So it was brought to my attention that I did not make is very clear how old ran is. She is a teenager as not the same age as she is around 16-17. I am sorry for the long overdue update.

Chapter 20

Moments before...

"Conan." Haibara turned towards me looking straight into my eyes. I gazed at her questionably "Yes?"

"What are your thought on disappearing?"

I scowled and shoved my hands into my pockets. "We already done that. Anyways what good would disappearing do? We have no where else to go. What are the chances of running into another person we can manipulate to take us in?" She frowned at my response.

She bit the bottom of her lip and asked "How about your family?"

I look at her incredulously "Are you making a joke? What family? The one that abandon me? The one that gave up on the search of their dear genius son and replace with another kid?!" I loosen up my clench fists. "Those people...they lived on fame and in their own little world. Life was a game for them. I was a toy that became boring and got thrown away. I couldn't tell you what my family name is anyways. I only remember that my Father," I spat out "was a brilliant detective. How funny it seems that he never solve the case of his missing son."

Haibara stayed silent. The sounds of trains leaving the station brought back the reality reminded me that we have been missing for too long. The Hatamotos would soon start to look for us. My arms were crossed and my eyes looked out of the window of the train watching the people pass by but not focused on their features.

"We can not continue to put the Hatamotos in danger. They were almost killed because of the Syndicate. While I may despise and fear THEM I will not let them continue to gain more power and destroy innocent bystanders. I don't want my sister's act of defiance to be in vain-Shinichi."

I flinched at the name. "I -"

"I don't believe that my sister asked you to protect me. If anything she wanted to make sure that her act of disobedience was not for nothing."

I look at the ground. The commotion of people around me made me aware that we were gone for quiet a while. "So," I look at Haibara "Let's just say do depart from the Hatamotos, they won't just accept us disappearing. What then?"

Haibara gave me a small smirk. "Give me ten minutes and I will have that taken care of. Come on we need to board the train if we want to return back to Tokyo."

I give her a confused look but nodded and boarded the train.

Once we disappeared from the Hatamotos we arrived back to the hotel where we hid the money and promptly moved into an empty suite. It wasn't in use anyways so it wouldn't matter much if it happen to say on their computers occupied when its not.

Haibara want to build a better cover story while looking for the syndicate. I however, would prefer to keep a large distance away from them until we moved far away, most preferably a different country. We then began to argue who was to blame for our predicament and then if we should trust the government and if yes which government agency. In the end I learned that a tired irritated haibara is a person better left alone. I left the room and decided to take a stroll.

The loud ringing a police sirens we heard in the distance and taking note the lack of people on the streets of Tokyo was worrisome. 'What is going on?' The memory of a reporter's voice on the television mention that a thief who was to rob the museum around midnight.

'Ah,That's right. So that is why there are so many police sirens the heist already happened.' I checked the clock on top of the check in when I left the hotel and recall it read past midnight.' I guess the thief evaded the police.'

I then felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise causing me to stop walking. My eyes dart left to right, up and behind. 'No, no, no please let it not be a syndicate member.'

I turned my eye up to the left to see the gleam of a gun. Unable to see the face of the sniper I focus my attention to where the gun may be position to hit. I narrow my eyes to see what appears to be a man in a white gliding in the sky. The gun was fired and at the same time moment the man from the sky began his descent to the ground.

On the balls of my heel I quickly and quietly run forward to the direction that he would've fallen. I turn to the next alley and stopped. "Where did the person go?" The alley was currently dark and not a single white garment could have been seen. I walked slowly, my hand reach to touch the small pocket knife in my back pocket when I heard a grunt and a hiss.

Snapping my head to where the sound came from to see what appears to be a young man dressed in dark clothing clutching his left shoulder. I assume that is where he was shot. I let go of my knife feeling it slide back into my pocket and take a step forward towards the man.

The man jump when he realize that he was not alone. "W-why are you here boya? D-don't you know that it is not safe for little boys to be alone so late?"

I ignored what he said and say "Are you an idiot?"

"Huh?" The man tilts his head in confusion.

I speak slowly making sure I annunciate my words, "Are you an idiot? You made it so easy to get shot! A white outfit that makes you look like a magician instead of a thief. You are the international thief that stole from the museum earlier tonight right? How could the police not catch you when you are so easy to spot! Only an idiot wears white to commit a crime. It's asking to be caught."

I saw him grab his head with his right arm and remember why I even came to seek him.

"Ah, my first question is unimportant, but if I am going to ask you more questions mainly how do you know the guy in black then we need to move away from this place.

"W-what? How do you know about him? Wh-erk!" The young man clutches his shoulder tighter. His breaths becoming louder and he falls forward.

"Whoa" I stop him from falling to the ground face down pushing against

his torso mindful of the injury and pain he must be going through.

"Come on, it's not that bad it only stings for a while. The guy will be coming to most likely find your body so you can stay with me at the hotel it's only a block away"

Huffing out "Nn-no you would be in danger buddy, C-can't have that"

Frustration at the person in front of him being stubborn and refusing to even let me help him made me grab his left arm pushing the young man up to standing knowing that it would cause him pain. He gave a yelp when I did that.

A sound of a set of heavy footsteps and the gruff voice command of "Little brat get away from Kid," made me aware that we were no longer alone.

I turn around to see the man has already disassembled the gun he shot with moments earlier, it is most likely packed nice and neat in the suitcase held by his left arm, but in his right hand was a pistol aim towards the semi-conscious thief (at a horrible angle by the way). 'Most likely to hit himself before he manages to shoot the thief'. I tilt my head down enough to appear to be complying to the man's demand and began to take small steps back at a leisure pace, mocking him till I raise my arm in a crude gesture in his direction.

"Brat this isn't a toy. Now go and walk away to your mommy before I decide to put you in a permanent nap."

"Ha, you're so funny mister." I made my voice obnoxiously childish. "But, I would think you need one. Also, what makes you think that-" I lower my voice "You can shoot me?"

"Tch, Brat you're asking for your own funer-" His lovely speech was cut short when I threw forward my knife slitting into the back of his palm where the injury most likely caused him to drop the gun.

"ARGH!" He gasps clutching his hand with the switchblade in it. Horror of seeing the knife pass through his hand to only get stuck at the handle because it was too thick, made him reach down to grab the weapon he dropped.

However, to his surprise, he sees that it is no longer on the ground but rather in the small hands of the boy pointing it at his face.

"Give it back kid," He smiles at me as if asking for pretty please would make me give it back. 'Yeah right, what does he think I am stupid? Idiot hitman, obviously not part of the syndicate to underestimate me. I move my arm down and the idiot begins to grin. What a shock it was to him when I pulled the trigger and the bullet went to his leg. He fell to the ground and I promptly run forward where I give him a nice kick to the face. He in response grabbed my foot from his face and pushed me to the wall before he passed out.

A sharp pain erupted on the side of my foot. The bastard seem to have twisted it when he grabbed it. I limp back to his body and after being satisfied that he was out cold I take my blade back and I notice that the man the hitman called Kid was breathing quite loudly.

"Hey Kid right?, Stay conscious for me? Just lean on me a little and follow me to the hotel." The hat that obscured his face moved slightly and I took that as a confirmation. Stumbling along the way I make it to the hotel where one of the workers quickly came to me and asked if my father needed assistance to our room. Tugging on the stolen hitsman jacket on Kid, hiding the bloodstain of the bullet, I push him forward to the worker that help him into the suite. "Thank you sir, my tou-san just had too much to drink."

"It's alright kid, as long as he makes it safely to his room its okay. Just make sure if he needs anything call for room service it is open at all hours." I close the door behind me and sigh.

"Couldn't even take a walk without getting yourself in danger. Most importantly who did you bring?" Haibara stares at the young man that currently fell on top of the bed.

"I'll tell you when we finish patching him up, but could you help me? He was shot in the shoulder and is rapidly losing blood."

Haibara disappears to come back with the backpack and pulls out the medical kit while I climb on the bed and slowly remove the jacket taking in the damage.
Palpating his chest I state "Clean shot." Haibara gives a quick nod, rummaging through the medical kit.

I push my hand on the rag to clot the blood flow and watch Haibara put a pill in his mouth and pour water for him to swallow. "This should keep him unconscious and keep his body safe from infections. Help me remove his clothes.

Together we followed the process taught by the syndicate. It is one of the requirement of a code member, to have the ability to stitch one of our fellow members if they were ever shot. No evidence remember? It reminds me of the times when Gin would go punish a member by shooting them for disobeying orders and he would call on me to hurry up and stitch them back up together from the bullet wound. Gin of course would tell anyone who asked that it was good practice for me.

My thoughts focus on the man, no teenager in front of me since Haibara removes his cap that obscured his face. But didn't the news say he was in his thirties or forties or some old number like that? If so then this is the successor not the original thief that was around before I was born. Huh, who knew that the person evading the police is nothing more than a teenager? Yet again wasn't I the person responsible for making their murders impossible and was I not one of the syndicate most valued members?

A yawn escaped my lips and I rubbed away the tears from my eyes with my wrist. Haibara has already clean up the mess and have fallen asleep on the spare bed. I walk to the restroom and reach towards the faucet letting the cool water run. I look at my hands once again stained red. I shoot my hands under the running water washing away the blood. I check my hands and see them to be tinted a dark pink. I grab the bar of soap and scrub meticulously and vehemently on my hand till they hurt.

I did not notice my breathing was becoming

hysterical or that my hands appeared to be blurry. All I could see was that ugly crimson dyed on my hands. Images of Akemi body, the bombing incident, the murders of the Hatamotos, and now the shooting at the thief.

"It's not fair, why me?" Tumbled out of my quivering mouth. I can still feel the cooling body of Akemi and the blood on my hands. I flick the air vent in the restroom and rush towards the toilet. I hurl into the porcelain all the stress and troubles I been carrying: The death of Akemi, the apathetic attitude towards the deaths of the hatamoto, the train bombing, the encounter with Gin, and now the shooting.

I let out a sob in the bathroom unsure of the emotions that I am feeling.
I woke up on the floor two hours later feeling the cold tile against my cheek. In a half aware state I get up, flush the toilet, shut off the air vent and shuffle back into the room with nothing to show as evidence of what happened two hour prior except the irritated eyes and pale skin. I rub my eyes and walk to the seating area where I open the hallway closet taking out a spare blanket. I climb on the sofa covering myself with the blanket. In a couple of minutes I was asleep- emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted.

end of chapter

SO I figure I better finish a story than leave it to rot unfinished even if it gets worse as the chapters go by. I want to redo the whole story but it takes too much time so I apologize for the bad grammar. thank you for still sticking around for the updates!