Disclaimer:

Don't ask; don't tell.

A/N:

You only have to bear with me for a little while longer…Besides this one, I think I can wrap this baby up in three chapters, plus one bonus one (a chap that's not really relevant to the story line but I wanted to write anyway).

I am now working as fast as I possibly can, squeezing writing this thing before my schedule reaches a feverish pitch…finals is just around the corner (shudders). I wanna finish this before that time comes…don't need the distraction (sigh), and this fic is certainly distracting me.

And if there are parts that, well, you know, sucked, it's because I'm not inspired. Taking DC off the air is beginning to take its toll on me. I sorta have a one-track mind, you know, out of sight, out of mind. Sigh. I better start looking for those DC movies then…

And I just realized one severe oversight—I failed to write in the Detective Boys (it's actually known as The Junior Detective Squad here in the Philippines). Grr…

Oh, yeah, this chapter is for YunCyn and bluedetective. I did promise you guys a dose of Heiji-Kazuha mush, didn't I? Well, it's coming right up, though probably not in the form you'd expect it to be. OK, I just reread what I've written, it's not exactly mush, but it has tender moments where Hattori reflects on his friendship with Kazuha. More next chapter, I promise.

I'll make another promise…I'll finish this fic before March 1. As in. Because come March, I'm going to lock up the computer and begin studying for finals. It's on the first week of April. Wish me luck!

YunCyn:
Thanks for the review again, thank you for making me feel that I've somehow succeeded in my aim of making this fic suspenseful. I'm a diehard RanxShinichi fan, but we Pinoys tend to root for the underdog, that's why I also feel for Ai. Thanks for the compliment about the way I handled the flame. Now if only I could be like that in real life…

But now you've got me curious about your 'old stories.' I'm reading your current one (I like it, by the way. Though I really can't wait until the murder, don't let me rush you. Take your time in building up the story.), but do you have more? May I see them then? Thanks.

Bluedetective:

Thanks for being with me every step of the way. Did you know that you're my first reviewer?

The Miyagi/Akai thingy will be explained soon, very soon. =) Can't tell you more than that or else I'd ruin the whole suspense thing.

As for the Slam Dunk question, I do have one, but I've written it when I was younger and it's horrible, not to mention undone. After I finish this fic, I might dig up its diskette, rewrite it a bit, and then I'll think about posting it. And no, it's not about spies. Plus I also find it hard to write in SD not only because I suck at writing from a male POV, I absolutely have no experience in writing about yaoi relationships and I'm having second thoughts about adding an OC (gotta have romance in there somewhere, right?).

(My 2 cents worth: In Slam Dunk, they can all have Rukawa, Sendoh, Fujima, Mitsui, and even Sakuragi. My all-time crushes in it will always be Maki (loved the color of his skin and that mole on his face) and Miyagi (hence, the name of last name of Ken-kun in my fic).

Ryo Hoshi:

Thank you for the defense and the answer to my question *insert huge grin* Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Erratum! According to Ryo Hoshi (thanks again! I'm eternally grateful!), VIRUS (like in computers) is not an acronym. It was coined from the term virus in biology. As the virus make our body sick, a computer virus causes computer malfunction. But as I liked what Virus stood for in Chapter 12, I think I'm going to keep it (that and the fact that I'm too lazy to think of a new title).

Chapter 14:

The Knights Who Came Too Late

          "Great. Now what?"

          "Nurse, did she come in with another patient?" Kudo turned to the nurse, ignoring the bickering between Hattori and Miyagi. "Male, about this tall," he indicated with his hands. "Gunshot wound,"

          The nurse nodded, grateful that the least intimidating of the three had finally spoken up. The man with the piercing blue eyes looked tired, sick even. She wondered what someone like him was doing with the two scary-looking fellahs. "Yes, sir. He was in the ICU last night, but the doctors were able to stabilize him. He's still unconscious, though. "

          "Can we see him then?" Kudo asked.

          "I need to see some ID, then." The nurse said. It was protocol, for that certain patient at least. The men who had brought the two patients last night were different and required a different set of procedure. For one thing, the hospital staff was taught not to ask questions not related to the patients' conditions. The patients they brought were immediately wheeled into the secured wing of the hospital, which they have exclusive use. They were always prioritized. And if anyone wanted to visit, the nurses were trained to always ask for ID. In exchange for not asking questions or talking about the patients outside the hospital, some mysterious entity donates a yet undisclosed, yet very substantial, amount of money to the hospital. And the nurses always find a very hefty bonus in their paycheck if they do their roles just right.

          Miyagi heard and turned to the nurse. "Here," he said as he took off a small plastic card that was hanging as a pendant on the chain around his neck.

          The nurse took it and walked behind the nurse station. She swiped it on a machine. The light turned green. "You're approved." She smiled at them. "Follow me."

          "Did you get the girl?" Vermouth entered the room Vodka and Brandy were in.

          Brandy, who was lounging lazily on the couch, grinned. "Of course,"

          "Good." Vermouth grinned. "Did you leave my message?"

          Brandy nodded. "Don't worry about it. I took care of everything last night."

          "It's their move, then." Vermouth rubbed her hands in anticipation. She would very much like to see Cool Guy and his Western counterpart soon. Gin was beginning to get boring.

          "Yoshke-kun," Miyagi whispered as he saw the unconscious man on the hospital bed with a hundred tubes attached to his body. His lower abdomen was wrapped with clean bandages.

          "Flowers," Kudo suddenly muttered.

          "What?"

          "Someone sent in flowers." Hattori filled in as he stepped closer to the table holding an elaborate bouquet of flowers. "Your men sent these?"

          Miyagi shook his head.

          "I don't think it's hospital policy to give flowers to patients." Kudo frowned. "He doesn't have family or friends, right? So who could've known? Who could've sent these?"

          "Kudo!" Hattori called as he took the card that came with the flowers.

          Kudo took the card.

          "There's nothing written on it," Miyagi frowned as he looked over the detective's shoulder.

          "No, but it has the name of the flower shop," Hattori responded. "We start from there."

          Kudo nodded. "It's probably a trap, but right now, it's our only link. We take what we can."

          "Well, I leave you guys to your detective skills." Miyagi said thoughtfully. "I'll go back to our HQ and find out what I can."

          "Alright," Kudo agreed, not wanting to admit that he was relieved that Miyagi wouldn't tag along. He believes that Miyagi would only get in their way, not to mention on Hattori's nerves. "Inform us immediately if you learn of new developments."

          "Keep you updated in case I find out about Ran-chan's whereabouts and Kazuha-chan's condition." Miyagi smiled. "Check. I'll do just that." He reached into his pocket. "Here, you can reach me through that phone."

          "What? No videophone in the form of watches?" Hattori couldn't help but mock.

          "We usually use earrings," Miyagi tossed back offhandedly. "But I don't think it'll look good on you,"

Kazuha can't feel her body anymore. She was bound. Bruises covered her body. But she thinks the worse is over.

          Then someone opened the door to the room where she was detained.

          "I see your awake," a sweet, feminine voice said. It was the redhead from last night.

          Kazuha didn't say anything, but she did scramble to sit up.

          "I just wanted to tell you personally that our scientist friend is still breathing," the redhead grinned. "And I left a message for your boyfriend."

          Kazuha glared at her. She wanted to say something smart in return but her throat was dry.

          "And your breakfast is coming in a few moments, don't worry, it's not poisoned." The redhead assured her. "They still need you alive."

          "Oh, yes, she said you'd be here." The employee of the flower shop smiled at them as she led them straight to the counter. "She left something for you,"

          Kudo and Hattori had marched straight to the flower shop whose address was written on the card. Once there, they wasted no time in inquiring about the flowers that was bought earlier. They were in luck.

          "Can you tell me who bought the flowers?" Hattori asked.

          The employee frowned. "Don't you know?" She halted, halfway reaching behind the counter. "Are you sure we're talking about the same bouquet here?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

          "Yes, yes." Hattori immediately replied. "It's just that, uh, we want to know which one of them bought it,"

          Kudo nodded, wishing he were still Conan. That way, the lady would be less suspicious. After all, who could doubt a seven-year old. He immediately banished the thought as quickly as it came.

          "Oh," the smile was back on her face. "You want to know which of your girlfriend bought the flowers." She looked at them knowingly.

          The two detectives blushed. If only things were that simple.

          The saleslady smiled at them. "To be young and in love," she winked conspiratorially. "She was as tall as I am. Slim. Redhead, gray eyes,"

          Kudo frowned. Doesn't sound like someone we know, must be someone new.

          "Aha!" The lady exclaimed triumphantly as she held out something in her hand.

          Kudo watched as Hattori turned deathly pale.

          On the lady's hand was Kazuha's omamori.

          "Hello?" Hattori barked into his handy phone. "What d'ya want?"

          "No," a high-pitched voice purred into his ears. "The correct question is what do you want,"

          "Vermouth," the name was like bile in his mouth.

          Kudo's head bobbed up.

          Ai paled. Her hands unconsciously grasped the sofa she was sitting on.

          After the incident at the flower shop, the detectives had gone home to Professor Agasa's house hoping that Miyagi was back with news, any news. But he was not. And so they waited.

          Vermouth's laughter rang on the phone lines. "Nice to know that I didn't have to introduce myself anymore, makes things much more convenient."

          "Where's Kazuha?"

          Kudo indicated to Hattori to put the call on speaker.

          However, Hattori was too preoccupied to interpret Kudo's signals. He turned his back on his friend and gripped the phone tighter. He's got to save Kazuha, he's just got to.

          "Straight to the point, aren't we?" Vermouth asked.

          "I don't like playing games."

          "Oh, that's just too bad."

          "Where is she?" The voice had become hard.

          "Oh, well. You're no fun." Vermouth told him. "If you want to see her, go to the Christy Towers on the other side of town tonight. If you must, you can bring Cool Guy with you, in fact, I absolutely insist that he comes. But if you bring anymore friends, then I'm going to kill your girlfriend." She laughed. "I'll be waiting," she purred just before she hung up.

          "What did she say?"

          The hours of waiting was worse than any forms of torture Hattori could think of. He wanted to storm into the Towers and save Kazuha. But he knew that doing that would only make things worse, especially for Kazuha.

          Regrets.

          Now he knew about Conan's feeling of regrets. Like Kudo, he assumed that Kazuha would always be right there beside him. He never appreciated her, never told her how much she meant to him, never told her how he felt…How he felt

          But how does he feel?

          Kazuha was like a sister to him, one he never had. They grew up together, they shared everything together. She knew him best of all. That's what she was. She said it herself. A sister.

          But now that she's gone, he found himself promising that when he gets her back, he's going to do something about their relationship. He doesn't know why, but he was dead certain that he didn't want her for a sister anymore.

          He wanted to be her savior. He wanted to save her and become her knight. He wanted to be the prince to wake her up from whatever nightmares they were inflicting upon her. He wanted to be her lov—

          "Hattori," Kudo interrupted his companion's musings. "Did she say that I could come with you?"

          Hattori nodded. "She said Cool Guy could come."

          Kudo cursed. "She knows." He groaned. "She knows that I'm back in my body."

          "This is it," Kudo declared grimly. "This is the place."

          Hattori looked up to the old, abandoned building. They were on the seediest part of town. Just walking to the old building was a danger in itself. The streets were unlit and crawling with drunk men who would pick a fight at the flimsiest of reasons.

          Christy Towers was a joke.  Its owner, a foreigner, must've had a nasty sense of humor. For one thing, it wasn't really a tower, unless you could call three floors a tower. In the past, it was used as a nightclub of sorts, but since it wasn't exactly in a prime location, it bombed. The owner had to mortgage the property in order to cover some expenses. Unfortunately, it foreclosed. Now, a bank owned the place. The building was in shambles. It seemed to be the perfect place for what Vermouth had in mind.

Murder…

          "Let's go in," Kudo's voice was grim.

          The two entered a large empty room with a broken bar on the north side. The windows of the place were barred with wooden planks. The ceiling was low and cracked. A ruined staircase was to their right. There was a door to their left.

          "We're here," Hattori announced impatiently. "Show yourselves."

          "Welcome," a voice announced. From the door came Vermouth.

          Blond, beautiful Vermouth. She looked like a goddess, an angel even, if not for the murderous look in her eyes.

          "Where's Kazuha?" Hattori demanded as Kudo held him back from his attack.

          Hattori gripped his katana.

          Vermouth smirked. "In due time. I want to talk."

          "Show her first before we talk." Came the mandate.

          "You impress me," Vermouth tossed her hair. "I hold all the cards and yet you have the guts to make demands."

          "We'll talk, Vermouth, but only after you show that she's safe." Kudo cut in before Hattori could make a comment that he'll later regret.

          "Oh, very well," Vermouth conceded, sounding like a little kid instead of the woman she really is. "Vodka! Brandy! Bring her out."

          Kudo's heart constricted as he saw one of the men who was responsible for the months he lost as Conan.

          The large man was gripping Kazuha, dragging the girl out of the room Vermouth came from.

          Kazuha looked dead. Her eyes were closed, her clothes tattered. She was bloody, bruised. Wounds covered her arms and legs, even her face. Vodka was the only thing keeping her up.

          "What have you done with her?" Hattori growled.

          "We just had a little too much fun," the redhead, Brandy, who walked out with Vodka replied gleefully as she brandished a gun and pointed it straight at Hattori's heart. Kudo deduced that she was the woman who left the omamori at the flower shop.

          "Why you little—" once again, Hattori was constrained by Kudo.

          "Can we talk now?" Vermouth asked in a bored tone.

          "Wait, where's Ran and Sonoko?" Kudo demanded.

          Vermouth laughed. "One girl at a time." She said. "First, we talk, and then you can have Kazuha. Then, after you give us what we want, then you get the Suzuki girl."

          "How about Ran?"

          Brandy grinned. "The brunette's dead."

          Kudo cursed them. "I don't believe you. Where is she?"

          "Well, she might be dead, she might be with us," Vermouth sighed. "Give us what we want, then you'll know for sure."

          "What do you want?" Hattori spoke through gritted teeth.

          "All we want is the Pandora Stone, the Immortality Gem." Vermouth replied. "And the formula for the pills and its cure."

          "What?" Kudo frowned. "We don't have the Pandora Stone."

          "Then find it!" Vermouth's voice had become stone-cold. "Your girlfriend stole it. She's keeping it somewhere. We want it. You figure out where she hid it."

          Ran…

          "OK, conversation's over now, give them the girl, Vodka." Vermouth announced. "You have one week to find the gem, if not, we kill our hostages."

          Vodka unceremoniously pushed Kazuha so that she fell in the space between them.

          Hattori immediately rushed forward to catch her fall. "Kazuha!"

          She felt so cold.

          "Kazuha," he shook her gently.

          Vermouth and Brandy seemed content and amused at the show before them.

          "Kazua," Hattori tried to wake her, his voice louder this time.

          But there were too many wounds, too much blood.

          She wouldn't wake up, couldn't wake up.

          "Kazuha!" Hattori cried as he tenderly held the limp body in his arms.

          "What have you done to her?" Kudo demanded.

          "You're the detective," Brandy sneered. "Figure it out."

          One word flitted into Kudo's mind. Torture. They couldn't get out the location of the gem from Kazuha, that's why they did that to her. And that's why they were willing to deal with the detectives.

          They would stop at nothing to get that stone.

          "What have you done?" Hattori asked softly.

          Brandy stepped forward. She snorted. "If only she told me what I wanted to know in the first place, then she would still be whole tonight."

          Hattori reached into his pocket. He brought out Kazuha's omamori. "I'm sorry I came too late," he whispered as he placed the charm around her neck. He laid her gently on the floor. "You're gonna pay for what you've done to her!" Hattori stated as took his katana that he dropped on the floor and stood up.

          Brandy looked straight at Hattori. Vodka and Vermouth seemed content to just watch.

          "My, my," Brandy said with a laugh. "Looks like detective boy here is out to avenge his damsel in distress."

          "Careful, love, we need him alive." Vodka spoke for the first time.

          "Kazuha's not a damsel in distress." Hattori bit out as his knuckles turned white from gripping his katana too tight.

          "And you're no knight in shining armor either." Brandy sneered. "Who ever heard of a knight coming too late?"

          Vermouth laughed at that.

          "Shut up!" Hattori said.

          Kudo walked to Kazuha. He checked for a pulse. Weird. "Hattori," Kudo began.

          "Why do you even want to save her?" Brandy asked, interrupting whatever it was Kudo was saying. "She's too uptight, she talks too much. And the two of you always argue. Let's face it; she just cramps your style. Why don't you look for someone who would support you?" She smiles flirtatiously at him.

          "Because I love her!" The words were out of his mouth even before he realized what he was saying. "Not that you'd understand something like that," with that, he attacked.

          "Hattori, wait!" Kudo jumped up, too late to stop his friend.

          But Vodka had placed himself between Brandy and the rampaging Hattori. Vodka waved a hand.

          To everyone's surprise, with a puff of smoke, Hattori's katana turned into a bouquet of long-stemmed roses.

          Hattori grinded to a screeching halt.

          Kudo's eyes narrowed. Wait a minute, roses?

-tbc

P.S.

What's the difference between x and + (example, HeijixKazuha as opposed to Heiji+Kazuha)? Thanks, and pardon my ignorance. I'm sorta a late bloomer in the Internet thingies.

P.P.S.

I just don't know how to write good mush. Help!

P.P.P.S.

I was just reading my A/N above…why does it sound as if this is my last chapter? It's not. sigh It must have something to do with not seeing DC on TV everyday anymore.