"If Akai-san was still around, we wouldn't have to fear that Bourbon guy…"
"We don't fear him! We're just waiting for the Organisation to become impatient and make a move!" Camel stepped back at the fury in Jodie's eyes as she turned to him with a fierce glare. "And besides, Akai Shuichi is dead! Do not bring his name up ever again! …I'm heading back to the car first." She nearly shoulder-checked James as she stormed past him out of the store, not noticing a certain woman peering at them over her shoulder, standing in a lone corner of the store. Behind her, she could hear James scolding Camel.
"Be a bit more considerate! To her, Akai-kun was not just a mere colleague, you know!"
"S-Sorry…"
"I lost my composure…" Jodie sighed as she slowed down her pace near the road. She thought back to the incident in the store and couldn't help another sigh. "I'll have to apologise to Camel later…" Looking up, her eyes widened at the sight of a familiar man. Shuu! Unconsciously, she reached a hand out towards him as she leaned forward to chase after him, but suddenly stopped herself in her tracks, shaking her head. No… That can't be right. Shuu is already… Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to walk ahead, as if she had seen nothing.
"How did it go?" A woman asked, leaning against the wall, as if she was speaking to nobody.
"It's not clear yet." A man replied her, hidden in the shadows of the nearby alley. "For a moment, it looked like she might've chased after me, but then she stopped."
"She probably thought she just saw an illusion and refused to believe it." The woman said. "Shouldn't her actions in the store when her colleagues mentioned his name be enough evidence?"
"No, her reaction is still not quite what I expected. I'm going to try to get closer to her again."
"Suit yourself. Last I heard, they didn't bring enough to purchase the alcohol, so she's going to head over to the nearby bank by herself to withdraw some money."
"Then, without further ado, I'll head over." Silently, as if they were unrelated to each other, the man and woman parted, going their separate ways.
Jodie cursed under her breath. Just my luck to meet bank robbers today… Quickly, she scanned her surroundings. 5 of them… Masked, armed, and with everyone in the bank as hostages. I can't act carelessly… Following their instructions and quickly putting on her bad-at-Japanese foreigner act when one pointed his gun at her, she joined the rest of the hostages, bumping into the person next to her as she sat down.
"Oh! Sorry…" She gasped when she took a closer look at the person next to her. S-Shuu! Upon closer look, she realised that this Shuichi had a scar over the right sight of his face, something she didn't remember him having. But then again, given the circumstances of his death, if he really did manage to survive it, a burn scar wouldn't look out of place. Shaking her head, she instead forced a cold glare onto her face. "Why do you keep doing this to me?" She asked, not caring for the angry tears that were welling up in her eyes. "You're already dead. You should just stay dead. And yet, why do I keep seeing you like this? Do you want me to be haunted by the face of a dead man forever? You don't even know how I feel!"
"Oi, stop making a fuss, you foreign woman!" One of the robbers shouted from behind her, holding out a sack. "Hurry up and put your phone in this bag!"
"Ok, ok." She gave Scar Shuichi a low growl as she moved to put her phone into the sack. "I hate you. I hope I never see you again." She whispered harshly to him, ignoring him completely afterwards.
"How did it go with the FBI Kitten this time?" The woman asked again, this time seated in the car with the man.
"Not bad." The man smirked. "He must've been really important to her, to have warrant such a strong reaction from her." The woman merely gave a low hum in response.
"And? What's your verdict?"
"Not yet. I'm going to test her again."
"Again? How long more are you going to play around with them?"
"As long as it takes for me to be absolutely sure Akai Shuichi is really dead."
"Don't go too far. You better not let your personal emotions cloud your judgement, Bourbon." Bourbon chuckled.
"Your worry is unnecessary, Vermouth. I will surely fulfil my mission."
Run! This area is dangerous! Jodie frowned as she stared at the message on the coaster in her hand. Who could've left such a message? I don't want to think it could be him, but… Just then, Camel returned to the table, looking shaken up. "What's wrong, Camel? You look pale."
"J-Jodie-san…" Camel looked to her, hesitant to continue, which made her raise her brow.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I…I just thought I saw Akai-san…" He scratched the back of his head, looking down. "I'm sorry… I know you don't want to hear that name ever again…" She sighed.
"It's fine, Camel. To be honest, I saw him before too."
"Y-You did?" She nodded.
"Hey, Camel. What are the chances that Shuu survived that?"
"I thought it was impossible before, but now that I've seen that…"
"I think the same. Let's go find some answers." She said as she rushed out of the café, oblivious to the man hiding around the corner.
"Shuu!" Jodie's heart jumped into her stomach at the sight of Shuichi walking out of the mall to what would likely be his doom, with Gin, Vodka, Chianti and Korn lying in wait outside. No, she couldn't lose him again! "No, Shuu! Don't go out! They're targeting you! Shuu!"
"Oh!" The next thing she knew, she found herself falling. Landing with a loud thump, she looked up to find that she had knocked into someone. "I'm sorry, are you alright?" The man asked as he reached a hand out towards her. "But the fault for this is 50-50. You're also at fault for not paying attention to your surroundings."
"E-Eh? Yes…" Feeling calmer, she took the hand offered to her, allowing him to help her back up to her feet.
"You looked like you were looking for someone." He commented, making her flinch.
Shuu! Without even thanking the man, she ran ahead, looking desperately around for Shuichi, not noticing the man staring after her. Where are you, Shuu?
"That was a close one, Bourbon." Vermouth said as they drove away from the scene.
"Not really. I knew they were there." Bourbon smirked confidently.
"Isn't this enough? Did you get your answers already?"
"Yeah. Although, they now believe that Akai Shuichi has somehow managed to survive his death."
"That won't get in our way, I hope."
"No. On the contrary, it might be beneficial to us."
Back in the mall, Subaru had just parted ways with Conan and the Mouri duo after a short conversation.
"So?" A woman's voice stopped him in his tracks. "How was it, seeing your scarred twin?"
"It was interesting. I look forward to when we get to meet for real." He smirked. "And what about your thoughts on him?"
"Well, I think the scar was rather attractive? Although the right-handedness is a major turn-off." The woman was clearly teasing him, making him chuckle.
"Is that so? Should I get a scar too then?"
"You'll certainly stand out then. Don't forget that you're supposed to be dead and laying low." She scolded him, her voice playful. "I think we've managed to fool them for now."
"Yes. Though it was risky of you to chase after him, knowing that They are outside."
"It wouldn't be convincing otherwise. I know that's how I'd react if I didn't know about your plans beforehand. Overall, I'd say I did great in my acting, didn't I?"
"As I would expect from you." Subaru chuckled as he began to walk once again. "You're a scary woman, Jodie." Jodie revealed herself from behind the corner, grinning as she turned the other way.
"You're the last person I want to hear that from, Shuu."
Just a thought on how it'd turn out if Jodie was in on the plan :3 I love to think of Jodie as someone who is a pro at reading expressions, and equally pro at hiding her emotions, so I was just thinking that Jodie would be able to act well enough to throw off the BO if she had been in on the plan, and this was the result XD And well, if I get more ideas, then maybe I'll make a 2nd chapter, maybe I won't :P Enjoy!