Naoko
---
Okay everyone, here it is! the super duper surprise chapter I promised is finally here! Enjoy!
And congrats to Firestorm2004, the lucky winner of last chapter's contest!
---
Chapter Fourteen: The Wheelchair
"How have you been Kudou? Had a little accident I see," Vodka said gleefully. Shinichi gripped the wheels of the chair so tightly his knuckles turned white. Heiji leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"Who are these guys?"
"Guess," he grumbled.
"Those shrink guys?" Heiji asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Yeah," Shinichi said quietly.
"No need to whisper boys. No one will hear your conversation, and no one will ever hear your voices again," Gin said sadistically.
"What do you want?" Shinichi asked aloud.
"You were supposed to die two years ago. We're just going to finish the job," Vodka said pulling out a gun.
"And unfortunately for you, you've got nowhere to run. Or, wheel in your case," Gin smirked. He pulled out a gun as well.
"Damn it!" Heiji cursed.
"What are we going to do?" Kazuha whispered.
"Probably die," Shinichi nodded. He grinned lopsidedly. "Sorry. Meds."
"When are your meds gonna wear off?" Heiji snapped. Shinichi shrugged.
"Hopefully before we die," he said.
"No one is dying!" a new voice said. Shinichi looked behind him. Ran, Kaito and Aoko stood in the doorway.
"You may outnumber us, but it will be easy to kill you. You're just teenagers," Vodka scoffed.
"Hey, look who it is," Gin said, eyes glinting. Vodka followed his gaze and looked at Kaito, who gulped audibly.
"It's Kuroba's son," Vodka smirked.
"Uh oh," Kaito whispered.
"Better known by another name though," Gin said. Aoko looked confused. Kaito looked panicked. She squeezed his hand.
"What are they talking about Kaito?" she asked.
"Oh, how terrible! You didn't tell your little girlfriend who you were?" Gin mocked. Kaito's breathing became labored.
"Who he is?" Aoko said slowly. Shinichi licked his lips nervously. Heiji tightened his grip on the handles.
"Kaito Kuroba is actually –," Vodka started smiling, but Kaito stopped him.
"No!" he cried. "Please, don't!"
"Why not? Who'll she tell? You're all dying today Kaitou Kid!" Gin shouted. Aoko's hand slid out of his numbly. He looked over at her, frightened.
"Aoko," he whispered.
"Leave me alone," she said.
"How terrible. Let me put you out of your misery," Vodka smirked and pointed his gun at Kaito. Kaito tensed and waited. There was no point in trying to avoid it. He would accept death as it came and wouldn't fight it. He heard the gunfire and braced himself.
Shinichi watched in shock as Aoko pushed Kaito away. He watched Kaito stare down at his feet in shame. Then Vodka aimed his gun and fired. Kaito stood still as it headed foreword. Shinichi shoved himself backwards quickly, crashing into Kaito with the chair. Kaito cried out in surprise and fell, the bullet just grazing his right cheek. Blood dribbled down his face, but he just sat on the ground shocked, staring up at Shinichi.
"No one's dying while I'm around, not even you, Kid," he said.
"Enough of this. You all die now!" Gin shouted. He fired repeatedly at them. They scattered, and miraculously they all made it out the door. They all went in opposite directions, running to get help and shelter. Shinichi paused about half a mile away, looking around. He heard Ran scream from the right and wheeled himself as fast as he could towards her voice.
'Damn it! I finally get my body back and I can't use my legs!' he thought angrily. He stopped at the top of a hill. Ran was halfway down, Vodka in front of her, his gun trained at her forehead. She was frozen in fear. He had to save her, but how could he do it?
He finally made up his mind, went to the edge of the hill and shoved hard. He went flying down, hair blowing in the wind, wheelchair bouncing slightly as it rolled speedily down the hill. He flung out his arm at the exact right moment, and hit Vodka's arm, sending the revolver flying. He wrapped his arms around Ran's waist on his way by and pulled her into his lap. She screamed in alarm, but he couldn't stop. With one arm around her waist and his right hand poised above one of the rapidly spinning wheels, he waited for the right moment.
It finally came. He grabbed the right wheel with his hand, ignoring the burning of the wheel tearing the flesh off his hand. He clenched his teeth and his eyes filled with tears, but he didn't let go. They finally slowed, the chair swerving, going down the hill not forewords, but sideways. It hit a rock and bounced, jerking the passengers out of the seat.
He landed hard on his left shoulder. He winced and gasped in pain, his shoulder throbbing horribly. His right hand was totally torn up, bleeding freely. He sat up, groaning in agony. His left shoulder was dislocated, arm hanging limply out of the socket. He used his right elbow to inch toward Ran, who was lying a few feet away. This task was difficult, as he was without the use of both his legs, an arm and both hands. Not an easy task at all.
"Ran!" he called hoarsely. She didn't respond. She didn't stir. "Ran!"
"It seems you've done more harm than good," Vodka said as he approached. Shinichi looked over fearfully.
"Please don't hurt her!" he cried. Gin came up from the other side and kicked Ran over onto her back. Her eyes were closed and there was a purplish bruise forming over her left eye. It was cut open slightly, bleeding down her face. Shinichi saw that she'd ht her head on a large rock.
"We don't need to. You've killed her for us," Gin said smiling. Shinichi shook his head frantically.
"No! I didn't!" he panicked.
"You did," Vodka said. "And to think, you loved each other. What will your friends say?"
"I'm sure they won't be your friends for long after you're arrested for murder," Gin asked.
"I didn't! It was an accident!" he cried.
"Even if it was, they won't know that. They'll get here and see your dead body with a gun in your hand and her body next to yours. They'll call it a murder suicide," Vodka smiled.
"No! Heiji and Kaito will tell them it's not true! And Kazuha and Aoko!" he said. Vodka pulled Shinichi up and propped him up in a kneeling position. He took a fistful of his hair in one hand and hooked the other around his waist, pushing his head away and keeping him in place.
"No. Your little friend Aoko will have told the police about Kuroba by then. Hattori and the other girl will be arrested for associating with a criminal.No one will believe their stories," Vodka said.
"Enough talk. You will die now," Gin shouted. Shinichi watched helplessly as Gin reloaded his gun. Vodka laughed at the vulnerable look on his face. He yanked on his hair, making Shinichi wince.
"Hurry up Gin. We'll get caught if we stay much longer," Vodka said. Gin nodded and put the gun to Shinichi's temple. Shinichi tried to jerk away, but Vodka held him in place. Shinichi's eyes darted to where Ran was lying. Her eyes were closed and the cut was bleeding heavily. Tears slipped down his cheeks.
"Go ahead and cry detective," Gin said smiling. "No one can save you now."
"Die!" a male voice cried. Gin's head jerked foreword and he fell unconscious, dropping the gun. Kogoro held the large rock in his hands and gave Vodka a look of pure rage. He raised the rock again, but Vodka quickly repositioned Shinichi as a human shield. Kogoro froze.
"Go ahead, kill him," Vodka urged. "Save us the trouble."
"Let him go," he said.
"Come on, kill him," Vodka urged. "He killed your daughter; doesn't that give you the right to kill him?"
"What?" Kogoro stuttered.
"Yeah, see, she's right over there," he jerked his head to the side. His eyes fell on her bloody face and he dropped the rock. It landed with a thud on the ground, barely missing Shinichi.
"Ran..." he gasped.
"He killed the only thing you had left. Now you're all alone. Make him all alone too. Kill him. Use the gun," Vodka insisted. Kogoro picked up the gun. Shinichi was sobbing now.
"Please," he begged. "I didn't do it, please don't kill me!"
"He's lying to you," Vodka whispered. "Make him pay for it. Avenge your daughter!" Vodka said sadistically.
"I will!" Kogoro shouted. He aimed and fired. Vodka choked as the bullet punctured his chest. He dropped Shinichi and gasped for air, clutching his chest in agony. His eyes rolled up in his head as he passed out. Shinichi crawled over to where Ran was laying and put his head on her chest. He let out a sob of relief when he heard her heart beating faintly.
"Oh god, she's alive," he whispered. "Thank you."
"What happened?" Kogoro asked.
"I didn't kill her. She's not dead," he smiled but couldn't stop crying.
"You didn't do this?" Kogoro asked, checking the head wound.
"No, it was an accident. She was in my lap and the chair fell. She hit her head, but it was an accident, I swear!" he said desperately.
"It's okay Kudou, I believe you," Kogoro assured him. "What happened to you when the chair tipped?"
"Nothing. I dislocated my shoulder," he shook his head. "It doesn't matter."
"Let me help you," Kogoro said.
"No, I told you it doesn't matter. Just get Ran out of here before they send reinforcements," Shinichi groaned.
"I'm not leaving you here. We don't leave anyone behind!" Kogoro said forcefully. He grasped Shinichi's uninjured arm and pulled him over, propping him up against a tree trunk. He took Shinichi's dislocated arm in one hand and his shoulder in the other.
"What are you doing?" Shinichi asked.
"This might hurt a bit," Kogoro answered. He jerked his arm forcefully and Shinichi cried out. A loud popping noise informed them that the shoulder was back in place.
"Ow," he whimpered pitifully. Kogoro patted him on the back reassuringly.
"Here," Kogoro said, grabbing the wheel chair. It was a bit twisted and one armrest had broken off, but it was mobile. Kogoro heaved Shinichi into the chair and picked up his daughter. Shinichi tore a strip of cloth and wrapped it around his bloody hand tightly, knotting it after. He started to wheel himself away, Kogoro following.
"So how did you find us?" he asked.
"Hattori got to me first. He told me the whole story, starting with you being turned into a kid and ending with you being chased down by the same people who tried to kill you before. So I came to help," Kogoro answered.
"Where to?" Shinichi asked.
"The police station. I doubt those guys will be moved, but we have to get someone here to arrest them," Kogoro said grimly.
"You can't get ride of us that easily!" Gin's voice echoed through the clearing.
"Damn it! Will you just die already?" Shinichi grumbled.
"You may have gotten Vodka but it's not that easy to get rid of me!" he fired his gun at Mouri. Kogoro dove out of the way, Ran flying out of his arms. Shinichi gripped the wheels tightly. Ran spoke weakly form behind him and he turned, shocked.
"Shinichi? What's going on?" she asked dizzily. "What happened?"
"Just stay away, Ran! Let me handle this!" he said. Gin was moving foreword and so he did the same. Gin fired again. Shinichi dove out of the chair just in time; the bullet went trough the back. He sat on the ground in front of Gin snarling with rage.
"You'll die next Kudou. Goodnight," he aimed the pistol between Shinichi's eyes. But Shinichi was so angry; he didn't even know what happened next.
He stood up, fury blazing in his eyes. He didn't seem to realize the rest of the group watching him in shock. He ran and kicked the gun out of Gin's hand before he could fire again. Then, he kicked him in the head. Gin stumbled backwards but kept on his feet. He grabbed the handlebars and swung the wheelchair around, hitting the other man in the face. Gin fell backwards with the force of the blow and landed hard on the ground.
"That was for turning me into a kid," he growled. Gin dove foreword and grabbed his legs. Shinichi fell backwards, but as he landed, he used all his force to catapult Gin off of him. Gin landed on his head a few feet away. Shinichi got to his feet quickly.
"That was for trying to kill Mouri," he growled. "And Kaito and Heiji."
"Your pretty weak, Kudou," Gin taunted, blood trickling out of his mouth. Shinichi licked his lips and knelt down, picking up the dropped pistol. He aimed it at Gin, who looked shocked.
"And this," he said panting slightly, "Is for Ran." He fired.
He fell heavily to his knees as the man who caused him so much pain keeled over, dead with a bullet between his eyes. He buried his face in his hands, tears falling silently, staining his cheeks. His shoulders shook as he sobbed. Two arms wrapped around him tightly and soft hair caressed his hands.
"It's okay Shinichi. It's okay," Ran whispered in his ear. He shifted and hugged her, burying his face in her soft hair. It started to rain, thunder rumbling lowly in the distance. That day, he cried harder than he ever had in his life.
---
PRIVATE - thanks for your review
Wing Omega - thanks for reviewing!
Firestorm2004 - Thanks!