Hello! How is everyone doing? Hope 2022 is treating you all well so far!
This is my DCMK Secret Santa 2021 Gift to whywalkwhenyoucanjump (Tumblr)!
My deepest apologies for this being late, but here it is! Hope you like this gift!
I'm currently writing up a second chapter to make up for my tardiness!
Beta'd by Raka (rakashith on AO3 and Tumblr) and Gisa (AO3: achispark, Tumblr: gisachi) - Thank you very much for your encouragement and providing your opinions on this fic, you've helped me out a BUNCH!
WARNING: Swearing because, well, it's Inspector Nakamori, and stress.
Now then! Please enjoy!
"This is not in your jurisdiction, so don't you dare butt in!"
"As a matter of fact, Inspector, I do have the jurisdiction."
A scoff. "Oh, yeah? Who said you can be here?"
A snapping sound. "Here, I have a permit which allows me to be where I need to be, including the event that is happening tonight."
"Who the hell granted you that authorization?"
"Inspector Megure. And the Superintendent."
"..." Inspector Nakamori glares at the other for a while, and then lets out an irritated grumble. "... fine. Fine! You want to fall into a trap, then go ahead, be my guest!" He waves the other man away aggressively.
Kudo Shinichi even has the audacity to smirk at him while looking innocent at the same time. "Thank you!" he chirps.
Nakamori doesn't even know how the brat does that, with that baby fat still clinging to those cheeks even as he's transformed into adulthood. He doesn't look like he has changed from the first time Nakamori met him in that incident all those years ago.
The Inspector just lets out an irritated sigh while looking up at the sky, as if praying to the Kami for a little patience, before glancing down at him. "Yeah, yeah. But I have to point out a tiny, tiny problem with this situation."
Kudo blinks and tilts his head to the side in innocent confusion.
The Inspector takes a short breath before whipping out an arm in a certain direction. "Why in the hell are those brats here?!" Nakamori shouts at Kudo, pointing an accusing finger at certain people.
"Hm?" Kudo hums as he turns around to see four teenagers talking amongst themselves as they stand near priceless jewellery lying on a cushion inside a sturdy glass box. A bit too closely for his liking, those damn brats.
"Hey! Don't you dare touch that glass or else I'll throw you out, you hear me!" he chastises loudly again before Kudo can get a word in.
"Yessir!" The three of the kids reply cheerfully, and yet they're still not stepping away, instead leaning their bodies even closer to the glass. Except for that too-mature-for-her-age girl who is standing just between him and the brats.
"Oi!"
"Please don't mind them, Inspector," Kudo cuts in smoothly. "You know how they are. They're just as curious as I about tonight's target, but they will be careful. They have experience with this kind of thing, remember?"
"THEY'RE FUCKING KIDS!" he roars at the brat, who instinctively plugs his fingers into his ears while stepping backwards a little. "THAT DOESN'T GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO STICK THEIR NOSES IN SOMETHING THEY SHOULDN'T!"
"Now, now, please calm down," Kudo says in a soothing tone, moving his fingers away from his ears, "Shouting won't get us anywhere."
"The fuck it won't!" Inspector explodes, shouting in Kudo's face. "They shouldn't be here!"
"Actually, Inspector, my permit extends to those whom I invite along."
Inspector summarily ignores that part and continues throwing words into Kudo's face. He knows that shouting won't help anything, but even so, there are kids involved. He knows those kids, the Detective Boys, have been involved with the Kaitou KID case on and off for 6 years. They have grown into themselves, and they're even capable most of the time. Even so, they're still kids. They should be out goofing around, playing at an arcade or be in clubs at 13 years old, not spend about half of their time solving crimes and stopping heists and capturing criminals, such as tonight.
He thinks of Aoko at that age, and he doesn't know whether he should hide Aoko at a remote island or just straight up cry at the thought of her being in their place. He inwardly shudders.
Before he can think further, he feels a tug on his jacket. He stops yelling at Kudo and tilts his head down in confusion, only to see the short haired brunette girl staring up at him with her hand clenched onto the rims of his jacket.
"What do you want?" he asks in a reasonable volume, but couldn't keep the irritation out of his tone.
Once she has his attention, she lets go of his jacket and gives him a sweet smile. "We've been in these kinds of situations before and we did very well, we can handle the heist tonight!"
"That's right!" rumbes the big boy right behind her. "We were a lot of help to you police force before, weren't we?"
"That's why, you can count on us still!" adds the boy with the freckles in a polite tone.
Well, Nakamori can't really dispute that, and he knows he had let the kids in at heists before, but he can't help but feel a little guilty for some reason.
"Even so!" he grumbles out. "You shouldn't be h–!"
"We're as involved in this as you are, why else wouldn't we be here!" the girl, Yoshida Ayumi, says with a frown on her face.
"I agree with her," adds the freckled boy, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko. "Even if you're in charge of the heist…"
"We're allowed to be here tonight!" continues the big boy, Kojima Genta, who crosses his arms in what he clearly means to be an intimidated way.
Nakamori's eye twitches, glaring at the three teenagers before glancing at the mature girl, Haibara Ai, and looks her in the eye. The girl merely crosses her own arms across her chest in a ladylike way and looks back at him.
"Why don't you just let them? After all, there's nothing stopping them from getting in trouble. You know we've tried. At least with the three of us being here, along with the police force, they'll be safer that way, right?" she says in a smooth and monotonous voice with a bit of amusement in her tone.
It feels as if his soul has left his body. Oh whatever, he thinks, resigned. I don't need sanity anyways.
"Fine!" he grumbles, before gesturing at the glass case while yelling at them, "But I must reiterate, you are not allowed to touch that glass without my permission, or else there will be consequences! Got that, you brats?!"
Instead of replying in their cheerful and childish 'Yes!' as expected, the brats turn their heads to glance at the glass case.
"What kind of traps have you set this time?" Tsuburaya asks politely.
"Does that glass have electro shocks installed or something?" Kojima rumbles, pointing rudely at the case.
"Are you an idiot or something?" Nakamori asks in exasperation. "Of course that's not all the traps I have. In fact–!"
"Ahem!" Kudo cuts in smoothly, clearing his throat as he does so. "You know that he can hear us, yes?"
"I know! You don't have to tell me that!" he retorts irritably, before turning to the kids again. "Anyways, just don't touch that glass, you hear me."
The brats stare at him for a second, before chirping, "Yessir!"
Inspector simply rolls his eyes. He then checks his watch, before turning to bark orders at the police force standing guard everywhere, "We have twenty-three minutes left until the announced time! Keep your eyes and ears sharp!"
"Yes, sir!" they reply in unison.
"Good!"
Inspector then stands right next to Kudo, with tonight's target in his line of sight, and waits.
Shinichi glances at the Inspector before looking back at the jewellery inside the glass case, while keeping the Detective Boys in his line of sight. After getting his body back years ago, he always makes time to attend KID heists, and he would sometimes bring Conan's friends along whenever they wanted to. It is also so he could teach them how to solve cases and catch criminals. However, they often forget how to take care of themselves, so he makes sure to teach them how to protect themselves and other people at the same time.
He hadn't really planned on bringing them along tonight, but they'd begged to be brought along. And so here they are.
They are growing up to be good people with their senses of justice and instinct. They can be very good detectives when they so wish, he is just providing them with every experience and opportunity to improve themselves while allowing them to be just who they are.
He smiles softly. He'd never thought that he would gain such wonderful friends, and he wouldn't change them for anything. He is thankful for these teenagers. Even if they would often get into trouble, much to his and Haibara's chagrin.
Speaking of…
"Guys, would you come here please?" he calls out. They return to his side, and he grins at them. "Do you know what you should do tonight?" They nod eagerly. "Then go ahead! Just don't touch the glass case or any of the traps, and more importantly, be careful! I mean it!" They give even more eager nods, and then they scatter to different points of the large room.
He feels eyes on himself, and he glances to the side, seeing Inspector staring at him. He raises his eyebrow. After a moment of intense staring, Inspector turns his attention away. Shinichi blinks, turns his own attention to the glass case and his own watch.
It isn't until just one minute before 9 o'clock that the Inspector starts barking orders at his subordinates. Shinichi steps away from him a little, raising his hand to plug one of his ears. He is sure he is going deaf from being so close to the Inspector's loud voice. Even after years of yelling and ranting, he still hasn't lost his voice. It is impressive, if Shinichi has to be honest.
When the clock chimes to 9 o'clock, the room turns pitch black. There are sounds of exclamations about everything, Nakamori barking orders at everyone. Sounds of a few traps setting off. After a few seconds, the light then turns back on. Shinichi blinks the spots out of his eyes, then turns his attention to the glass case, only to see nothing lying on the cushion. The jewellery is missing. Raising his head, he sees KID floating a few feet off the case. He has a hand on the rim of his top hat, and the other hand holding the jewellery in plain sight. Just beneath his hat, Shinichi sees the damn smirk.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! I have acquired tonight's treasure," KID says with a cheeky smile.
"KID!" Shinichi shouts, running close to the case. KID looks down at him, connecting eyes with him in that moment of time.
KID grins again, making the jewellery disappear from his hand, then bows at the waist. "My thanks for showing up for my magic tonight. And now, I must be off!" Then something explodes into smoke. When it disappears, KID is no longer there.
Shinichi lets out a tsk sound and runs towards the door. He has already avoided the traps. Again.
Taking the Detective Badge out of his pocket, he says into it, "Guys, where are you now?"
"Still in the room with Ai-chan!" comes Ayumi's voice.
"I'm running up the stairs towards the roof on the left side of the building!" says Mitsuhiko, breathing heavily.
"At the front door on the lookout for the white cape!" Genta says next.
"That's good! Stay where you are, and Mitsuhiko, slow down, you're running too fast and you're breathing heavily! Use the lift instead!"
"O-okay," Mitsuhiko acknowledges.
Putting the badge back into his pocket, Shinichi continues running up the stairs towards the rooftop, his breath getting heavier as he does so.
He is only a couple stories or so away when–
Bang!
His feet stutter to a stop without his permission, and he focuses all his attention to the sounds, just to confirm it wasn't just his imagination, and not too long later–
Ba-ba-bang!
"Gunshots?!" he gasps to himself, before running up the stairs again, forcing himself to run even faster through the pains in his torso. With his higher hearing, even when they're faint, he hears several footsteps, shouts of panic, the sharp wind and glass breaking. When he finally opens a door to the outside, he sees… a few men dressed in black suits who are tied up to the thick pole?
He stands still in a bit of a shock, on the rooftop of the building, breathing heavily as he gathers his mind for just a moment. When he remembers the sound of the glass breaking, he gasps again, turning to run to the edge of the roof and leans his upper body just over the fence to glance down to the ground. He sees a broken glass window a few stories down, but he doesn't see any hint of a body lying on the ground far below, to his relief.
Although that relief immediately turns to worry when he feels something sticky in his hand that was just holding onto the railing. Raising his hand to his face, tilting it so that he can see better, he realises it is dark crimson and has the scent of iron. Gritting his teeth, he turns back to the men in black, taking his phone from his pocket to dial a number, raising it to his ear.
What's going on? I thought 'they' weren't active anymore?
He glances back at the fence, with drops of blood splattered around that spot.
What happened to you, KID?
The call connects, to which he starts speaking, "Inspector! I'm on the roof, and there are suspicious men currently tied to the pole! I need the police up here asap!"
Haaa haaa haaa…
Everything seems to echo through the hallways for eternity, making him that bit more sensitive to his surroundings everywhere. The sounds of his own heavy breathing, unsteady footsteps, and liquid dripping to the ground (which made its own sound), created an illusion of a land of water. Even though the hallway is silent, he can't hear his own thoughts.
Haaa haaa haaa…
Leaning heavily against the wall for support, he hurriedly stumbles to somewhere where he can hide so that he can start treating himself. He had not anticipated this little stumble tonight.
He gives a humourless soft chuckle to himself. How had he been so careless tonight that he got injured? He isn't sure, and he currently doesn't have the capacity to think about it, so he puts it in the back of his head for the time being. He just needs to find a room.
After what feels like hours but in actuality minutes, he finally finds an empty room, and he lets himself in. Stumbling to the window, he leans on the wall just beside it. With his knees feeling weak, he slides down to the ground while giving out a pained groan. Tenderly holding onto his hip, he forces himself to breathe more slowly even through the throbbing pain, and glances outside the window just above him.
I think he's found them already, and they're being arrested.
He closes his eyes and takes deep breaths for several minutes.
Tap… tap… tap…
Upon hearing those hesitant footsteps getting closer to the closed door right outside the room, he immediately holds his breath and stays silent so as not to alert them to his location, whomever they are.
Soft whispers reach his ears, though he cannot identify those words. He can also hear faint static noise, so it sounds like they're talking to someone via a device. The footsteps stop for a short while, before heading towards the door, even though he knows there are several doors apart from his. Glancing down at his body, he realises how they might know which door is the right way to him.
He groans softly to himself. He really doesn't need any more surprises tonight.
Ayumi is running along the hallway, following a few of the police force, albeit a little slower, when she hears a sound. It is very faint, but she'd been trained to not ignore any kind of sound, no matter how faint, so she skids to a stop in the middle of the hallway, breathing heavily, letting the police force go ahead. She closes her eyes, trying to listen to that faint sound while tuning out the background noise, turning her head this and that way in an effort to catch that same sound. She waits for just a second.
… tap… scree…
Furrowing her eyebrows, she thinks she hears it again. She waits again.
… tap… scree…
There! It is very faint, but she hears it. Where is it coming from?
Tap… scree…
She turns to the direction the sound is coming from. She isn't very sure, but it sounds like someone is dragging their feet? She frowns, remembering that pop sound from earlier. Keeping her attention to the sound and her surroundings, she starts walking in that direction.
Click… Click!
She pauses, attention fixed on the sound coming from that direction. Was that the sound of a door opening and closing? She doesn't hear the usual footsteps of the police force heading her way, so she continues forward. She tugs the Detective Badge to her mouth and whispers into it.
"Guys. I think I know where he is. I'm on the fifth floor, going down the hallway past the emergency stairs on the right."
"Alright, we're on our way! Keep your eyes and ears open!" comes Shinichi-niisan's voice, which reassures her already fast-beating heart. Just hearing that voice and that assurance makes Ayumi feel calm, just as he always does. "Ayumi?"
"Yes?"
"Is something wrong? Where is the police force that you went with?"
Ayumi frowns a little, remembering his panicked voice from earlier. She doesn't know why, but she has an inkling. After all, she had heard that strange sound minutes ago.
"I was with them until just a moment ago. I heard a faint sound of footsteps. It sounded like they were dragging their feet."
"Just stay where you are, and don't do anything. We'll be there in a moment."
"But…"
Momentarily closing her eyes, she thinks of those strange sounds she'd heard just now. She isn't completely sure just who she'd heard, but those footsteps were unsteady, heavy, like they don't have strength to carry themselves any more than they'd already did.
She takes a deep breath and then opens her eyes, she looks down the hallway. There are many doors, and she does not know which room that person has gone in. She will have to open each door one by one.
"I am going," she whispers into the badge.
"Wait, what? No, Ayumi, it's too dangerous!"
"I heard that bang earlier, and I know you guys heard it too! I'm sure it was a gunshot!" she points out. "What if someone is injured? Then we should help, shouldn't we?"
"Ayu–!"
"Shinichi-niisan," she cuts him off. "If there is someone in trouble, we should help them, no matter who they are. Right? That's why," she smiles softly, "I'll be waiting." Saying so, she cuts the transmission before continuing walking down the hall. There are many doors and she doesn't have time to open them one by one. She thinks back to when the door opened and closed, to where the sound was coming from.
She is about to glance down in thought when something catches her eye. There is a spot on the floor and, squatting down and looking closer, she sees that it's crimson. It's small and a little splattered, and there is a faint scent of iron. She inhales sharply when she realises what it is.
Is that… blood?
Snapping her head up with her mouth gaping open a little, she catches more small red spots going in a certain direction. Finding the right door, she stands upright and starts her stride towards that door.
Upon reaching the door, she stops at the wall right next to the door and puts her ear to the wall closest to the door, listening for any kind of sound.
Haaa… haaa… haaa…
Ayumi can hear faint breathing from the inside, so she steps directly in front of the door and raises her arm to the door handle and turns it, cracking the door open a little. The room inside is dark and, hearing no movements or any other noise, she pushes it further.
Although the room is dark, the moonlight from the outside illuminates the room enough that she can see someone leaning on the windowsill with their hands in their pockets, their face obscured just under a dark cap.
Upon seeing the dark garments instead of the white one with the white top hat and cape as she had expected to see, she almost steps back in fear. Her heart almost jumps up in her throat, it is beating so hard that it nearly distorts her vision as she stares back at the dark figure. She wants to turn around and run away at this moment, but something stops her.
That person is just… standing there, not saying a thing about her presence. They don't move even an inch. Why is that?
She swallows her fear down, clearing her throat softly, before taking an unsteady step forward, leaving the door open behind her. She takes another step forward, and another, and another. When she is halfway to the figure, they suddenly shift, leaning their back onto the window, and she stops in her tracks.
There is a lull silence for a few seconds, before…
"KID-san?" Ayumi whispers into the dark. "That's you, right?"
No answer. Silence. Then…
"Ah, young lady. What a brilliant deduction, as expected of one of the famous Detective Boys."
Her breath stills at the reply. She can practically hear the smirk in his voice. However, she can hear the slight quiver in his voice, as if he is trying to disguise something. Furrowing her eyebrows, she takes a single step forward.
"T-thank you," she replies softly. She thinks he gives her a grin in return.
"Well, then. What brings you here on such a lovely moonlit night?"
"I was looking for you, actually."
She swears she sees a glint of light from his obscured face.
"Well, it would be very remiss of me not to listen to your reason for your search for me."
"I wanted to tell you," Ayumi tries to give him a genuine smile but the worry still manages to get through. "That we dodged almost all of your traps around the necklace tonight, but not completely. Shinichi-niisan said they were, and I quote, 'brilliant but irritating'," she chuckles softly. "So I figured that you must've been in a very good mood today."
He gives out a soft chuckle. But, she quickly notes, his body is really tense, and he is breathing a touch too heavily. 'Are you okay?' she wants to ask. She can't see any dark spots on his body in his dark outfit, even if the room is illuminated, but she knows he is hurt in some way. 'How hurt are you?' One more slow step forward.
"Thank you for the compliment, I'm glad I could keep Meitantei on his toes," he chuckles out in one quick breath before flinching slightly. It is so subtle that she would have missed it if she had blinked. "Please, would you kindly tell him that I will continue to antagonize him forever more, young lady?" Another slow step forward.
"I'd love to, but I think it's best you tell him that yourself." And another.
"Perhaps, but not tonight."
Another step, she's nearly there. "Might I ask why?" His heavy breathing is a little more noticeable now that she's closer to him, just out of arm's reach, and she can even see him clenching his teeth. 'Why do you hide your wounds?'
He doesn't reply for just a moment, before pulling his left hand out of his pockets, raising it to just in front of her face, palm face up. She blinks in confusion. His hand shifts, quickly closing it in a fist before out pops a rose, yellow and shining in its own beauty. She gasps in awe. It is beautiful.
"I would prefer not to answer that, young lady."
"Why?"
Rather than reply, he nudges the flower to her. She slowly takes the rose from his hand, and admires the sight. Putting it under her nose, she takes in its smell. It has a pretty scent, but the flower seems terribly sad for some reason. She frowns a little before looking back up at KID, about to ask something. But the question never leaves her lips, for she gasps in shock at the sight of KID right in front of her.
His face is contorted in pain, his eyes closed tightly and he is biting his lips so hard that blood begins to seep out. Both of his hands are holding onto his right hip tightly.
"KID-san?" she asks with dread. He flinches a little, as if he hadn't known that she is still there. He takes a quick breath before straightening a little, but his hands never leave his hip.
"My apologies, but I will have to… leave the magical stage for the night." Even though he is trying, his voice is weaker this time. She sees him try to place a smile on his face, but it comes off as a grimace instead. "It was lovely… talking with you, young lady." Saying so, he tries to walk past her.
'Try' being the keyword, as before he even takes a single step away, Ayumi jumps into action.
"No!" she says firmly as she puts her hands onto his shoulders, giving him what little support she can, letting the rose drop to the floor from her hold. "You're hurt, aren't you?" She looks into what little of his eyes she can see. "Then you shouldn't be moving right now!"
"Young lady…" he breathes heavily, the smile slowly slipping off his face. "I appreciate… your concern… but I don't… need it…"
'Why, KID-san? Why?' she wants to ask.
"No, KID-san, I won't let you!" she says firmly instead, clutching his shoulders tighter.
"I-I need to…" His breathing is getting harsher and harsher, and his legs wobble dangerously before suddenly stumbling forward.
"Kyaa!" Ayumi yelps, scrambling to catch his upper body to prevent him from falling to the floor, letting him lean his head on her shoulder instead. "KID-san! KID-san, hold on!"
"I-I'm… sorry…" he slurs a bit before slumping, not able to support himself anymore.
"H-hey!" she yelps again. He is too heavy for her short stature, so she has to quickly shift them so as to carefully lay him on the floor before kneeling on the floor herself. She pats his shoulder for his attention. "KID-san! Can you hear me?"
He gives out a soft pained groan in reply. He looks so pale, with the sweat drenching his face.
"KI–!" she pauses, feeling something liquid touching her knees and hand. Raising her hand to her face, she squints at it, tilting it to the moonlight for better view, before stilling.
Is that… blood?
She quickly glances down at his torso. It looks a little darker than the rest of the outfit. She quickly takes her watch out of her pocket and switches the light on, directing it down.
She gasps in shock and dread. There is a lot of blood pooling around the right side of his torso, around his hip. She thinks she sees a hole in the center.
"KID-san!" she shouts in alarm. Remembering her first aid training, she takes her coat off her shoulders, bundles it up and puts it on his hip, pressing down on it in order to stop the bleeding. "KID-san! Hold on!"
He groans again in pain, and Ayumi grits her teeth, her eyes welling up with tears. KID needs help. Now.
Raising her head to the open door, she inhales sharply before, "Someone! Is anyone there?! We need help!" Silence. "Someone, please help! Anyone!"
"D-don't…" KID says shakily.
"Why not?!" she demands, looking down at him. Without her will, the tears burst from their hold and trickle down her cheeks. "You obviously need help!"
"Y-you need to… le-leave me…" he breathes out heavily, his chest rising up and down at an unsteady rate.
"Why on earth would you say that! I will not leave you here to die!" Several droplets hit KID's hand that is lying on his chest, with more following their trails. Ayumi can't stop any more of her tears from slipping out. "What kind of person would I be if I left you here to suffer on your own?! If I don't do everything I can to save you, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" Saying so, she faces the door again and lets out a loud shout. "SOMEONE HELP!"
What is taking them this long?! She presses on the wound once more, firmer. She isn't a professional paramedic or has the knowledge of one like Shinichi-niisan and Ai-chan, so this is the only thing she can do. She knows she should be doing more, but her mind is coming up blank. Chill and fear grips her heart, making her body shudder a little. Why can't I do more? She feels so small and so useless, like all those times before.
It hurts so much. She hates it.
And so she screams, "SHINICHI-NIISAN! AI-CHAN! SOMEONE FUCKING HEEELP!"
"Di-did you hear that, Shi-shinichi-san?"
"Yeah, I heard that! Hurry up, Mitsuhiko! We're almost there!"
"R-right!"
And they continue running down the stairs to the right floor. This building has so many floors that it takes time to get to where Ayumi-chan is. They should have used the lift instead, but then it might have taken them longer, so the stairs might be quicker. Well, there are pros and cons to everything, so everyone has to decide the best ways to do everything themselves.
Mitsuhiko breathes heavily, hands clutching at his aching side as he tries to run faster just beside Shinichi-san. He's been getting running practice at a soccer club so his stamina got better these past few years, but Shinichi has way more experience with running than Mitsuhiko, so he wouldn't mind if the older one left him behind. But even then, Shinichi-san doesn't leave him behind, he is still running at the same pace.
When Mitsuhiko had arrived at the rooftop earlier, he hadn't gotten even close to the door to the outside when Shinichi-san suddenly came inside, almost bumping into the freckled teen before telling him to just follow him downstairs. He looked a little pale, even with the adrenaline and sweat covering his body when he ran all the way up, unlike Mitsuhiko who used the lift halfway through. The loud noise of the gears shifting, and the closed doors of the lift, covered any outside noises, but he had been sure that he had heard some faint pop sounds. He still isn't sure what that noise was, but he has a reasonably good idea of what that was, added with Shinichi-san's slightly pale face with a panicky expression and is currently in a hurry to get to Ayumi-chan's location as soon as possible.
Shinichi-san does not panic easily, and the only times he gets like that are…
Mitsuhiko hopes that they will be able to get there before it is too late. No, he reaffirms to himself. They will definitely get there in time.
They are finally on the fifth floor when…
"SHINICHI-NIISAN! AI-CHAN! SOMEONE FUCKING HEEELP!"
Mitsuhiko almost stops in his tracks when he hears Ayumi-chan's voice, at the pure despair in her voice. It hurts for him to hear that voice filled with so much hurt. He never wants to hear that voice ever again.
He doesn't even bother to note her swearing because—
He understands. He understands.
So he forces himself to just run faster, being just a few steps behind Shinichi-san.
Now they are in the hallway, and they just need to find the right door. But they don't need to take too long, because he can see an open door near the end of the hallway on the right, so they head that way without needing to exchange so much as a word with the older man.
They skid the floor, almost slipping and thus falling to the floor, when they suddenly stop at the door and stare into the moonlit room. It is so dark that he almost thinks they are in the wrong room, when he sees two figures on the floor near the window.
"Ayumi/Ayumi-chan!" Shinichi-san and Mitsuhiko shout in unison at the sight of Ayumi-chan on her knees, with her tense arms pressing onto someone else's right torso. Her head suddenly snaps up to stare at them and Mitsuhiko thinks the world has frozen for just a moment because… she is crying.
She. Is. Crying.
There are times when she cries that he would go and try to comfort her as he would usually do on an almost weekly basis due to all the difficult cases Detective Boys had solved and the trials they'd been forced to go through, but this is… different.
Eyebrows drawn together, puffy eyes, lower lip and chin quivering, and her eyes… those eyes that glisten with already shedded tears covering badly disguised void-filled pupils that quiver with world-shaking terror and hopelessness.
It strikes him deep in the heart, frozen hands closing in on his only blood-filled organ that seems to stop their circulation to the rest of his body. He never wants to see that again, ever.
Ayumi-chan lets out a choked sob, her body shaking but her hands never leaving their place. "Y-you're here…!"
Even though the cramps in his side hurts and he is breathing too heavily, he forces his body to just move to her. He wants to comfort her, to reassure her, to do anything.
"A-ayu–!" he starts, only to get interrupted by Shinichi-san jumping into action. His feet are frozen again while Shinichi-san immediately gets to them in a quick stride before kneeling on the floor, placing his hands onto her shoulder and hands over the bloodstained coat respectively.
"You did good, Ayumi," he says in a soothing voice, looking her in the eyes. "You did good. Now you need to breathe a minute, let me take over, and then you use the badge to call the others over. Okay?"
At the firm command, she takes a few short moments to breathe before nodding and backs away, letting Shinichi take over. Sniffing and hicupping, she raises her hands to wipe her tears away, only to freeze when she catches sight of her bloody hands. She stares, and stares, and stares.
A hand lands on her shoulder, the grip firm, making her glance up at Mitsuhiko who is kneeling right next to her.
"Ayumi-chan," he says, looking her straight in the eyes, trying to convey his reassurances. "Are you all right?"
She opens and closes her mouth several times. "I-I'm–," she stutters, seeming to be at a loss as to what to say, or do. Instead, she closes her mouth and connects her eyes to his own.
"Hey, Ayumi-chan," he says, trying to control his own breathing to a more manageable level. "B-breathe, okay? Just for a moment, breathe with me."
Ayumi-chan gives a shaky nod before closing her eyes as she takes a deep breath in, and out, and in, and out a few more times. Her body seems to have stopped shaking.
"That's good," he encourages. "Now, would you like to call the others over?" She nods a little more firmly and tugs her badge up to her mouth.
"E-everyone, can you hear me?" Ayumi-chan says into the device.
"Ayumi, where are you right now? Is Kudo-kun there?" Haibara-san responds immediately.
"Y-yes, Shinichi-niisan and Mitsuhiko-kun are here with me. We're in a room a few doors from the end of the hallway on the fifth floor." Her voice then wavers, her eyes welling up with tears once again. "Please come quickly, Ai-chan! KID-san is… KID-san is…!"
"... We'll be there shortly. But do as Kudo-kun says in the meanwhile. He'll know what to do."
"O-okay," she says softly, using her arms to wipe her tears away. Mitsuhiko pats her shoulder in comfort.
"Mitsuhiko."
He startles a bit at Shinichi-san's firm voice before glancing at his hunched over body, his arms pressing onto the person's torso. Who he figures to be KID, even if he isn't dressed in his white outfit. Mitsuhiko stares at KID, at his laboured breaths through a slightly open mouth, his face sweating under the dark cape that has been tilted to hide the top half of his face and his hair.
"Shinichi-san, how injured is he?"
"I'm not completely sure, but we need to stop the bleeding first." His body shifts slightly, voice commanding. "I have a small first aid kit in my hip pouch; take it off me, open it and give me what I need."
"Ri-right!" And so he does as Shinichi-san orders him to do.
"Ayumi, call an ambulance, please."
"Okay," she replies to Shinichi-san's query and takes her phone out of her pocket, about to dial in the numbers when a bloodied hand suddenly grabs her hand holding her phone, making her yelp in surprise. Mitsuhiko pauses momentarily and glances at KID who is clutching her hand, one of his eyes peeking out of the cap.
"K-KID-san?" Ayumi-chan queries.
"N-no hospi'l," KID slurs out, his teeth clenching from the pain. "'S nuth'n. 'M f'ne."
"You stupid-ass thief," Shinichi-san swears as he hurriedly applies gauze to the wound, having already taken off the bloodstained bandages from when KID had applied it by himself earlier. "You've been shot in your hip and you're losing blood, yet you say this is nothing?"
"I-it's re'ly nuth'n, 's not a big de'l…"
"You moron! How can this not be a big deal?!" he hisses out between his actions. "You're lucky the bullet missed the major arteries!"
KID tries to smile, coming off as a grimace instead. "Yeah… I re'ly am lu'ky…"
"Not lucky enough to not need a hospital!" Saying so, the detective glances at Ayumi. "Call the ambulance, now."
"Right!" With a determined expression, Ayumi gently peels KID's hand off her own and dials in the numbers before putting it close to her ear.
KID gives out a pained groan, letting his arm drop to the floor in what seems to be resignation. Mitsuhiko shares a glance with Shinichi-san before continuing to his task, while observing KID for any abnormalities.
Even if you refuse help, we will still save you. No matter what.
"W-why couldn't we… have used the lift… instead of the s-stairs?!" Genta forces out in between breaths. He can feel his legs weakening even though he tries his best to just move. His side hurts so much that if he stops moving, he doesn't think he'll be able to move at all.
"It's quicker that way," Haibara says simply, running upstairs just in front of him. "At least for me. You just decided to follow me instead."
"B-but still…!" The stairs are literal hell for him, the evilest of them all, and yet he forces his legs to move.
"Then stop complaining. We're almost there."
They finally get to the right floor, and if he isn't so exhausted, he would cry in relief. No more stairway of hell!
"G-go ahead… of me…" Genta forces out in between breaths, hunching over his knees. "I'll be there… in a s-second…"
She stares at him just for a second, then turns around. "Alright." And there she goes, down the hallway on the right. He can see her going into a room through the open door near the end of the hall.
Meanwhile, he leans his back onto the wall, trying to control his breathing. God, he shouldn't have eaten so much eels before the heist tonight, he feels a little nauseous. He inhales and exhales a few times. He wants to sit on the floor, but if he does that, then he doesn't think he'll be able to get up.
After a few seconds, his breathing has come to a more manageable level, and he is about to walk down the hall when–.
"ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?!"
Genta jumps about a foot in the air upon hearing that angry voice yelling in frustration. A chill crawls up his spine, imagining a demon glaring down at a tiny person with billowing fire enveloping her.
"YOU HAVE A GUNSHOT WOUND IN YOUR RIGHT HIP, THE BULLET HAS RICOCHETED OFF THE BONE AND IS STUCK SOMEWHERE, YOU'RE BLEEDING HEAVILY, AND YOU'RE LITERALLY ABOUT TO STARE DEATH IN THE FACE, AND YET ALL YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT IS YOUR FUCKING IDENTITY?!"
Even as terrified as he is in face of Haibara's temper, he still walks to the open door, and there he stands, staring at Haibara who is kneeling on the floor beside a person in black outfit lying on the floor, right next to Shinichi-niichan. Haibara is hunched over, her hands doing… something… to the person's right hip. Something medical? Looking closer, Genta figures out that the black person is in fact KID in disguise. He also sees Mitsuhiko kneeling close to Shinichi, and then Ayumi who is talking to someone on her phone.
Genta faintly hears KID mumbling something, to which makes Haibara glare at him in response, inhaling sharply, and–.
"You want to die?" she says in an oddly calm tone, which chills Genta to the bone, making him fear for his life for some reason. "You want to make people around you suffer? Make them mourn in grief for the person they could've saved if only you'd swallowed your own damn pride and asked for help?" KID seems to flinch in response, to which Haibara continues, "Then stop being so stubborn and let us help you, you stupid thief. We're your allies, not your enemies. You must know that." KID seems to groan, in pain or resignation Genta doesn't know.
"What happened?" he asks, walking to his friends and then kneeling next to them.
Mitsuhiko glances at Ayumi, who is still talking to someone on the phone, presumably for the ambulance. "Well, I'm not privy to the details, but I think there might've been shooters on the roof, and they shot KID on the hip, he got away from the roof and came here, and then Ayumi-chan found him like this. Am I right, Ayumi-chan?"
Ayumi pauses, places her free hand on the phone and gives them a nod, "That's the short version of it, yes. Also, Shinichi-niisan?" She calls for his attention, and he hums in acknowledgement, to which she continues, "The ambulance is on its way, said they'll be here in 10 minutes."
Shinichi-niichan nods. "Thank you, Ayumi. You hear that, KID?" he glares down at KID. "The ambulance will be here momentarily, so don't you dare do something stupid, or else there will be consequences."
KID gives out a weak chuckle. "How c'n I… wh'n 'm 'tis inj'rd?"
KID's speech is slurred, and it's a little hard to catch, but Genta can kind of understand what he is saying. "Are you stupid?" Genta rumbles from his place. "If you're injured, you go to the doctor, and then they heal you. Plain and simple!"
"How you hu't me so!" the thief says dramatically. But it's not that dramatical when he's lying down, Genta thinks.
He raises his eyebrow. "I didn't hurt you, some jerk did."
KID chuckles softly once more before raising his hand, only to get slapped by Haibara.
"Don't you move," she says firmly.
"Yes, yes…"
Haibara sighs before leaning away, rubbing her hands together. "We're done. This is all we can do for now. You'll have to wait until the ambulance arrives for full recovery."
KID sighs softly. "I must a'mit t'at I'm not loo'kn fo'wad to it."
"It's for your health, which your lack of self-preservation appears to have failed you," Shinichi-niichan says in a deadpan tone. "And judging from your speech and your temperature, you're a bit delirious, so we need to account for that as well."
"Exc'se you!"
At Shinichi-niichan's comment, Genta blinks at KID. "Hey, doesn't that cape feel hot for you? And besides, you can't see us like that, right? Shouldn't we take it off, then?" Saying so, he reaches forward and takes a hold of the cap, not waiting for any reply. Distantly, he can hear some footsteps running towards their location.
"H-hey, wai–!" Shinichi-niichan tries to stop him, only–.
"FOUND YOU, YOU THI–!"
Genta yelps in surprise at the sudden voice, backing away on instinct.
"What the fuck is going on, why is KID–?!" Inspector Nakamori shouts again, only to freeze, staring at nothing but KID, as if he is fixated on him. "... Kaito?"
Genta blinks in confusion, only to realise that he is still holding onto the cap. He stares at the cap before slowly looking at KID. He had taken the cap off by accident, and KID's whole face is not hidden anymore.
… oops?
That's one part done! Hope you've enjoyed reading this! (my apologies for the cliffhanger? ^^;)
Have a belated Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year 2022! May 2022 bring you health, creativity and happiness!
And to those who took the time to read this fic, hope you also enjoyed it! Please tell me what you think of this fic, I'd love to know what you liked and didn't like about this work!
May 2022 be the best year for all of you! 3
