File Eighty-Six: A Silent Kiss
Two bombs were all that Conan had found. Two bombs, which had been retrieved from exactly where Genta and the others had found them at first, were sitting on the floor in front of him, making his face contort into a frown.
There were three of them before. He couldn't explain it. Why didn't they reattach them to the places that would release the bacteria?
There was no point in trying to figure it out at the moment, he decided. All that he needed to focus on was disarming them.
Or not. He sighed at the vibrating phone in his pocket. Hattori, he read the name on the display. I completely forgot about him...
So he answered, making sure to keep his phone a reasonable distance from his ear.
"Hey, you brat!" He was glad he did, since his eardrums would have suffered otherwise. "You said you'd call back but you totally didn't!"
Conan took his time to glare at the phone, as if it was Hattori himself, before bringing it to his ear. "My bad," he replied, tucking the device between his shoulder and ear. "It slipped my mind."
Hattori groaned, clearly upset, but he didn't care. Just started to work on the bombs in front of him.
"Where the hell are you now?"
"Airship."
"You already went back?" Hattori didn't fight the satisfied smirk. "Pretty nimble, aren't ya-?" But then an icy glare settled into his back, sending shivers down his spine. "Careless, I mean! And extremely dangerous. What do you think you're doing, you moron?"
Pausing, Conan raised an eyebrow. "My brother is there, isn't there?"
Heiji stole a swift glance at the detective beside him, whose glare was now gone and replaced with a polite smile as he engaged in a casual chat with Kazuha.
"Yeah," he said, then added in a whisper. "I'm pretty sure you're going to give him a cardiac arrest by the end of the day."
"Tell me something new..." Conan rolled his eyes and carefully cut the wires of the first bomb. "I'm a little busy here. So, if you have nothing relevant to say right now-"
"The culprits spread the news about the airship on the internet. All of Osaka is in a state of panic."
The kid almost dropped his phone. "What did you say?"
This time Hattori had caught his attention. Terror had struck the entire city, and now it was a complete chaos there. Bullet train station packed with people trying to escape to the west, highway and local roads congested. "Not to mention bank employees and security guards have all evacuated." Heiji snickered. "Now would be a great time to rob a bank, huh?"
"I think it's best not to do that." Conan was confused to hear a voice he couldn't recognize. It had to be an elementary student like he was. "Security systems nowadays are pretty tight."
Shinichi's eyes darted to the small boy instantly. Security… He frowned when that word echoed in his head again. He's right, robbing a bank would be a lot of trouble…
Kazuha blinked, confused at the boy who, suddenly, had stopped talking. Without warning, his finger had raised to his chin and stopped reacting to his surroundings any longer.
They caused a panic on purpose. And he seriously doubted that it was just to display their power ─ no, their entire plan was too elaborate for just that.
Money would be his first choice, but Satoshi was right ─ it was not that much of a good idea.
"Hirai-kun?" Startled, Shinichi looked up to Kazuha, whose eyebrows were arched now. "Is everything alright?"
"A-Ah, no. It's nothing."
And he would be much better if that weird kid stopped staring at him.
"Hey!" Hattori suddenly yelled at the phone. "Damn, he did it again…"
Conan had apparently ended the call, leaving no room for saying anything else ─ truthfully Shinichi could definitely relate.
"Say, Kazuha-oneesan," the child gathered her attention. "Who was Heiji-ojiisan talking to just now?"
"Ah, it's Conan-kun."
"Conan-kun?"
"He's about your age, an elementary school student who's really smart." Kazuha smiled. "He always hit it off well with Heiji."
"... Weird name," he commented, after a moment of taking the information in. "Is he a foreigner?"
"Just a normal Japanese little brat," Heiji said before anyone else, waving his hand. "The guy who named him was obsessed with Arthur Conan Doyle to the point of insanity and, well, that happened."
Hey...
"Conan Doyle?" Satoshi repeated. "That's the person who wrote Sherlock Holmes, right?"
H-Hey!
"That's right." Kazuha looked rather impressed. "Did you read it?"
Satoshi shook his head then, smiling widely, turned to Shinichi and pointed at him. "Arthur-ojisan was talking to me about him earlier." The detective in question flinched when the boy looked at him. "You're a big fan of his, aren't you?"
"W-Well yeah…"
"Of course he does," Hattori blurted out. "Conan Doyle is amazing… Though I personally prefer Ellery Queen…"
"I like Agatha Christie better!"
Any other day, Shinichi would have probably sat them both down and talk their heads off about why Doyle was definitely better, but as things were now, he only contented himself with slapping a strained smile on his face and nodding alongside them all.
"So, what is it?" Conan grumbled as he climbed back into the top of the airship. "This interesting something'?"
The thief had almost given him a heart attack earlier, coming up from behind him and resting a hand on top of his shoulder, but hadn't really seemed to mind. Instead, he had said that there was something worth seeing and guided him there.
No answer was needed, since the boy immediately took sight of the smoke that was coming from the sky deck. Silently, he moved closer to the glass ceiling and noticed, with a violent widening of his eyes, that there was a member of the Red Siamese Cats there, turning on several rocket flares.
"We will reach Nara once we pass this mountain," informed KID, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he glanced down. "With the airship smoking like this, people in Nara will be certainly surprised, huh?"
Conan frowned, stepping away. "More like, they will panic."
"Panic?"
"Those guys already posted the news about the bacteria and the bombs on the internet. At the moment, everyone is being evacuated, and..."
"Yeah. If Nara is like that too, it'll be a lucky break for thieves."
"Idiot. Even if there's no people, nowadays security systems..." The boy trailed down into silence, realization slowly dawning on him, and settled his eyes on the thief who merely smirked. "Don't tell me… That's why they chose Nara?"
"Certainly a possibility."
Conan stood quietly for several seconds, thinking of the implications of that, before he fished out his phone one last time. But if that's true… Even when typing his message, his mind wouldn't stop. Why did they prepare bacteria just for this?
He kept the text short and simple ─ there were two great detectives out there, they could figure out the rest.
And he didn't have the time to explain any further.
"Nara."
Hattori gave his screen a second time. "Nara?" he said, extremely confused by the word he had been sent.
Nara? Shinichi had been there earlier that day, he had even spent the night there. Humming, he closed his eyes and pondered. What could that have to do…?
"No context at all, of course. That kid…"
"They want to steal something."
"Eh?"
"Think about this." His finger raised to make a point. "If Nara was to be evacuated, nobody would be there." A cocky smirk poked out without his consent. "Can you think of somewhere worth stealing there?"
"The Goufuku Temple." Satoshi perked up. "There are several national treasures there."
Shinichi stared at the kid for a few moments, as if considering his words, before nodding. "I see..." finally, he said, finger back at his chin. "Now, if there was something worth a lot, it would probably be..."
Hattori's eyes went wide. "... The nationally protected Buddha statues."
"Exactly." Shinichi glanced back at Heiji's phone screen. "If they sold it on the black market… They would earn millions, no, much more than that."
Slowly the detective from Osaka calmed down, his features contorting into a frown as he took into the weight of those words before he suddenly started walking. Without emitting a word, Shinichi followed suit.
"Heiji!" called Kazuha, after a moment of hesitation, and rushed to catch up with them. "What are you doing?"
"Nara, obviously," he declared, going around the corner. "It's dangerous, so don't tag along."
Shinichi barely had the time to see what was there when he was forced to catch something thrown at him. First, he noticed the helmet between his hands, then the motorbike parked at the side of the street but he didn't even get to put on it, or to even get closer, before Satoshi ran past him and stopped right in front of Heiji, gazing at him with large, pleading eyes.
"Please take me with you!"
"Moron." Hattori was barely moved. "I just told you not to come along."
"I know Nara's roads very well, so I'll be a big help!"
The detective from Osaka looked as if he was about to have a headache.
"I'm going too!" Kazuha joined, looking so determined that it didn't look like she would give up soon.
"What are you talking about now?" her childhood friend sighed. "First of all, there are four of us. Even if that was legal-"
He was cut off suddenly by a hand resting on Kazuha's shoulder, gently turning her around. The two teenagers and the kid stared, confused, as Shinichi smiled, gently pushing the helmet between the shocked girl's hands.
She blinked at the object for a moment, "Hirai-kun?" then looked back at him. "What about…?"
"Don't worry, I have a bike, too."
More like 'borrowed a bike that definitely isn't mine', but figured it was enough. Semantics. He decided it wasn't worth worrying about those little things, just as it was probably wiser to ignore the odd look Hattori was sending his way, looking ready to ask something for whatever reason.
Instead, he cast his gaze on the little boy. "Shall I take Satoshi-kun with me?" he asked, smile still untouched. "We'll drive in front of you, so that he can lead us. Is that okay with you, Toyama-san?"
"Of course!" she nodded, emphatically. "We'll wait for you here!"
With a nod, Shinichi quickly turned around and went to fetch the bike from wherever he had left it, promising to return as soon as humanly possible. He didn't notice, though, the narrowed gaze that the western detective pierced through the back of his head.
"Ran! RAN!"
"Sit down!"
Sonoko's desperate wailing echoed through the entire ship, causing Conan to, after retrieving his skateboard, peek out the room where he had been supposed to stay. Instantly he spotted a familiar brown-haired girl walking down the stairs, a serious yet calm expression plastered all over her face despite the gun pointed at her back.
Ran-neechan? He observed, creeping closer, as she was escorted to the smoking room. His eyes widened upon catching sight of the angry red that covered her forearms. Rashes?
Silent and still as a statue, he saw the man opening the door just to have Mizukawa burst out screaming, latching onto his shirt and pleading with him not to let him die. Unmoved by this man's fervent desire to see another day, the organization member merely pushed him back in, and shoved Ran inside.
Once it was over, the man sighed, tiredly retiring his mask and gloves ─ revealing that his fingernails were surprisingly black. Not that Conan had the time to wonder about it any longer, since he was forced to hide in another room to avoid being spotted.
What does this mean? If what KID said was true, not only did Ran-neechan shove Fujioka-san him away, he didn't cough or sneeze.
Remaining deadly quiet, Conan listened carefully for any other sounds. He could have sighed in relief when he heard steps getting further away from him.
On the other hand, Genta was sneezed on and even breathed in the bacteria in the smoking room… A little head poked out the door, surveying the hallway. But wasn't infected.
There was nobody around. He nodded to himself, hurriedly slipping away from his hiding spot. Why is that?
Suddenly, feet stopped moving. Eyes widened behind glasses while those black nails from before struck like lightning, shedding light to all mysteries that were roaming his mind at the moment. Of course. He wanted to laugh and kick himself all the same. Why didn't I think about that before?
With a soft click, the last piece of the puzzle settled back into place.
Unwilling to waste another second, the child simply headed back to the attic and unceremoniously let himself fall into the ground, producing as much sound as humanly possible.
It didn't take long for one of them to get there, intending to check what that weird noise was, only to find him there. Lying motionless on the ground, curled into himself with his back facing the door.
The man flopped the child onto his back and was momentarily confused to see him grinning mischievously at him. A prick in his neck later, Cat-A was down for the count.
Swiftly, Conan took his glove off and confirmed, with a satisfied smirk, that, indeed, his fingernails were all black. Can't believe I fell for this, he admonished himself. But on the bright side, that means that we're all safe…
As safe as being hostages in a blimp packed to terrorists, anyway. He shook the thought away from his head. Need to hurry, he decided, after taking a moment to stare at the fallen cat. With a huff, he patted all over the man's torso. It should be here… His eyebrows were brought together, looking for that certain object.
Then his movements completely stilled.
"You… You don't like guns, do you?"
When the cold metal touched his fingertips, Conan closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. "Conan-kun, you're… the bravest person I know." Mitsuhiko's voice continued echoing in his head as he smoothly drew it out. "Whenever we face a dangerous situation, you're the first to pull through. You're quick, efficient."
Still not looking, Conan raised the weapon in front of his eyes. "But when a gun is involved..." Slowly, he let his eyelids flutter open. "Even if it's for a brief moment..."
He forced himself to raise his gaze to the weapon that he was currently holding, gently allowing the air inside his lungs to escape, albeit shakily. Ever so slowly, he willed his hands to move, face contorting into a grimace.
"You freeze."
They did not, at least not right away. Gingerly, he removed his fingers from the trigger, not failing to notice that, by the time he had accomplished it, a thin layer of sweat was covering his brow. Heckler and Koch USP Compact, he observed. If I'm not mistaken, this kind of gun…
His hands were shaking now. Holding a gun like this, it's a bit…
"You look terrified, Conan-kun."
He violently shook his head. I can't keep going on like this, he decided after taking another deep breath, fingers firmly gripping the handgun. There's stuff that needs to get over with.
The magazine came out easier than he had expected. One by one, he took the bullets out, with utmost care, and accommodated them in a neat line ─ the safe was on, he privately reassured himself, which each he retired.
Once finished, he stood back, staring intently at his work. Thirteen, he counted. Thirteen bullets. Which, actually, wasn't that much of a comforting thought.
What should I do? The thought crossed his mind without him completely expecting. At first, this seemed a plausible idea… Without fully realizing, his fingers had picked a bullet up, and his eyes were scrutinizing it, interested in a strange, unsettling way. But after looking at it… I…
I don't think I can do it.
A sound caused the bullet to drop, loudly clattering as it fell on the floor. But went ultimately ignored. Someone is coming. The realization made him take a quick step forward, fully intending to move somewhere else, before he felt himself accidentally kick something.
Eyes flickered to the ground to meet the bullets he had previously taken out, spread everywhere all over the floor. The child stood there for a moment, contemplating them, then gazing at his hand, or rather, the gun that he was still holding into.
He groaned, probably far too loud to be deemed safe, considering his situation, while leaning down to collect them all. Having finished doing that in record time, he went to the edge of the platform, then let them drop.
I already have a plan. Despite the urgency, he still stood there for a second longer than necessary, watching them disappear in the black void underneath him. Flawed as it is… It's for the best. Casting it one last glance, he rushed to the fallen Cat in order to put the emptied weapon back in place, collect his radio, and climb up the ladder.
And I'll stick with it.
Whoever was coming didn't take long to appear in his field of vision. Upon spotting his partner, he rushed to his side, and the disbelief crossed his face instantly the second he realized he was asleep. Just as he was taking a second look at him, Conan slowly lowered his suspenders until they were right at the man's side.
Truly, the detective didn't expect that to work this well. By instinct, and rather stupidly Conan would add, the member grabbed onto it. All that was left for the child was to press a button and witness as the man screamed while being pulled out, only for his grasp to slip.
Cat-B crashed back onto the floor, instantly losing consciousness.
"Cat-B!" The leader's voice sounded through the intercom. "What's wrong? Cat-B!"
"Cat-B can't answer right now. He's busy taking a nap." The shock on the other side was clearly audible. "But isn't it strange? I thought cats don't land on their backs."
"It's Conan!" That was definitely Genta.
"So he did come back!" Mitsuhiko was also there.
"With KID-san, right?" Ayumi exclaimed excitedly.
"Without KID-san," replied Conan, noticeably less enthusiastic about the whole thing.
"Damn!" The leader cursed. Conan had the impression that he had thoroughly pissed him off by now. "Cat-C, D, E. Go capture the brat! No, once you find him, open fire."
Now he had done ─ he had definitely pissed him off. Not that it was completely unexpected, since that was part of his improvised, and probably insane, little plan.
It has to work.
He didn't know exactly how much time he had left until they acted, so he got up as quickly as he could and went to make some last-minute preparations. As long as they are there… He thought, while he skateboarded back and forth across the entire attic. As long as I can do something…
Finally, he made his way down to the entrance. There was no doubt that whoever came through that door was going to open fire as soon as they set their eyes on him.
No matter what Mitsuhiko had said before, under no circumstances he could consider himself brave ─ even now, just the mere thought of the gun that was going to be pointed at his face any second now caused his entire body to shake in anticipation.
He didn't even know if he could make it out of there in one piece.
"In that case, Conan," Heiji had said over the phone a few days prior, as soon as he had caught wind of the airship heading to Osaka. "There's a nice okonomiyaki restaurant that opened recently. Let's all go together."
Conan had laughed at that.
"You might want to reconsider that." He placed a foot on top of his skateboard, listening to someone run around. "Genta and the others are coming along as well. If they hear that you're going to invite me, well, you better hope that eel isn't all that expensive there."
The sounds were getting closer and closer now.
"... Wait… Change of plans-!"
"I'll tell my friends right away. Thank you, Heiji-niichan!"
"You little imp. Tell them to bring some pocket money, at least..."
"Will see if I remember to..."
Yet, if there was something that he was certain of.
"See ya then, Conan."
He would get out of there in one piece ─ all of them were. Come. He watched as the knob turned. I will dodge everything you throw at me.
Gun in hand and pointing at him, the first cat appeared. Everything. Frowning, the kid gazed at the inside of the barrel, and frowned deeper, if possible.
Even bullets, if necessary.
For all that, freezing was a luxury he couldn't indulge in. This time, he wouldn't ─ he couldn't.
Unlike the Cat that, victim to shock, completely stopped all movement. A fraction of a second was all it took for him to snap out of it, but it was enough for Conan to activate his skateboard eyes trained on his enemy, or his weapon.
As I suspected… Heckler and Koch USP Compact, too.
When the first bullet was fired, the child had already quickly moved to his side, causing it to fail miserably. The man started running towards him, unable to catch up, of course, yet never giving up.
Even if he hasn't shot before… None of his bullets hit, not even once. He can only shoot thirteen times before having to recharge.
Seemingly not noticing what was going through his mind, the man continued firing rapidly, sprinting as fast as he could so as not to lose sight of the child. He was painting heavily, Conan observed, so he knew his stamina was about to run out.
Four. And that was about to happen soon, too. Three, two.
The wheel of his skateboard bumped into something ─ losing his balance was something he did not need right now. One. So he jumped.
There, flipping in the air, as if in slow-motion, Conan could see a flash of something passing by his cheek, barely avoiding being scratched by less than an inch. Once he landed again, having regained his balance, he let a smirk curve the tips of his lips while turning around.
Zero.
By the time the criminal had realized that he had run out of bullets, Conan had speeded away to the farthest corner of the platform they stood on, stealing a loud growl out of him while he scrambled to recharge it.
The child stopped out of the blue and hurried to the ladder. Merely pressing a button, the suspenders easily lifted him several floors above, which the criminal had to climb all on his own. Even if he eventually managed to get up there just fine, exhaustion made him fall into a heap on the floor, gasping for air ─ by then, Conan was already back on his skateboard, grinning mischievously back at him.
It vanished instantly at the sound of more shooting and glass breaking ─ it was coming from the elevator, right in front of him. His skateboard served just fine as a shield, but had definitely outlived his use by the time Conan jumped out to the next platform and away from the shooter's sight.
His plan was still intact. Running like his life depended on it ─ which it kind of did, actually ─ he climbed the stairs to the sky deck. Thanks to him checking every single detail in Jirokichi trap ─ also thanks to the fingerprint seal KID had given him, yet he wasn't willing to admit that ─ Cat-D was taken down.
That was stupid, he thought, stepping away from the empty jewel display he had been hiding behind off. That one was so easy that it hurt. Really, all he had to do was press the right buttons with the seal on his finger, and the criminal had been trapped underneath the floor.
I'm still not thanking that guy, he resolved, petulantly, while peeling the thin layer off his finger.
"Don't move!" He froze in place at the feeling of a gun pressing against his back. "Throw that away."
Conan obeyed, emitting no further word.
"Keep your hands in the air." The criminal stepped back, still pointing at him, and slowly approached the pedestal. "I saw everything. You're really something, aren't you?"
Another one coming from him wasn't an event he had fully expected. Frowning, he wondered how he was going to handle this.
"Now, put your hands on that!"
Conan perked up. Oh, an easy fix.
"Are you deaf?! Your hands, there, right now!"
"... As you wish," he muttered, turning to the pedestal. "You should be careful about what you wish for, though."
Cat-E got an answer to his unasked question when a boxing glove came out of nowhere and punched him on the nose, knocking him back several meters back. "Like that." Conan sighed, shaking his head from side to side.
He didn't get to do much else, because Cat-C came back, gun loaded and firing, looking rather pissed. It wasn't so hard to take him down, nevertheless ─ just guide him to the right position, point at the ceiling and the rest would happen. The Cat pointed at that spot, and instantaneously electricity coursed through his body, causing him to drop into the ground, thoroughly defeated.
"Hey, hey..." Conan looked up to see a certain magician in white, hopping off from the ceiling and to the ground. He noted, with a bit of a smirk, that a bead of sweat was rolling down his chin. "What's all this?"
"That's what I should ask you." He crossed his arms behind his head. "You didn't do your homework, did you? That's the third trap Jirokichi-ojisan set up just for you."
"So there were three..." He eyed the fallen Cat and grimaced. "That was a close one!"
"Would have loved to see it, though."
"Oh, and by the way, lovely show back there." KID commented with a grin. "You're a rather resourceful brat when it comes to it."
"You were watching?"
"You had everything pretty much handled, so-"
KID suddenly stopped talking. That, together with the serious expression that seized over his face, made Conan turn around. All he saw was a blur of black before white enveloped his vision and he felt himself being pushed away from harm.
Just as he registered the magician was taking him with him to safety, he slipped away from his grip. "H-Hey!" KID shouted, panicking slightly when he saw him running straight toward the leader. "What-?!"
A soccer ball hit the criminal straight in the face, knocking him against the wall.
KID whistled, but Conan couldn't care less. Just dropped back into his rear, sighing exhaustedly.
"Hard to believe you fear guns."
Conan spun around at that. "How did you know?"
"You have a wonderful poker face," he said, crouching down next to him. "But there's nothing like a perfect one."
The child stared at him, eyebrows knitted in confusion, which prompted the thief to laugh. Scowling, he turned his head away, hearing as KID rummaged through his pocket for something.
That idiot… He knew all along, yet he didn't think of helping?
But at least he had managed to do it. He had done it.
Wait. He blinked. Could it be that he, in his own sort of way…?
"Here." He stuck something on his cheek. "For a brave little warrior."
It took him a long moment to notice there was a bandaid on his face, and an even longer one to realize that he might have scratched his cheek with a piece of glass, that the bullets had shattered before.
Conan knew better than to bother giving him a proper answer so, with a roll of his eyes, stood up. As he approached the fallen man, he noticed, shrugging nonchalantly, that he really was out cold. Power-Enhancing Shoes and everything, I probably went a bit overboard. Yet, he failed to particularly care about such a thing. Instead, he snatched his radio.
"Are the rest of you listening?" he chirped, pitch purposely high and annoyingly cute. "I've taken out your leader. Along with the other three."
"What?!" was his reply. "Don't fool around-"
What followed was Nakamori shouting, a loud thud sound and a furious barking. There was a lot of pained screaming that, had he been in another situation altogether, would have generated pity on him for that poor, suffering individual. Yet he wasn't in a position like that, resulting in him just grinning, sitting back and waiting.
Kaito merely watched, confused by his calm demeanor. It only became more prominent when he raised three fingers. "Three. Two. One."
"Conan-kun," he heard a female voice through his Detective Badge in his pocket. "We've disabled the two here as well."
"Alright then." He smiled, bringing the device closer to his mouth. "Will be there in a bit. Once I take care of a little something..."
"Try not to die."
The conversation ended there, KID noticed with a slight raise of eyebrows, while watching the miniature detective put the badge away. "Hope you don't mean me..." the thief admitted, eyeing the incapacitated criminal. Tantei-kun was definitely in a bad mood today, so he wasn't all that eager to test his limits this time around.
Conan gave him a blank stare. "Do you seriously think I'd take care of a lousy thief when there's a terrorist leader here in the same room?"
"If it's about you, actually yes."
"Stupid..." He began to rummage through the criminal's things. "You can be dealt with any time."
"Oh, is that a challenge what I hear?"
"No, a statement."
Finally, the kid retrieved from him a glass ampule, instantly noticing the red cat printed all over the glass. Curiously, he raised it to his eyes and gently swirled it, watching the green liquid intently. Guess I need to confirm it somehow.
"Impressive." He turned to KID who, unsurprisingly, had stolen the criminal's phone and was going through it. "Look here, Tantei-kun."
Conan glanced at the screen. What an impressive number of records. Even if it pained him, he had to agree with the thief. Moreover, within the last two to three hours...
"I wonder who he called so many times," commented the child out loud.
"Why don't you ask him?" KID pointed at something.
That 'something' being none other than the leader that was groaning, probably in a tremendous amount of suffering that Conan couldn't care less about. "Hey." Instead, he sweetly smiled in a way that screamed murder to KID beside him. "Who did you call?"
When the leader turned his head away, Conan hummed while playing with the ampule in his hands. "Are you sure you don't want to talk?"
The criminal gave him a long look. "What do you plan to do with that?"
"Rather, what do you plan to do after I accidentally drop this all over you?"
Nevertheless, the leader never panicked or reacted in any kind of way. "Do what you want," he simply said under his breath.
Conan couldn't hide the smirk that drew itself on his face after that.
"Guess our job is done here."
Startled, Shinichi looked back to Hattori, who simply stopped right beside him, watching as the police took the criminals away. He had most likely already informed Conan, by the way he placed his phone back in his pocket. "I hope so," he admitted, hands sliding inside his pockets. "This is… a little too much for one night."
Hattori showed his agreement with a tired sigh. "Isn't it annoying, though?" Shaking his head, he let his eyes roam somewhere else. "Those little kids are doing all our jobs."
He didn't need to look to know that Hattori was probably referring to the young boy that was currently chatting away happily with Inspector Shikatsuno Tsuyoshi and Kazuha.
"He's good. Very clever for his age." Shinichi admitted. "We wouldn't have gotten here in time if he hadn't suggested this place." A light chuckle escaped his lips before he could help it. "Could it be that we're looking at the next Great Detective of the West?"
"Don't joke like that. I'm not going to retire anytime soon."
"Who talked about retiring? I meant surpassing."
"That doesn't make it any better."
Indeed, it didn't ─ but that wasn't Shinichi's intention anyway, so he laughed lightly, earning a light glare for such an action. It eventually dimmed as it settled back into the child in question. "It came to my attention, though," he commented casually. "Contrary to what people would think, you're actually not that good with children."
It was Shinichi's turn to glare. "Not my fault he doesn't know a thing about literature." Who likes Agatha Christie anyway?
Hattori gave him a long look, which the other detective held back, stubbornly. "Guess you can't be blamed." He eyed the kid, who grinned widely and was energetically waving his arms around as he talked. "This isn't the kind of child you normally deal with."
"... But it's the kind I used to."
Head snapping back, Hattori gave the other teenager a wide-eyed look, which he returned. Apparently he realized he had said it out loud because his features slowly softened, and his gaze drifted away from his general direction. Lips pressed against each other, it looked like Kudo was more than willing to just end the conversation right there.
Not that Hattori needed him to spell it out. He perfectly understood the implications, even if he didn't particularly feel comfortable with it.
"Dealing with kids is hard," so he spoke, hoping that he could dissuade the uncomfortable situation. "And Kazuha goes her way out and says that I love kids..."
"Can't blame her. You kind of give out that impression."
Hattori scoffed at that. "That's stupid. How do I even-?"
"I was watching you, Hattori. Back at the Shiragami case."
He didn't understand what he meant entirely, nor did he comprehend why Kudo was still staring at the ground, eyebrows knitted together so slightly that he doubted he had noticed it himself. As if he was debating with himself about something else entirely.
Before long, he sighed loudly, and raised his gaze to Hattori's clueless blinking. "Did you know this, Hattori?" He let out a small smile. "I used to be a little jealous about you."
Jealous? It didn't explain things for him, in any way.
"Hey, don't tell you haven't realized it?" He chuckled, amused at his fellow detective's puzzlement. "The bond you share with Conan."
"The bond I share with the kid?" Hattori scratched the back of his head, looking up as if thinking about it, deeply. "We're friends, I guess..."
"More than that. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're brothers." The words were heard long before the Osakan detective could process them. "No, you are brothers. That's something that nobody can't deny."
Hattori stayed silent for a few moments until finally understood where Kudo was getting at. "A-Ah, no..." When he did, he began to frantically wave his hands around. "You got it all wrong-"
"Did I really?" Hattori's mouth clicked shut, earning a laugh from Shinichi's side. "Don't worry, I don't really mind anymore." His laughing ceased, leaving the ghost of a smile behind ─ a smile that, Hattori couldn't help but observe, had a shadow of sadness on it. "I'm actually glad. Glad he has such a reliable older brother at his side."
Hearing that, Hattori turned fully to him.
"That kid has a nasty habit of bottling everything up. To lie to everyone about what he's feeling inside until he can't hold it any longer."
Shinichi gazed up to the sky, still not facing the detective beside him.
"But, I don't know how you do it, but he always ends up opening up to you." He shook his head, smile still on despite the tightly closed eyes. "But I can't. No matter how much I try, he won't ever tell me what's wrong."
"Obviously."
That wasn't quite what Shinichi had expected to hear. Eyes instantly darted to Hattori's solemn gaze and wondered if he had ever seen him that serious. "Because, whether or not you like it… that's all he had ever been taught."
Gradually Shinichi's eyes widened.
"Think about it. Is there anything that every adult-like figure around him has done?" When didn't reply, Hattori continued. "Lying."
… Lying.
"Lying to protect him from this. Hide this to protect him from that. A little trick there, a false lead around the corner… And like that, it goes on. On and on. All this, coming from the people you're supposed to trust."
Slowly Shinichi's shock disappeared when recognition took over. Unable to come up with something to say, he looked away again.
I see… All this time, I...
The downcast expression that suddenly showed on Shinichi's face made Hattori flinch. Oh, damn it, he grimaced. I said too much.
His hand raised to touch his shoulder, to explain the point he had intended to make. Yet it never made contact, just hung awkwardly on the air, before it promptly fell at its owner's side.
Instead, they both fell back in an unsettling silence.
I wonder how everyone is doing...
Night had fallen a few hours ago, evidenced by the dark sky that extended all over her eyes from behind the window, yet that was all she was certain of. There, trapped in that small room, her contact with the outside had completely been cut off, rendering her oblivious about how everyone was.
In the quietness of that smoking room, she could hear her only companion, Mizukawa, sobbing, muttering to himself repeatedly. He didn't want to die.
Her eyes went to her hands by instinct and wasn't surprised to see the bright red that now decorated them. At least, this way, she wouldn't be able to infect any of her loved ones.
But, deep inside herself, Ran couldn't help but wonder if she would see them once more.
Sonoko, her father, the children and Professor Agasa… were they all alright?
And, of course, Ran also wondered about that far too brave little boy that got tossed off the airship for defending his friends. Conan-kun. She frowned to herself.
Must be really scared right now. If it was for what he had gone through, or because he was in harm's way, the girl honestly didn't know. It was Conan, so both options seemed equally valid.
Her heart still clenched at the memory. His hands unconsciously reaching to her. The fear flashing behind his eyes the moment he realized he was falling to his death. Ran doubted she would ever forget any of them.
She had been pushed away and, before she knew it, Kaito KID had jumped out, without thinking twice, to catch the boy. Shinichi. That had been a relief. Shinichi saved Conan-kun. And that wasn't anything that had taken her by surprise.
The back of her legs were itching, but she didn't let it get through her mind. In a way, she was glad Conan and the others weren't there.
"Ran-neechan?"
Her name reached her ears, but it was the young voice that caused her to whirl around. When she spotted a certain bespectacled little boy smiling at her, she instantly backed away, covering her mouth with her hands, desperate to just get away.
Conan remained unaffected. "It's all right." If anything, his smile widened. "Because no one was infected at all."
Mizukawa's head snapped up. "Huh?"
"Eh?" Ran blinked. "But the rashes..."
"Just an entirely normal reaction from contact with lacquer." The boy glanced at the other 'infected' in the room, who was now paying close attention to the conversation, before turning back to Ran. "The person who brought you here earlier was the same one who escorted this guy as well, right?"
Ran nodded, slowly.
"His fingernails have turned black," he explained. "Probably, he's a former lacquer craftsman of some sort which would explain why, among all the other people, he's the only one resistant to it."
Followed by that, he rummaged through his pockets before raising it for Ran to see. Her eyes flew open when she realized that, in his hand, was an ampule containing a bright green substance.
"Don't worry, this isn't the real one… If there was one, that is," Conan reassured her, probably sensing her nervousness. "I acted as if I were to open this in front of their leader, he didn't even do so much as flinch. If it was real, he would've tried his hardest to stop me. Just like you tried to stay away just now, Ran-neechan."
Something that Ran wasn't aware of made the child's gentle demeanor shift to clear annoyance. His smile suddenly dropped, and an eyebrow started to twitch unexpectedly.
"The bioterrorist is fake," he said, louder this time, "I thought I made that clear several times..." before turning around to glare at the door. "So would you please stop being a coward and stop hiding outside, Occhan?"
The door slowly opened, letting Ran see her father's head peeking out. "Who are you calling a coward, brat?" he scoffed, though not setting a foot inside ─ an action that Conan carefully observed, clearly unamused. "If it wasn't for my quick wit and impressive judo skills-"
An external force sent him stumbling inside. "Yeah, yeah..." Sonoko came in closely behind after pushing the older detective, Conan presumed. "Such big words for someone that slept right through it."
Ran laughed, awkwardly. "Don't be so hard on him, Sonoko."
That took Conan by surprise. Hey… He turned to glance at Kogoro, who was approaching his daughter, visually worried about her wellbeing, and his expression dulled dramatically. Hey, hey. Was Occhan sleeping through the entire thing?
That's… rather remarkable.
"You got rashes all over..." commented Kogoro, reaching to inspect the girl's arms. "Even your arms..."
"Fujioka-san grabbed her." Conan looked bored, even as he crossed his arms behind his head and let his eyes roam about. "He had come here to smoke and touched lacquer earlier. I'm sure the culprits sprayed it all over… this room. "
None of them understood why the kid had suddenly gone quiet, or why his eyes widened with a startled gasp. His gaze flickered to a confused Ran, causing her to jump back by reflex.
The back of her legs… Hands… Considering she had been there for a long time, it made sense that she had rashes on all those places. But Fujioka-san...
When he last had seen him, he was red all over. How could he have come in contact with all that just by hanging out in the smoking room?
The answer was simple...
"What's wrong-? Hey!"
"Conan-kun!"
… He didn't.
That thought moved him forward, pushed him to keep running regardless of the shouting that reached his ears once he had rushed off. To his dismay, it was only confirmed when he threw the door to the infirmary open to reveal the waitress tied up, desperately trying to shout for help through her restrains.
"W-Wha-?!" Kogoro shouted, suddenly at his side. Probably had chased after him. "What's going on?!"
"The leader hasn't been taken down," Conan said under his breath, before bolting off away. "That's what's going on!"
It took him a second too late to fully comprehend those words so, when he turned around, the child had already disappeared around the corner. "Wait there!" If he let this kid run off, there was no telling what kind of danger he could bring himself into. "Conan-!"
He never got to take a step, "Don't move," because something pressed against his back before he could do so. That, and the distinctive click that followed, gave him a good idea of what was going on. "Don't make me repeat myself."
Turning his head slightly to the side, he saw the gun. Nishitani Kasumi smiled, her wicked smile only became larger.
Had he been asked what he was thinking when he stepped out onto the roof of the airship, Conan wouldn't be able to respond. Probably it was that he couldn't let the criminal escape, probably he had a fervent desire to see if his suspicions were right.
Probably, he hadn't been thinking at all.
The severity of the situation didn't register in his mind, not even when the chilly night breeze caressed his cheeks and saw Fujioka there, back facing him, hands stuck in his pockets, gazing down at the bright lights of the city. They were almost in Osaka.
"To leave your subordinates behind and escape alone..." Fujioka didn't react even when Conan spoke up. "Don't you find that a little cowardly..."
Slowly, Fujioka turned around until he faced him. "... Boss of the hijacking group..." The child was smirking confidently. "... Fujioka Takamichi-san?"
The boss didn't even try to deny his claim. "Boy..." In fact, he was unsettlingly calm about everything. "Well done in figuring out my true identity."
"Not at all. You had me fooled for a while," admitted the kid. "But what you actually did was come into contact with the lacquer on purpose in the smoking room. Then, you proceeded to grab onto Ran-neechan, and tried to invite Occhan to the smoking room."
He shrugged. Fujioka calmly listened.
"Didn't have so much luck, so you just put sleeping pills in his beer. With Ran-neechan 'infected' and Occhan sound asleep, you got the people who could pose a threat out of your way and isolated yourself to give orders to the terrorist group when no one was looking. I saw that guy's phone earlier ─ he was constantly talking to somebody. It was you, wasn't it? The big boss!"
Not even after the boy was finished did the boss give out any kind of reaction, more than a smirk that definitely didn't sit right with him at all. "That's quite a brilliant deduction, brat," he said serenely. "However, you omitted something of great importance..."
"... What?"
"I had no intention of escaping alone in the first place."
Conan was puzzled. "But your subordinates-"
"I don't mean those that I hired… I mean my original subordinates."
Until that moment Conan hadn't really become aware of the severe situation he was in, but the confident smirk on that man's face became cold, dangerous even. The young detective realized then that wasn't the expression of someone whose plans had been foiled ─ no. It belonged to a man that was pleased with the events that were currently developing.
"Conan-kun!" he heard Ai say from over the badge. "The cameraman and the reporter are with them!"
Yet Conan didn't reply. Fujioka had taken a step towards him and he, in turn, took another back. "Besides, I didn't come to escape..." The kid's eyes gradually widened as he came into the realization that he was on top of an airship, alone with the big boss of a dangerous terrorist group. "It was to lure you out."
Before he could react, he heard a loud sound, followed by a searing pain across his forehead, knocking him off his feet. "You've ruined my plan." Something warm made his way down his face and over his right eye. Blood. He closed it with a groan, looking up to see that Fujioka was holding a gun. "Now allow me to return the favor!"
The look that the criminal gave Conan caused him to shiver. Empty, emotionless ─ those were definitely the eyes of a cold-blooded killer.
"We still have plenty of time. Let's savor this while we can."
The Buddha statues were safe. Bombs were defused, and all those cats had been taken down already. Everything should be alright now, Shinichi had believed.
That was until he called Megure and learned that the person in charge of the whole operation was someone else. When Hattori had tried to contact Conan, he hadn't been able to. The kid wouldn't answer.
Therefore, when the helicopter landed in front of them, he wasted no time and brazenly pushed past Takagi and Sato, who were just coming out. Before they could even think of stopping him, he had promptly crossed over to the front and sat on the copilot seat, startling the poor, oblivious pilot. "Please, catch up with the airship," the teen said, leaving no room for questioning.
The pilot flinched. "... Y-Yeah, right away..."
"Wait a second!" Sato poked her head inside, frowning at the unknown teenager. "You can't just-!"
"It's okay, he's with me," said Hattori, seeing that Kudo had no intention of explaining anything. "But as he said, is it possible to catch up with it? I lost contact with the kid a moment ago. I have a bad feeling about it."
Though she looked as if she wanted to ask more, Sato nodded before entering the helicopter, dragging a dumbfounded Takagi with her. She fully expected Hattori to come in behind her, but he turned around and crouched down in front of a little boy.
"Listen up, Satoshi." He looked at him straight in the eye. "You should go home from here."
"But..."
"I know." Hattori nodded. "We couldn't have protected the Buddha statues without your help."
"Then..." the kid argued. "Just let me go with-!"
"No way." But Hattori was firm. "It's too dangerous. Go home with Kazuha-neechan."
Seeing that there was absolutely no way around it, Satoshi merely let his gaze fall to the ground. Kazuha smiled kindly and, kneeling down next to him, gingerly rested her hand on his shoulder. "Satoshi-kun, let's do that, shall we?" she spoke gently. "Your mother must be very worried about you."
"Okay," before long, he conceded, looking up with a small smile. "But can I meet that kid called Conan-kun next time?" That question wasn't one that Hattori expected to hear. "Heiji-ojisan is going to save him, right?"
Once the initial surprise died down, Hattori nodded. "Got it," then smiling confidently added. "It's a promise."
A promise Conan wouldn't be entirely comfortable with. Shinichi grimaced a bit, yet had succeeded to brighten the child enough to make him comply ─ so he guessed it had been worth it.
Now that it was settled, Hattori raised his head. "Kazuha," he said, staring right into his eyes, for a moment more than Shinichi deemed necessary. "I'll let you handle the rest."
"Leave it to me!" She smiled. "Heiji… Be careful."
Before he could open his mouth to ask, a light knocking reached his ears. Glancing that way, he spotted Kudo glaring at him from the other side of the window, impatiently he deduced, seeing that he wouldn't keep himself sitting still on his seat. Get over with that already, you idiot, he could basically hear him say.
"All right!" Hattori took the hint and headed to the helicopter. "Let's get going!"
He shouldn't have acted without thinking first. He really, really shouldn't have gone there without a rational plan of action.
It had been incredibly careless of his part to go confront the criminal alone, he reflected, while struggling to get up for what it seemed like the tenth time already ─ he had lost count but wouldn't be all that shocked it it had been more times than that. Pressing a hand against his bloody arm, he raised his head once more to see that crazed, blood-thirsty gaze.
Serenely, the criminal recharged his gun, still keeping that sardonic smirk plastered all over his face, then pointed again at him. It was clear as day that Fujioka was making sure he suffered as much as humanly possible ─ even if he hadn't told him, he could see it. See that all bullets were merely grazing his skin, rendering his shots, while incredibly painful, far from fatal.
Which begged to the question… When was he planning to finish him off?
"Since this is the end, let me share something nice with you," he said with a smile that was far from nice. "We'll be making our getaway on a cruiser parked near that bridge."
The bridge in question was the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, that extended from side to side through the ocean and in front of his sight. They were flying rather low at the moment, Conan observed, just enough to pass by beneath it.
"Immediately afterward, this airship will explode. That includes the cabin housing the hostages."
Though he didn't like the implications, Conan was barely surprised. So that was where the other two bombs were… He frowned deeper, if possible. Damn it! Isn't there a way-
He was knocked off again before he could even finish that sentence, sending him rolling a few feet away. Even without looking, he could tell he had been shot on his other arm, judging by the blaze of pain that irradiated from it, and that uncomfortable warm feeling tickling down his skin.
"But before that..." Fujioka held his gun steady in his general direction. "I'll ensure you sink to the greatest depths of sea!"
He… He really couldn't have that. Desperate, he allowed his eyes to wander, looking fervently for a way out of that position. Wait… They stopped at a certain spot ─ right under him, there was the door to the inside of the airship. What if…?
Conan managed a weak laugh, struggling to pull himself upright. "So I get special treatment?" Hand clutching his arm, he drew out a strained smirk. "I'm flattered."
Amused at his bravery, the boss sneered. Just a bit more… He just had to hang on a little longer until they reached the bridge, at least. Almost there!
Just as the criminal prepared himself to give him the finishing shot, Conan pointed somewhere else. "I can see Touto Tower!" he exclaimed, a bright smile spreading all over his face. "And Rokkou's anchor mark, too! Amazing, amazing!"
Fujioka stopped long enough to laugh at the child. "You think you can distract me and make me knock my head against the bridge?" He glanced at the bridge right behind him. "As if I'd fall for something so childish."
The moment he bent down to avoid being hit by it, Conan sprung into action. Idiot. He retired his belt and, with a soft click, he had secured it around the door's handle. As if I'd suggest something like that!
He pushed the button before jumping away from the way of the rapidly expanding soccer ball. His hand latched onto the belt, so not to fall off ─ again ─ when the ship suddenly lurched, tilted out of its normal course.
It was hard, but he pushed the release button after some struggle. The airship passed under the bridge, adopting a vertical position for a few seconds. Seconds, which were enough for Fujioka to slip to the sea, emitting a scream that, Conan wasn't afraid to admit, he found rather satisfying.
Serves you right.
Soon, the ship stabilized again, returning to its normal position as if nothing had happened. Letting an exhausted sigh, Conan let himself drop backwards. He wasn't planning on repeating this anytime soon ─ then again, when was the last time things went as he had planned to?
His phone beeped with a new call, seeping away any little sense of peace he could possibly have. "Hey Conan!" Hattori shouted as soon as he answered. "Are you alright?!"
"Oh, I am," he replied, unwilling to move an inch still. "Can't say the same thing from that Fujioka guy."
"What?"
"You might have to contact the marine patrols. The mastermind is about to get an awful cold."
"... You don't mean…?"
"Yeah. He fell into the sea."
"The culprit fell into the sea?!"
Shinichi's head snapped towards the back of the helicopter the second he heard that. One look at Hattori and he could tell he was as shocked as he was.
"Oh, and their cruiser should be parked somewhere near the bridge," the kid continued, like it was nothing. "I'll leave their arrests to you."
Hattori was quick to snap out of it. "Got it. See ya later," he said without a smirk. "I'll treat you to okonomiyaki tomorrow."
"You better." Conan huffed jokingly. "I didn't go through all this trouble for nothing."
"Yeah, yeah. Look forward to it."
It looked like everything was settling down again, Shinichi realized with a loud sigh, leaning back against his seat, ignoring the odd look the pilot was sending his way. Guess I worried for nothing, he thought, smiling amusedly to himself. I should have known he would manage on his own...
Well. Shinichi shrugged. Who cares? He certainly didn't.
"Hey, Hattori-kun," he heard Sato ask, strangely hesitant. "You… You are good friends with Kudo-kun, right?"
Shinichi ignored the doubtful glance at the back of his head. "Why..." Hattori replied quickly enough, despite this. "Why is that?"
"I just wanted to ask..." Sato began. Takagi was staring intently from over her shoulder, strangely attentive to their conversation. "Is Kudo-kun… actually Kaito KID?"
Hattori stared at her, hard. "... Huh-?"
"HUH?!"
Slowly, the three turned their heads to see what was in front of him. Hattori's reaction was instant ─ his shoulders dropped and the tips of his lips twitched upwards at the sight of Kudo kneeling on his seat to look backwards, eyes wide, staring like a complete maniac.
"Y-Young man…" The pilot sounded nervous as he placed a hand over his shoulder. "Maybe you should sit back-"
"Where?!" he pressed, leaning forward and almost making the pilot lose control of the helicopter. "Where did you get that idea from?!"
Sato merely blinked at him before raising an eyebrow at the sudden, inexplicable outburst.
"Don't mind him." Hattori let out a stiff laugh. "Hirai here is a big fan of Kaito KID-"
Shinichi spluttered. "What?!"
"A closet fan of Kaito KID. Incredibly protective of his secret, too." He gave Kudo a pointed look, causing him to groan and sit back, grumbling to himself. "He knows of every theory of his identity, but Kudo being him is one he has never heard of. Hence, he was overwhelmed." Then, he added with a bright smile, "Right, Hirai-kun?"
"Bite me."
"So, where did that come from?" he asked Sato. Annoyed from being ignored, Shinichi turned to look over the window, resting his cheek against his fist.
"Apparently, Inspector Megure received a call from Kudo-kun." Kudo looked up sharply at Takagi's explanation. "He rode this helicopter with Conan-kun." Then froze, eyes wide again, looking at nowhere in particular ─ the pilot was slowly creeping away from him in his seat. "He turned out to be Kaito KID ─ he jumped back to the airship with Conan-kun and everything-"
"HE DID WHAT?!"
"Sit down, please! Young man!"
Sighing, it was the turn for Hattori to lean back and turn to look over the window, wishing that they would land soon.
This will be a long trip.
Everything was slowly going back to normal. Hungry, but nonetheless happy, his three friends skipped ahead, giggling between each other before plopping down into their seats, excited for their long-awaited dinner.
"Not even a bioterrorist group is a formidable rival to their never-ending source of energy, huh?" commented Ai, a pleased smile on his face, coming to sit beside Conan.
"No kidding. I'm sure they aren't even human..." He let his forehead rest against the table with a lengthy sigh. "I'm exhausted..."
"Cheer up, at least you didn't die." The boy twisted his head sideways to give her a look. "Don't give me that. You could have easily been killed several times today."
"Heh, thanks a lot. Didn't even notice."
"That was rather remarkable. I must admit I'm impressed… Suppose only the good die young, huh?"
He sat back, rubbing his temples, only for his fingers to brush against the bandages, then groaned upon remembering that he had them everywhere. His forearms, his head, there was also that bandage aid that KID had slapped on his cheek. Guess I really got off easy…
Inside his pocket, his phone started vibrating. Or not, he thought, glaring lightly at the name on screen. I'm really, really not in the mood for this.
His surprise was big, however, when, instead of panicked shouting, he heard a soft, "Conan?" It startled him so badly that he didn't answer right away. "Hey, are you there?"
The worry had come back, he grimaced, "Obviously," and answered, before he would overreact or something. "I made it alright, if that was what you wanted to know."
"Barely," the girl beside him spoke up, without really moving, causing Conan to direct her his glare, to which she didn't as much as flinch. Thanks for your help. He didn't need to speak to convey his message.
Oh? She didn't need to either ─ a wicked smirk easily sufficed. Did I ever say I wanted to help?
"... I'm glad." Shinichi sighed, as if she hadn't even heard her in the first place. "I really am."
Conan stared at the phone for several seconds. He sounds different, he thought. Now that I think about it, he did, too, when I talked to him earlier… He guessed he had been a tad too angry to properly reflect on it but, now that he did, it was weird.
Wonder if something happened.
"Huh?" But Agasa suddenly said, before he could even think of adding something else. "Where is Ran-kun?"
"Come to think of it, she's slow..." Sonoko's eyes wandered towards the door, beginning to feel slightly concerned about her best friend. "She asked me to come here first, so I thought she must be going to the restroom, but..."
Conan raised an eyebrow. "Did she get lost or something?" he wondered out loud.
"I doubt it," stated Ai. "She went up by the elevator," she said then, smiling meaningfully to the phone in the boy's hands, added, "Perhaps she went to see KID?"
"... What?" both brothers chorused.
Guess there's no way light can go through...
Though that was something he probably should have seen coming, Kaito shrugged, dropping his hand with the Lady Sky and turning to gaze at the bright moon outside. Lady Sky was inserted into a ring, so of course it wouldn't.
Well. It wasn't like such a tiny jewel could be Pandora since he had done it because of the challenge ─ and he had succeeded, splendidly so. My job is done here.
"Shinichi?" He held back a flinch when he heard Ran calling. "Hey, Shinichi..."
He had completely forgotten about that. Kaito grimaced, carefully listening to the hesitant, almost shy steps creeping closer, and secretly worried about the load of trouble he would be in if anyone ever found out.
"Yo, Ran." There was no turning back, he assumed. "It's been a pretty exciting day, huh?"
Despite the bright grin that decorated his facade, Ran was far from smiling. She frowned instead, stepping closer and letting her gaze met his. Intense was all that Kaito would describe it as, like she was trying to unravel all those mysteries he hid deeply inside his heart, and answer all those questions inside hers.
Questions he wouldn't be able to answer, so he would be rather grateful if she asked none, thank you very much.
"Shinichi," finally she said, in a soft whisper. "You are going to return that… right?"
"Oh, this?" He motioned to the Lady Sky in his hand. "Well, yeah. It isn't the one I'm looking for, anyway."
"So Conan-kun was right. You are looking for something." She brought her eyebrows together in consternation. "But, Shinichi, why is that organization that you're going after looking for a jewel?"
Kaito was free to panic in the privacy of his own mind. Meitantei… told her girlfriend about that?!
"What kind of jewel is it?" She stepped forward and, this time, his reaction wasn't all that private anymore. "We can help you!"
Kaito was shocked into silence, rendering him unable to look away from the girl in front of him. Her hands had latched around his suit, clenching tightly, a frown decorating her face. Hopeful, yet desperately, all the same.
Then, abruptly, something clicked in his mind ─ perhaps… this was just what he needed.
"You can't do this on your own, Shinichi," she argued, stern and unshielding. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
An idea had stuck the magician's mind, taking over his entire brain to never leave again. A sly scheme that was extremely insane, even for his standards, and definitely dangerous for his wellbeing, that made him wonder if he had lost his head for even considering it.
"So, what is the treasure you are looking for, Shinichi?"
Any other day, he would have just turned around to continue with his life, forgetting this incident for once and for all, but he couldn't. This, this was probably the only chance he would ever have.
Perhaps Kaito was a little more insane than he had thought.
"... Maybe you can give it to me."
Perhaps Kaito was just as desperate as this girl in front of him was.
"Eh?" Ran blinked, confused beyond belief. "But, Shinichi, I don't have anything-"
Gently placing his finger on top of her lips, the magician shushed her. "You have it," then he whispered, so softly that she could have easily missed it. "The treasure I long for most..."
But she did ─ it immediately made her face turn completely red. "W-W-Wait..." The flustered girl blushed even harder when the boy cradled her head with his gloved hands.
"S-Shinichi..."
When the boy slowly began to lean forward, the girl didn't attempt to push him back. Instead, she copied his actions and closed her eyes, ready for whatever that was about to happen.
Until his lips finally made contact. There, under the gentle silver glow of a starry night, none of them said anything. Only the moon was there to witness it ─ a tender, silent kiss that nobody would ever know about.
A/N:
Well, this chapter ended up becoming much larger than I expected… Suppose there was a lot to cover xD.
Raises1005118: Actually, no. I'm just going to cover the ones that are relevant to this specific plot, so most of them will be discarded, unfortunately. About Vermouth… Well, there isn't much I can say for the moment, but I guess it's safe to say yes, for the most part. And about that fic you recommended, I haven't read it yet. I'll definitely try it out when I have more free time ;)