Naoko

Hiya folks! Thanks for the reviews so far! Now starts off the actual plot of the story. I don't care if this isn't how it worked or if this is impossible, so don't whine to me. This is how I want it! Ehehe... on with the story then!

Chapter Nine: The Secret

"Your games up, Kid. Now tell me what you did with Kudou," Kogoro hissed in his ear. Shinichi let out a muffled protest, twisting and squirming to get away.

'I'm not Kid! I'm Shinichi!' he thought desperately. Who knew that the old drunkard would be so strong? Kogoro moved slightly, unwrapping his arm and fiddling with something Shinichi couldn't see. There was a sharp jab in his back as Kogoro finally got his pistol out and aimed it. Kogoro moved his hand from Shinichi's mouth to around his neck.

"Answer," he demanded, pushing the pistol deeper into his back. Shinichi grunted and arched his back, wincing.

"Get off, Mouri! I am Kudou!" he snapped. Kogoro loosened his grip slightly.

"Prove it," Kogoro challenged.

"Lay off him, Mouri," Shinichi recognized as Heiji Hattori's voice. Kogoro reluctantly let him go. Shinichi rubbed his back and backed up a few steps.

"You shouldn't be here," he hissed, picking up his bag and putting it on his shoulder. "Get out, now!"

"What are you talking about Kudou?" Heiji asked. "Ran's worried sick."

"Just go, will you? I don't want you getting mixed into this. Especially not Ran," he said desperately. "Just leave, I'll be fine, but if you stay I don't know what they'll do to you. I have to find Kid, so as soon as I get out of here I'll contact you."

"Why do you need to find Kid, Kudou?" Kogoro demanded, taking a slow step foreword. Shinichi shifted uncomfortably.

"I can't tell you," he whispered, eyes on the ground.

"What is he making you do, Kudou? He made you rob that bank; I'm guessing that's why your bag is so heavy. You keep shifting your pack like it's uncomfortable. So why are you here? What else is he making you do?" Heiji asked.

"Just butt out, Hattori! This doesn't concern you," Shinichi said angrily.

"You're doing this willingly, aren't you? You're partners," Kogoro accused.

"Kudou, there you are," Kid's voice interrupted. Shinichi looked over his shoulder and saw Kid. He was frowning and was now in his usual white outfit.

"Kaitou Kid!" Kogoro said triumphantly, "You are under arrest! As soon as we find Megure," he added. Kid smirked.

"Come on Kudou, we got stuff to do," he said. He took hold of Shinichi's bag and started to pull him back. Shinichi followed obediently.

"So you are partners!" Kogoro exclaimed.

"Yeah right," Kid laughed. "I'd never partner with Kudou. Detectives are smart, but they're lousy at sneaking. Especially Kudou. Now come on, we have things to do," he tugged on Shinichi's bag.

"Kid, maybe I can handle it from now on," he suggested.

"No Kudou," Kid said sharply. "We're still on my side of the bargain here. Unless you want everyone to know your little secret, you'll come with me now and we'll get this done!"

"Right," Shinichi said. He turned and followed Kid.

"And you and your little police friends had better keep out of this. Nobody's supposed to be in here. The longer you're in here, the more likely it is that you're going to get killed," Kaitou said. "And don't follow us. I'll know if you do, and you'll regret it."

Heiji and Kogoro stood dumbstruck. Shinichi followed Kid down three corridors before he finally pulled him to a stop.

"Where is she? How big is this place?" he asked.

"Very big. We're underground if you haven't noticed. She's around here somewhere. They've already started the ritual. It gets done at midnight, that's when they slit her wrists and drain her blood. We have to get her before then. If they get her blood then Japan's gone. Doomed. Period. There's nothing we can do after she's dead," Kid explained.

"So she does black magic? I thought magic was fake!" Shinichi said.

"No it's real. And deadly," Kid added.

"What time is it?" Shinichi asked.

"Almost 9:30 pm, Kudou. We don't have a lot of time, especially since we're lost," Kaitou replied.

"What do you mean we're lost!?" Shinichi snapped.

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes Kudou," Kid said lightly.

"Fine. Let's just go," Shinichi said. He was beginning to feel lightheaded. He shook the feeling off and followed Kid through the hall.

---

Ran waited anxiously for Kogoro and Heiji to come back. Megure shifted next to her.

"I don't think they should have gone in alone. Who knows how many are in there? There could be hundreds. And if there are, how are a seventeen year old and a thirty-eight year old man with a hangover going to stop them?" he said aloud. The policemen stayed silent.

"And Shinichi's in there too," Ran said. "He can help."

"I don't know if it'd be much help," Megure sighed.

"But – Are you saying they could all be in danger?" she shrieked.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying Ran," Megure said.

"Then get in there and help them!" she cried.

"They were stupid enough to go in on their own, maybe they're smart enough to get themselves out on their own," Megure said simply.

"So they could die and you wouldn't even try to help?" she asked.

"They shouldn't have gone in alone," he replied. She let out a screech of rage.

"If you won't help them, I will!" she snapped. She yanked away the yellow police tape that held back the crowd of people and ran towards the house.

"Stop her!" Megure shouted. She dodged and kicked anyone that got in her way. She flung open the door and fled into the house. She ran through the dark halls and down a few flights of stairs. She had no idea where she was going.

"Shinichi?" she called. Her voice echoed through the room. "Shinichi are you there?" footsteps and the sounds of arguing voices floated through the air. She stepped lightly closer and listened to the voices.

"Wait Kid, shouldn't we go down to the lowest level? Would she be there?" asked a weak voice. She knew that voice...

"I don't know, maybe. We can try – hey, Kudou are you okay?" another voice asked. Shinichi! And Kaitou Kid!

"Shinichi!" she cried, turning the corner. One of his hands was propping himself up on the wall. He as hunched over, his right hand on his right knee. She could see sweat running down his face and that he was pale. Kid was next to him, leaning over slightly. He looked concerned. Shinichi looked up at the sound of her voice.

"Ran," he croaked. She dashed over to him.

"Shinichi are you all right?" she asked. She turned sharply to Kid. He stepped back, startled. "What did you do to him?!"

"I didn't do anything! I don't know what's wrong with him," he said honestly. Ran cupped Shinichi's pale face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. They were unfocussed; he didn't seem to be seeing her at all.

"Shinichi, can you here me?" she asked slowly. His eyes filled with pain and he pulled away sharply, falling over and landing hard on the ground. He scrambled away from her.

"Get away! Go!" he shouted. She looked hurt. How can he kiss her like that then shove her away?

"Shinichi, what –?" she started but he went into another spasm of pain and didn't seem to hear. He writhed on the ground, clenching his teeth. His head throbbed sharply and he groaned. Kid finally seemed to get it.

"Get! Go!" he shooed, shoving her down the other way. "Go! Go, go, go!"

"No! Shinichi!" she cried breaking away. But he wasn't there anymore. His clothes were there, smoking slightly. But his clothes were moving.

"Perfect," Kid muttered, shaking his head.

"What's going on?" Ran asked.

"I'm not the one to explain it to you," Kid said. He turned away. Ran took a hesitant step towards Shinichi's clothes. To her immense surprise, Conan looked up at her as she moved away some of the fabric.

"Conan-kun? What –?" then it clicked. "Shinichi!"

"Hi Ran," Conan said.

"You mean – you've been Shinichi this whole time?!" she asked loudly. Conan struggled to his feet, swamped in the overly large clothing.

"I'm sorry, Ran. I've been trying to tell you. But if I did, you'd be in danger. And I couldn't do that to you. They'd kill you if they found you," he said.

"Who? The people that made you mini?" she asked.

"Yeah, if you want to word it like that," Shinichi said.

"Can we go now? We've got an hour," Kid interrupted.

"Okay. Ran, get out of here. I don't want you to get hurt," he said seriously. She shook her head.

"No. I promised I'd never leave you, and I won't. I'm going to help," she said. Conan paused for a few moments, but eventually nodded.

"Fine. But if I tell you to hide or to run, then just do it. Okay?" he asked. She nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

Conan didn't change into his smaller clothes; he'd forgotten them at the bank. So they headed off again. Ran refused to leave, no matter what Shinichi said to her. Kid finally told them off for being loud and annoying. So they walked silently own the halls, looking for any sign that they were getting close. And then, all of the sudden, there they were.

It was a large, stone room and it was incredibly bare. They stood in the middle of it, looking around. A long, stone table stood in the direct center, with shackles hanging off, ready to restrain anyone that needed it. The door they came through burst open. Kid grabbed Ran's wrist and dragged her over to the shadows. Conan panicked and scrambled off to the opposite side of the room. People started flooding in. it was like a cult, all the people were in long black robes, hoods up covering their faces. Shinichi pressed himself up against the wall, hidden in the shadows, watching and listening. The last person to come into the room was half carrying half dragging a struggling Naoko into the room.

Conan felt something hard and smooth in his pocket. He looked over to where Ran and Kaitou were and saw a grin on his face. Conan licked his lips nervously and slowly reached into his pocket. He brought out a glass vial and looked down slightly at it. It was more of Heiji's whatever-it-was. He looked up at Kaitou with astonishment. He uncorked it slowly and downed it quickly.

Miraculously, he got through it without making noise. He wiped cold sweat off his brow and looked back at the group of people. They were gathered around the table. Naoko was chained down to it, looking frightened. He watched, breathing heavily and sweating. He glanced over to where Ran and Kaitou were, but they didn't see him. Suddenly, Shinichi was taken by absolute surprise.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

---

PRIVATE - If people don't stop asking me thatquestion i'm gonna flip! it's at the top of the page!

I WANT EVERYONE READING THIS TO READ THE TOP OF THE PAGE, NOW! It's been on every chapter since chapter 6, so stop asking me about it! it's in italics! you can't miss it!

Wing Omega - Nobody. Thanks for the review anyway!