-FIRSTS-

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

Warning: KaiShin relationship.

A/N: I'm having trouble with GoogleDocs, that's why it's harder for me to update.


First Realization

KID eased the service entrance to the rooftop open, letting the evening breeze flutter his cape. Tonight's heist had been exceptionally easy as Hakuba had to tend to a family emergency in England and Shinichi was occupied by a case down at the station. However, he had not made it easy for Nakamori-keibu in any case, ensuring there would be sumptuous supply of glitter and goo, enough to decorate an Olympic size swimming pool.

"Welcome Kaitou KID." A voice startled him. KID's hands quickly reached for his card gun. "I've been expecting you." KID let his face turn into a sneer beneath the shadows.

The distasteful and repulsive voice made it so easy for KID to abandon his gentlemanly virtues of no harm. If provoked further, he might do just that. Calming himself, KID reigned in his emotions and reapplied his Poker Face.

"Come now, no need to hide in the shadows. I've heard that you're different from your predecessor."

"How so?" KID stalked along the shadows, eyes focused on the single entity in the center of the rooftop. He was careful to make sure his voice would sound as though it came from every direction.

"For one, you only have a handful of heist under your belt. So you would at least have the courtesy to listen to what I have to offer."

KID saw how his opponent turned to face in his direction even with all the precautions. Knowing it would not make much of a difference, KID emerged from the shadows.

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I know your type." There was a knowing tone to the annoying voice. "You're confident. You haven't yet faced off with your predecessor's detectives..."

It took a while to decipher those words. At first, he thought his opponent was talking about his father. But he realised the predecessor in question is the one Shinichi pretended to be, the one who supposedly disappeared. This meant his opponent is currently working for the Organisation.

"And you think you can make an offer I can't refuse?" KID mocked. "You've tried it once before haven't you?" He had to make sure he posed the statement like a question. After all, he wasn't supposed to know.

"Perhaps." Even with the golden helmet, KID could see the smirk evident. The three red LED lights twinkled alongside its wearer's emotions.

"What if I refuse?"

"It doesn't matter." His opponent shrugged. "Either way, I would have paid back what I've owed to that person. His help was invaluable to my escape."

KID held back the growl at his throat.

"If you even think for a minute I would allow you to repeat your previous actions, you better think again."

"KID partnered with the Eastern Detective last time. This time, he's...otherwise preoccupied." His opponent looked too confident and relaxed. "But it doesn't matter. I'll have achieved my objective anyways."

KID heard a muffled BOOM from a distance. He turned towards the sound, knowing full well this was a ploy.

"That was an incentive. It should be from Beika Primary School. I believe the KID Killer used to go there?" He reached for the inner pocket of his jacket. KID immediately tensed at the action, fearing it might be a weapon. What was pulled out was a smart phone, which was quickly unlocked and displaying a photo of Nakamori Aoko looking at grocery produce inside a supermarket. "And this would be an objective. I know how attached KID can be with the people that chased him. I'm sure you're no exception. You recognised her don't you?"

The knowing tone was grating on KID's nerves. He let his finger tighten on the trigger, pulling it to release a card that embedded onto the floor next to his opponent.

"Are you angered? Annoyed? Frustrated? Too bad you have yet to become acquainted with the detectives. They do make the best playthings." He was chuckling at a supposedly private joke. But KID knew about the incident, saw the results with his own eyes, heard about the events that did-not-quite-happen-but-still-did. "You see, we know where to get our leverage so it would be in your best interest to hear me out and do as we ask."

"Don't think so." KID fired another round, this time the case emitted smoke, blossoming out in the wide open area.

"Nice move, but unfortunately you weren't fast enough. Did no one tell you that it was the spider that ensnared the fly and not the other way around?"

KID's trademark pink smoke looked slightly tainted from his perspective. It began to billow out into a larger cloud, continually rising. It obstructed view on both sides. The air began to smell sickly sweet and KID quickly pulled out his gas mask.

"Will you walk into my parlor, said the spider to the fly, 'tis the prettiest parlor that you ever did spy." The mocking tone echoed, pulling at KID's conscience. The voice was soft, with a whisper-like quality next to his ear.

"I'm no fly Little Spider keep your baubles, room, and food to yourself." KID had to keep himself levelheaded and calm. He knew that his opponent would take advantage at the littlest opportunity.

"Oh? But this little bauble would be to your liking." The smoke in front of him cleared a little, there was a clear path as though tempting him to walk through the smoke. KID remained standing where he was, knowing that the roof's edge was but a few meters away. "Would you not take a look? The brightly coloured gems are sure to your tastes."

"Save your breath..." KID was about to say more but his voice was caught when a pair of bright blue eyes looked at him invitingly. His breath hitched, eyes trying to divert itself to some other view but was soon caught at the cherry lips, slightly opened. The smoke around the mouth swirled with each puff of air.

"Won't you listen to my small request, listen to my tale?" The voice, it was the most enticing and intoxicating voice. Melodious and tempting, drawing KID into its captivity. There was only one voice in the world that could make him throw reason out into the wind.

"You didn't come..." KID stated, knowing he was giving himself away.

"Listen to my request and do as I ask. I'll serve any way you wish after the task." Pink tongue licked the cherry lips, and in a flash, the tongue was licking on KID's earlobes.

"You're not real." KID stood ramrod straight. Not willing to even push the figure away, now attached to his arm and side. The warmth emitted below the layers of dark blue suit permeated towards KID. "It wouldn't work Spider."

"Hmm...I must admit, you are strong willed." The smoke had cleared out in an instant, leaving only KID and Spider standing opposite each other. "If dreams do nothing, maybe a nightmare would be better?"

Lights around them flashed angrily before plunging them into darkness. KID noted the public, his audience down at the ground, who surrounded the building, were screaming and yelling at the sudden change. At least he knew this wasn't something in his head. But this was something he could use to his advantage. His hand found a small round object in his pocket and pulled out to fling it towards the location he thought to be Spider's direction. He quickly pulled off his gas mask and replaced a pair of darkened glasses over his eyes, just in time for his little device to go off. The bright light must have burned Spider's eyes for he let out a yelp and KID saw how he tried to cover his face. KID knew the golden helmet wasn't just for show. The other time KID saw this particular headpiece was during night time, so he guessed it must have some night vision technology embedded. During Spider's panic, KID let out a shrill whistle. His doves, those roosting on nearby buildings and the ones that hid on his person, flocked towards KID and enveloped both parties on the roof.

"I'm afraid this is the end of your show." KID tipped his hat in Spider's direction, knowing the man was still seeing stars instead of anything distinct. He hoped the police would come up in time to arrest the man (and hopefully put the man away for good this time. He did not need the extra problem in his detective's lives right now) as he lacked the props to do so at the moment. He would have loved to bring this pest to the station himself if he had all his equipment but unfortunately, KID had not been expecting Spider. The Organisation, yes that he expected, but he thought Spider worked solo.

"It doesn't matter." Spider laughed. "I've repaid my debt, somewhat at least, though I did tell them I'll probably be only able to deliver one. At least that person accepted my offer. Having someone high enough to pull the strings and not high enough to garner unwanted attention is really useful."

"I'll personally make sure you'll remain where you should be if it's the last thing I do." KID growled before pressing on a remote. At once, the sky kit up again. This time with fireworks structured to show a KID caricature. Spider let out another groan at the sudden light as KID flew away under the distraction.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Walking along the concrete path towards their apartment, Kaito wondered if Shinichi was back yet. If not, he might have to storm the police station to rescue his beloved from the deep, dark, stretches of unending paperwork.

He was about to insert the keys when the front door swung slowly without his touch. Suspicion quickly mounted and Kaito took out the card gun as he eased the door wider. The entrance looked normal, with the exception of overturned shoes. Kaito noticed the extra pair of guest slippers lying on the side in a haphazard way.

With cat like footsteps, Kaito entered the threshold. His soft sole shoes was silent against the hardwood floor. His ears were trained for the smallest noise but found barely any sound. Tensing, Kaito tightened his grip on the card gun, finger itching to reach for the trigger. He felt his throat tightened and mouth dry as his mind conjured up bad image one after the other. Spider's parting words came into his mind. Kaito had not paid much thought at the time but it seems the man had intended for something to happen. Crossing the threshold, he noticed a strong smell of coffee in the air, Kaito let a small smile grace his face. His detective must be trying to stay up to wait for him if he was allowing himself to have coffee at night. Then, something crunched underneath his shoes. Kaito realized them to be shards transparent glass.

"Did he shatter the pot?" Kaito whispered, turning to look at the kitchen counter. To see the upturned table shocked him. Something was definitely not right and the sense of foreboding intensified.

He inched into the living space, again to find the upturned coffee table and broken glasses that once belonged to the generic white cups, to find the balcony doors opened and he started to fear for the worst. Peering down, there were no longer signs of forced entry, no hanging ropes or marks that signified someone scaled up the walls. Closing the doors, and setting up extra protection, Kaito padded into the bedroom, which was, strangely enough, all clean and bed made. This left the bathroom and Kaito somewhat dreaded what he would find.

Kaito was beyond shocked at the sight in front of his eyes.

Hanging by a set of handcuffs on the shower railing was Shinichi, half naked with only a pair of cotton flannels. He had a knife sticking out of his left thigh, angled so the blood would be dripping down onto the floor. The whole left side of his cotton flannels were soaked a deep colour. The blood pooling at his feet told Kaito that his detective had been in this position for some time. Without hesitation, Kaito reached up to start picking at the lock to free his detective. Shinichi's head rested on the crook of his neck, breath extremely shallow and could barely be felt. Panic rose in the depths of Kaito as he gently lowered his detective down. He supported his detective's back, hands felt a slight stickiness. Bringing it to his face, he found his hands covered with blood. Peering over his detective's shoulder, he saw the whole back marred with injuries.

Kaito gasped, holding tighter onto his detective while maintaining calm. He need to prioritize. First thing's first, he need to staunch the blood from freely flowing. The injuries on the back were deep, as though someone had sliced the skin open. But the cuts were not exactly clean, it did not look to have been made by a knife. The slight jagged edges that Kaito felt as a finger brushed over the cuts were hinting it to have been made by a whip or bamboo cane. Shaking his head, dislodging the thought for the moment as it was not important right this minute, he grabbed the nearby towel to press onto the back. Next, he carried Shinichi into the bedroom, laying him down gently, to look over the leg. He was reluctant to remove the knife without any way of stopping the inevitable flow of blood that accompanies it. Knowing that bringing Shinichi to the hospital would be the most logical course of action, but also the most risky, he opted for calling Jii for his medical help. It was risky because whoever attacked Shinichi had either wanted him to die, though there are always easier ways to kill people as Shinichi so often is a witness to, or more likely they weren't able to remove Shinichi from the apartment without raising suspicion so they would be lying in wait at the hospital to kidnap him. Kaito would not allow that.

With Jii arriving in the next half hour, Kaito called for the little scientist as well. Her knowledge in chemicals and medicine would only be helpful in this case.

"Haibara-chan, we may have a problem." Kaito stated without a greeting over the phone.

"You idiot! Did you hurt Kudo-kun again?" It was as though she could read into Kaito's mind. "We're on our way. Keep him alive or you'll get it." She did not bother to elaborate and hung up the phone.

Kaito wasn't sure what the 'it' is but knew it would entail some sort of pill (or something really really bad, most likely embarrassing and traumatizing at the same time).

After making sure Shinichi would stay warm and all the necessary materials are close at hand, there was not much Kaito could do that would not aggravate the detective's condition now. He sat on the side of the bed, keeping a finger on the pulse point by the neck, for the wait. He placed close attention to the weak throb and when it began to slow, he started to panic again. Kaito's other hand held on tightly to Shinichi as he prayed for help to arrive quickly.

After what seems like an eternity, the doorbell rang and Kaito reluctantly let go of the unresponsive hand. He sprinted over to the doors, pausing to look through the peephole to check the identity. Seeing Jii's face on the other side, Kaito felt relieved and quickly unhooked the door chain.

"Bocchama." Concern and fear was evident in his voice. Kaito figured something must have shown through his Poker Face. Stepping aside, Kaito gestured him towards the bedroom area.

Standing behind Jii was the Professor, pulling a suitcase along. He patted Kaito on the shoulders as he passed.

"Don't worry." The Professor offered. "Shinichi-kun will be fine."

Accompanying the Professor was the little scientist, glaring at Kaito with cold eyes. They stayed frozen at the spot beside the opened door for a full minute, Haibara burning holes into Kaito's forehead. Then, without warning, she stalked towards the bedroom, pulling her own little suitcase without regards even when it rolled over Kaito's slipper covered feet. Kaito winced, letting out a hiss at the same time but not daring to utter a single complaint knowing the girl wanted nothing more than to gut Kaito with a very dull spoon. He could easily see she was beyond pissed.

Making sure the door was once again secured, he limped back towards the bedroom, wondering what was in the suitcase that made it so heavy.

The Professor was hooking Shinichi to, what seems to be, a homemade heart monitor as Jii was busy with the leg wound. The little scientist took out an arrangement of vials and bottles, lining them up at the bedside table, before setting a hanger for an IV drip.

"It's not looking too good..." Jii muttered softly. Kaito's breath hitched. "He lost quite a lot of blood and it's not as though we have blood packs for transfusion."

"I can..." Kaito volunteered.

"Bocchama, you've recently lost a great deal of blood, an amount that required a donation from Kudo-kun. Your body, despite you feeling up to moving and acrobatics, is still trying to replenish what was lost. You are in no shape to offer yourself like that." Jii was being uncharacteristically strict as he admonished Kaito. "It would be a bad way to repay Kudo-kun, to see you've once again fallen ill."

"Move." Haibara nudged roughly at Kaito. "You're taking up space." She carried a set of sterilized equipment from the kitchens. Kaito deftly moved away from the annoyed scientist.

Instead of staying and hovering over the three, Kaito went back out to the somewhat trashed apartment. Without much to distract himself, he went about clearing up the place. Broken glass went to the bin, warped furniture was set aside to be fixed and wiretaps went straight to the little copper box by the sink. Their paranoia to have the apartment outfitted with signal jammers paid off. It lets electronic machines receive and transmit signals, though signals not authorized, that is any foreign bugs planted into the apartment, would not be allowed to leave. Kaito found quite a few small transmitters for both sound feeds and video feeds. The Organisation was definitely desperate to chance a trespass. He had a feeling it was the blond actress that did the deed, though this did not feel entirely like her actions. Picking up another piece of broken glass, he managed to cut himself. Wincing slightly, he looked at the damage done.

"Three times." Haibara's voice startled Kaito. "Three times you've managed to hurt Kudo-kun. Give me a reason why I should still trust you with him?"

Kaito looked up, absentmindedly throwing away the glass shard into the growing pile on top of the newspaper. Haibara stood firm and tall, despite her stature as an eight year old, and had managed to look threatening towards a young adult.

"Ojou, since my reasons and apologies would fall on deaf ears, could you not accept that it was never my intention?" Kaito decided calling her by nickname instead of addressing her by her name. She's sounding more and more like a lady than a young scientist. "Had I known of such events, I would not have left his side."

"The first I can forgive seeing as none of us expected it." She continued without paying attention to Kaito's words. "Second was due to you negligence but at least there were no physical injuries. This time, he was hurt because of his association with you. What do you have to say about yourself?"

The accusatory tone in her voice drove the truth into his heart. All of it was true, Shinichi's association with him had added more potential injuries onto the detective than his normal crime-solving would bring. He had nothing to defend himself.

Sighing, and possibly taking pity on him, Haibara walked closer. Kaito took an involuntary step back and ended sitting on the recently uprighted sofa.

"Rest." Haibara ordered. "I'm not going to apologise for what I've said. It was something you need to know, the things he's done for you and the injuries he took on your behalf. I can see you treasure him but reality is cruel so unless the two of you could find a fix to this situation, sights like these would become more regular."

Kaito was about to get up once more to clean up, move, or something as sitting down and staying still was not his character.

"Don't give me reason to tranquilize you. I carry a replica watch." Just for show, she lifted the sleeves of her shirt to show the metallic band. Kaito obediently fell back into the seat, sinking into the soft material. He tried to close his eyes, with Haibara standing close as though to make sure if actually sleeps.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Come morning, Kaito woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast. His brain briefly wondered if his detective woke up early again and if he had collapsed onto the sofa late last night after the heist. His brain was slow to boot up but memories of yesterday's events came rushing back. Kaito bolted up from his position, wincing at the stiffness of his back and neck, before letting his gaze sweep across the apartment. The young scientist sat at the dinning table, with coffee and food laid out before her.

"It's noon." She stated, nudging a cup of coffee towards Kaito. "Kudo-kun is stable."

Kaito wandered over to take a sip, wondering how the young scientist made the coffee without the machine. He grimaced at the bitter taste, nothing like how his detective would make for him. Shinichi always managed to get the perfect sugar to milk ratio for him.

"I would like to suggest the two of you to leave the country for a while."

"I would agree but I know Shinichi, he would not agree to it." There was no way his detective would willingly leave in the middle of an investigation.

"He doesn't have to. I'm sure you have plenty of ways to sway him or forcefully make him go your way."

Kaito scrutinized the young scientist. There was something not quite right with her. It was as though she was spooked.

"What do you know?" This was the only conclusion he could come up with, that she knew or saw something. It could be that someone made contact with her and passed her some information. "It was Vermouth wasn't it?"

Haibara tensed at the name.

"What did she say?" He might not be as quick to deductions as Shinichi but he could think like him when it was needed. Their similarities are more than just looks alone.

Haibara took out a phone and pushed it towards Kaito. It was Shinichi's phone. She must have accidentally read the message.

End game is near my beloved Bullet. It's time to make a choice. I'll be waiting for you to deliver me the goods on a sliver platter.

With Love,

Your Dearest Liquor

This first message was blatantly obvious. It was sent yesterday afternoon, which meant this was supposed to be a warning for yester-night's incident.

Should you be still coherent, meet me at the usual place.

The second message was not signed but Kaito had a clear idea as to who the sender is. It seems she was here yesterday evening and had watched the whole incident. Though, this meant that it was someone else's who inflicted the injuries on Shinichi. Unfortunately, Kaito had very little clue as to where his detective was supposed to meet up.

At that moment, he heard a rustling of fabric from the bedroom area. Kaito rushed over quickly towards Shinichi, his cup nearly missing the table top in his haste.

"Shinichi," he whispered, holding onto his detective's pale hand to stop him from sitting up. "How do you feel? Anywhere particularly uncomfortable?" It would be a moot point to ask where it hurts seeing as Shinichi would most likely be duped up with pain killers.

"Water." Shinichi croaked. Haibara was mindful enough to come bearing the drink, complete with straw. Shinichi drank greedily, soothing the parched throat. "Were there any messages?"

Kaito sighed, he should have expected his detective to ad able to predict such things. Still, it did not meant he would give Shinichi his answer just yet.

"Kaito?" The expectant voice all but compelled Kaito to answer.

"Only if you tell me what happened and where you'll be meeting her."

"And I supposed you wanted to come with." Shinichi was trying to sit up again, legs struggling against the tangle of blankets. "I guess I don't have a choice." He tested his wounded leg, placing a bit of strength before realizing he would not be going anywhere without some sort of extra help or a cane.

"Either we do this my way or you're not going anywhere." Kaito was firm. If Shinichi would not yield, he would do exactly as the little scientist suggested and relocate them somewhere else.

"The two of you are idiots." Haibara stated from the other end of the bed. She threw several jars and bottles at Kaito, who caught it all in reflex. "Pain killers and antibiotics. The salve is for the wound on his back, apply twice a day to help with the scarring. You were lucky Kudo-kun." Without further instructions, she walked away from the apartment. It was clear she was displeased with their decisions

Hearing the front door slam shut, Kaito once again placed all his attention on his detective to urge him to speak. From Shinichi's expression, he knew his detective had been expecting the attack but the actual events was definitely a surprise. Kaito decided to be patient and sat next to Shinichi to wait for the recount.

-TBC-


A/N: Ok, the following is part of the story but not part of the story at the same time? (Does that even make sense?)


-OMAKE: Instrusion-

Shinichi entered the apartment with a tired sigh. The case was tedious and could have been quickly solved if not for some idiot newbie down at the station who could not clearly label evidence and take notes. He had to miss KID's heist and that was something he disliked with fervor. However, murder takes precedence in his mind so the police case was a priority. Setting the coffee to brew, he hoped to take a calming shower. He would wait for Kaito to come back home, listen to his tale of how Nakamori-keibu was stuck at one of his traps (again) and how the Taskforce would be forced into strange and interesting situations (again). Sometimes, he wondered if the Taskforce were that dense, or if their EQ was just that high to withstand all of KID's antics (of course, there was the third option of them being total idiots but the law enforcement never takes idiots into their ranks. So Shinichi settled for the high EQ).

Coming out of the warm shower with cotton flannel pants and a towel around his shoulders, he went to pour himself a well earned coffee. As he lifted the carafe from the percolator, the doorbell rang. Without replacing the pot back onto the kitchen counter, he wandered towards the door, curious as to who would visit them in this late hour.

'It could have been Megure-keibu or some other officer. They might not have been able to reach me through mobile.' There were still some issues with the signal jammers so mobile service for their apartment had been patchy lately. Agasa Hagase had told them he'll have an upgrade for the equipment sometime this week.

"Coming." He called out as his slippered feet quickly crossed the area to the door. He did not bother to check for identity as he opened it. "You."

"Hi~" The blond actress on the other side greeted sweetly. "Mind if I come in?" It was not a request as she pushed her way through the door. Shinichi had no choice but to let her into the apartment. She smiled as she changed out of her heels to the guest slippers laid on the side. "Such a lovely place you have set up, Boy."

Shinichi knew this visit was not one made as per their arrangements, rather, it had to do with business. He had been expecting them to act for the past few days.

"What is it you want?" Shinichi asked as she settled into a seat in the dining table.

"Should you not be serving me tea or coffee?" Vermouth still smiled sweetly. Something was not sitting right with Shinichi as he took out the generic white mugs and poured the coffee. He took the sugar bowl and set them all on the tray. Vermouth helped herself to the refreshments as Shinichi sat opposite her, hands cradling his own mug.

"Now will you answer my question?" It was difficult to remain patient towards the ex-actress. "Why are you here?"

"Because she is." Vermouth's smile morphed into something devious as she gestured towards the balcony. Her phrase made Shinichi stand quickly, overturning the table and crashing the flatware on top. Turning around, Shinichi saw a young, teenage, girl climbing over the railings and opening the balcony doors with ease. He distinctly remembered it being locked.

"KUDO SHINICHI! You'll pay for what you did to Rum-sama!" She rushed over towards Shinichi, not caring about how she forced her way through the furniture. Shinichi spared a glance at the still sitting ex-actress, drinking calmly from her mug, before placing all his attention to the somewhat deranged teenager.

"She's Rum's beneficiary. A cross between a daughter and a student." Vermouth calmly added, viewing the spectacle as though watching a film. "She's quite skilled in the many forms of pain, torture, and killing. Though you won't have to worry about that last characteristic. We have direct orders not to permanently hurt you...yet."

Shinichi dodged another sharp object flung by the teenager, ducking to the side to avoid being nicked by the sharp knife. He was looking for something to defend himself. Unfortunately, the only things close by were broken glass. He had no choice by force the girl into close combat situations and hope his strength can overpower her.

Dashing towards the girl, Shinichi tackled her into the coffee table, which groaned at the immense weight. The wood creaked and splintered, crashing them into the floor. Shinichi straddled the girl, trying to hold the girl's hands above her head. But she retaliated with a bite at his forearm, drawing small droplets of blood. As if it weren't enough, she kicked Shinich in the stomach, forcing him to leap back to avoid further injuries. Even with his constant evasion practice during high-school whenever he angered Ran, and subsequently subjecting himself to quite a few of those karate kicks, this girl's kick hurt more than those made by his childhood friend. Staggering back, with a hand over his abdomen, he put some distance between them. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about the ex-actress by the kitchen and was rewarded with a smash of glass on his head. He recognized the shards to be that of the generic white much.

"Ops, my hand slipped." Vermouth had the gall to comment. The girl tried to tackle him but he dodged at the last second, which caused her to crash into Vermouth. Shinichi rushed into the bedroom area where he kept a spare tranquilizer gun by the bedside. But he was a second too late as the girl had quickly recovered.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME!" She yelled. Shinichi was surprised that none of their neighbours are complaining about the noise.

Shinichi aimed the gun at the girl, pulling the trigger but ultimately missing because the blow to the head had somehow messed his hand-eye coordination. He cursed as he took aim once more, whilst dodging another projectile from the girl. He ended up crashing through the bathroom doors and landing onto the slick tiles. Another sharp object flew through the air ('Shuriken? Throwing knife? How many does the girl have?' Shinichi thought as he looked for something to block but the only things available here are towels and soap) and Shinichi ended up slipping on the stray towel on the floor and banged his head against the toilet seat.

When his consciousness came back, he found himself hung on the shower railing with his hands above his head, facing the back walls. His toes could barely touch the floor and he could feel two sets of eyes on his back. As he was facing the back wall, he had to strain his neck to get a look at Vermouth as his assailant.

"Try not to leave a mess." Vermouth commented before walking away. "The neighbours would have called the authorities so don't take too long."

"You'll pay for what you did to Rum-sama!" The girl brandish a riding crop and began assaulting Shinichi's back. "Not only did you take him away from me, you also hurt him! You shot him! You made him bleed!"

At this point, Shinichi was sure the girl must have a screw loose somewhere. Either that or she was extremely devoted to Rum, not that he could blame her if Rum did raise her as a child.

The lashings continued for quite some time and Shinichi lost count. He remembered hearing a mobile phone ringing before the lashings came to a complete stop. Somewhere along the way, he must have screamed as his throat was hurting and his breaths were ragged.

"I'll leave you with a parting gift." She swung Shinichi so that they would be facing each other. The demonic smile on her face would have made anyone else but Shinichi shivered but he already knew the girl to be deranged. "I was also told to give you a message, from Rum-sama. Join us and hand that over then we'll call it even, he said." She reached inside her jacket for a knife and slammed the blade into Shinichi's thigh. He screamed when she twisted and wiggled the blade. "And this is my message to you."

Shinichi closed his eyes, evened his breathing, to stem the pain and hopefully calm the blood flow. But he knew it was somewhat hopeless. There was very little he could do but hope for Kaito's return before he bled to death.

-OMAKE END-