The sun began to set as Kogoro entered the taxi to go home. He had finally had enough of trivial cases, he was the great detective Mori Kogoro for Christ sake. The vein in his head looked as if it would burst as he reviewed the finished case. It started with him being called to some creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere for a 'confidential' reason and a promise of a hefty pay. Normally, if a client wishes to only speak in person about a case, it had to do with being stalked or adultery, but to the detective's dismay, it was nothing of the sorts. When the client had taken him to the lounge and finally asked him to find his lost cat. Kogoro, after taking a moment to remind himself of the pay he was sure to receive, had agreed and begun his search. Usually, if an animal was lost, it would turn up near the entrances after being locked out or be found with a relative. The client followed close behind as he stepped into the kitchen to look and there, sitting in the middle of the floor was the 'lost' cat waiting to be fed. While the sappy reunion of the owner and his cat caused the detective to feel accomplished despite not doing anything, the feeling was soon replaced with anger as the client practically kicked him out without pay, not even a dime for the cab trip.
As the cab pulled up to his home, a grumble left his mouth when he begrudgingly gave up the driver's payment. Kogoro looked up at the building and frustration flashed in his eyes when he saw the lights on, which meant Conan was going through his files again. The older man knew that the boy had the skill needed to be a detective despite his young age, though he would never admit. The thought of a kid outsmarting him on cases made him frustrated enough to deny him access despite the good it could do. Kogoro stomped up the steps and prepared a speech in his head to yell at the overly curious boy, but the words died in his throat as he opened the door. The first thing he noticed was the thick stench of blood and as he stepped further into the room, he could see the small prone form laying in front of the couch. As if his mind was on autopilot, he screamed and ran to the boy, searching him for injuries. Once his eyes fell on Conan's arm, he sprung into action, using one had to try and stop the heavy flow of blood and the other to call for an ambulance before placing it with the other. The normally confident detective felt his composure completely shatter as tears leaked from his eyes. Though he would never admit it, he cared for the boy as if he was family. "C-Come on brat, don't you dare d-die on me!" The minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive felt like hours and it took all of Kogoro's will to tear his eyes from the pale, near lifeless face below him. He watched silently as the EMT's loaded the boy onto the stretcher before following them into the ambulance. With blood still covering his hands, he pulled out his phone and called Meguri but as the phone kept ringing, Mori had just about given up before there was a soft click and a voice answered.
"Moshi Moshi, Inspector Meguri speaking."
Kogoro let out a shaky breath before speaking. "Juzo…" He didn't have a chance to finish before the other man spoke again.
"Are those sirens? Mori, what's going on? They sound like you're right next to them." Meguri's words were quick and laced with concern, he knew the kinds of trouble his friend often found himself in.
"I-Its Conan... He.." Mori cleared his throat and gripped the phone tighter. "Can you meet me at Beika General Hospital?" He didn't wait for the inspector's answer before hanging up and directing his direction to the stretcher. Conan's skin was an ashy grey and his eyes looked sunken in, almost as if he were nothing more than a corpse. Kogoro's heart clenched between every breath the boy took, fearing that each would be his last. As the ambulance pulled up to the hospital and Conan was dragged away, the older detective feared that he might never see him alive again.