CHAPTER 4: REALIZATION

Oh God, my head feels like it's gonna explode. What the hell happened?

Conan opened his eyes. It took a few minutes for them to get focus but soon he realized he was lying on a carpeted ground. He tried to get up but realized his legs were bound together and his wrist were tied behind his back. Tightly. He was also gagged. He let his head fall back on the ground.

I was... kidnapped?

Oh yeah... Someone... came up behind me, and...

He looked around the room. There wasn't anything really. There was a draped window and a door at the left corner. Conan couldn't do anything to free himself in a place like this. His attacker seemed to have taken all the precautions. It looked like his situation seemed hopeless.

I have all my gadgets except my glasses.

Suddenly, the door opened and a man in his early twenties walked in with a sheet of paper, scissors and newspaper in his hand.

Who is this person? What does he want?

"Hey hey hey, Conan-kun. How are you?" he said with enthusiasm. Conan responded with a muffled growl. The man started cutting letters out of the newspaper and pasting them on the sheet of paper. After a while, he started talking.

"Now now, no need to get worked out so much. You're probably wondering why you're here, and why did I bring you here, and what the hell do I want, and what am I gonna do with you and blah blah blah. But don't worry, all will be answered in a matter of time. Now you be a good boy while I send that "Sleeping Kogoro" a note. I also need to send him a warning so he'll know I'm not playing here." he walked towards Conan and knelt beside him with paper in hand. Conan's eyes widened in shock as the man took out a small knife out of his pocket.

Conan struggled to pull away but the man held strong. "I'm sorry, really." he said. With one swift move, the man made a long cut on one of Conan's arms. Conan winced and managed a growl. He twisted as the blade made contact with his skin. The man held the paper under Conan's arm and let the blood drop on the paper. Satisfied, he put the paper beside him and tied a cloth around Conan's arm.

"I'm gonna go mail this but I could never trust you. You're a really smart sneaky kid aren't you...Conan-kun? That is what I've heard."

Conan stared at the man in horror as the man went out the room and came back a few minutes later.

"I'm leaving now. You need your rest, so good night." he said as he pressed the handkerchief over Conan's nose and mouth again who didn't resist as much this time.

Someone... help, he thought as the darkness took hold of him again.

Ran sat in the living room, staring at the phone as Heiji walked up and down the carpeted floor.

Kogoro came in after a bath and asked. "Did anyone call?"

"No..." Ran with her eyes full of worry. Shinichi, if you were here... then you'd be able to help Conan-kun... That's if... if you aren't Conan-kun that is...

"We have mail. No return address." Kogoro said and brought the envelope inside.

Ran and Heiji ran to Kogoro's side as he opened the envelope. Ran gasped in fear as she saw what was inside. Heiji and Kogoro's eyes both widened in fear.

"If you want to see that sneaky brat again, bring 20,000,000 yen tomorrow at 6:00 to the Beika park. Put the money in a sport's bag and Heiji Hattori will drop it in a trash can next to the biggest street light. If there's anyone watching or following, Conan will still have my hospitality. And I don't think he's happy to be here..."

The letter had droplets of blood all over the paper. Ran's eyes filled with tears and she ran to the bathroom. Heiji sat on the couch, thinking and mumbling to himself, as Kogoro arched his eyebrows in fury and went to reach for the phone. But it rang before he was able to touch it.

"Megure-keibu?" he said as Heiji tuned in to listen. "So that guy at the hopsital has a brother? There's a chance it's him then. Listen, we got a note from the kidnapper. He wants 20,000,000 yen by tomorrrow at 6:00. He wants Heiji to drop it in the trash can next to the biggest street light. He doesn't want to be watched or followed. " Pause. "Yes, I know we can't risk it so we have to follow him."

That's right! Heiji thought. He wanted me to drop it. Then that means he knows I'm here. I only came here at about 4 pm yesterday...

This time when Conan woke up, his head felt worse than before. One thing he realized is that he wasn't gagged anymore. But he did realize that he was blind-folded. He wasn't hungry nor thirsty. Had the guy gave him some other kind of drug? Like a serum or something they give at the hospitals? The guy probably kept drugging him so that he wouldn't wake up. He felt sore all over.

Just what the hell is going on?

He listened for about 10 minutes for any signs of noise. When he was sure no one was coming, he managed to take his Shonen-tantei dan badge out of his pocket and pressed a button.

"Ayumi, Genta, Mitsuhiko, Haibara, you guys there?" he whispered.

A few minutes later, the respond came. "Conan-kun! Where are you, are you okay? We've been worried so much! Ran-neechan is really sad. Heiji-neechan is here too! Everyone's listening right now." Ayumi said quietly. "We're all at the park!"

Park? Hattori? Where did he come from?

"Ayumi-chan, I don't know. I'm tied up so I can't really do anything. I don't even know the guy who kidnapped me."

"Hey Ku-Conan, you okay there?" Conan heard the familiar voice.

"Hattori! Well not really, considering the fact that I'm tied up and blind-folded..."

"There was blood on the paper the guy sent to us, what happened?"

"He made a cut on my arm, no big deal." On the other end, he heard Hattori tell the others that he was okay. He heard some thank God's and some sighs in relief. One especially from Ran.

"Got an idea of where you are?"

"No, but the guy looked in his early twenties, tall, normal weight, straight short black hair, black-colored eyes, small nose, that's all I remember..."

Heiji responded quickly. "We figured out who that guy is..."

"What? Who?" Conan asked.

"Takagi-keiji told me that there was this one case where you offered to corner the guy while the others listened at the other end. Well, that guy got stabbed a few days ago and was staying at the Beika hospital."

"Was? Wait...no..."

"That's right. He ran away."

"But it's not him! Or I would have recognized him."

"No, it's his brother. But it's likely that he's coming there. We got a note from him yesterday. He wanted me to drop the money off at the park today. He didn't want to be followed nor watched."

"You didn't-"

"No no," Heiji interrupted. "The police are at the park undercover now. We've been waiting an hour now but nothing came up. I think he noticed..."

"Crap."

Just then, a sound came from outside that sounded so much like two people walking inside.

A/N: Cliffhanger! YEAHHH! Do you guys think that Conan will be able to escape on his own? Yeah, I don't think so... Hahahahahahhahahaaaaa. I know I'm a really evil person, sorry. Can't help it... You just have to believe in the power of friendshiiiip! *grin*