Five Days Ago, Near the Akagi House.
ヾ(*・-・)ﾂθ
Ten minutes down the road, Heiji squirmed in his seat. "Kudou, can I put my leg up?" Without waiting for a response, he shifted so his leg rested across the back of the car, barely touching Shinichi's leg. "Sorry," he muttered. "My leg was gettin' stiff like that."
"You're fine. Just don't kick me," Shinichi said good-naturedly.
Heiji returned the grin before a thought occurred to him. "Ya oughta call your doctor. She said ta keep 'er updated."
His words took a beat to register. After a moment, Shinichi nodded in realization, taking out his phone and scrolling through his contacts. "I've probably got a few hours, but she'll still want to scold me for taking so long."
Kazuha, sitting in the front seat next to her father, turned around in her seat. "We can drive ya ta the airport if ya need it. You gotta get back ta your case pretty soon, right?"
"Correct. Once I ask my doctor, I'll know where I need to be dropped off, " Shinichi said as he sent a text to Heiji. How fluent is Kazuha-chan in English?
Heiji looked up at Shinichi as his phone buzzed, gave him a confused look before replying. not rlly y?
What about Toyama-san?
dont think so. He took another moment to type. ya want privacy
Catching Heiji's eye, Shinichi gave him a short nod.
"Ya know I'm still here," grumbled Kazuha. "If ya're tryin' ta keep me outta things, at least be stealthy 'bout it."
"Maybe ya should butt outta things that don't involve ya," Heiji snapped.
"Ya're in my dad's car. I'm pretty sure I'm involved now," she shot back.
Shinichi broke in before they could escalate to a hot-blooded Osakan cage match. "My apologies, Kazuha-chan. There are still details about my case that I'd rather not speak of."
She softened, guilt swooping down to drive away the anger on her face. "Got it. I won't pry." She faced the front again.
Toyama glanced back at Shinichi in the rearview mirror. "About your case. Ya've been on it for a long time... People 're saying you're dead."
Shinichi avoided his gaze, nodded. "I know. I'd like to keep those rumors circulating for a while. Please, if someone mentions that I'm dead, don't tell them otherwise."
Toyama's shoulders tensed, his knuckles went white on the steering wheel. Before he could speak, Heiji nudged Shinichi's leg with his foot. "Kudou, your doctor. Call 'er already."
Shinichi pressed call on his phone. "You're right. Sumimasen, Toyama-san." Reluctantly, Toyama looked back to the road. Shinichi was safe from Toyama for now.
Ai took a few rings to answer. "Took you long enough."
Shinichi shrugged defenselessly. "I was a bit too preoccupied to call. Convicting a murderer and all."
"You're speaking English?" Whether intentionally or not, she switched languages. No language, however, could convey her absolute disappointment in him. "I thought I told you: get a ride with someone who knows."
"I did. The only one fitting that requirement is Hattori." Heiji looked up at the mention of his name. "It is his girlfriend and her dad I need to be careful about."
He sputtered. "Oi! She ain't-"
Smirking, Shinichi locked eyes with him. "Voice recording."
"Ya wouldn't dare-"
"Kudou-kun, quit acting like a child," she scolded.
"Yes, sorry."
"No you're not."
"No, I am not." Shinichi couldn't keep the glee from his tone.
Haibara sighed. "Just give me the information I need. You know the drill."
Listing off his heart rate and temperature, Shinichi lowered his voice to describe the rest of what Ai needed. "Mild cold symptoms. Light headache in the front of my head, and occasionally sneezing. Stuffy nose sometimes, and the typical ache that comes with the height change." He didn't have to go into too much detail. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "A slight pain in my chest with each heartbeat, but nothing I cannot handle."
She went quiet for a moment. "You've got about eight more hours, thanks to the second antidote. I want you to stay with the Osaka boy once it wears off. The professor will come to get you once this all blows over."
"All what?" His mind raced with the morbid possibilities. A murderer a suicide somehow They found out "What is going on?"
Ai hesitated. "Edogawa-kun has gone missing. Neither I nor the professor know where he is. The professor is working with your father to figure out how exactly how Edogawa-kun disappeared as we drove him to the hospital."
A small frown. "That does pose a problem."
"You don't say," she drawled. "But don't worry about it. Once we get a solid enough story, I'll text you the details of your role."
"Thank you, Hai-"
"Sakura-san," she interrupted. "The Osaka boy called me Sakura-san the last time we spoke."
A twinge of guilt. He'd almost slipped. "Thanks, Sakura-san. See you tomorrow?"
"If all goes well, yes. Good luck. Don't get into another case or it will mean your head." A distinct click as she hung up.
When he hung up, Shinichi noticed Toyama looking at him intently. Shinichi asked him a question before he could bring up the case again. "About how long until we get to Hattori's house?" Confusion on Toyama's face. "I left my medicine there," Shinichi explained.
"We're pro'lly 'bout three ta four hours out," Heiji said. He looked at his phone, most likely playing a game. "Since we're bout an hour from Tokyo ta begin with, an' Occhan always speeds-"
Toyama held his hands up on defense for a moment before gripping the steering wheel again. "I'm a police officer! What're they gonna do, arrest me?" Kazuha facepalmed and Shinichi couldn't hold back a snort. "Besides, Kudou-kun needs ta get gone again as soon as he can, an' ya've got a broken leg. I've got perfectly good justification for goin' a few kilometers per hour over the limit," Toyama huffed.
"If by 'a few' ya mean 'bout thirty," muttered Kazuha. Her dad groaned in protest, and the rest of them laughed.
Kazuha turned back to face the two detectives. "Shinichi-kun… do ya have a heart condition?" she whispered. "'Cause when Heiji woke ya up, it seemed like ya were havin' some kinda heart attack."
Shinichi nodded slowly. "I guess you could call it that. I haven't gotten diagnosed," he replied quietly choosing his words carefully, "but every attack feels like a really powerful heartbeat." Heiji made a face at that, but he kept his mouth shut when Shinichi looked his way.
Kazuha pursed her lips, looked between Heiji and Shinichi. She finally grinned, clapped her hands together. "Shinichi-kun! I got one more question for ya."
Shinichi tilted his head, crossing his arms comfortably. "Sure, I'm happy to-"
"Ran-chan." She wrapped her arms around the headrest and sat her head on her hands. Eyes glittering with mischief, an elfish grin spread across her face. "What'd ya talk 'bout with her?"
Heiji nudged Shinichi, grinning alongside Kazuha. His eyebrows bounced up and down. "Yeah, Kudou. What'd nee-chan do with ya while ya sat in the dark?"
Shinichi, pulling out his phone: "You know, I've got an interesting mp3 file that Kazuha-chan-"
Heiji froze again. "NOPE," he shouted. "NO THANKS NO DETAILS NEEDED." He retreated to his side of the car, pulling both of his legs close to his chest. If looks could kill, Shinichi would be alive and healthy. Heiji buried his face, avoided all eye contact.
Kazuha quirked an eyebrow, pointed to Heiji. "Shinichi-kun, how did ya…?"
Shinichi shrugged, leaning back into his seat. "Some may call it blackmail. I call it using my resources."
A notification popped up on his phone.
You have been added to [THE DEETS] by Llamatail-chan
"Kazuha-chan?"
"Shhhhh," she shushed. "Just open it." She'd turned to face forward. Shinichi couldn't see her expression, but her excitement was evident enough in the little giggles she gave now and again.
"But-"
"Just do it."
With a twinge of apprehension, he opened the chat.
Llamatail-chan: TELL ME
coffeemonster: no
Llamatail-chan: Y NOT
coffeemonster: z not
Llamatail-chan: fight me shinichi-kun
coffeemonster: Then why so? I see no reason to tell you other than gossip
Llamatail-chan: see now we're on the same page
SO
THE
DEETS
GIVE
THEM
TO
ME
coffeemonster: kazuha-chan you are filling up my notification feed
please utilize only one text bubble for a sentence rather than seven
Llamatail-chan: but Ran-chan wont tell me ;-;
coffeemonster: you already asked her
Llamatail-chan: yeah but she be busy
conan-kun is kinda sorta maybe missing
He felt a flash of guilt but a larger wave of relief. Ai had been right. Tokyo wasn't safe unless Conan came back.
Kazuha looked back at him through the gap between the headrest and the seat. "On-e-gai?" she pleaded with doe-eyes.
He deadpanned. "You're going to ask until I say something, aren't you."
"Ya know it!" she chirped.
With an exasperated sigh, he began to type.
coffeemonster: she was mad because she knew my case was dangerous but I never said anything
Llamatail-chan: o sorry
i was talkin bout that w/ MONKEY_AHOU in the kitchen an ran-chan mighta heard cuz she was guardin the door while u slept
cofffeemonster: monkey ahou?
Llamatail-chan: it
when i type his name it autocorrects to that
it be his username
he lost a bet
BUT I SWEAR I DIDNT MEAN TO TELL RAN-CHAN SOMETHING YA DIDNT WANT HER TA KNOW
coffeemonster: it's fine
I'd be more concerned if she hadn't figured out my job was dangerous
Llamatail-chan: wht hppnd nxt
coffeemonster: what happened to your vowels
she got me to promise to tell her things
Llamatail-chan: 'm svng m vwls fr mprtnt thngs
oooooh yasss
about ur case
coffeemonster: and we have discovered what is "mprtnt" to kazuha-chan
and yes. every time i call her
Llamatail-chan: she'll like that
coffemonster: until I tell her how much danger I'm actually in
Llamatail-chan: better than keeping her in the dark
there's only one truth, right?
coffeemonster: but i don't want to hurt anyone
Llamatail-chan: she's been hurt enough by what ya haven't told her
coffeemonster: she's been hurt enough by what I haven't told her
Llamatail-chan: glad to see we be on the same page
u know an infected wound doesnt get better if u ignore it
coffeemonster: what she doesn't know won't hurt her?
Llamatail-chan: WEAK AND U KNOW IT
U ALREADY PROMISED
NO EXCUSES
coffeemonster: i have been millimeters away from losing Ran since I got dragged into this case
i don't want to say something that will drive her away for good
i don't want to lose her
Llamatail-chan: ur doing the right thing
idk what shinran was before the case
coffeemonster: what
Llamatail-chan: but if u want her to be a part of ur life, u have to let her know what else is in ur life, too
coffeemonster: what is shinran
Llamatail-chan: o that
whe was talkin bout u a lot i did research
u have a fan following
coffemonster: and?
Llamatail-chan: they ship u w/ ran-chan
u have a ship name
it be shinran
coffeemonster: what is a 'ship' name
[Llamatail-chan has left the chat]
He dropped his phone and leaned forward. "Kazuha-chan, what's a ship name?" he sniggered. "I dunno if I can explain it. Maybe I should show the chat ta Heiji and see if he can tell ya."
He glared at her (though the grin on his face refused to stay hidden). "This is blackmail."
"I call it usin' my resources," she giggled.
Toyama shook his head. "She's got ya there, Kudou-kun," he chuckled. His smile faded as he glanced again at Shinichi. "Kazuha, could ya trade seats with Kudou-kun? I'd like ta ask him a few things."
Shinichi ran a hand through his hair, dropping back into his seat. "I was thinking to get a nap," he said evasively.
Kazuha touched her father's arm. "Oto-chan, he's been workin' all day with a cold. I'll bet ya can talk ta 'im when we get back ta Heiji's."
"We're 'bout three hours from my house," Heiji mentioned. "I'll wake ya up when we get there."
"Arigato," murmured Shinichi as he closed his eyes.
ヾ(*・-・)ﾂθ
Shinichi had never put much faith or thought into his dreams. They were, after all, simply manifestations of subconscious thought, something to occupy one's mind as they rested. Only twice had he slept as Kudou Shinichi since the apotoxin, and each night plagued him with vivid nightmares. (Even his own subconscious knew that he didn't deserve to be himself yet.)
Despite knowing this, he thought he'd rather face the Dreamscape than any questions Toyama would have for him. Shinichi couldn't involve Kazuha or her father any more than he already had. No one else needed to be put in danger.
ヾ(*・-・)ﾂθ
Conan panted heavily as he sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time despite the exhaustion burning in his lungs, in his legs. The door in front of him crashed open. He burst onto the rooftop.
KID stood on the cement wall surrounding the rooftop, holding a glimmering diamond to the moon. It cast a deep red glow across the whole roof, bathing the scene in blood. With a wary eye, Conan readied his tranquilizer watch. He struggled to gain control of his breathing as KID turned his head to grin at Conan.
"We're alike, you and I." A voice different from KID's echoed in Conan's ears. Desperately, Conan searched the depths of his memory to pinpoint the speaker. His mind failed him.
"You're just like me, in fact. Lying and tricking and cheating your way through life."
Conan shook his head, clapped his hands over his ears. "Chigau! We have morals, we care about things-"
KID cackled, a spine chilling sound that shook Conan to the bone. For the first time, Conan noticed the gem's glow getting brighter. With every passing second, it grew whiter, draining the light from KID's uniform. As KID laughed, his suit was a light grey.
"We care only about ourselves! And those things you call morals?" KID sneered. "Those are the little lies you tell yourself at night so that you don't drive yourself mad with guilt." His maniacal laughter echoed through the night once more. Conan shivered, began to back away as KID's uniform approached charcoal.
He still held the gem to the moonlight, its glow nearly white. "Tantei-kun, you're worse than I am. I borrow jewels every once in a while. You lie to your beloved. You put children in danger. You string along an incompetent detective with no regard for his health. You drag innocent people into a case not even you can solve."
At last, a cry erupted from Conan's throat. "I didn't have a choice! I didn't-"
"Oh, you had a choice." KID turned his head further, his uniform black as night. Ran's face looked back at him. Mercilessly, her voice resonated across the rooftop. "And you chose wrong."
The dream shifted, sending Conan spiraling through gates and doorways until he landed in the middle of a park. As he rose to his feet, he looked up into Shinichi's face.
"Come on, Ran," said dream-Shinichi. "Stop crying."
Her eyes overflowing with tears, Ran only cried harder. "How can you say that?"
He laughed nervously. "I've seen this sort of thing so often." Ran looked up. He grinned. "A lot of bodies in pieces."
His attempt at humor brought on another wave of tears. Ran sniffed and sobbed. "Hey," he said with a sort of kindness, "just hurry up and forget about it. These kinds of things happen all the time, you know…"
She shook her head violently. "No, they don't! They only happen when you're around! Honestly. And you said nothing would happen at an amusement park-"
"Ran, go on without me." She looked up. He was looking somewhere else, already running off. "I'll catch up real soon!"
She watched him go for only a moment. With a mixture of Shinichi, you jerk and don't leave me here please, she chased after him.
She followed him through the bush maze and to a bridge, heart pounding with a deep, sickening sensor of dread. When she reached the bridge, she lost him. Looking left and right, she didn't dare call his name. The long, silver hair of one of the men in black glimmered in the moonlight. The man in black stood at the other end of the bridge, looking down.
"Your detective friend is doomed," murmured Gin.
Ran couldn't move, her feet rooted to the spot as Gin's eyes of ice pierced her with a laser beam intensity. Suddenly it felt like an army had every one of their weapons trained on her. Any move she made would mean death.
"Soon, you will be too." He spoke softly, maliciously as he stalked away. He trod carefully, drawing a metal baton from his sleeve as he approached the snooping detective.
Ran could do nothing. Her legs and feet were stone. She listened with sickening apprehension as Gin cracked the pipe over Shinichi's head. Feeling crept into her toes as Gin took out one of the pills. Her legs flooded with energy as Shinichi choked on the water being poured into his throat.
Ran jumped over the railing of the bridge and landed next to Gin. Without hesitation, Gin swung the pole at her head. It connected with a painful crack. She collapsed next to Shinichi. He gasped for breath beside her.
Gin forced a pill down her throat. Water came next. She swallowed instinctively.
He dropped her head. "So long, insects."
Shinichi gasped, choked beside her. Ran couldn't move. He began steaming. She watched as his bones cracked and reformed. He screamed before going silent.
A terrible jolt pulsated from Ran's chest.