weapons that Sig Sauer won't jam even though it's clip fed. It's accurate to at least 70 meters for the standard shooter, I can hit targets at 100 meters with it easily," Gin responded as the Fox turned to face him looking intrigued by the idea, "the caliber that you had, .357 has enough punch to stop a bear. This model also has an inter changeable barrel allowing it to be .357 or .40 cal, meaning you can have the punch of the .357 or you can choose to toy with your enemies."

"Why would anyone…" the Fox cut himself off when he remembered just who he was speaking to, "never mind. So what were you brooding about earlier?" Gin scowled, he had no idea how to tell the Fox about Chianti and the problems she had the potential to create for them.

"I was not brooding," Gin settled on, "Vermouth's an idiot." The Fox snorted into his coffee, settling down amused in his chair. He took a sip out before remembering it was cold, he shuttered placing it back aside and out of easy reach.

"You have told me this before," the detective smirked, "what has she done this time?"

"She let your name slip in front of Chianti," Gin scowled, a look of panic went through the Fox's face, "not that name, she's not that dumb. She was speaking to Vodka and Sherry at the time and said something about 'the Fox' in front of Chianti." The look of panic was replaced by weariness.

"That's a relief…" the Fox murmured. Gin shook his head, indicating the story didn't end there.

"Chianti was on the last mission, there is a possibility she knows who you are now," Gin informed him, "this wouldn't be a problem if it were anyone else, but this is Chianti. The only thing Chianti is good for is shooting people." The Fox looked puzzled, meaning he hadn't caught on to the issue yet. "Chianti is a shooter because she can't keep her mouth shut."

"Ah," the Fox leaned back in his chair, "in other words, she's a blabbermouth?" Gin nodded, the detective seemed to be considering his options, "well, what do you suggest we do? Can she be trusted? Where do her loyalties lie, with you or…?"

"Fox your guess is as good as mine at this point, all I know for sure is that she hates Vermouth more than I do," Gin shrugged, "by extension I would assume that includes Anokata as well."

"Then there really is no way of knowing until it comes down to it," the Fox sighed, "this makes things more difficult, doesn't it?"

"Yes and no. She knows you on sight as 'the Fox', not by either of your 'identities', which plays nicely into our hands," Gin thought aloud, "she might come to me, or even you for assistance in the future." The Fox looked at him oddly.

"Why does that play nicely into our hands? I thought you didn't want me involved in anyone else's affairs," the Fox asked looking far too old for his seven year old body.

"Simple, Chianti will owe us, and having an assassin owe you is a good thing," Gin smirked, "or so I have been told." The Fox looked like he didn't believe him at all.

SHINICHI

"Still, I'm worried…" he mumbled, his mother's accident only the latest of bad events, "I keep worrying that the next time I get a call, it won't be to tell me she's okay, but that she's…" The assassin did his best to look concerned, it didn't work but Shinichi realized that was what he had been attempting.

"Your mother?" the blond asked, "she's alive isn't she?"

"Yes, but still something is bothering me about that whole situation," Shinichi hadn't been meeting the assassin's eyes, he didn't want the man to believe him weak or something along those lines.

"I'm not a mind reader Fox and we don't have time for you to draw this out," the blond said looking at his watch, "I have to drop you off and report to Anokata in less than a hour." The detective resisted the urge to smile at the thought of the assassin driving him to the Mouri's after his help today.

"I understand, but do you remember what Vermouth was saying about Priuses? How they were a poison?" Shinichi asked, the assassin nodded, "that's what my mother was hit by this morning. My father told me that the accelerator got stuck and that they rammed into the back of my mother's car, at speeds upwards of sixty mph." The assassin's eyebrow raised, it would seem neither of them believed in confidences.

"Vermouth's words, I doubt she meant them as some sort of warning Fox," the blond remarked looking thoughtful to the situation, "that woman was just expressing her personal dislike for the vehicle."

"Yeah, but now the manufacturer has issued a recall on those models for faulty brakes and sticking accelerators. My mother's accident was just one in several recent incidents for that model," Shinichi wondered how much the master of disguise knew, "it's just particularly odd that something she mentioned would—"

"Forget it Fox, that woman's riddles only lead to massive headaches," the assassin cut him off, "I need some scotch…"

"Speaking of things I'm not supposed to have, we may have another issue," Shinichi spoke up as Gin stood in preparation to leave, "the other pill was taken from me. The family I'm living with stumbled upon it…" The assassin replaced the clip in the borrowed gun and clipped the holster under his jacket to something Shinichi couldn't see. His expression was unreadable, that worried the detective.

"What do you expect me to do about it? You already told me you don't want me to shoot them Fox," his voice was flat, showing his irritation at the idea, "until you get that pill back I'm not giving you the next one. The fact they think you're some kind of druggie is not my problem, I expect that to be handled by the time we next meet Fox." He stood smoothly, meaning his ankle was feeling better.

"I'll take care of it, but I thought you should know seeing as they probably think I got it from you anyways. I have no intentions of telling them what it actually is of course, that would raise to many questions for everyone involved," Shinichi spoke thinking aloud, "but I have to ask… Did you really stumble upon an actual antidote for the Apotoxin?" The assassin turned to him with a smirk, looking especially pleased at that moment.

"We are still synthesizing it, it has all the right markers," Gin smirk was contagious, "if all goes well you can expect another visit for a blood sample, that way Sherry can to test it for any complications. She's testing it against lab mice right now, I expect she's waiting." Shinichi nodded, watching as the assassin made off with his battered copy of 'the Sign of the Four' without so much as a word. He smiled to himself, perhaps he was rubbing off on the man under that cold exterior. Gin tucked the book in a pocket and made to leave, Shinichi's mind final realizing that the man had made a serious offer to drop him off at the Mouri's.

"Just let me wash these out!" he called. When he didn't hear the front door open his smile grew ever so slightly. Thoughts about how maybe things wouldn't be so bad when he was finally cured racing through his mind.

VODKA

The portly agent wasn't disappointed to be left behind, Gin had briefed him on what was going to happen, and he was left back at headquarters in the unlikely case that they needed backup. Not that anyone needs backup smaller than the size of a small army if his Aniki couldn't handle it… Chianti and Korn had returned hours ago, Gin was still in his debriefing with Anokata when Vermouth strutted in, she looked awfully pleased with herself. Vodka narrowly avoided what would have been a strenuous conversation with her by sheer luck.

A brief mention of Gin still being in Anokata's office was enough to get her into the elevator with a hesitant look of her own. Chianti had already told him everything anyways… About his Aniki's super virus, how it was stocked sky high in the warehouse in the middle town, which eventually blew up, with the police already surrounding it on all sides chasing after the Kaitou Kid, who had crashed the mission for some reason. The involvement of the CIA, FBI and the Kaitou Kid squad was enough to make his blood go ice cold with worry about the whole ordeal. Not to mention her warnings that his Aniki's wrath would be upon whatever sniper was stupid enough to miss their shot and shoot early.

Vodka shook his head, making his way towards the sanctuary that was Sherry's poisons lab. No, he was definitely not disappointed to be left out of that madhouse of a mission. All appeared to have gone well by the account he heard, and the fact Gin wasn't done debriefing with Anokata was also a good sign. It meant there would also be a healthy doubt about the Organization's involvement in the ordeal, or at least their motives if they were.

He almost wanted to call the Fox about the matter… The detective brat would surely know just how well or bad the mission had gone. He would know, and according to his Aniki the detective was far better at analyzing these things than he was.

"Don't even consider it," Sherry warned as he walked in, reading his mind easily, "he's been dealing with all those agencies for Gin, and I just got off the phone with him anyways. He doesn't know much, you're better off calling Kir." Vodka didn't bother to ask, Sherry was always able to tell what he was thinking now-a-days.

"Has Chianti been in yet?" he decided to ask. The small scientist shook her head, looking rather amused about something. "Kir—" He was cut off before he could say another word.

"Did her secret finally get out then?" she asked pointedly, Vodka's mouth dropped open a bit, "you forget I spent a lot of time with a certain detective." The big man nodded taking a seat in the corner to wait for his Aniki.

"Did you know that Rye is alive then?" he countered when the shock wore off. The small scientist shrugged, continuing her earlier work without much reaction.

"I suspected as much when I found out about Kir's dirty little secret," Sherry answered, she was no longer interested in him apparently, "he saved my life while I was out there you know? The Fox thinks he's respectable, but he's a bit pissed at Rye's nickname for Gin." The scientist tapped the side of a petri dish, then looked out the window expectantly.

"What nickname would that be, I didn't know anyone was brave enough to give Aniki one…" Vodka asked hesitantly. Last time Sherry told him something he had a hard time forgetting the images it conjured in his mind.

"His lovely koibito san, the Fox didn't approve," she smirked, "looks like Gin's having a good day today at least. Now, out! I have work to do unlike the two of you. And when he asks, no, I don't need anything from him. I need a decent blood sample, that's it." She made a shooing gesture, and Vodka found himself shoved out the door unceremoniously before it was locked behind him. His Aniki was looking at him curiously before continuing on his way to the Organization's shooting arcade.

"Aniki?" the portly agent watched as the blond turned around, "I heard the mission went well." The blond nodded, making a motion for Vodka to follow him, Sherry was right again, Gin was in a good mood.

"Chianti?" the blond spoke softly enough that Vodka almost had to ask him to repeat that. He nodded, and the blond spoke again, "did she say anything about the Fox?" Vodka shook his head, checking to see if he had his pistol on him. That was before Gin handed him one, his Sig! He had wondered where it was this morning….

"You took my gun?" Vodka asked in surprise, "I thought you trusted me Aniki… What about Kir?" Gin looked amused, his mouth twitched, "what are you going to do about it?" The blond pulled out his berretta, ejected the clip to check he had rounds before replacing it in the hilt. Vodka shut the door behind him as Gin pressed the on button for the gallery.

"It's not my problem," the blond spoke evenly, "Anokata already knows, and hasn't ordered that hit. It's not my concern unless Anokata makes it my problem." He took aim at the small targets and released a hail of bullets on the defenseless metal targets. Vodka was glad he wasn't on the other end, but he wondered why Gin took his gun…

As his partner recanted the mission they picked off the little metal targets, a practice they had gotten into long ago when they went on separate missions. He would never admit that the story as Gin told it made his palms sweat and his heart race even though he had already heard the story from Chianti. The blond assassin still seemed off though, as if there was something more to his singularly objective mind. The blond's overly pleasant chatty mood, which since he was shooting that mood should have been totally natural. Only the blond wasn't concentrating on his shots, that much was obvious.

Nine rounds taking out eleven, occasionally twelve targets, Vodka was getting jealous, his gun slipped as shot thanks to his now sweaty palms. Even as he was getting jealous he was worried, he'd never seen Gin get this… whatever it was… over someone. Call him a worry wart, but he was concerned about what this detective was doing to his partner. He told the blond as much, which only resulted in the range clearing even faster, you'd think he mentioned a sale on hollow point tips or something.

The overall change in his moods, patience, even his posture would be enough to make anyone who knew the man notice, but it was the almost smile in his eyes as he spoke about the detective that said the most to Vodka. The detective was inciting a change in his ever cold, dark, and dangerous partner, not through anything that he said, but through the actions he took around and for the blond. Gin didn't seem to notice he was dangerously close to humming some ridiculously happy tune when he'd seen the detective.**

At least it wasn't as noticeable as a bright pink neon painted sign yet, but if the blond started humming it might as well be. Whenever Gin spent time with the detective he came back in what could almost be called a pleasant mood, at least for him anyways. Almost ridiculously so if one considered the last decade of the blond assassin's life anything to go by. Over the last few months the blond's impression, or at least the one he was giving Vodka, was that the Fox was less of an unwanted bump in the road and more of a… the portly agent blinked. The expression his Aniki was making at present made him lose his train of thought.

"What's the matter Aniki?" he managed to ask. The blond leaned back ejecting his empty clip for another full one, the stunned expression still creeping its way across his features. That was a frightening idea, Gin at a loss for words.

"I… it's odd Vodka," Gin started, dark green eyes going in and out of focus as he tried to find the words he wanted, "… this strange feeling that's creeping across my chest. It's like I actually care or something…" Vodka raised an eyebrow as he finally managed to hit some of the targets before Gin cleared the board again. He shifted an eye to the blond as the targets reset, what the hell was the blond babbling about? "How is this possible…"

"How is what possible Aniki?" Vodka verbally probed. Certainly it couldn't be any more embarrassing than when he found out all the terms of Gin's deal with the Fox. He was still tempted to look up that item that Vermouth had mentioned awhile back. He really wanted to see if there really was such a thing as 'brain bleach', because the idea sounded ingenious. How else was he going to erase all the images Sherry had conjured in his mind?

"I actually care about what happens to the Fox," Gin answered, still shell shocked by the idea. Rather than replying with something redundant, because Vodka had long since figured that out by himself he decided on an answer that probably would not get him shot.

"It happens Aniki," the portly man shrugged.

He also knew better than to say anything else, but there was more to it than simple disbelief. Vodka suspected that Gin cared more about any subject regarding the Fox than he would be willing to admit aloud, and when the blond discovered that… The day said blond realized it would probably be the biggest shock of his life.

Vodka was just going to take a shot in the dark guess, while wearing a blindfold… Okay, maybe he was using his imagination too much today, he could admit that. The fact remained , Gin hadn't really dealt with any emotions save for the sole exception of 'resounding and unbridled hate' in the last decade. Or at any point in time prior to the Fox's new found influence. That was if he even took the time to acknowledge whomever it was he was feeling it about even existed.

"Consider it a… good thing," Vodka added as an afterthought. All the assassin did was nod in response.

** specifically the lines- "I've got sunshine… on a cloudy day… Well I guess you'd say… What could make me feel this way?" My Girl, by the Temptations. Vodka, you secret sap…