Chapter 1 - Part 3

LAST TIME

He could not avoid the truck, so huge compared to their two-passengers car that it seemed like a mutant monster attempting to swallow them. Instead, the metallic monster pushed its prey with such a force that it toppled over the road and rolled down the hill, crashing into a tree and deforming like an empty aluminum can.

All this time, Rei held on to Shiho, hugging her close. The only thought in his mind was to protect her from the most damages possible. A sharp pain tore through his body as his mind fades into darkness.

The truck door opened, and the Goddess of Death emerged, her auburn hair falling on her back, like a bloody veil. The incarnation of Death shone her flashlight on her most recent prey: a car diagonally crushed against a sturdy tree, way down the hill.

The rear had received the greatest impact, since it was the largest part of the car that had hit the obstacle. However, she knew well that the chances of survival from such a fall were slim, even if the front, where the passengers resided, was barely crushed by the tree. Even if the passengers survived, they were surely unconscious and would become grilled meat. The fuel tank was broken, and the combustible would surely leak on the hot engine, causing a fire that would engulf the passengers. If the passengers were lucky enough to avoid all these scenarios, they would still perish by bleeding to death. No one would discover them in this deserted area and call for medical help in time.

"They're dead," she announced coldly to herself.

When her two useless henchmen had failed, she had decided to finish the simple job by herself. She had hot-wired a truck on the road, where its driver had left to take a break, and she had followed the car of his two preys through an inconspicuous tracker that one her henchmen had attached on the dress of the Miyano girl. The tracker was intended to lead her to the girl in case she refused to collaborate and managed to escape.

Yes, the auburn incarnation of Death had predicted everything - apart from the key fact that the Miyano girl knew NOTHING about her parents' trump card. Her blood boiled at the thought that she had wasted all her precious time and hope.

At least, the Miyano girl was dead. A sadistic smirk crossed on her face at the realization that every single Miyano had then finally met his or her tragic ending, the most justified type of punishment.

"It's about revenge." She wanted to strangle her secretary for always guessing so accurately her darkest thoughts, but he was too important. As much as she was annoyed by him, she needed him. He was her only reminder of her past self, the young, naive girl full of optimistic delusions, the girl who could feel so much guilt after experimenting on a live white mouse that she would have nightmares for days.

It's funny how a fraction of second could shatter all her beliefs and bring her on a fatal quest. Yes, she knew well how this quest would end. However, it was too late to turn back then. She had accomplished too much... She was already a different person, a woman with a stone heart.

Perhaps, the guilt from that day was too strong that it overshadowed all her other feelings. She didn't feel any other form of regret anymore, not even when she murdered that childlike Miyano or that audacious - but innocent - man who cared too much about the cursed girl.

Thinking about that man, she remembered that he had been an interesting person. When her henchmen had given her a list of information on the Miyano girl's acquaintances during their research about her, at first, she thought the man was a simple barista. However, a simple barista - or even one who was also an amateur detective - would not possess this type of gun and such professional 'evasion' skills. The way the man swiftly escaped from the warehouse with the girl and skillfully handled the car was impressive. She would have loved to learn more about this person, but she had little time and he was dead anyways.

The woman opened her car's door to the passengers' seats, one of which was already occupied by her secretary. The man was holding his forehead - perhaps in exasperation - and mumbling to himself with words similar to "This is crazy...". He always had a soft heart, and this would probably become his cause of doom in this business.

"Where to?" the henchman on the driver's seat asked. His accomplice from the other seat of the front row also turned around his head to meet the woman's gaze.

"To the hotel. We'll take the earliest flight to England, tomorrow."

"I thought you've been to that place."

"There's something I missed."

It was dark. His ears were ringing. As he tried to move, a wave of pain made his breathing hitch. What happened? He was in the car with Shiho... and something - a truck - hit them. He was then falling and rolling, like on a deadly rollercoaster, until the ride of death was finally stopped when the car had hit something tall and hard - an old tree. They were then separated by the impact. He had then received a concussion and fallen unconscious. Judging from the coldness of the temperature, invading the inside of the car - whose windows was then shattered to pieces - and the heavy darkness, itself, Rei realized that only a couple of minutes had passed since their fall.

During the whole fall, his arms were around Shiho, attempting to protect her from all the shock. He knew that his position was not an optimum one for his survival. However, he had calculated that, if anyone was to survive from this deadly crash, the small-sized Shiho would be the lucky one. Rethinking carefully, Rei realized that, had the situation been otherwise, he would perhaps also have done the same. He couldn't betray his promise to Elena-san... No, there was more than this silent promise. The mere possibility of Shiho's death was unthinkable. Rei suddenly felt a strangely familiar tinge of guilt.

Shiho... Where is she?

His eyes slowly grew accustomed to the darkness, and he began to identify the elements of his surroundings and assess his situation. The left side of the car's rear was significantly crushed by the tree, which pushed the metallic shell of the car toward the inside. The part of the door to Shiho's seat, closer to the rear, was also deformed and sank toward her. Luckily, she was small enough to avoid being crushed. She seemed to still be unconscious.

Rei lifted his left arm, ignoring the unbearable wave of pain. He was surprised that the arm wasn't broken and glad that Shiho was close enough for him to not lean closer with his painful body. His fingers felt for Shiho's pulse on her neck.

Nothing.

His eyes grew wide with horror. No, this couldn't be. His fingers were perhaps still numb from the shock and couldn't feel her pulses. Shiho was alive. She must be. Her body was too warm for her to be dead.

Of course, as a detective, he knew that a body would stay warm a while even after death. However, he wanted - so badly - to fool himself.

No, no, no... She can't be dead. Shiho had more chances to survive. If anything, he should be the one to perish.

Suddenly, he felt a barely noticeable pulse, then another.

He realized that, perhaps, the pulses had always been there. The pain had caused his fingers to become numb to such subtle sensations.

Her heart is beating. Indeed, she was alive, although barely.

Rei smiled, despite the pain in each of his muscles.

Another realization suddenly crossed his mind. The car's rear is crushed. The fuel tank is probably leaking.

The car may catch on fire anytime. He had to leave with Shiho as fast as possible.

He tried to move his body, but a wave of excruciating agony overshadowed the fainter throbbing pain in his whole body. He realized that part of the right side of his waist was cut open, perhaps by a sharp piece of metal, and that he was bleeding... to death. He had be overwhelmed by pain from so many parts of his body that he had been unable to identify the key origins of his agony.

The wound was deep, perhaps even touching his kidney. His previous movement had caused a significant quantity of blood to gush out. He tore off the lower part of his T-shirt and attached it around his waist, pressing it against his wound - which was thankfully not too large to be difficult to cover. Of course, he couldn't stop all the blood from streaming out, but his 'bandage' was enough for him to carry Shiho out, to call for an ambulance with his phone - which was thankfully still functional, courtesy to the Police's anti-shock model made for secret agents like him - and - if he was lucky enough - to receive medical help before he bleeds out.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the door from his side, which was already slightly open due to its deformation. Rei then reached for Shiho and carried her out. He realized that she was covered in warm blood. Some was still liquid and dripped down from his arms and the couple of fresh gashes on them. Perhaps, the blood was his own. Shiho didn't seem to have any grave injury.

As if on cue, the car lit up as soon as Rei arrived at a safe distance. He lay the small Shiho on the grass and covered her with his jacket, protecting her from the cold. Rei then sank down on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Each of his movement - even a simple step - had sent stabbing pain through his whole body. He dared to believe that an ordinary person would not have been able to travel such a distance with a deeply cut waist and a slightly crippled leg, even less while holding a child. At least, all the excruciating - and dreadful - training in the BO had allowed him to gain some pain tolerance.

Rei dialed the right combination and asked for medical help. The lady on the other end reassured that two ambulances would arrive soon - meaning "in thirty minutes", since they were in a remote area. She gave a couple of directives - which Rei had already practiced enough to learn by heart - to keep the two victims alive.

As Rei waited for help, he tried to fight a growing dizziness. He was truly bleeding to death. Rei had seen enough to know that the ambulances would arrive too late.

At least, they would find out that the little girl had survived.

"Rei-ni! Rei-nii!"

"Oh, Shi-chan! Miss me already?"

"Of course."

"Hello, Rei-kun!"

"Elena-san! How are you doing?... Is something the matter?"

"Yes, I need to discuss with you about something. I am so sorry, Rei-kun."

"Furuya-san. Furuya-san!" He felt a light tug.

Silence.

"Rei-kun..." She sounded defeated.

This voice... it was so familiar. He suddenly realized the identity of the owner.

All the events of the night suddenly resurfaced in his mind. Shiho, the kidnapping, the car accident... and my wound. He had been bleeding for too long and began to see dark spots - although his surround was equally dark. He didn't remember exactly when, but, at some point, he lay down and fell asleep, although he knew - or thought - it was his last time.

Rei was alive, and he was sure that he wasn't dreaming. Strangely, the excruciating pain had disappeared, leaving only faint echoes. He could feel coldness dissipating from the hard, uneven and wet ground below him. A smell of grass, dirt, and burnt metal invaded his nostrils. He was perhaps still lying on the ground.

A drop of water fell on his cheek. It felt... warm?

Realizing the nature of the 'water', Rei mentally smiled. He never thought that Shiho had the sentimental type in her.

"Don't cry, Shiho-chan. You are not cute like this," he began as he opened his eyes and could imagine Shiho's shocked gaze in the darkness.

Rei knew that, in any other less dire situations, Shiho would have punched him for these words.

However, she was so surprised that she ignored his words. "How? You didn't have any pulse."

Déjà-vu? Rei wasn't sure about the origin of this feeling.

He tried to sit up, but gasped as the pain from his waist spread through his body.

"Don't move. You're lucky. The incision is on the surface and has not touch any important blood vessels..." Shiho had regained her cool and was offering him a professional diagnosis of his wound as an experienced biochemist. "However, you should avoid any movements that may cause unnecessary bleeding."

Part of her analysis didn't feel right to Rei. He was sure that his wound had been deep enough to cause extensive bleeding. Had his own analysis been wrong?

From far away, they could hear sirens. Rei remembered.

"I called the ambulances," he explained to Shiho, who was probably confused. "They are coming."

"I see." He could hear a hint of relief in Shiho's monotonous tone.

A couple of minutes later, the ambulances arrived and the paramedics rushed out. They stabilized Rei on a stretcher and lifted him in the air.

"Shiho-san," Rei called before leaving.

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you." He could feel Shiho's confusion and light embarrassment. Thank you for your tear.

Half a day later

"How's the recovery, Bourbon?"

Since his arrival at the hospital and the operation for his wound, Rei had been bombarded with visitors, namely by Conan-kun, his 'sister' Ran, their friends, and his coworkers from Café Poirot. One of his most memorable visits was that of Sonoko, who couldn't believe that such an accident - as the police believed - could happen to a "handsome" barista. Out of respect, Rei refrained from laughing at the dramatic rant.

Shiho had also visited, bringing him a bottle of juice that she bought from the hospital's vending machine. Impressed by the gesture of the typically cold Sherry, Rei teased her about not bringing roses instead. Of course, he earned a deadly - but also slightly embarrassed - glare.

Thinking about Shiho, Rei had remembered that the doctors were impressed with her condition, explaining that she had come out literally unscathed, apart from a few scratches. Perhaps, hugging her during the fall had worked or they were 'extremely' lucky.

After all the cheering, yet tiring visits, Rei had planned to doze off on his comfortable, soft bed, when the door opened and a tall blonde with an elegant frame and dark sunglasses covering her eyes for the sake of anonymity entered.

"Fast and swift, Vermouth, but I'm sure there's more to this visit."

"Your mind is as sharp as always, Bourbon," she replied with her trademark seductive smile.

TBC

END OF CHAPTER 1

Okay, sorry, I lied. We still don't know about Rei's lost memory. You'll be able to find out in the chapters to come. ;)

Next chapter: The hunt for the Phoenix begins...

See you next time!