Disclaimer: I don't own DC or anything remotely related to it.

Stones in a Glass House
12.23.05

Ai trembled as she met Shinichi's eyes. In his probing, inquisitive gaze, she detected a sense of gentle warmth, which made her start in confusion. She hastily turned and walked to the window. Opening the shutters, she looked out and gauged the distance to the ground. Since her room was on the first floor, the window was only about five feet from the ground.

"Hurry, we have to leave." She said to Shinichi without turning from the window as she began to push open the window.

"Why?" Shinichi asked, drawing his sword. "I'll protect you." He added as he flashed an assured grin towards her.

"No! You don't understand; you don't have the power to defy them at all." Ai cried in a low voice, her voice heavy with impatience and tinged by hysteria. In her panic, she applied too much strength on the window, causing it to splinter with a crack. The sudden burst of sound made them realize that the chattering of the guests in the front of the inn had stopped. Footsteps sounded along the corridor. Ai gestured frantically and began to climb out the window.

"Check this room. Vodka!" A voice was heard in the corridor. Ai froze. Shinichi took one look at the walled garden outside, then swiftly reached for Ai's arm and pulled her under the bed. He retreated as far back as he could, till he was pressed against the wall. Ai's trembling hand clasped his own, and she too hid as close to the wall as possible.

The door promptly flew open, kicked by the tall, long-haired blonde man. His stodgy companion trotted in after. Seeing the open window, the blonde man cursed.

"I guess we're too late." The second man stated, staring at the window in dismay.

"Vodka, please! Don't state the obvious!" The blonde man snapped in impatience. "You stay around and make sure she's not playing any tricks; I'm going outside." So saying, the blonde man stepped out the window gracefully.

Vodka slowly let his gaze travel across the room. Nothing appeared unusual to him. Walking over to the bed, he pulled off the cover, revealing a set of perfectly clean sheets. Seeing nothing, Vodka let the cover fall beside the bed and walked away.

Ai and Shinichi inched their heads ever so slightly and looked at each other in mutual relief as they heard Vodka's footsteps fade. But before they had the chance to move, the footsteps became faster and increased in volume, as if Vodka had suddenly remembered something and was returning.

Ai felt a searing flash of pain in her left shoulder, and instinctively opened her mouth to scream. She briefly felt a clouded sense of bewilderment at hearing no sound emitted and for a second, was aware of Shinichi's hand pressed heavily over her mouth before everything became black.

Shinichi mentally cursed as he saw the amount of blood that gushed from Ai's shoulder. Hurriedly, he grasped the upper part of the blade with his hand wrapped in his sleeve, so that all her blood was wiped off as Vodka pulled the blade out.

Vodka, who had been leaning above the bed, straightened and examined his blade. Seeing no blood, he shrugged, mentally congratulating himself for remembering to check so that he had an answer for the blonde-haired man, Gin, when Gin questioned him, as Vodka knew he would.

Shinichi waited, even after he heard Vodka's footstep no more, not daring to move in case it was a trap and the two men returned. When no one came after a long while, Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief that Gin had decided to search in the garden and leave Vodka to check the room. Gin's doubts wouldn't have been assuaged with the clean blade, and Shinichi and Ai definitely would have been captured. Reaching carefully over Ai, Shinichi gently lifted the bed skirt and peered into the room. Seeing it empty, he slowly crawled out. He shuddered as he looked at the gash Vodka had made through the bed.