ヾ(*・-・)ﾂθ

(ง'̀-'́)ง (つ･･)つ:

Shinichi woke, his chest heaving, sweat dripping from his face. He pressed a hand to his chest, taking a moment to process his nightmares.

There was KID. The blinding white light, KID dressed in black, Ran's voice, came rushing back to him. Then I was Ran, and she— no, I watched myself— He blanched at the memory, drew a staggering breath. It's over now.

If there was one thing Shinichi hated more than anything else (aside from being deprived of coffee), it was being wrong.

He gasped as a pulse hit. His blood turned to fire. He clenched his teeth to keep from groaning. Frantically, he looked to the other passengers to see if they noticed. Both Heiji and Kazuha had fallen asleep, leaving only Ginshiro's worried gaze upon him.

"Kudou-kun, what's wrong?" He mercifully kept his voice low to keep from waking up the other two.

Shinichi stared at Ginshiro for a moment, wide-eyed like a deer caught in the headlights. "I– I have to– Hattori–" He leaned over, struggling to keep himself upright, and began shaking Heiji's shoulder. "Hattori, wake up. Come on, wake—"

Another pulse attacked. Another audible gasp escaped him. Shinichi clamped his mouth shut, curled in on himself. He fought for control over his body as pain blurred his thinking. He began convulsing.

"Kudou-kun?" Ginshiro was seconds away from pulling over. He heard grunts and whimpers, all of them Shinichi's. "Kudou-kun, are ya alright?"

Groggily, Heiji opened his eyes. "What the h*ll ya want, Oyaji?" He looked down and saw Shinichi. Instantly, he was alert. Sitting up, he put a hand on Shinichi's back. "The h*ll happened, Kudou?"

"Doctor— wrong," he hissed, black spots dancing before his eyes. Low oxygen, need deeper breaths, said the logical part of his mind. Deeper breaths meant a higher risk of screaming. Shallow breathing was just fine, thank you very much.

"Sh*t. Occhan, how close ta the nearest rest stop?" Heiji's hand never left Shinichi's back. Shinichi was like a furnace, giving off enough heat to melt a small piece of metal. Heiji could feel every twitch and spasm of Shinichi's muscles.

"It's in five kilometers. Is he okay?" Ginshiro fought the urge to turn around and look at them. A large semi truck approached on the right, forcing all of his attention on the road.

"He'll be fine," Heiji said, sounding more like he was convincing himself. "How fast can ya get us there?"

Ginshiro switched on the police siren. "Why don't we find out?"

Heiji's grip on Shinichi's back tightened as Ginshiro floored it. They were pressed back into their seats. The speedometer climbed and sirens wailed. Shinichi stopped convulsing only to begin sweating harder. The fabric beneath Heiji's hand was soon drenched.

Heiji uttered a curse again. "Oi, Kazuha!" He leaned over Shinichi and shook her hard. "Kazuha. Ka-zu-ha."

She yawned, flinched away from Heiji's hand. "Ahou. We're not there yet."

"Kazuha, turn on the AC," he urged. "Kudou's gettin' too hot back here."

"Why can't he jus' do it 'imself?" she grumbled, yawning again. "To-san, why're the sirens on?"

A sharp, pained groan came from the sweating heap in Heiji's lap. Shinichi clutched at his chest. I can't go back to Conan they can't know no one else can know no one's supposed to know

Kazuha sat up with a start, turned around to look at the backseat. "Shinichi-kun! Heiji, is he—"

"I'm— fine," Shinichi hissed through gritted teeth. He couldn't bring his hand away from his chest, so he forced what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Kazuha thought it looked like a grimace.

The entire car lurched as Ginshiro pulled a sharp right. He slammed on the brakes, throwing all passengers forward. Tires screeched and the sirens continued crying as Ginshiro prayed he hadn't misjudged his stopping distance. Heiji swore as Shinichi hit his head on Kazuha's seat. Shinichi cried out in pain. Kazuha gripped the door handle tighter and screamed. The car finally skidded to a stop.

Lady Luck was fickle when it came to Shinichi. Tonight, she decided to smile upon him. The rest stop was nothing more than a parking lot, a picnic table, and a bathroom house. It was in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night. No one else was there.

As soon as the car stopped, Heiji leapt out of the car. He limped around to the other side and dragged Shinichi out, shouting a hurried "Don't follow!" at the Toyamas.

Heiji barely limped as he helped Shinichi into the bathroom. His leg hurt like h*ll, but a broken leg had nothing on shrinking. He'd heard the screams only once, but that was enough. Kudou had gotten shot and kept a level head. Heiji knew what getting shot was like. If Kudou kept it together that long after that- Heiji passed out about fifteen minutes after he'd gotten shot, the kids were in that cave for over an hour- Heiji knew it had to be something fierce to rob Kudou of his self-control.

A car door slammed shut behind him. "Heiji!" Heiji's brain went into full-on oh sh*t mode. Adrenaline punched his pace forward. Kudou was suddenly much lighter. He sprinted as much as one could with a broken leg. At the bathroom door, he had Kudou lean on his shoulder. He flung the door open, dragged his burning up and possibly dying friend into the bathroom. Slamming the door closed behind him, the bathroom was one room, no extra stalls. The door had a deadbolt. Heiji locked it.

As gently as he could, Heiji tried to sit Kudou on the floor. Kudou whimpered in protest, his grip on Hattori's jacket tightening. "Heiji-niichan, don't leave me here," he begged. His childish, small, (so scared) voice echoed off the cement walls. It sounded so wrong.

Heiji's heart missed a beat. And not in a good way. Shakily, he tried to bring Kudou back to his senses. "Oi, Kudou-" Kudou visibly flinched at his own name. Heiji faltered, settled for: "I won't leave ya, I promise."

A loud banging on the bathroom door. "Heiji-kun, I've called an ambulance. They want ta know 'bout his condition. What can ya tell me?"

"Occhan, hang up! He doesn't need an ambulance. Jus' call Oyaji an' have 'im come here. Kudou'll be fine, I promise ya," he shouted at the door, fighting to keep the desperation out of his voice.

Kazuha shouted back, "He ain't fine! Heiji-"

He cut off Kazuha's protests before she could formulate a good argument. "I said he will be fine. The two of ya jus' go back ta the car an' call Oyaji," he pleaded urgently. "I can handle things here. I know what I'm doin'." (A blatant lie. He barely knew a thing about this.)

He was met with silence. He waited with bated breath, gave them enough time to hesitate before walking back to the car.

Kudou's breath hitched before he groaned. He clutched his chest with one hand, twisted Heiji's jacket in his fist. He gasped for air.

Heiji sank to the ground slowly, his back to the door. Kudou whimpered as Heiji gripped his shoulders, pulled him to sit next to him. He could only bear the pressure on his leg for so long. His brain decided that while Kudou was collapsed over him was a good time to remind him that he'd just speed walked on a broken leg. Heiji grimaced as the adrenaline began to wear off, pain coursing through his leg.

Beside him, Kudou drew breaths in pained gasps. His grip on Heiji's arm was iron, close to cutting off Heiji's circulation. Kudou screamed, and, despite himself, something in the back of Heiji's mind whispered finally.

Shinichi's shouts reverberated off the walls, amplified by the enclosed space. Heiji flinched as Kudou stopped screaming only to draw a breath. It sounded like he was inhaling shards of glass. He screamed again, guttural and too loud for too long he'll lose his voice

Heiji pulled his good leg to his chest, closed his eyes. He retreated into the depths of his conscious, recalling old cases and dead bodies, lifeless husks and remorseless killers. Anything to take his mind of off Kudou might be dying and there's nothing I can do.

The pitch in Shinichi's scream got higher. Heiji winced, knowing full well what it meant. The screams did little to cover the bones cracking back into place. Heiji's heart pounded in his ears. He wasn't going to look until it was over. He couldn't watch when Kudou was at his worst.

After what felt like hours, the bathroom finally fell silent. Heiji opened his eyes, looked down at the boy lying motionless in his lap. A teenager's clothes were too big on him. The boy (still the same cowlick, it was still Kudou) breathed quietly, long breaths indicating his unconsciousness.

Heiji arose from his fogged state. He began taking any extra layers off the boy, the only worry being how to escape. He took off Kudou's jacket from the boy and stared. Too tall to be Conan, too short to be Kudou. Thin, skeleton arms lacking any muscle and his entire body shaking with each heartbeat.

To Heiji's luck (and supposedly Shinichi's as well), Shinichi hadn't become Conan. Something stopped the shrinkage halfway. The boy in Heiji's arms was no older than twelve.

A banging on the door. "Heiji, ya open this up or I go get a crowbar! That ambulance is gonna be here in ten minutes, and ya gotta-"

"Kazuha, I can't let ya in!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Kudou's secrets aren't mine ta tell!"

"His health should be your first concern, ahou!" she argued. "He can't be fine, screaming like that for so long! Let me in," she demanded.

"No."

"Why not!"

"I jus' told ya, ya're not supposed ta know!" Kudou whimpered in his lap at the shouting. "Jus' listen ta me," Heiji begged.

Kazuha would not be swayed. "I'm gettin' a crowbar," she threatened, "An' I'm bustin' in ta get Shinichi-kun outta here."

"I have a much simpler solution," said Ginshiro.

Heij's stomach dropped as the lock turned. He lurched forward, threw himself across the room, put his back to the door. He hid Shinichi against his chest. Shinichi whimpered at the sudden rough movement, "Heiji-niichan, I'm trying to sleep."

Heiji felt Ginshiro at his back. Ginshiro laid a hand on Heiji's shoulder. "Heiji-kun, I know ya're protective of Kudou-kun. There'll be an ambulance here in a few minutes-"

Helplessly, Heiji tried to curl in on himself, in on Kudou. There was nothing else he could do except make a run for it, and what would be the point in that? Kazuha would know that something was wrong with Kudou. Kudou couldn't move on his own, being half asleep and only half-shrunk. Heiji wasn't mobile either. In his rush to get Kudou from the car, he'd left his crutches in the backseat.

There was nowhere to run out in the middle of nowhere. There was nowhere to hide.

Heiji, his face still buried against Kudou, was silent for a few moments. Hesitantly, (broken): "I'll stop fightin' if ya don't ask questions an' get both of us back ta my house."

Kazuha stared at Heiji. He was tall and proud, boasting of his skills and of how much better Osaka was than everywhere else. He bickered with anyone who disagreed, snapped at someone who tried to tell him another way was better. He was stubborn and wanted to do things his way. No one could deter him.

Defeat in his plea, raw, unadulterated, plunged a hot knife of guilt into Kazuha's chest.

"I won't say a word," she murmured.

Ginshiro nodded, his gaze remaining on Heiji. "Would ya like me ta carry Kudou-kun?"

Heji shook his head hesitantly, still refusing to look up. "Occhan, can ya go get my crutch? I left it in the back of the car." Ginshiro obligingly left without another word.

Kazuha stepped back to let her dad go past. Tentatively, she approached Heiji. He'd sat up, staring down at the one sitting in his lap. Regret, worry, guilt, (fury) twisted his face into something she'd never before seen as he looked at a younger version of Shinichi.

Shinichi looked innocent as he lay sleeping in Heiji's arms, exhausted trom his ordeal. She'd only seen Heiji look at one other person with that much raw emotion. When Conan had been sick, Heiji was a mess. He always tried covering it up, but Kazuha saw him looking at Conan with a similar mixture of worry, guilt, and self-hate.

Two and two came together in her mind to form the truth. Once she found it, anything else just felt wrong. Shinichi was Conan. There was no other explanation.

Quietly, she opened her mouth and forced the words out. "Is that what Shinichi-kun's been hidin'?"

He looked up sharply at her question, instinctively and protectively pulling Shinichi closer to his chest as one would a child. "Ya're not supposed ta know 'bout this. Ya're supposed ta stay safe. Ya shoulda jus' gone an' left like I asked ya ta." He knew now how Kudou felt at the Holmes Fanatic case. Cornered, no other way to escape, to be blackmailed, forced into giving up the truth.

Now Kazuha was going to know. Kudou said that knowing only a little was worse than knowing the whole picture. A lack of knowledge was always dangerous. But now that Kazuha had hung on to Heiji, gotten her feet wet, she needed to go completely under to keep from being killed, targeted, everyone she knows killed because they'd notice she's gone. Frustration burned like bile in the back of his throat.

Kazuha was having none of it. "How am I supposed ta jus' leave Shinichi-kun when he's screamin' like he's dyin', leave ya when ya lock yourself in a bathroom with 'im? I ain't gonna jus' leave ya, Heiji. Stop tryin' ta keep me outta everythin'."

"Ahou. I was tryin' ta keep ya safe," he grumbled.

She picked up Shinichi from Heiji's arms. Something (anger?) burned in Heiji's chest as Kazuha took Shinichi from him, but there was no way for him to carry his friend now that the adrenaline had worn off. Heiji rose to his feet, watched Kazuha walk out the bathroom door. She glanced back at Heiji. "If ya think I wanted ta be a bystander, then why did I stick 'round you for so long?"

Of course, he had no good answer for her. He wasn't sure whether he loved or hated her for being able to make his brain stop dead in its tracks.