"I got you, Shinichi. It's alright. It's going to be alright." Kogoro said, trying to keep his voice soothing as he held onto the screaming boy. He'd never felt so helpless. Shinichi was in agony and there wasn't a thing Kogoro could do to help it go away. So he kept up a steady string of reassurances as he rocked the writhing teenager. He doubted that Shinichi could even hear him over his cries, but it was all Kogoro could do for the moment.
"It's alright. It will be over soon." By Kami, please let it be over soon. The boy had shot up so fast before, shouldn't he shrink just as quickly? He kept a firm grip on Shinichi as steam billowed off of him the same way it had when he'd grown. Despite the faint protection of the jacket, the heat generating from the boy burned him like touching a hot stove. "Just a little longer, Shinichi." Kogoro held him closer as the writhing teenager diminished, shrinking like an ice cube on a hot summer day. This had to almost be over. It had to-
The echoes of Shinichi's cries lingered in the air as the boy suddenly fell silent, unexpectedly going limp, his head lolling to the side.
Kogoro's heart stopped. "Shinichi!" He yelled, shaking the boy. No response. Kogoro leaned forward. Come on! Come on! "You can't just!" Was this normal? Was this normal for him to faint! Did he faint?! The boy shrank another six inches to Conan's size as Kogoro frantically tried to check for a pulse, but his fingers were shaking too much to be sure he was feeling a heartbeat. The jacket swamped Shinichi now, making his limp form appear all the more like a broken puppet. "SHINICHI!"
Kogoro tore at the oversized jacket, checking to see if the boy was still breathing and flinched as it revealed all too clearly the injuries he'd sustained. Lacerations and bruises covered much of Shinichi's body. His feet in particular were jagged and bloody to the point where Kogoro had no idea how the boy had been able to walk. Plus his shoulder definitely was not looking good, all torn up and bruised.
Yet, to his relief, Shinichi's chest moved up and down in quick shallow breaths. Unconscious then. Kogoro sat back, passing a rough hand over his eyes to clear his blurry vision. After all that screaming, he couldn't blame the boy for fainting. Kogoro inhaled, remembering to breathe again as he tenderly pulled the now oversized jacket around the boy before Shinichi could catch a chill, cradling him close.
"Stupid brat." He muttered, brushing his fingers over Shini-no Conan's? -Gah what was he supposed to call him now?!- grimy forehead. "I knew you weren't fine." He'd known it, but hadn't done more to stop the boy, even when he'd seen potential signs. "You shouldn't have tried so hard to push on." But he understood why Shinichi had tried. Wanting to get them both to safety. The boy had been right in the pill not lasting as long as it was supposed to. Maybe. Kogoro glanced around for a clock before he could stop himself. How much time had passed? An hour? Or under an hour? Who knew.
Kogoro exhaled, ruffling the unconscious boy's hair. After dealing with Shinichi for the last little bit, it was jarring to suddenly be staring at Conan again. The boy looked even more frail now. Tiny and pale under the layer of grime from the loss of blood.
Kogoro frowned, tsking. He'd told the boy that he'd make him rest once Shinichi dropped him, but under the circumstances in which Shinichi had done so...they couldn't just sit here and wait for who knew how long for a rescue. Shinichi was right. They needed to get out of here. Now.
Shini-Cona-gah! He'd just call the boy Conan. Small body. Conan. Large body. Shinichi. He could keep that straight. Conan desperately needed medical attention. While Shinichi could handle his injuries as a teenager, Kogoro doubted the boy would be as capable now that he was a kid again.
"Alright, brat." Kogoro looked around again, gauging the situation. He couldn't walk, the boy couldn't carry him now, unconscious and as small as he was. "Let's get out of here." Thank Kami, they were only a handful of steps away from the top. Alright, first priority. Reach the top of the stairs without dropping the boy.
Kogoro took the jacket, using the main body of it to wrap Conan up firmly like a caterpillar in its cocoon. Then he pulled the sleeves under one arm and over the opposite shoulder to create a sling, just managing to tie it in place. It made a makeshift cradle for the boy, allowing him to keep Conan steady against his chest. Alright. Now. To climb the stairs.
Cautiously, Kogoro grabbed the railing with one hand, using the other to push against the step, as he lifted himself up, inhaling sharply as he put weight on his legs. Agony. Especially in the right. He quickly lowered himself back down, panting heavily. Okay. Putting weight on his right leg wasn't going to work. But at least the left could tolerate it.
Gritting his teeth, checking once more to be sure Conan was secure, he grabbed onto the railing again with one hand. Taking a steadying breath, he pulled himself up, using the other hand and his left foot on the stairs to lift his body up to the next step, doing his best to keep weight off the right leg. It hurt. Oh Kami, it hurt. But the lighting in his left leg was nothing compared to the nuclear explosion his right would be if he used it. Kogoro grunted as he cleared another step. He could do this. He glanced back to Conan's unconscious form. He pressed his lips in a determined line. He could do this. For Conan. He could do this. One slow step at a time.
Kogoro paused to wipe his sweating palms on his pants so he could get a better grip on the railing. It really was a good thing they'd been nearly at the top when Shinichi had collapsed. He doubted he could have climbed the entire flight of stairs in this manner.
Finally clearing the last step, Kogoro let go of the railing and slowly laid down, wincing at the rubble digging into his back, but too tired to care. His hands came up to Conan, holding the boy against his chest as he worked to get his breath back. "Made it up, boya." He remarked staring up at the missing pieces of ceiling. He could see up into the fourth floor it looked like, the roof itself appearing to still be intact. He didn't like the look of it though. There were broken pipes everywhere, hanging wires, cracked beams and definitely more piles of concrete mixed in with shards of glass. "This would have been much faster if you'd been the one climbing you know." Kogoro lifted his head to look at the listless boy, brushing his cheek, smearing the soot there further.
As much as Kogoro wanted to take a long break, he didn't dare risk it. Shinichi had wanted them out of the mansion, and seeing how damaged the first floor also was only convinced Kogoro further that the boy was right.
Sitting up with a groan, he kept a hand supporting the boy as he scooted his legs around so he could better assess the damage. Honestly, it hardly looked much different from the basement. Piles of rubble and broken furniture everywhere, with the remaining walls leaning at odd angles. No wonder the ceiling was crumbling. The supports were failing everywhere. Really, the only difference Kogoro could see between this floor and the basement was that there was more light streaming in through the broken windows in the distance. Or was that the entry way? He couldn't tell for sure from here.
He rubbed his nose as the scent of gasoline again permeated the room. It got his heart racing once more as he remembered the cold liquid trickle down his back when he'd crawled through the tunnel. Was the gasoline scent coming from his shirt or elsewhere? Better to assume elsewhere and to get them out of this death trap before the gasoline found a live wire.
He readied himself to head towards the light, and had only begun to scoot his way across the floor using mostly his hands when Conan suddenly moaned, attempting to move in the cocoon that Kogoro had created from his jacket. Kogoro froze, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. After all the strain the boy had gone through, he'd thought the boy would be conked out for the rest of the day.
Using one arm to support the boy, Kogoro used his other hand to brush at Conan's bangs. "I got you, Conan." He said reassuringly, even as his eyes darted around the destroyed building. "You're alright."
Conan's eyelids fluttered,"Otosa-" he trailed off, glazed eyes struggling to focus on Kogoro's face.
Kogoro stamped down the sudden swelling of warmth in his chest. The brat was just confused. Any boy would want his father after the trauma he'd just been through. He'd probably expected Kudo Yusaku, not Mouri Kogoro.
"It's just me, boya." Kogoro said, giving his uninjured shoulder a light squeeze to reassure him. "I got you."
Conan sighed, closing his eyes as his head began to loll.
Kogoro reached up to support the boy's head guiding it back to rest against his chest. "That's right, Conan. Just rest." The boy had done enough for today.
Conan frowned, eyes opening halfway to again try and focus on Kogoro. "Oto-Oji-Ojisan." He mumbled hoarsely, his shoulders twitching uncomfortably. "Can't move." His eyelids fluttered again, nearly closing. "Tight."
Kogoro firmly shoved the rising warmth in his chest aside. Of course the brat would complain about Kogoro's work on keeping him secure. He rolled his eyes. "Hold on." He tugged at the main body of the jacket, loosening the wrapping around the boy. "Better?"
"Mmmm" The boy gave the slightest of nods, eyelids sliding down.
"Good. Just rest for now, boya." Kogoro said using a soothing tone of voice that had often worked to send a fretful Ran back to sleep when she'd been Conan's age. He really didn't need the brat fully waking up and refusing to cooperate. Shinichi had been stubborn enough. He didn't need Conan insisting that he could still help. Kogoro kept an arm around the boy to ensure that he didn't wiggle free as Kogoro again began pushing himself across the floor. "You've done enough. Rest."
The boy's eyes fluttered, and he craned his head to look around. Kogoro reached up turning his head back to again rest against his chest. "You're safe, just rest. I got this." He repeated.
Conan mumbled disagreement. His small hands snaking up to push weakly at Kogoro's now much larger ones. "I can-"
"You can just sit there and rest, Conan. I'm not letting you walk another inch on those feet." Kogoro interrupted firmly. "I got this." How had he known the boy would insist on trying to help? Mentally he gave himself a point. At least the boy was still mostly predictable as Conan or Shinichi.
Conan squinted groggily up at Kogoro, struggling weakly against Kogoro's firm hand keeping the boy's head against his chest, mumbling in protest. "Bua myhr growing tha wreng weay" he complained.
Kogoro frowned, relaxing his hand, not quite comprehending. "What was that, brat?"
Conan took a deep breath, wincing, his hand moving to his injured shoulder, lightly holding it. "Wrong. Way. Ojisan." He enunciated slowly.
Kogoro's eyebrows shot up and he looking around with confusion. "How would you know!" The brat had hardly seen where they were! He'd been heading towards the sunlight. That should have been a clear enough indication that that was the right way.
A small smile tugged at Conan's lips even as his eyes closed again. "Stairs...face...wrong way….from front." he mumbled. "Odd. I noticed it."
Kogoro briefly pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're a weird one, Conan. No one notices that!" But he trusted the boy, even as groggy as he was, to remember which way the exit was. He doubted the 'Heisei Holmes' would get lost in a building. Even a large bombed out mansion like this one. Obligingly he switched to scooting the two of them the other way, into the darker portion of the building. "You better be right about this." he grumbled for the boy's benefit. "In case you hadn't noticed. This way is darker. The light is behind us."
A smile tugged at Conan's lips. "Hole in ceiling." He replied less groggily, his eyes remaining closed. "Bomb was there." His hand dropped from his shoulder to his chest, rubbing at the point over his heart carefully.
Kogoro paused, glancing to the light in question, squinting his eyes. Nope. He had no idea how the boy could tell that that was the case. He exhaled, giving Conan a worried look. The boy touching his chest had meant a size change was eminent. He frowned. No, that wasn't right. Shinichi had rubbed at his chest too just after growing. It probably meant nothing more than the boy was recovering from suddenly being a different size.
Kogoro shook his head forcefully focusing back on the task of getting them both out. He continued moving, scooting them as best as he could around the piles of rubble or over them in some cases, without jarring his legs or Conan. Kogoro had never felt more like a snail then he did now. Frankly, a snail probably would've already made it out of the mansion by now with how often he had to pause to get his breath back from jarring his legs.
"Hang in there, Conan." Kogoro said, reassuring himself as well as the boy as he once again paused to get his bearings. The crumbling walls weren't helping at all in giving him direction. Whole doorways had collapsed in on themselves, making it difficult to tell just how many rooms they'd already passed through.
At least Conan was heeding his words to rest. He had that to be thankful for. "We're nearly out." Kogoro murmured as he scooted forward once more. He had no idea how close they were. In fact, it looked like... He rolled his eyes upwards in exasperation as a large floor to ceiling mound of rubble confronted him. Great. Just great. Another barrier. It looked like the floor above had collapsed. So went their exit.
"Why?" Conan asked quietly.
Kogoro glanced down in confusion, surprised that the boy was still awake, as he continued to head to the collapsed wall. "Why what?" That was their way out. He was sure of it. Perhaps they'd be lucky and find another tunnel that they could crawl through like the one below them.
"Why are you calling me Conan, Ojisan?" The boy asked, the glazed look in his eyes having faded, leaving him able fully focus his soul piercing stare on Kogoro.
A shiver ran down Kogoro's spine. Somehow the boy managed to make that stare seven times more intense on his childlike face than his teenager one. It was creepy. How had he not noticed that stare before on the boy!
Kogoro snorted, hiding his unease, as he used his arrival at the wall as an excuse to look away from the boy's piercing eyes. "Well, you're small again aren't you, brat?" He said, slowly feeling his way along the wall of rubble. Come on. Come on. Please, Lady Luck, be with them now. Let them find a way through this barrier.
"Yes...but…."
"But what?" Was that a fissure there? Kogoro again passed his hands over the space. Reaching in. Yes. There was a crack here. Not a tunnel. But a gap between the standing wall and the rubble. He even thought he could see a glimmer of light down it. Yes!
Conan dropped his head to his chest. "You...know...now." He said keeping his voice low.
Kogoro shook his head, frowning. The space was narrow. Too narrow to scoot through. "So?"
"You were calling me Shinichi before."
Kogoro exhaled and looked down at the brat, ruffling his hair to the boy's irritation. Conan quickly ducked away from his touch, mumbling a complaint. Good. He was alert enough to remember he didn't like that. "You don't tell everyone your name when you're small right? For protection?" Kogoro asked, gritting his teeth as he reached upwards to a chunk of concrete pulling himself up onto his left foot. He balanced there, using one arm to support Conan. He barely waited for Conan to nod before continuing. "I can keep it straight that you're Conan right now and not Shinichi." He leaned against the wall. Working to keep his breath even as sweat trickled down his face. Small body. Conan. Large body. Shinichi. Easy to remember. Gods he needed a drink. A place to rest his burning legs. At this rate his left leg would soon join the right in feeling like an exploding volcano. "I won't risk your life or my daughter's over saying the wrong name at the wrong moment." The boy had worked hard enough to keep them safe. Had caused himself further injury just to get Kogoro out of the basement in their current situation in of itself. He could do the boy a small favor in return and keep his identity secret.
Conan suddenly buried his face against Kogoro's chest. "You don't want me to…leave after this?" He asked in a near whisper, trembling in Kogoro's grip. "For your safety?"
Kogoro blinked taken aback. He'd thought? But. A chill raced over him. It was a valid concern. If this had happened earlier...Kogoro grimaced, brushing Conan's cheek, causing the boy to flinch, and look up, blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Kogoro's chest tightened further. The boy really believed he would do that? After all this? Just because he knew now that he was Shinichi? Kogoro lifted Conan so they could look eye to eye. "No. I don't." He said firmly, keeping his stare steady.
Conan's gaped at him. Eyes widening. "You don't?" He repeated in disbelief.
Kogoro rolled his eyes and lifted the brat higher to sit on his shoulders, pulling the sleeves of his jacket loose in the process. "Hold on." He told Conan, as he squeezed them both into the narrow gap. It was tight. Tighter than the tunnel below had been. He couldn't even turn his head really. He sucked in his stomach, doing his best to think skinny as he edged his way carefully forward. The only benefit to this tiny space was that he didn't need to put weight on his right leg to keep his balance and stay upright.
Conan's short arms wrapped around Kogoro's head clinging to him. "Ojisan?" He asked quietly.
Kogoro edged a hand up to grip one of the boy's ankles, keeping him steady. "I'm not going to kick you to the curb, boy." He growled. "I may not be the best of fathers, but I'm not heartless. You still need looking after and you said yourself there's no one at your home to care for you." He tightened his grip on the boy. "If you've managed to keep us safe for the past two years, you can continue keeping us safe now. I trust you to know what you're doing." Had he not been thinking that since he'd woken up trapped in the basement? The boy was resourceful.
Conan sniffed, one hand leaving Kogoro's head briefly. "I-I won't let them harm you, Ojisan." He promised his voice wavering. "You have my word."
Kogoro had to smile at that. Honestly, the image of Conan standing up against harden criminals wasn't the easiest thing to picture. But somehow the boy had managed to do so in reality and had kept them safe.
Though, as Kogoro carefully edged his right leg over a jagged piece of wood, he did have to wonder...how many of the incidents they'd experienced over the past couple of years had been because of this mysterious group Conan was trying to find? He pressed his lips into a thin line. He should save that question for later when they were both recovered.
He paused to free the splint in his left leg from a prong of copper before continuing to edge them through the crack. Still, he had to wonder though. "Conan. Do you think these people that you're hiding from...did they set up this bomb?" He asked. Had it been a trap for them from the start? A fake client to lure them in with a fake case? The woman on the phone had been offering to pay a rather large sum of money if they could come to her and solve her problem here, just beyond the outskirts of the city.
Conan gripped Kogoro's head gently, resting his own head on top of Kogoro's as the ceiling sagged down low. "It's...they've used bombs before to destroy evidence of their existence and eliminate threats to them." He said a tinge of worry in his voice. "But...you shouldn't be on their radar anymore." He mumbled, half to himself.
"I was on their radar? How? When?" Kogoro asked, frowning.
Conan shivered. "A mistake I made early on. It's been a while, Ojisan. It doesn't matter now."
Kogoro tensed. "Of course it matters! When was I in danger?! What exactly did you do that convinced them they needed to target me?"
He could feel Conan flinch. "Mouri-san….please." He said quietly. "I can't...I can't tell you. The more you know…"
Kogoro tsked, not liking that the boy had reverted to calling him Mouri-san. That was something Shinichi did, not Conan. He gripped the boy's ankle tighter. "Let me guess, the more I know the more danger I'd be in?"
"Exactly."
Kogoro bit back a yelp as he jabbed his right knee into a corner of concrete. He cursed, edging along quicker, ready to be out of this narrow space. "So how much danger am I in now?" he asked wryly. "Since I now know your other name, brat." How could he be in any more danger than they were in right now, trying to escape a bombed out building without dying in the process?
Conan shivered, his leg twitching in Kogoro's grip. "So long as...as you treat me as Conan still...it shouldn't change anything."
That should be easy enough. "Great, then when we get out of here, I'm throwing you across the lawn."
That startled a laugh from the boy. "Only if you can catch me, Ojisan."
Kogoro relaxed. There, the boy was back to Ojisan. Good. "Oh, I'll catch you, brat. I always do." Especially when the boy was focused on a crime scene. Kogoro breathed a sigh of relief as his reaching fingers found open space. Finally! He pulled them free of the fissure and immediately dropped onto a chunk of nearby concrete with a groan, getting his weight off his left foot as quickly as he could. Even if he could kind of walk on one broken leg, he didn't want to stand on it for longer than possible. He leaned against the wall, conscious of Conan still sitting on his shoulders. "I do expect you to warn me now though, Conan." He said, "if these people come near again."
"I..."
"If you refrain from doing so, you little four-eyed squirt," Kogoro said, exhaustion making the threat less intense in his voice as he searched for a suitable punishment. "I'm going to…ban you from every single crime scene for six months."
Conan stiffened. "You wouldn't do that to m-Wait, you still wouldn't kick me out if I didn't tell you!" He exclaimed in disbelief.
Kogoro snorted and leaned his head back to look up at the kid's face. "For the last time, Conan." He growled, hoping this would be the last time he'd have to make this point. "Like it or not, I did agree to look after you and I'm going to keep doing that until you 'return to America,'" He said with air quotations. "So stop worrying about me kicking you out and worry about-"
A soft whump in the distance followed by a dull roar that quickly grew louder had Kogoro turning in time to see a wall of red and orange fire coming straight for them through the fissure.
"That." He breathed.
Reacting on pure adrenaline, Kogoro grabbed Conan off his shoulders, pressing him tight to his chest as he pushed off the concrete slab, breaking into a dead run, ignoring the nuclear warfare exploding in his broken legs in favor of outrunning the wall of flames coming up fast behind them.
Weaving and dodging through the rubble, Kogoro made for the light streaming from the entryway they'd come through just hours before. The once pristine room now in blackened disarray, the doors hanging off of their hinges.
With the heat of flames scorching the back of his neck, Kogoro didn't stop to mourn the damage. He darted through the broken doors into the blinding sunlight and promptly tripped over a toppled pillar, sending both him and Conan rolling down the stairs that had lead up to the mansion.
Somehow, Kogoro managed to keep a hold on the boy as they tumbled downwards. He landed hard on his back, his head cracking against the marble landing, breath whooshing out of him as Conan settled on his chest. Stars swam in front of his eyes competing with the raging inferno spewing from the doorway above Kogoro before darkness took over and he knew no more.
Chapter 5 Published: 9/11/2017