Hello everybody! I hope that everyone has enjoyed the turn of events in the last chapter! I am going to update quicker this time, I promise! Also—I have 25 reviews! That's very exciting for me, so laugh if you want, but I'm SO happy!
Well, I won't keep you from reading this chapter~~tanoshinde kudasai!
Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan! How many times do I have to tell you that?!? ^^
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Part VI ~ Trap
Ring, ring
"Moshi moshi?" Conan answered. Haibara's voice came over.
"Hello, Kudo-kun," she replied. "You need to come over. Now." She hung up.
Conan stared at the phone. Whatever was Haibara talking about? Unless…she already…
"Oh my gosh!" Conan shouted and ran out the door. "Ran, I'll be right back!"
He sprinted to Agasa's house. "I'm here!" he said as soon as he burst through the door. "Haibara, did you…"
She nodded, confirming his beliefs. "Here it is," she said smilingly, handing him a small pill. "The antidote."
"When did you…?"
"Someone came by last night and dropped it off. I worked through the night and finally did it…the antidote of Apotoxin 4869."
Conan grinned. "You ARE serious, aren't you?" he finally asked. "If you gyp me I will be very angry with you! Remember…I do have a stun-gun."
Ai smiled softly. "You do. And that's why I wouldn't dare give you a fake."
"So…can I take this?"
"Sure, go ahead." She handed him a cup of water.
Conan took a deep breath and swallowed the pill, then drank some water. Immediately, he felt his body heating up. It hurt. Like heck it hurt.
It was so…hot in the room. He couldn't breathe. Is this…the end of me? Conan wondered. Maybe Haibara miscalculated something…it couldn't hurt THIS much, could it? Am I…dying…?
Conan collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. His bones…they felt like they were splintering to pieces. He grabbed his chest. White-hot pain rushed through his entire body.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" a scream ripped through him. Ai gasped and shut her eyes.
When she opened them, there was Kudo Shinichi, lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
She smiled softly. "Kudo-kun…" she whispered. "You're back."
He managed a weak smile. "Oh, it feels good to be back in my normal self…"
Ai stepped closer to him. "Kudo-kun, if you don't mind, let me take a blood sample. I need it for some testing." Shinichi nodded. Swiftly, she pricked his finger and put a drop of his blood on a slide. "I'll be right back…hakase, would you please get him to a bed or something? He'll need to rest for at least four to five hours…"
Agasa nodded and carried Shinichi to a bedroom. "Shinichi-kun," Agasa smiled at the sleeping boy. "It's good to have you back."
~ * ~ * ~
"Get in!" a rough voice said and pushed Heiji and Kazuha into a small basement. A/N: I know, first they get trapped in an attic (in the manga), and now a basement. Gomen, Heiji-kun, Kazuha-chan!
A woman stepped in the room. "So, this is the famous Kansai detective and his little girlfriend, huh?" she smirked. Heiji glared at her. "You've got something to say?" she asked and ordered her men to remove their gags.
"Well?" she prompted.
"You WILL pay for this," Heiji said through clenched teeth. "How dare you…"
She laughed. "I see. So you're going to get revenge. How? Untie yourselves and strangle us with the ropes?"
"Not a bad idea," Kazuha spoke up. The woman slapped her.
"Don't you talk back to me!" she snarled. "Do you know who I am?"
"Sure I do. Heiji told me all about you…Vermouth."
Her lips curled into a smile. "So you do know who I am, and you're messing with me anyway…that deserves extra punishment, doesn't it?" Vermouth turned to leave. "I would watch out for your girlfriend if I were you," she said to Heiji. "Who knows what may happen?" With that, the beautiful blonde walked away, leaving Heiji and Kazuha alone and helpless.
~ * ~ * ~
"Agasa-hakase?' Ran said over the telephone. "What exactly did Shinichi do over there? He's been gone for over six hours!" She looked at her watch. It was now midnight, and the house was empty except for her. "And I'm worried about Hattori-kun and Kazuha-chan, too," she confessed. "They haven't turned up, either."
"I don't know about Hattori and Toyama-chan, but Shinichi is resting here. He's had a tiring day today. Oh—wait, he's awake. Shinichi-kun!" Agasa called. "Ran's on the phone. Wanna talk to her?"
"Sure." Shinichi reached for the phone. "Hey, Ran."
Ran's eyes widened at the sound. It wasn't the voice of the seven-year-old child, Conan. It was…it was…Shinichi's voice! There was no mistake about it. It was deep and mature, just like she remembered.
"Shin…Shinichi?" she whispered. "Are you…are you speaking through your bowtie to me?"
"No. This is me. My real voice. Ran…I'm back."
Ran gasped. Shinichi could almost hear the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Hey, I'm coming home right now, okay?" Shinichi said softly. "I'll be home soon…"
Through her tears, Ran managed an "okay".
She hung up the phone and cried tears of joy. Her Shinichi…he's finally coming back.
~ * ~ * ~
I wonder how she will react, Shinichi thought as he turned the corner. There she was, standing at the bottom of the steps, waiting for him.
Her eyes widened as she saw him, and she broke into a teary smile. "Shinichi!" she waved. He ran over to her.
"Hey," he grinned mischievously. "Miss me?"
She nodded and buried her face into his chest. "A lot," she whispered.
"Yeah…? Me too." He pulled away from her and looked into her clear blue eyes. "Ran…" he began, then stopped, hesitant at his words.
"Yes?"
"I…I want to let you know…" his face was getting hot. "R-remember that time, when you lost your memory, and we were hiding behind that rock, and…and you asked me—"
"Why you were protecting me?" Ran spoke his words. "Yes, I remember."
"What I told you…was from my heart." He looked down, blushing. "I…I love you, Ran. More than anyone else in this world."
Her expression changed to that of the most delightful surprise. "R…really, Shinichi?" she whispered.
"Yeah…really, really."
She smiled. "Well, I think you know what I'm going to say…" Shinichi smiled happily, expecting her to say "I love you too".
"BAKA! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!" Ran shouted. He stepped back, taken by surprise. Then she grinned. "Gotcha! Okay, okay…I love you too."
"Gosh, you're such a scary woman. You nearly shouted my ears off, you know," Shinichi complained. She was about to give a retort when he leaned in and kissed her.
They kissed for a moment or two and pulled away. Both blushed furiously, but they were smiling from ear to ear.
Shinichi took Ran's hand, and they walked up the stairs together.
~ * ~ * ~
"Kuso!" Heiji cursed and tugged at the rope. "Why won't it come loose?"
Kazuha looked at him. "Heiji…I don't think it's any use."
Heiji sighed and leaned against Kazuha. "Kazuha…what do you think will happen?" he said. "This plan isn't working out the way it's supposed to…"
"I wonder how things over at Ran-chan and Kudo-kun's are going," Kazuha said. "Ne, Heiji, do you think we'll get out of here in time? I heard one guy saying something about setting this place on fire."
He only shrugged. "Who knows?" he sighed. At least if I die here, I will have Kazuha by my side, he thought. I would hate to leave her...the one I love the most…
The door opened. "Hello, poppet," a man in black snarled at Kazuha. She shivered, sending a chill down Heiji's spine. "We're here to get you!" He untied Kazuha. "You," he said to Heiji. "It seems that your girlfriend will end up in hell before you do!"
"No!" Heiji yelled. "Kazuha!"
"Wait," a female voice spoke up. Vermouth! "Did I tell you to go on with the plan? I don't think so…" Her lips curled into a smile. "And you dare disobey my orders?"
"Vermouth!" the man in black stepped back. "I-I'm sorry. I just wanted to see his suffering face…"
"Don't worry," she said. "You'll see it soon. Now tie the girl back up."
"Real soon…there will be pain…"
~ * ~ * ~
Ring—Ring—Ring—Ring—Ring
"Yo, Kuroba here. Well, technically I'm NOT here, which is why you're getting this message. Say something after the beep."
Aoko sighed and hung up. She hasn't been able to reach him since last night. Where in the world IS he? She wondered. "If he's with a girl, I'll kill him!" she said aloud.
"Who're you talking about?" Inspector Nakamori growled suddenly. A/N: Yeah, I know, I'm making Nakamori-san so mean! Don't worry, he'll get better later…I hope.
"Oh, o-tousan!" Aoko turned around. "No one, really. Just Kaito—"
"Hmph," Nakamori said angrily. "Wash up, we're eating."
"Now?" Aoko asked. "It's barely four o'clock!"
"Kaito Kid has planned a heist at six-thirty, so we're eating now! Go wash your hands!"
"Yes, sir," Aoko said quietly and left the room.
Kaito Kid, I HATE you! It's all because of you that o-tousan is this way. I hate you!
(Somewhere, Kaito sneezes.)
~ * ~ * ~
"Haibara, is everything ready?" Shinichi asked.
"All set," Ai replied and grinned. "Go, Kudo-kun, Ran-chan…I'll do my best here. Hakase," she turned to the professor. "Is everything hooked up?"
"Just done," Agasa replied. "All that's left is for you to go."
Shinichi nodded and turned to Ran. "Shall we?"
She smiled. "Ready when you are!"
"Let's go!" they sped down the street.
~ * ~ * ~
Vermouth looked at her watch. "It's time!" she declared. "Vodka, Gin, go and make those two suffer…"
They grinned and proceeded upstairs.
"Greetings, my friends," Vodka said cruelly.
Heiji only glared.
Gin did not say a thing but was already splashing gasoline around the room. "Good thing this thing has wooden floors," he muttered. "Burns faster."
Vodka nodded. "Well, farewell," he said, pretending to be sad. "You guys were good prisoners. Let's not have this slaying ruin our friendship, huh?"
"Right," Heiji glared at him, but inside he was panicking. Where the HECK was Kudo? He was late…and so was Kid. Why isn't Kid doing anything? Unless…he betrayed them. Kid WAS part of the Organization, after all.
"Well, it's ta ta, meitantei-san and girlfriend," Gin said coldly and dropped the lit cigarette into a puddle of gasoline. The room burst up in flames. They gave their final smile and locked the room.
Heiji heard a voice say. "Evacuate this building! The whole building is made of wood—it will burn in less than an hour!"
Footsteps. Swift.
Nothing.
Kuso! He thought angrily. Did everyone leave? Even…him? This is bad…
The flames came closer and closer to where they were. Heiji felt Kazuha's shivers. "I-it's funny, isn't it?" she tried to laugh. "I…I'm actually shivering, but it's…it's so warm—" she couldn't finish her sentence; the smoke got to her and she began to cough.
"Kazuha!" he said. "Kazuha, hold on, I'll figure something out—" But they both knew that it was no use. They were trapped. And there was no way out.
He slowly turned to look at her. "Kazuha…" Heiji said slowly. "I…I have something to tell you."
~ * ~ * ~
"Kuroba, this is Kudo. Answer your phone!" Shinichi said. "We're about five minutes away from destination. I'm disconnecting my phone until we get out. See ya on the other side!"
He and Ran had slowed down to a cautious walk. They were close to the organization's building, so they were on their guard. Suddenly, they saw three men in black run past. They ducked down into a bush.
"What are they doing?" Ran whispered.
"Shh!" Shinichi hushed her. "I don't know," he said very quietly. "But I sure hope that our plan hasn't backfired…"
Ran turned to look at the building. "Sh-Shinichi! Look! The building's on fire!" She pointed. A nervous frown appeared on his face.
"What's going on…" he muttered. "Kuroba's not answering his phone…no news from Hattori and Toyama-chan…something is definitely wrong here." He turned to Ran. She had worry written all over her face. "Will…will everything be okay, Shinichi?" Her lip trembled.
He kissed her on her forehead. "Don't worry, Ran," he whispered. "As soon as all these men evacuate this burning building, we're gonna go and find out what's going on.
"Don't give up, Ran! Don't forget what you said…there is always hope, right?"
A few minutes later, there was no more sound of footsteps. "I think that's all of them," he whispered. "But just to be sure…"
They counted silently to fifty. "I can't wait any longer," Ran said. "Shinichi, let's go." He nodded and they stood up.
In front of them was a beautiful, blonde American actress and two men, dressed all in black. One of the men had long brown hair and the other was short and stout and wore small sunglasses.
"Vermouth…Gin, Vodka," Shinichi acknowledged them.
"You!" Vodka stepped back. "You're supposed to be dead. We killed him…didn't we, aniki?" He asked Gin.
"Fool," Gin said coldly. "He didn't die; his body shrunk into that of his childhood days. Isn't that right, Vermouth?"
"Oh, so you did figure it out," a cruel smile played on her lips. "Yes, that was correct. Kudo Shinichi…how in the world did you manage so long as Edogawa Conan?"
Shinichi laughed. "Blame it on my mom," he said. "I guess I just inherited her acting skills."
Apparently, Vermouth wasn't very happy with that answer. "Take them down!" she yelled. Gin and Vodka each pointed a gun.
"Well, well, well, it looks like our famous detective, Kudo Shinichi, will have to die right after he finally regained his true form." Vermouth laughed coldly. "Finish them off."
"KYAAAAAAA!" Ran shouted and did a famous karate kick at Gin, kicking the gun out of his hand. In the meantime, Shinichi popped a soccer ball out of nowhere and kicked it at full blast, pointing straight at Vodka, knocking him unconscious. Just as Gin was about to punch Ran, Shinichi aimed his stun-gun wristwatch at him…
Gin fell.
"That won't hold him very long," Shinichi muttered. "Got any rope, Vermouth?" He looked up.
"Or should I say…"
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Hahaha! I am an evil author. Yes, I know, I'm leaving you on another cliffhanger. Hey, what can I say, I like cliffhangers! Well, I'm sure you're all wondering why he was asking Vermouth for rope to tie one of HER men up…well, I hope that you're wondering, because that means that you're hungry for more MT! Yayness!
But really, I'm very upset that I only received three reviews for this chapter! And I'm working so hard to update sooner, too! It's really not easy with five guests over here. It took me ten days for this chapter, and I had to make a lot of things happen, as you can see. So, if you really want the next chappie, then review! Please please PLEASE review!
As for you kind folk who did review…
Kari Ishikawa: Yup, Haibara-san made an antidote! By the way, she does have something to do with this plan other than making the antidote. I only put a short section about her part in this chapter, but the full plan will be (hopefully) revealed in the next chapter! Oh yeah, and it's breaking my heart to hurt Heiji-kun like this…but I've had this idea for months now and I can't just discard it…anyway…keep reading please!
starfruit-22: Hopefully I will update sooner. If people would review, that is! Reviews give me encouragement to write more~~so thanks for reviewing!
Starstruck272: Okay, okay, I'm updating! WoW~are you serious about your math teacher reading this??? I feel…quite honored ^_^
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