I am so sorry for the long wait, I've had a bit of writers block with this story, but I think I'm over it. I'll try not to let it hapen again!

Author's note: Okay, some characters will be OOC in this chapter, I admit it. But I did my best...forgive me

How It Goes

Chapter the fourth: Alone in the Dark

Shinichi opened his eyes slowly. It was still dark outside. What had woken him up? He looked around the room, but saw no one. He sunk back into the warm comfort of the blankets and thought for a while.

He heard it again. Soft rustling in the far corner of the room. It must have been what woke him up the first time. He stayed still and silent, waiting.

Nothing happened. He breathed a sigh of relief.

'Just my imagination. I'm so jumpy lately,' he thought. He closed his eyes and almost drifted off when there was more rustling of clothes. His eyes shot open as a large hand clamped tightly over his mouth. The dark figure looked down at him, his face hidden in the shadows. The threat came from a low, rough voice he didn't recognize.

"Don't make a sound."

Ran and Kazuha were chatting on the couch at the Mouri house when Ran got chills. Kazuha cocked her head to the side and looked at Ran oddly.

"Are you okay Ran?" she asked. Ran rubbed her arms and shook her head slightly, then looked up at Kazuha and smiled.

"I'm fine," she nodded. "Just – cold I guess."

"Ran, its like seventy degrees here," Kazuha said. "How are you cold?"

"I don't know – all of the sudden I got this weird feeling. Like something bad was going to happen," Ran said.

"What do you think it means?" Kazuha asked anxiously.

"I don't know. Probably nothing," Ran answered, shaking her head.

"Did you have like, a vision?" Kazuha asked excitedly, "A premonition?"

"I don't know, I didn't see anything, just got really cold all of the sudden. But now I have a horrible feeling," Ran whispered.

"Do you know what it is? Was there any clue to what was happening?" Kazuha asked earnestly.

"Well, there was white," Ran suggested. "White like – like a hospital…"

"Heiji and Shinichi!" Kazuha screeched. They jumped to their feet quickly and darted from the room, to the hospital as quickly as they could.

"Don't move or say anything," the man breathed in his ear. Shinichi could feel the man's hot breath tickle is face as he spoke, but kept silent as instructed. The man pulled Shinichi out of the hospital bed, and wrapped his other arm around Shinichi's torso. Gentle hands from a person he couldn't see slowly removed his IV, making him wince.

He struggled slightly as he felt blood trickle down his arm. The man holding him jerked his head back slightly, and he stilled instantly. The man slowly started towards the window, steering Shinichi along.

'The window! We're on the second floor!' Shinichi panicked. He whimpered quietly and tried to pull away more violently. The second person he couldn't see opened the window and Shinichi felt a cold blast of air on his face. He shivered; cold in only his thin pajamas.

"What's going on?" Heiji's tired voice interrupted his struggle. All three froze and Shinichi took their moment of hesitation to wrench his face away from the man's grip.

"Heiji –!" was the only word he got out before the man clapped his hand over his mouth again. Heiji sat up slightly, squinting. Then, his eyes widened in shock.

"K-Kudou?" he stammered. The man looked up at Heiji sharply, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"Shut up! Just be quiet," the mysterious man said gruffly.

"What are you doing?" Heiji asked. He pushed off his blankets and cradled his broken wrist to his stomach as he swung his legs over the bed. He tore off the bandage covering his left eye, revealing a disgusting, half-healed gash just over his eyelid. He reached over and was about to press the call nurse button when the door swung open, lighting the dark room

"What!"

Kazuha and Ran charged past the front desk with fierce determination. The man behind the desk said nothing, but watched them go with a slight frown on his face. Ran shivered again and rubbed her hands together.

"Its getting worse," Ran said. Kazuha nodded and broke into a run. Ran followed. They skidded to a halt in front of the room. Ran held out her hand to stop Kazuha from entering and pressed her ear to the door. She listened intently, frowning. Kazuha listened as well.

"Heiji –!" they heard Shinichi shout.

"K-Kudou?" Heiji sounded scared. Then rough voice they didn't recognize.

"Shut up! Just be quiet!"

"What are you doing?" Heiji gasped. Ran threw open the door, flooding the room with light. They first saw Heiji, his bandages lying bloody on the bed, his hand poised over the call button. Then they saw Shinichi, being held by a larger male. The man's face was hidden in the shadows.

"What!" Kazuha squealed, "What's going on!" she flipped on the light and Ran gasped.

"Mr. Kudou?" Ran yelped. Shinichi's muffled voice was protesting confusedly behind Yusaka's large hand. Yukiko stepped out from behind him with a small smile sheepish smile on her face. Heiji scratched his head.

"What the Hell is going on?" he asked. Yusaka released Shinichi and Shinichi stepped away quickly, stumbling. Ran gently eased him onto Heiji's bed and sat next to him

"Well, this is interesting," Yukiko said.

After a long explanation from Shinichi's parents, all teenagers were seated on Heiji's bed. They stared at Mr. and Mrs. Kudou blankly. Finally Shinichi spoke.

"Why do you do this to me?" he asked wearily. Yusaka cracked a smile.

"Because it's fun to see the look on your face," he replied.

"That's cold," Shinichi muttered. "Speaking of cold, I'm freezing. Get off of my bed." Yusaka and Yukiko complied quickly and Ran helped him stumble across the room and tucked him into the bed. She called a nurse, who huffily replaced his IV and Heiji's bandage.

Shinichi slipped into quiet sleep as the nurse injected him with his daily medication. He lay peacefully on the white bed, breathing softly. Yukiko beamed.

"He hasn't slept so peacefully since he was a child," she whispered, stroking his hair away from his face. "I think we stressed him out a little."

"Yeah, we do that sometimes," Yusaka replied lightly.

"So you're Kudou's parents?" Heiji asked.

"Yes, I'm Yukiko Kudou and this is my husband, Yusaka," Shinichi's mother introduced. Kazuha's eyes brightened.

"The Yukiko Kudou? As in, the actress?" she asked.

"The Yusaka Kudou? As in, the mystery writer?" Heiji asked.

"Why didn't he tell us this?" they asked at the same time.

A week passed by slowly. Heiji and Shinichi were released from the hospital. Shinichi was laying on the couch at his house, covered with a thick quilt, the room dark and quiet. His eyes were closed as he dozed peacefully, not noticing anything amuck. Until he smelled it.

It smelt like something was burning. His face scrunched up as he slept, but he didn't wake. The smell lofted through the house, drifting under his nose. The smell turned to thick, black smoke that filled up the room rapidly. He choked and coughed, his eyes snapping open.

He coughed hard, his throat and nose stinging from the smoke. He squinted through the smoke and saw flames spreading from the kitchen, surrounding the room he was in. He sun around on his heel and saw all exits blocked off by the flaming falls. He caught a glimpse out the window and saw a man in black loading a tank of gasoline into the trunk of his black car, then speeding off. He covered his mouth with his sleeve trying not to inhale. The Men in Black were back.

They weren't going to stop until they were dead. Until him and Heiji were dead.

And Shinichi didn't know how long that would be, for him.

'Damn! Why did I insist on going home alone?' he thought wildly. His eyes stung. The couch caught fire. His head started to hurt from inhaling the smoke. He fell to his knees slowly, the slumped over onto the ground, unconscious.

Ran smiled as she breathed in the fresh scent of the cookies. With a permanent smile on her face, she slid the cookies into a bowl and headed out the door.

"I'm going to visit Shinichi, dad. I'll be home soon!" she called.

"Don't be too late," he called back, opening a fresh can of beer. She nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind her.

She hummed a tune to herself as she neared his house. She stopped when she noticed a peculiar smell. She sniffed a few times, frowning. Then, she saw thick smoke rising into the sky. Her eyes widened when she saw her best friend's house, flames roaring. She dropped the bowl, scattering the cookies in the snow.

Ran dashed towards the house. No one seemed to notice it was on fire. Without thinking, she rushed into the house. Flames engulfed the hall, and she held out an arm to shield her eyes. Ran coughed and held her breath, and ventured farther into the house. The stairs creaked dangerously, and she dared not try them. The kitchen was the source of the fire and the flames had spread to the living room. She couldn't see anything.

"Shinichi?" she cried. She instantly gagged and stepped back. She had no choice but to get out of the house. She backed away reluctantly and dashed out.

Fire truck sirens roared in her ears. She turned in time to be shoved out of the way by a man carrying a hose. Everyone was shouting.

"You have to get in there! You have to help him!" she shrieked.

Neighbors watched in horror as the flames spread faster. Ran's eyes shot toward the second floor as she heard the crash of a window breaking. She saw a glimpse of white. Black smoke poured out almost immediately. Did she imagine it?

Kid's eyes widened as he saw a black car speeding away from a burning house. He watched as a familiar brown haired woman ran in, the backed out a few minutes later. Fire trucks arrived and men shot water at the house. Then the woman screamed.

"You have to get in there! You have to help him!"

He instantly knew. None of the firemen were rushing into the building to save whoever was in there, but the woman was getting hysterical. He took off into the sky and at just the right moment, dove through the air and crashed through the window. Smoke filled the room and billowed out the window. Moving quickly, he went through the house and down the stairs.

Flames were eating away slowly at the hallway. Making a quick decision, he went over the flames and into the living room. The room was being destroyed quickly. He squinted and saw a person lying unconscious near the charred sofa. In a flash, he picked up the smaller person and was out of the house, back into the sky. He landed a few buildings down, hiding.

He set down the person and looked him over. Both were covered in soot and ashes, and Kid had to hold in his coughs. The boy on the ground coughed violently, his face screwed up in pain. His skin and clothes were blackened from the ash, but Kid recognized him.

"Can't k-keep yourself out of tr-trouble, can you Kudou?" he choked. Shinichi stirred, blinking soot out of his eyes. He squinted, focusing on Kid slowly.

"What happened?" he croaked.

"Your house is on fire. You were inside," Kid said.

"W-What!" Shinichi rasped, sitting up. "No! The house!"

"Lay down," Kid whispered, pushing Shinichi to the ground gently. "You've inhaled the fumes, you need to rest."

"The–The house," he said weakly. Kid looked over his shoulder.

"The fire's out, the house is still standing, everything's fine," he assured the slightly hysterical boy below him. "And that girl is on her way over too, which means I'm leaving. Take care of yourself, Kudou."

"Shinichi?" Ran asked, stopping a few feet away. He sat again, wiping dust and ashes off his face. Kid prepared to go, when Shinichi stopped him.

"Hey Kid," he said. Kid looked down. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Kid answered. Then he was gone. Shinichi looked over at Ran, smiling weakly. She knelt next to him, wiping his face almost clean with her sleeve. Not having gone far into the house, she wasn't nearly as dusty or dirty as he was.

"Come on," she whispered. "We'll get you cleaned up." He took her hand and she pulled him to his feet. He leaned on her for support and they walked out from their hiding place. A man stood there, dressed in police uniform with an unreadable look on his face.

"Come on son," the policeman said gently, "You'll need to be checked on by a doctor before we can allow you to leave."

"The house?" Shinichi asked.

"The house is fine, the living room and kitchen were destroyed, but the house itself is standing. Don't worry," he said softly. "Everything that wasn't in the living room and kitchen are fine. The books on the upper floor are also safe if you're concerned."

Shinichi nodded, "The books, right," he whispered. Ran filled with sorrow.

'Of course,' she thought bitterly. 'Those stupid books…'

The policeman led Shinichi away, and Ran stayed behind. She scowled.

'Damn those stupid books…'

Juliechan - Two reviews? Not that I'm complaining. They'll be okay. You don't have to worry about them anymore.

pedal - :blush: Oh...you're just sayin that!

Jolanda-san - You really like it? Thanks!

Amanda - ideas? I like ideas. But I think I'm okay...if I need help, I'll know where to go. I like to usemy own ideas, if that's okay. Thanks for the offer though!

Stormyrose - Definitely.

kudo - Coming soon!

ShinichiEdogawa - I know the feeling... sorry about the wait

DcLoVer0x - Again, sorry about the wait

Tant - It might... It just might

Silver Sky Magician - Don't get sad, get glad! Gladware plastic containers: share, reuse and recycle! Just kidding, but seriously, next chapter will be soon