Afterlife
Disclaimer: Shakes head Why do I have to do these? Wouldn't it be easier just to have me own Detective Conan? Please? Looks very hopeful Darn. I don't own Detective Conan. I'm still going to try, though.
Chapter 6 - One Down …
Lightning shot through the air and thunder soon followed as the rain started to fall, drenching everyone outside. It didn't bug the 7 teenagers who were walking toward the older part of Tokyo.
"Kudo, what are we going to do? Do you trust her?" Heiji asked the detective.
"No, and that's why we need a plan," Shinichi replied, his voice unusually cold. "Vermouth has her own way of doing things, so we need to be prepared for anything; most importantly, the unexpected."
"Um…Kudo-san, what's the plan?" Hakuba asked. He was still a little nervous, and so wanted to make sure they knew what they were doing. Especially since they had the girls along.
"I'm not for sure. Plans aren't my strong suit. Kaito-san, can you come up with one?" Shinichi asked the thief.
"Why Kaito?" Aoko interrupted.
"Because of what he does," Heiji responded. "Think about it, if Kuroba-san wasn't good at coming up with plans on the fly, do you think he'd still be at large?"
"Oh, that does make sense," Aoko said. "Well, Kaito? Can you?"
"Been working on one ever since we found out that Mouri-san was captured," Kaito obliged, his face becoming more serious. "I think I've got one that will throw the Black Organization for a loop. Or at least Vermouth. I just need to work out a few more kinks."
"Well, hurry up. We don't have far to go," Shinichi told him as they started to approach the warehouse. Fortunately, they were still out of visual range.
"KUDO! WAIT UP!" a voice rang out. Immediately, all seven heads turned to the source and saw a young woman with dirty blond hair running toward them.
"Who's that?" Akako asked, getting ready to do something incase she was unfriendly.
"Miyano-kun, what are you doing here?" Shinichi asked bewildered. "I thought you'd made sure you wouldn't come back again."
"I took…one of the…temporary cures," Miyano responded as she finally caught up with them, out of breath. "I heard about…Mouri-chan, and I want…to help. It's my fault all…of this happened."
"Who are you?" Kaito asked, stepping in front of Aoko. Even though Shinichi acted like he knew who she was, he was still going to be cautious. At least until he knew more.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Miyano Shiho. You might also know her as Haibara Ai," Shinichi said, introducing the woman. "She's also a victim of the apotoxin."
"Another one? Like you were?" Hakuba asked, dense and confused as usual. "She's that little, quiet elementary school girl that seemed to have a crush on Conan? That Haibara Ai?"
"Yes, that girl," Shiho replied, getting angry now that she was no longer winded. "And to set the record straight, the only reason why Kudo-kun and I were together was for protection. He protected me, I worked on a cure."
"Yes, and over time you and I became friends," Shinichi reminded her.
"Anyways, how did you find out we were here?" Heiji asked her.
"I went to your base and found Nakamori-keibu. After convincing him that I was working with you, he told he where you went. I just ran all the way here."
"Miyano-kun, why are you doing this? Usually you're scared stiff around the Black Ops," Shinichi asked Shiho.
"I know. I'm still scared, but after I heard what happened to Mouri-chan, I decided I needed to help. I may not be much use but I'll do what I can. They want me dead, but if they're going to try to kill me, I might as well go out fighting. After all, that's what you'd do," she responded to his question.
"Fine, but I think we need to disguise you. Kaito?" Shinichi turned to look at the thief. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Kaito thought about it for a few moments. "Yeah. I know of a way that will not only confuse them but if it's too much for Miyano-san, she won't be in a lot of danger. Shinichi, do you still have your bowtie voice changer?"
Shinichi pondered for a moment and then put his hand into his pocket. "Yeah, though I don't know why I put it in there. It must be a habit by now," he commented as he pulled the bowtie out. "Here you go."
Kaito took it, moved the dial a few notches, and then pulled out a handkerchief. Throwing it over the startled Shiho, he counted to three and pulled it off. There was a big puff of smoke and when it disappeared, another Kaito stood in front of them.
"What the…" Shiho exclaimed in Kaito's voice. "How did he do that?"
Aoko laughed. "Kaito's a magician. Don't ask how he does it. He does the strangest and seemingly undoable things all the time."
Kaito smiled and another big smoke cloud appeared. When it finally moved, Miyano Shiho stood in his place, wearing exactly the same thing she had been. "You know, I think this dress is too short," Kaito commented in Shiho's voice. There was another puff of smoke and the said article of clothing grew a few inches. Hakuba, Shinichi, Heiji, Aoko and Akako all laughed.
"Well, are we ready then?" Shinichi asked, after he finally managed to stop his laughter.
"Yeah, lets do this," Heiji replied. Everyone else nodded, and so they proceeded once again towards the warehouse.
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"They're here," a tall blond man told the woman beside him.
"Good, did they come alone?" she asked, her voice light but cold.
He knew what she meant, but he was still annoyed. "Yes, I didn't expect the detective to go to the police. They also brought Sherry."
At the mention of the ex-operative's name, Vermouth flinched. "This will change nothing. Bring the girl up here. This time, the detective will want to see her first."
"Yes ma'am, just as long as we do as you agreed to." Gin's voice was dark and cold, like the murderer he was.
"Oh yes, Gin. You'll get your fun. The meitanteiwon't be so lucky this time."
Gin laughed at her remark. "He'd better not be. And we get to have our fun with Sherry also, right?"
Vermouth sighed. "Yes, Gin. You get to do what you want with her."
"Excellent."
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Shinichi looked around the warehouse as they entered, trying to locate possible places to house people. He didn't trust Vermouth to just want to 'talk' and expected her to have some trick up her sleeve. He planned to counter this by the plan Kaito had come up with. It was workable, but highly dangerous. It was so dangerous that they had talked about leaving the girls out but they'd been 'forceful' with their determination to stick this one out. Essentially, the guys had no choice but to allow them along for the ride.
They entered a room in the warehouse and saw a young woman in front of them, her back to the group. She was tied to a chair and looked like she was unconscious.
"Ran!" Shinichi shouted and lunged forward. Heiji and Hakuba grabbed the detective before he could take more then a few steps.
"Kudo, it may not be what it seems," Heiji pointed out while Shinichi struggled to get free. "Don't rush into it. That's what THEY want you to do. Think about it calmly. Then we might be able to beat them at their own game."
"I don't care. RAN!" Shinichi shouted, still struggling.
"Shinichi," 'Shiho' told him quietly. "Don't fall for their tricks. For all we know, they might just snatch her away again when we get there. Please calm down. We can't afford for you to go rushing in there trying to be the hero. I know how you feel about Mouri-san but right now you can't let your feelings get in the way."
Shinichi sighed and stopped his struggles. Kaito was right and he knew he needed to calm down. "Fine," he told his friend, "but if anything goes wrong, I want you to get her out of here."
Kaito nodded and the group started forward again.
"Hello, Cool Guy," a voice came from the darkness next to Ran. "You finally came."
"Vermouth, what's your catch this time?" Shinichi snapped at her.
"Now, now. Don't you trust me?" she asked innocently as she moved into the light, sarcasm evident in her voice.
"Trust you? Do I look stupid?"
"Sometimes, yes," Heiji mumbled to himself. Unfortunately, Shinichi heard him and shot him an angry glare.
"Oh, come on. All I want to do is talk," Vermouth continued.
"Yeah, and all I want to do is to leave without Ran," Shinichi shot back with sarcasm.
"You do? Fine, be my guest. It'll make my life so much easier."
"Enough talk," Heiji interrupted, his patience at its end. "What do you want?"
"Only to talk about what you've been doing," Vermouth replied with a grin.
"And you expect us to believe that?" Heiji asked.
"Yes, and to show my good will, I'll let Angel go."
Vermouth moved over to Ran, and cut the ropes that bound her to the chair. She then picked her up and walked over to the group. The teenagers tensed as she neared them. Vermouth just grinned, laid Ran at their feet and then retreated. While Heiji and Hakuba watched her warily, Shinichi knelt down and gently shook Ran wake. After a few seconds, her eye's opened and she looked into the face of a worried detective.
"Shinichi?" she asked, a little tired.
"Ran. I'm glad you're okay," he sighed, hugging her.
"Where are we?" Ran asked while clinging to Shinichi.
"Shh…We'll be fine. Just relax." He let go of her and helped her up off of the ground. Once they had dusted themselves off, Shinichi turned back to Vermouth. "All right, what do you want to talk about?"
"Now, now…"she said, shaking her head. "Is that anyway to talk to someone who just gave you back your Angel?"
"After you kidnapped her, yes."
"My, I'm going to have to teach you some manners." Vermouth grinned. "Actually, first let me introduce you to someone you've met before." She signaled to the darkness and two figures walked out of the shadows and into the light. "I believe you know Gin and Vodka."
'Kaito' started to shake with fear, but 'Shiho' put a comforting hand on 'his' shoulder. 'He' calmed down a little but still had a scared looked in 'his' eyes.
"Hello tantei, Sherry," Gin addressed them, a gleam in his eyes.
"Haven't you destroyed my life enough?" Shinichi spat, anger evident in his voice.
Gin laughed. "Not nearly enough. Now, if you'll be so kind as to hand over Sherry, you'll be able to walk out of here free."
Shinichi shook his head, along with all the other boys including 'Kaito'. "No way you're getting her. We're leaving right now." He started to back up, not dumb enough to turn around and give them a clear shot at his back.
"I thought we might have this problem," Vermouth sighed, startling them. "So I made a back up plan." She raised her hand and men in black jackets seemed to appear out of the shadows. "Hand over Sherry. That is all we wanted."
"Her only? No way. You want all of us," Shinichi spat. "I don't think you're going to get anyone." He put a protective arm around Ran, while Heiji and Hakuba did the same for Kazuha and Akako. 'Shiho', instead, stood protectively in front of Aoko and 'Kaito'.
"My, my, Cool Guy. Are you going to take all of us on? By yourselves?" Vermouth laughed at the teenagers.
"If we have to, yes," Heiji shot back. He didn't like the prospect of Kazuha potentially getting hurt, but there was nothing he could do about it now. All he could do now was try to protect her.
She motioned again, and the black operatives pulled weapons out of their jackets. "Now hand her over before someone gets hurt. If you don't they might just accidentally fire and hit one of the girls. Now you wouldn't want that, would you?" She raised her hand, as if ready to signal again.
"WAIT!" 'Shiho' shouted out, hanging 'her' head. "I can't let you die for me. I'll go with them."
The others were surprised at Kaito's sudden outburst. "Why Miyano-kun?" Shinichi asked.
'Shiho' walked over to Shinichi and hugged him, surprising the detective very much. "Shinichi, I have a plan," Kaito told him quietly, so only he could hear. "I'll go with them and, when they're backs are turned, you attack them. I'll create mass confusion before hand. That'll be your clue."
Shinichi nodded. "Be careful." He put his arm around 'Shiho' to help play the idea of her leaving for good.
Kaito pulled out of the embrace and quietly, with his head down, walked towards Vermouth.
"NO! WAIT!" Aoko shouted out. "H…SHE CAN'T GO!"
"Nakamori-san," Shinichi spoke. "Please let her go." Shinichi walked over to Aoko and spoke softly in her ear. "We'll get him back, I promise. This is part of his plan."
Aoko nodded and quieted down.
Heiji approached Shinichi. "What's happening Kudo?" he asked somewhat quiet, letting the other teenagers hear, but not their enemy.
Shinichi sighed. "Kaito's going to distract them. When he does, be ready to attack." Everyone nodded in agreement.
'Shiho' reached where Gin and Vermouth were standing. "Finally," Gin said as he grabbed 'Shiho's' arm. "We have her."
'Shiho' squeaked and sank to the floor. "Let…Let them go," Kaito pleaded, using Shiho's voice.
Gin laughed. "Did you really think we were going to do that?"
"Now that we have Sherry, you detectives die," Vermouth smirked as she held her arm up.
"That's what you think," Kaito said, finally using his own voice.
"WHAT?" Gin shouted as Kaito rose from the ground. "WHAT IS THIS?"
"The trick's on you," Kaito continued, pulling smoke bombs out of seemingly nowhere. He tossed some at the Black Operatives standing next to the teenagers, and threw the rest at Gin, Vodka, and Vermouth
"WHAT?" Vermouth shouted as she started coughing from the smoke. "Who are you?"
"Someone you don't want to mess with," Kaito replied, changing his voice to the one he used as Kaitou Kid. "Someone you'll wish you never messed with."
"VERMOUTH!" Shinichi hollered as he ran forward with Heiji right on his tail.
Vermouth turned around and collided with the running detective. When Vodka and Gin turned to help their boss, Heiji collided with the two and pulled them away.
Kazuha, Ran, Aoko, Akako, and Hakuba along with a non-responsive Shiho had other problems. The smoke had moved away and standing around them were the Black Operatives, guns pointed at their hearts.
Kaito noticed this, and so decided to help. Being the thief that he is, he decided that the operative's had had their guns long enough and so he arranged for them to have less lethal means of attack. Everyone noticed the look of confusion on the operatives' faces when their guns suddenly turned into bananas. Using this diversion, the rest of the teenagers attacked the agents and Kaito, noticing that Heiji was facing two, decided to help him. After all, two against one just wasn't fair enough.
Mass confusion followed as everyone fought everyone else.
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BANG!
Shinichi dodged the bullet that Vermouth had aimed at him, sending him sprawling behind some trashcans.
"You can't hide from me for long." Vermouth told him as she reloaded her gun.
She had already shot two clips, and Shinichi was lucky to only have one bullet graze his arm so far. It wasn't hurting very badly right now but Shinichi figured that it was due to the adrenaline running through his body.
"I don't need to hide forever. When you run out of bullets, I'll defeat you," Shinichi shouted from where he hid, his voice having a lot more confidence that he felt. "You can't fire forever."
"No, but I don't need to," she told him. "Just long enough for someone else to do the dirty work. Which one would you like? Gin or Vodka?"
"How about neither. I'd like to stay alive. After all, I did just get back." Shinichi knew he was stalling, but there was nothing else to do that he could think of. Not until someone else came to help him. Shinichi made a silent prayer that Ran would be all right and would somehow survive.
"You know, people would think you've lost your nerve."
Shinichi laughed. "There's a difference between having nerve and being just completely stupid."
"You know," a new voice said from above them, "many people say I've crossed that line too many times." Shinichi looked up and saw Kaito perched on a ledge above him. "Personally, I think I do backflips on it."
Vermouth just grinned. "So, you've left your friend to the mercy of Gin and Vodka? They're not very forgiving people."
Kaito laughed. "Vodka's down for the count and Gin is no where to be found. I think that he turned turkey and ran." Kaito jumped down and landed next to Vermouth. "I'll take that, if you don't mind. You might actually hurt someone." He wrenched the gun out of her hands and it vanished somewhere inside his jacket.
Vermouth laughed again. "Gin doesn't run. He's most likely just hiding somewhere, waiting to take out your friends. After all, that's what he's paid to do."
"We'll see about that," Shinichi said as he got up and walked over to stand next to Kaito.
"Bring it on."
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Heiji looked around the room. After finally knocking Vodka out, Kaito had told him to stay here and that he was going to find Kudo. Well, nothing exciting is happening right now, so I might as well sit down, he thought to himself as he turned around and noticed the gun leveled at his chest. A small 'erp' escaped his throat when he recognized the owner. It was Gin.
"Abaiyo tantei-san," Gin smirked as he squeezed the trigger. Heiji jerked quickly to the side, hoping to move out of the line of fire.
BANG!
Heiji felt himself spin around and land on the hard, cold cement floor. He could feel the blood flowing out of him and staining his shirt. The world started to grow dark as he slipped from consciousness. Only one thing echoed through his mind as the darkness claimed him.
Kazuha…