Hey everyone, before I leave you with the new chapter, I want to remind you that I actually wrote this story about, ten years ago? So please don`t be too hard on my idea of who the boss of the organization might be. Anyway, have... fun?

Gunfire

Neither the police nor the FBI were particularly enthusiastic when they heard who had disappeared. Of course, Hattori had volunteered to search for Ran, but Megure's only reaction was a shake of his head. They needed him somewhere else today. Their new coup against the organization was already on its way; they couldn't spare someone who knew as much as Hattori, not today.

Even before the Osakan's temperament had time to boil over, Akai's voice had interrupted the tense silence.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of her."

The FBI agent looked at him, wearing a poker face even Kaito Kid would envy, but Hattori stared straight back. Their silent fight was interrupted by Megure with an unspoken plea in his words.

"Just today Heiji, tomorrow-"

"She could already be dead," Heiji interrupted with a bitter tone.

Megure was struck by Heiji's accusing gaze. He sighed deeply before he tried to explain.

"I know it's hard, but you know how important today's maneuver is. Our goal is the organization. If we manage to destroy them, we'll save Ran and Shinichi... I guess I don't need to explain this to you, do I?"

But the young officer only swallowed, grinding his teeth so that his jaw muscles grew tense.

No, he didn't have to explain that to him.

XXX

The discussion had ended before it had really begun. Heiji gritted his teeth, feeling the cold spring wind pulling at his clothes, while the dark, grey sky over Tokyo threatened them with rain. The tension of the cops around him was palpable, they all knew what the organization was capable of, but this was their biggest coup so far.

The ringing of his mobile was enough to rip him from his thoughts. He heard the metallic sound of unlocking weapons, and his gaze wandered to his colleagues in apology, who looked back, annoyed. Officer Hattori swallowed, gave them a look that meant to say "Sorry, folks," and heard them swear before their attention wandered back to the building in front of them as he fumbled the cursed phone from his jacket.

But a glance at the display was enough to strain his nerves again.

'Not now, woman!'

With a toneless curse, he switched the device to silent mode. If something had happened, Akai would let him know about it. As long as he didn't message him, Kazuha's worry about him had to wait.

'She just wants to know if you're still alive, you idiot.' But the harsh tone of his conscience didn't hold up against the more pressuring tension. One last time his gaze fell back to the display that still silently displayed Kazuha's name, who still stubbornly clung to the line. A bitter taste crept onto the detective's lips as he let the small mobile phone disappear into his pocket, and his hand brushed over the holster of his weapon.

'I'll make up for it, Kazuha, I promise.'

He no longer had time to put his collar up to protect himself from the cold air that gnawed at his neck because before he had time to even think about all these things, the first shot was fired.

XXX

"He's not picking up, he's not picking up!"

Panicked, the young mother's voice echoed through the house. With trembling fingers, she clutched her mobile to her cheek and begged the dial tone to change into her husband's voice.

"Heiji, please, please pick up!"

Nothing - nothing but this damn dial tone, repeatedly hammering into her ear!

"HEIJI!"

Her scream ended in tears, and she felt a hand steering her towards the sofa while a soothing voice spoke to her.

"Come on, I'll keep trying."

She did not have the strength to nod, only felt how the mobile slipped out of her fingers into the professor's. But the thunder of the dial tone still echoed in her ears as Yukiko's hand drew small circles on Kazuha's back.

"Shh... everything will be okay. We don't know if he's really with him, Kazuha. Maybe he's hiding here somewhere, don't worry, we'll find him." But the reassuring words of the former actress only seemed to break the dam of tears. Worried, Yukiko looked over to Eri. They would never have thought that the young woman would have to share their fears.

A creak on the stairs announced Yusaku and Kogoro coming down into the living room. The two looked over to them with a silent shake of their heads.

None of them had found her.

The policeman dropped on the sofa next to Eri, was no longer surprised when her hand found his own, even though he couldn't really enjoy it.

"They're probably right in the middle of it by now."

The author just swallowed, looking around, and wondered what could happen to make this day even worse. At least Yukiko had muted the TV so that the scenes and faces flickering by couldn't disturb anyone.

The air in the living room was dense and stuffy, but opening a window wouldn't change much of it.

What they needed were good news.

Like on command, he noticed the shuffling sound of Stuart's shoes. He stepped inside and nodded when he felt the waiting gazes on his skin.

"I finally reached one of my colleagues. They'll treat this matter as soon as possible. But for the moment-"

'-the heat is on.'

The writer sighed, felt how his fingertips started to tingle, and once again cursed that he was stuck here, doing nothing to support his son's plan to finally bring these black devils down or to find him. But just as he caught the agent's eyes, the ringing of a mobile phone broke the silence.

Immediately Kazuha broke from her trance. She blinked; her world seemed blurry when she looked for the cause of the noise.

"Heiji?"

In the sudden turmoil when everyone searched for their phone, Yukiko's calm voice interrupted them so that the former actress immediately had their attention. Everyone saw the blood fleeing from her skin.

"Good morning, Yukiko."

The voice froze the blood in her veins. It had been a long time ago when she'd heard it last, yet she'd been thinking of her these past days. The actress swallowed, feeling Kazuha's firm grip around her fist while her fingers dug into the couch's grey upholstery. Yukiko's voice was rough when she finally started to speak, destroying both the hopes as well as the fears of her Oskan friend.

"Sharon."

Stuart's eyes grew large. He immediately took his cell phone out of his pocket and disappeared from the room without a question to instruct his colleagues to intercept and track the conversation.

Yukiko Kudo, however, seemed paralyzed after she'd voiced her old friend's name.

No, not her friend, not her colleague Sharon Vineyard, with whom she had spent so much time under Toichi's care, but Vermouth.

Member of the black organization, responsible for the fact that her son was in the hands of these monsters right now.

She was to blame; she was to blame for so many things...

The more she allowed herself to think about it, the bigger the lump in her throat grew. Yukiko forced herself to speak now because she doubted she would be able to later on.

"Where is he?"

The actress's question went admirably clear over her lips.

"Unfortunately, my dear Yukiko, I can't tell you."

This short sentence, along with Sharon's sweet voice, was enough to drain all the energy from Yukiko.

"But-..."

Sharon interrupted her, didn't let the tears in her old friend's eyes get far.

"At least not without a small condition."

Yukiko could see the demanding smile on her lips that accompanied her words, even though the blonde wasn't with them right now. The actress swallowed, feeling her blood rising back into her cheeks in anger. Yusaku approached her, offering his hand, while he gestured to take over the conversation. Yukiko waved him off but switched to the loudspeaker. Her eyes held a dangerous spark as she chose her words carefully.

"What do you want, Vermouth?"

"Oh, but I guess you already know that, Yukiko."

She sighed. The former actress imagined how she would throw her blond locks back theatrically, making wide gestures in the air.

"After your offspring decided to blow our cover… I have to try to organize a lifeboat for myself. Women and children first, isn't that right?" She laughed, amused by her own dark humor. But then Sharon's voice grew sharp again.

"My dear, I certainly don't want to go down with this sinking ship."

Yukiko's lips narrowed. She didn't try to hide the hatred in her voice any longer.

"And how do you come to believe that I would help you? That any of us would help you?" She hadn't even finished her sentence when another part of her mind asked her what she was doing, for heaven's sake! But Yukiko forced the voice to remain silent, waited for her former colleague's reaction, and Sharon didn't disappoint her.

"I always thought that he inherited this stubbornness from you, my dear Yukiko."

But Shinichi's mother remained silent, unable to share Sharon's amused laughter, while her eyes sought hold on her husband, who also listened tensely to the conversation.

When Vermouth began to speak again, suddenly nothing was left of the humor of the past seconds.

"Alright, let's get right to business then."

Yukiko swallowed, bit her lips, and felt the edges of the phone press into her palm as she clung to it even tighter.

The American woman just sighed, took a theatrical break before speaking with a consciously husky voice, telling them what none of them wanted to hear.

"His time is running out, Yukiko."

XXX

His head felt like he had cotton wool stuffed between his ears. He blinked, tried to get a clear view until he remembered how useless this attempt was. For a moment, the breath in his lungs stopped, every little movement hurt, and his arms felt as if they were slowly but surely separating from his shoulders.

Shinichi swallowed, felt his tongue sticking to his palate while the constantly dripping water hit his already aching head like a hammer. It was hard to think clearly through the fog he once had called his mind.

How long had he slept?

How long has he been here?

He didn't know anymore.

The blanket beneath him was soaked by now, no longer protecting him from the cold metal table.

Shinichi felt the water on his face and neck that covered him like a cold sweat-film, causing him to tremble. He sighed, exhaled for a long time, and enjoyed the brief moment of relaxation as his lungs filled again before a brief smile appeared on his lips that even the annoying drip could not erase.

'At least I was able to solve this puzzle...'

But the realization left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't dare imagine what would happen if everyone else found out. When the world learned who had been the boss of the black organization that held Japan in its claws.

He couldn't believe it himself. The fact that he had no concrete evidence didn't make it any better, but the detective was sure that he had followed all the leads correctly, that there was only this one point where everything came together… and that it had to be him.

His breath was shaking, he felt the thick fog of his mind catching up with him, so it became increasingly difficult for him to fight against it. If the boss decided to let him rot here a little longer, Shinichi would miss the opportunity to rub in the fact that he had figured him out.

Drip

'Stop it now!'

He swallowed, grinding his teeth.

Drip, drip, over and over again.

He felt the paths of every single drop; it drove him crazy. It felt like dirty flies were crawling over his body and slowly caused disgust to rise in his throat. The headache made him restless, and he started to believed that this cursed game could really drill a hole in his brain at the end.

'Get a grip, Kudo.'

But even the voice in his head could not erase the lump in his throat.

'This is the wrong time to go crazy. You know how it works, and yet you let yourself be influenced by them?'

"Yes, dammit!" But more than a hoarse croak didn't leave his throat. Even though he knew why his mind and body reacted this way, he couldn't evade it much longer.

He swallowed, clenching his teeth when a cramp slowly crept up his right leg. The shackles clattered as he tried to move his toes to ease the pain.

'I kind of wonder who thought that this is a "just" psychic torture." He sighed, wetting his dry lips without much success.

'Whoever that was, had no idea.' But even his own sarcastic remarks didn't amuse him anymore.

'I have to keep going, at least until they find me.' But again, the soft voice in his head didn't leave him alone.

'If they'll find you.'

But even before the detective had the opportunity to answer this own pessimistic question, he heard steps, or at least he believed it.

No, he was pretty sure. The drops sounded different, as did the roaring beat of his headache in his ears.

'Someone is coming...'

In fact, he heard the squeak of the doorknob, leading his useless eyes to the noise, but the voice that penetrated his ears was not the one he wanted to hear.

"Ah, good morning, Kudo. Nice to see that you're awake. I thought you'd sleep through my visit."

Bell.

'No.'

The detective swallowed, mobilizing his dry vocal cords to pronounce his name as clearly as possible, while a trembling but triumphant smile accompanied his words.

"Good morning... Matsumoto-keishi."

XXX

If hell exists, it probably looked about the same as what had happened here over the last few minutes. He had nearly missed the command for him to act in the crowd of people because, of course, the organization had already expected them. Even before the special police force and the FBI could finish getting enough data, the explosive went off, and everything sunk into chaos. This time they had been prepared, had been aware that the organization would know that they were coming. Because one thing was clear. These people belonged to the organization's core and fought armed to the teeth for whatever the syndicate had promised them.

The officer sighed, let himself sink exhaustedly against the door of the patrol car in which he had just stuffed his last black coat for today. His trembling fingers, with which he wiped the sweat from his forehead, betrayed Hattori's inner tension. These maggots still crawled out of all holes, ran into the police's arms voluntarily after they had proudly announced that they'd destroyed all the data so that there was nothing left for the officers.

A tired smile crept on the young detective's lips. It didn't matter anymore. Even if they couldn't put every one of these guys behind bars, the organization didn't exist any longer.

It was over.

Hattori swallowed; he allowed his eyes to wander around again.

The building resembled a war scene. Windows were destroyed, entire floors were on fire while uniformed people were running in and out. He felt like he was in a cheap crime movie. Never would he have thought it would end like this.

With a bitter smile, his gaze went to the weapon that weighed heavily in his hand.

'I guess I've been lucky again.' Because even if he didn't like to admit it, Kudo had been right back then - he hated these things at least as much as he did.

'Kudo... where the hell are you?'

The officer moaned, rubbing his shoulder, which he'd hurt during the chaos. He sighed, looking up into the grey sky above Tokyo. He was about to pull his phone from his pocket to reassure his wife that he was fine when Akagi's cold voice thundered across the square.

He could see the agent just a few yards away from him, at the side exit of the organization's headquarters, where he pushed one of the men in black against the wall, while the FBI agent's pistol rested on the neck of the giant.

His throat felt dry he realized who exactly Agent Akai was threatening.

'Vodka.'

Heiji swallowed, squaring his aching shoulders, and started crossing the distance between them with large strides. He could already hear the threatening voice of the federal agent from afar.

"Where is he?"

Without a second thought, Akai drilled the mouth of his weapon further into Vodka's massive neck, causing the metal shaft to sink into angry red flesh. At the same time, he twisted the organization member's wrist behind his back a few millimeters more.

Vodka's face briefly distorted, the breath of the huge man was heavy, so that his words were squeezed between the individual pants, but yet he seemed to have still enough strength for the dirty smile on his lips.

"Longing for your old partner, huh, Rye?"

A muffled groan penetrated Vodka's throat as Akai twisted his wrist to its limit. Heiji swallowed, accelerated his steps. Akai, however, ignored the pain-distorted face of his prisoner, enjoying how the plastering of the building slowly drilled into Vodka's cheek.

"Cut it! I asked you where the boy is!"

"Oh, him." A chuckling laugh escaped Vodka's throat.

He could only see Akai from the corner of his eyes but still enjoyed the anger on his face.

"Well, what do you think? After all, you've been with us long enough to know how the organization handles their guinea pigs."

But the FBI agent remained calm, feeling the tendons and muscles of Vodka's arm stretch beneath his fingers. Not much longer and they'd snap along with the bone, and maybe the fat guy would finally open his mouth because this time they had the upper hand. Just when a short smile was showing on the agent's lips, a much less calm voice could be heard behind them, unmistakably proclaiming that Hattori Heiji had joined the scene.

"Listen, ya nasty asshole, if ya don't spit out where ya're hiding Kudo, I swear to ya, I'll bury this bullet so deep in ya fat stomach that no surgeon in the world ever finds it." Even if the detective's excitement was more than inappropriate, Akai couldn't resist a grin.

But just as the FBI agent wanted to get his younger colleague to calm down, Gin's cold words echoed across the square, instantly freezing the blood in his veins.

"I think it's time to change the terms of this conversation."

Akai looked around but didn't loosen his pistol's pressure from Vodka's neck or the force on his wrist.

The image he saw when he turned around to face his nemesis caught even the experienced agent's breath in his throat. His eyes shot to the man by his side, who seemed to have forgotten about both Vodka and him.

His dark complexion had lost all color; the Commissioner's green eyes were rigid, glassy, and empty, while his mouth opened in a silent scream. If Akai didn't stand right next to him, he probably wouldn't have heard the officer's hoarse voice, which was nothing more than a choked whisper.

"Haiku..."

XXX

The silence in the room grew tense, interrupted only by the smoldering gurgle of the water tank above his head that sucked in some air whenever it released a drop of water.

Drip

This time, he didn't flinch, was numb to the pain caused by the impact, and didn't turn his gaze away. His eyes were focused on the organization's boss, even though he disappeared behind the black fog of the contact lenses.

He heard how the boss took another step towards him before the old officer's massive figure came to a halt next to him, and he could feel the warmth that the man's body gave off.

Still, it was Bell's voice that cut through the oppressive silence, in the end, sounding content.

"As I can see, you still have a reasonably clear mind. You actually managed to surprise me again."

Shinichi swallowed, an all-too-familiar sound, a little click penetrated his ears.

Matsumoto had turned the voice changer off.

"Good morning, Kudo Shinichi."

It was the voice of the former officer that caused him goosebumps with its deep timbre.

He was right.

It was the huge man with dark, now presumably grey-melted hair and thick mustache who held him prisoner.

The former head of the Tokyo Police, a policeman, a man of justice, was the boss of the organization.

Both, God and the devil...

Shinichi swallowed and heard the small armchair next to him squeak as Matsumoto let himself sink in it while he waited for him to speak.

But he took his time, quietly enjoying the last fight between him and the detective before he started to bring his mind to its knees.

Drip. Drip.

Shinichi shivered, could no longer hide the small twitches of his muscles. Dark rings were carved deep underneath his eyes, and the moist film on his face gave him a feverish glow while his cracked lips silently begged for water.

Matsumoto laughed with pleasure, rested his chin on his folded hands. He had decided to enjoy the last clear minutes of Kudo Shinichi.

"Tell me, detective, how did you figure it out? That it was me hiding behind William Bell's false voice?"

The detective's lips just twitched briefly when he tried to speak, but his dry vocal cords denied him the service. The irritation in his throat made Shinichi cough, while Matsumoto waited until the quake of his lungs came to an end.

"If you really want to know, some water would help." The detective's scratchy words had barely made it to his ears, yet they caused anger to boil in his veins.

Did this guy really think he could manipulate him so easily?

But the former officer forced his tight fists to relax, plastering a sweet smile on his narrow lips as he spoke.

"What? I didn't understand you, Kudo-kun. If you want to have some water, you have to ask nicely."

The sigh of a smile accompanied Shinichi's rusty voice.

"Forget it."

He swallowed, his darkened gaze looking for that of the boss.

"None of this is going to help you. Whatever you want from me, you won't get it, no matter how you intend to take my mind apart." Matsumoto's lips narrowed while his bushy eyebrow slowly rose, stretching his scar almost to a painful level. His eyes went over the detective, wandering from his dry lips to the scar on his cheek, quite similar to his own.

"I certainly don't want to destroy your mind too much, Kudo, Shinichi. After all, I still need it."

A short smile slid over his lips as he let his hand glide over the long-abandoned surgical cutlery. He heard the detective sharply holding his breath when he heard the metal reverberate in the room. But Matsumoto did not let himself be fooled, turned again to the high schooler, with the fine scalpel in his hand.

"Believe me... I find another way to force you to speak."

The delicate metal reflected his cold smile as he followed the trace of Gin's shot with a movement that was almost too slow, cutting the detective's barely healed skin again. Shinichi struggled to suppress a scream before something warm slowly seeped down his cheek.

Blood.

Drip

The water running over his forehead couldn't bring any relief to the sharp, throbbing pain of the freshly torn wound.

'Pull yourself together, Kudo!'

He struggled to calm his breathing, but Matsumoto's cold voice ripped through the silence again.

"Either you beg for water now, Kudo, or you'll talk without out it. Because you will talk now."

The scalpel's cold blade touched his dry lips, wiping his mouth fleetingly with the taste of his own blood that still clung to the knife's edge.

Shinichi exhaled when the blade left his skin, still felt the dull pain on his cheek while he wrestled for a decision. He hated giving this man what he wanted, but if he couldn't afford something, it was more pain or blood loss, not to mention a possible infection.

He swallowed, felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth while ordering his brittle lips to speak. Because he certainly wouldn't beg for water.

'At least not yet...' Shinichi closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the annoying voice in his head. Instead, he focused on forming an understandable sentence.

"Your argument of sacrificing peasants led me to the right conclusion. Along with the song and Vermouth's statement about the organization."

The boss remained silent and listened calmly to the hoarse words of the high school student.

"Besides, only someone from the police could figure out Dr. Matsudo's motive so quickly."

Matsumoto nodded, not asking what exactly Vermouth had told him that the detective had been able to figure him out so quickly. He'd long feared that his golden apple actually was rotten inside.

Vermouth had been the first to disappear after the release of the video.

'Smart girl...'

Unlike someone like Gin, who was fully committed to the organization, its means and methods, she'd used the organization for her own purposes. It probably hadn't been difficult to turn her back to them.

The old officer's mustache twitched, but before he could think about whether it was wise to track Vermouth down, Shinichi's voice echoed in the room again.

"Even though I believe the idea of the song to be rather vain…"

Hoarse laughter came out of Matsumoto's throat as he smiled, amused at the detective's remark.

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact. I hope I got the quote right?" Shinichi just swallowed, his throat burned, speaking had taken his last reserves, and for now, he was glad that the annoying dripping of water kept him from falling asleep.

"A children's song, no one would suspect a thing." Shinichi didn't answer but waited for Matsumoto to continue.

"No one has ever assumed the organization's boss is a high-ranked member among the police. The FBI tried several times to smuggle someone in, but we've always been too big for them. I had my eyes everywhere. It was perfect-"

"Until ten years ago..."

The detective's voice interrupted him, sour bile crawled up Matsumoto's throat when he noticed the faint smile on Kudo's lips, but he forced himself to remain calm.

'You'll lose that smug smile soon enough...'

Matsumoto's voice echoed coldly in the small laboratory, making Shinichi's already stiff muscles tense. Perhaps he had gone one step too far.

"That's right, until ten years ago. When you and the FBI started wiping us out." A grin crept onto his features as he slowly leaned over to Kudo until the boy could feel his breath against his temple.

"Tell me, Kudo, how does it feel to be driven by revenge with nothing else on your mind but destroying the other side?" He laughed dryly, leaning back in the chair again.

"You really would have made a great career on our side. I'm sure you would have gotten along with Gin very well... if your stupid morals hadn't stood in your way." The boss paused theatrically, sighing so that Shinichi could literally see Matsumoto shaking his head in regret.

"But well, I guess it wasn't meant to be. You took a different path, believed you were working for justice and the good in the world, didn't you, Kudo?"

Shinichi swallowed, feeling the old man's voice gain a dangerous undertone that slowly but surely choked his throat.

"But tell me, Kudo Shinichi... where did this path lead you?" A mocking laugh escaped from Matsumoto's throat.

"It's a shame really that you don't want to share the little secret of your youth with me. I'm sure you feel lonely, all alone outside your own time, don't you? Without our little Sherry by your side... and without your beloved little girlfriend."

He saw the detective's muscles tense as his blue eyes grew dangerously sharp as he faced the next drop.

'How touching...'

Drop

He waited and enjoyed watching how the drop of water made its way across the detective's forehead, only to invade the corner of his eye and forced him to blink.

"Do you really believe your friends of the FBI can hide her forever, Kudo?"

This point seemed to get through the detective's calm appearance. Matsumoto could see the muscles of his jaw tighten as Kudo gritted his teeth, his threat echoing in his ears.

"Leave her out of this."

"Why should I? After all, you didn't keep your deal either. You've destroyed everything I've built, and you'll take the secret of eternal youth to the grave with you. Why shouldn't I thank you properly for that?" His voice was hushed as he whispered a hoarse promise into his opponent's ear.

"I will find her; believe me, Kudo."

'No!' Panic made his heart race, but Shinichi's lips were too weak to speak. Darkness crept cold and sluggish into his veins, mingling there with fear. Matsumoto sighed, slumped back deeper into the chair, and watched the boy's features twitch.

"But first, you and I will continue to spend some more time together. So you have found out my identity? Fine... but I know exactly how to get the information I want."

The detective's eyes grew cloudy, his eyelids trembling. It was obvious that he was struggling at the bridge of fainting, not willing to cooperate with his body.

'Let it go, Kudo... sleep. Another day in this position and your mind won't be too hard to break.' If Shinichi had seen the smirk on his cold lips, it would have definitely made him sick.

'Even more so with her help...'

Drip.

But Shinichi was oblivious to Matsumoto's silent stare, and even the drumming on his forehead was slowly becoming muffled, not really getting through to him. He blinked one last time, trying to resist the iron grips of unconsciousness slowly dragging his body and mind along with it.

'Not now...'

Shinichi swallowed, his trembling breath slowly calming. He had long known that he had lost this battle. But even as his thoughts slowly disappeared into the thick fog, he heard the click of the voice changer one more time.

"I'll be waiting for you... Shinichi."

Her voice caressed his cheek as his mind sank into darkness.

'Ran!'

And hello again,

I know a lot happened in this chapter and more is to come while I'm trying to pull the loose ends together.

A big thank you to each and everyone who's following and commenting this story, your words really mean a lot to me!

And of course, as always I want to thank Tobina for her Beta work.

Have a nice day everyone, till next month!

~ Shelling