AN: It's chapter ten, and boy howdy, do things sure happen in this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it, so I hope everyone enjoys reading it just as much! Anyways, that's really all I have to say this time around, so thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!

Until next time!

Phantasmal Black

Chapter Ten

Midnight

He woke knowing nothing.

Perhaps that wasn't quite true. There were any number of things that he knew- some of which he couldn't help but dwell on as to how he knew in the first place. Things like knowing the velocity of blood splatters did not seem like your average, run of the mill kind of knowledge, nor did such a through understanding of how to determine the time in which a corpse had died, nevermind a through understanding of how to fool someone looking into such things. His thoughts buzzed around in his head in a variety of languages, and for a moment, he struggled to place which one might be his native tongue.

These things and more, he all knew. What he didn't know, no matter how deeply he dug through his memories, was anything about himself, nor how he might have gotten here. There were no mirrors in the room that he had found himself in, which appeared to be something resembling a hospital room, if not one that wasn't quite that, so beyond knowing that he had dark skin and what appeared to be a scar from a gunshot on his stomach, he didn't even know what he looked like at the moment.

In place of his memories, there was an empty, yearning void where they should have been. As he desperately tried to recall how it was he might have gotten here- it appeared that he had been shot again, judging from the wound on his upper torso, that he'd checked upon unwinding the bandages around it, he couldn't help but be troubled by the even more pressing question.

Who on earth was he?

"You're awake."

It was a woman's voice, and although there was a trace of an accent to her words, she appeared to be speaking Japanese. Was he Japanese? He couldn't even remember that much, but judging from the fact that he seemed to be able to recall more about Japanese history, law, and culture than that of any other nation, it was possible that was the case. Slowly turning to face the woman who had spoken, he locked eyes with her, slowly blinking, trying almost desperately to place her face, and utterly failing at that attempt.

"Do I know ya from somewhere?" He finally spoke up, taking note of what appeared to be an Osakan accent that came out as he spoke. Japanese, probably from the Kansai region, at the very least. He couldn't quite place the woman's nationality, other than the fact that she fell underneath the broad spectrum of white. Maybe French, he thought dimly, or German, given the trace of accent that she spoke with.

Pulling up a chair next to the bed, the woman, who appeared to be somewhere in her early fifties, short black hair curling around ears, traces of wrinkles and gray hairs being the only thing to give away the fact that she was not in fact, a much younger woman. "I think the bigger question is if you know anything about yourself."

There was a pause there for a moment, as her words hung in the air. Swallowing, he slowly shook his head, once again wondering who this woman was. There was something about the air that she gave off that made his skin crawl- and he half didn't know if he should trust her. Still, there was no one else around, and it was true that no matter how hard he dug, he couldn't recall even one fact about himself- though he appeared to have a rather through understanding of how one could use fishing wires to create fake locked room murders, and a distressingly detailed understanding of how a human body reacted when lit on fire.

Which raised the very good question again, of who the hell he was.

"No." He said finally, slowly shaking his head. "I don't remember anythin'." Slowly glancing over towards her, an almost slightly hopeful look to his eyes he decided to chance a question that had been waiting to be asked. "Do you know me?"

"Of course I do." The soft smile that graced the woman's lips almost seemed maternal, as she reached out a hand, lightly cupping one of his cheeks, softly stroking it with her fingers. He almost shuddered at the touch, it sending a crawling feeling up his spine. "You could say that I'm your mother, Paikaru. I've raised you ever since you were a wee babe. I'm Merlot."

Thinking back on it, years later, the one who had been given a new name on that day wondered how he had missed the opportunistic glint that had been in her eyes at the time. Perhaps he had just been that desperate to fill the void of his lost memories at the time, and hadn't even questioned the woman's claims, even as she told him that they were both assassins, members of an organized crime ring that she would only refer to as the Organization. Maybe it was just because that the things that he did remember- knowledge that he'd earned as a detective, not as a murderer, he'd only come to learn far too late- seemed to match up with what the woman was saying.

Maybe it was the fact that he had been shot, and that it hadn't even been the first time, judging from the scar on his stomach. Or perhaps it was just simply the soft, reassuring tone that the woman took, never once wavering in her act that she was someone who knew him, and had known him since he was a baby, had raised him as her own. The smooth words of a woman who was accustomed to manipulating people, taking advantage of his amnesia to fill his head with lies, to convince him that he was really someone that he wasn't, to craft someone new out of the nothing left behind.

Paikaru.

That was the only name that he knew for five years, and it wasn't even really a name to begin with. Just a codename, one that marked him as a member of the Organization. He had heard whispers of the young Japanese detective that had destroyed most of their Organization, and even when he heard the name of Kudo Shinichi cross the lips of the silver haired man who had been introduced to him as Gin, it didn't seem to stir anything within him.

He should have taken notice of the way the man reacted to his own lack of reaction to the name, should have taken notice to the considering look he'd turned towards Merlot, and the pleased smile that crossed the woman's features. He couldn't have known at the time that it was by that young man's side- this Kudo Shinichi, that he should have been standing with. Not here, with them, a name that was not his own applied to him, one that he had accepted without questioning it too much.

He should have asked more questions.

Especially as his hand shook, fingers hesitating to pull the trigger on his first mission- until a bolt of electricity had surged through his left arm, and he'd fired without thinking. There would be no more turning back from then on, no excuses in the world that would make up for what he had done- or was going to end up doing. Even as he slowly began to ask questions, slowly began to realize that things were not as they seemed, and that the things that had spilled so easily from that woman's mouth on that day were nothing more than well crafted lies, it was already far too late to turn back.

By the time he learned that his real name was Hattori Heiji, it had long since become a name that he didn't know. When Kudo Shinichi himself had told him that the name belonged to him, desperately searching his eyes for any trace of the friend that he once had, he had already become someone that he no longer recognized. He'd only just wanted to approach the detective as a way out of the Organization, some way to get them off of his back so that he could live freely- after disappearing from the detective's sight once helping him bring them down, of course.

He never thought even for a moment, that Kudo Shinichi was someone that he knew, someone who had once trusted him deeply. He was just a stranger to him, a means to an end. And then, somehow, he had become so much more, as without realizing it, he'd wandered his way back to the place where he was meant to be all along, by the side of people he was meant to be by all along.

Kudo Shinichi had answers, not lies. But he was also a detective, and a sworn of enemy of the Organization that he'd been embroiled in as a member for the past five years, the Organization that he'd already done so much for. In the past, Paikaru himself might have been a detective- a high school detective, and an ally of Shinichi's, someone who he trusted to work with him to bring down the Organization- but now? Now he was none of that, or so he thought.

There was a transformative power to names, and from the very moment that his own was stripped away from him, Hattori Heiji might have already been lost. From the second that he had unthinkingly accepted his name as Paikaru, a mere codename given to someone with no real name of his own, it may very well have been that he'd sealed his own fate.

And yet still, he found himself here, in front of the Kudo manor in the dark of the night, quietly listening for those footsteps he had cause to become familiar with. She was coming-he could feel that much in his bones, in the beating of his own heart, sending blood through his own veins that he knew was partly her own. She'd given him a generous blood donation in order to save his life, and that too, had been an element that had prompted him to believe her story, to believe the web of lies that she weaved, crafting it as carefully as a spider would.

"Merlot."

The codename escaped from his lips as if it were a poison, and Paikaru's eyes slowly opened, listening to the faintest of footfalls coming to a halt. Even in the dark of the night, he could still make out the amusement that glimmered in the eyes of this woman, her hair and clothes as black as the night itself. The only thing that stood out was the starkly pale color of her skin, and the glimmer of deep blue in her eyes.

She was delighted to see him, he could tell- even though he didn't share her sentiments. He supposed he owed her something of a debt for saving his life in the first place- but any such debt had been washed away by her taking advantage of him as she had, knowingly crafting an assassin out of someone who was never meant to take a life in the first place. Rising to his feet, Paikaru's eyes narrowed, casting a quick assessing gaze towards her- he could tell where most, if not all of her weapons were hidden, but in turn, he knew full well that she knew where every last one of his were.

She was the one who taught him, after all.

"Paikaru." The woman's voice bubbled up, barely above a whisper, as if she didn't want to disturb those slumbering inside the Kudo manor. "I thought that if I came here, I might find you. I was rather troubled to discover that your target was still alive, so I was afraid that perhaps you had gotten yourself involved in some trouble- and it seems that my instincts were right on the mark. But have no fear, dear child, I've come to see to it myself that you don't have to worry about such bothersome things anymore."

"What bothersome things?" Paikaru's eyes narrowed, a flash of anger shooting through them. "Bothersome things like my memories? My past? My name? My real one, not the lies that you've been feeding me for the past five years."

"Ah child," Heaving a long sigh, Merlot almost cast a sympathetic look towards him, a knowing smile on her face. As she suspected, that bothersome detective had told him everything- all the things that she wanted to keep hidden. And yet the one she was speaking to without a doubt was her beloved pupil, Paikaru, and not Hattori Heiji- even with the truth out there, his memories had not yet returned. "But have the lies not since become the truth?"

"Only because you made it that way." Paikaru said lowly, locking eyes with her. They had been the same height when he had first met her, but at some point, he'd shot up beyond her- and while it gave him more of a reach, it was hardly enough of an advantage to overturn the lifetime of experience that was contained within the woman. Even now, as she appeared for all the world to be at ease, he knew that she was capable of delivering a deadly strike at any second, as dangerous as any serpent. "I am not Paikaru and I'm not supposed to be an assassin."

"Ah, but you are Paikaru, my child." Merlot said simply, the shrug of her shoulders somehow graceful. "And trust me, your talents were being wasted on what you were before I took you in. You have a natural gift, a talent given to you by God for this- I'm sure you've come to notice that much over these past five years. It took me so little time to really train you! I've never seen such a natural for this job since well, myself, really."

"Besides," Merlot said simply, a coy expression crossing her face, a hint of a smirk twisting her lips. "If you are not Paikaru, then who are you? Surely you're not going to make the claim that you are Hattori Heiji. You, with blood on your hands, and you who has the that glimmer in his eyes that tells me that he wants to see me erased from this earth and is willing to do that much himself."

Paikaru's eyes could only narrow further at that, a slight twitch to his fingers. "You're probably right about that." He admitted after a moment, knowing better than to avert his gaze from her, however much he wanted to right now, not wanting to see that look in her eyes any longer. Even now, her tone was gentle and soft, a maternal edge to her words, as if she were trying to convince a wayward son to come back home.

Which in her mind, he guessed was what was actually happening here.

"You see?" Merlot said simply, taking a step forward. "Do you really think there is still a place for you here, Paikaru? I'm certain that Kudo Shinichi child has told you all sorts of things, but do you really think that this is the place where you belong? The people here are not waiting for you, you know, but for someone that you cannot ever be."

"And who was it that made me that way?" Paikaru asked, a slight hiss to his words, taking a step forward himself. "If I lost who I was, it's you to blame, Merlot."

"I can tell that you're quite angry with me." Merlot observed, her voice light, but her fond smile not wavering from her face. "I suppose it is understandable. But do you really think you have much of a choice? These people here, they may accept your help and your existence for now, but should they succeed in their endeavors- unlikely, really, but nevertheless- do you really think that you'll have a place to go back to here? Perhaps you'll simply share the same fate of all my previous pupils before you, and I would hate to see your talent wasted in such a manner."

"I don't intend to let that happen either." Paikaru noted. "I don't know if there's a place for me here still, but the only person who can figure that out is me, and nobody else. Your lie might have ended up becoming the truth, but that doesn't erase the fact that there's still another truth out there for me. For once in my life that I can remember, I have a choice, and I'm going to take the one that I want."

"Very well then." Merlot said simply, heaving a long sigh. "I can see there is no convincing you on this matter. But do you really think you are skilled enough to prevent me from doing what I came here to do?"

"No." Paikaru admitted freely, folding his arms in front of his chest, looking down at the woman before him. "Which is why I'm going to instead propose a bet."

"Oh?" At the prospect of such a thing, Merlot's brows raised, a look of great interest crossing her face. "Go on then, I'm listening. I do enjoy a good bet."

"You seem confident that Kudo-han," Paikaru paused for a moment, watching as a sharp look flashed through the woman's eyes as he briefly lapsed back into his native Osakan accent. "...Kudo-san can't do anything against you or that old man Gin. I say that he can."

"An interesting proposition, but one that's going to be very difficult to fulfill as I fully intend to kill him tonight and be done with the whole thing." Merlot observed. "And why, Paikaru, do you suppose that I shouldn't? Certainly you're not going to try and convince me that it's because you think of him as your friend still, even now? You don't even know him."

A sharp burst of anger flashed through Paikaru's eyes, causing him to grit his teeth. "No." He said simply. Friendship might have been something that he had with him in the past, but it was hardly something he felt he had the right to claim with him now, however friendly the detective had been acting towards him ever since they'd met. "I propose a match, Merlot. If I can get just one hit on you before you get five on me, you will leave."

"A rather confident declaration for someone who has never managed such a thing even once. The last time we sparred, I got ten in before your one." Merlot observed. "Will you fight with your life on the line then, Paikaru, for people that you've only just met? If I take this match, I will view it as such a challenge. I'd much rather kill you myself than see you corrupted by such people."

"I'll fight with my life on the line for people I'm supposed to know." Paikaru stated plainly, his own words surprising even him. He didn't quite think that he was this type of person- even now, even though he knew the truth, he still somewhat only saw Shinichi as a means to an end, a way out of the life that he'd found himself trapped in. He didn't think that he was someone that he would fight to protect- and yet here he was, doing just that.

It was absurd, just as every other part of this scenario was.

And not just for him, really- but for the others as well, he supposed. That weird Mouri Ran girl, the one who used to carry a codename much like himself, Haibara Ai- even that bothersome Blondie. The others too, for he imagined that Merlot would see to it that those who rose up in the past to bring down the Black Organization would never again be able to try such a thing- and among their number was someone that he very much wanted to see live.

Even though he'd never met her, even though he'd never so much as properly spoken to her. Even though when given half the chance to, he had run away and hidden himself, unable to face the girl that he had been told was his childhood friend, the one who had made the charm that he had clung to all of these years, as his last remaining connection to a life that he no longer remembered.

At the considering look that crossed Merlot's face, her eyes narrowing slightly, he knew that she sensed that much as well. She had sent him out here, likely to test if there were any traces of Hattori Heiji left within him- and it appeared that she was getting her answer, in a manner that she hadn't quite expected. There was a transformative power to names, and perhaps the return of his own name, the one he had held since birth, was working to restore things he thought long since lost within him- even if he wasn't ready to have it applied to him just yet.

"Very well then, Paikaru." Merlot said simply. "If you manage one blow on me before I land five on you, or before I kill you myself, then I will depart this evening. But should I do such a thing, you know it won't simply just be me that you and the ilk that you've decided to toss your lot in with for reasons I cannot understand, will have to deal with. Gin will come as well, and he will come with no small degree of anger."

"Good." Paikaru couldn't help but flash a grin in spite of the circumstances, white teeth flashing against the dark of the night. "That's exactly what Kudo-san wants."

She really ought to be in bed. Quite frankly, she didn't understand why she wasn't asleep right now, other than the fact that she couldn't seem to manage such a feat. Perhaps it was just because she had learned so much today, and all of her thoughts were still buzzing around in her head. Perhaps it was the creeping sense of anticipation that the upcoming clash with the remnants of the Organization was filling her with. Or perhaps it was the strange, haunting feeling that had been hanging over her ever since early this morning, when she had gone to pay a visit to the Kudo manor herself.

She had spoken with Sera in length after that, and while she wouldn't disclose any more information about Paikaru, which was something Kazuha regarded as strange in and of itself, she had been far more forthcoming when it came to Shinichi's plans. She had heard some of them herself, in brief, but not the full details of them- thankfully, Sera had been more than willing to fill in the gaps of her knowledge, once they had moved themselves to a slightly more private location.

It sounded as good a plan as any, though it seemed to hinge heavily on the notion that Paikaru wouldn't betray them, nor would he abandon them. She wasn't certain what to make of that, and again found herself questioning just why it was that Shinichi was putting so much faith in the Black Organization assassin. Sera had told her that his circumstances were special, and Hakuba himself had said that he hadn't become an assassin originally by choice- a defense that left her more confused than anything else. After all the years of chasing him, and then all the months that he had spent personally tracking the guy, what was it that had changed his opinion so about him?

Perhaps it was simply all of the questions buzzing around in her head that prevented her from falling asleep. Seeing that she was going to have no luck in that department, Kazuha finally heaved a defeated sigh, tossing her covers off of her and swinging her feet out of the bed. Quickly changing out of her pajamas and into her street clothes, she decided that perhaps the best thing for her was to take a walk, maybe find a place that was still open to get something akin to a midnight snack.

Gathering up her things and tucking her hotel key card into her pocket, Kazuha quietly made her way out of her hotel room. Careful not to make any noise that could have woken up the other slumbering guests, she made her way to the elevator, pressing the call button, shifting a little on her feet as she waited for it to come. She had planned to crash at Ran's place while she was here, but Ran had suddenly told her that she would be spending the night at Shinichi's place that night- because she was worried about him, she had said.

There was something slightly odd about her words and her demeanor at the time, but Kazuha decided not to press her. Ran was her best friend, after all, and she would never keep anything critically important from her, or so she felt. Ran had directed her to a nearby nice hotel, with rather cheap rates, and Kazuha had happily booked a room there, finding that it suited her needs just fine.

She would return back to the Kudo manor tomorrow morning to ask some more questions of Shinichi and Hakuba- to try and ferret out what it was that they still weren't telling her. When she had wrapped things up with Sera, it was already somewhat late, and the woman had invited her to dinner- followed by a few drinks. Now that she thought back on it, she almost got the feeling that Sera was trying to distract her- and that too, she found strange, narrowing her eyes as she stepped into the brightly lit elevator.

Something was being kept from her, that was the distinct feeling that she got. Perhaps it was something in the cold, crawling feeling that she got down her spine whenever she thought about it, or perhaps it was the way that her little finger itched and chafed, the once faint tug on it becoming a firm pull- that gave her the feeling that whatever this something was, that it had almost everything to do with the Black Organization member known as Paikaru.

What that was, she didn't know.

At least, she could only hope that she didn't know. For Toyama Kazuha was no fool- and she knew full well that this haunted feeling in reality, extended back far beyond today. Back to when Hakuba had called her telling her that they had gotten their biggest lead yet, someone who had seen Paikaru and lived to tell the tale about it. From the very moment that she had heard his description, she had felt the string that twined her charm around her neck tighten, though only in her mind.

A young man with nearly black hair and a dark complexion.

Those you could find anywhere. And yet, ever since then, even though she tried not to dwell on it, she slowly came to understand the reason why she always got the strangest feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever Paikaru was brought up- why she had decided to devote her focus to tracking him down in the first place, long before they even got the vaguest hint of a description of him.

Perhaps she was not a great detective, not like Heiji was, not like Hakuba and Shinichi were- but she had good instincts. And it was those same instincts that whispered to her that it was not a coincidence she'd found that pile of Ellery Queen novels today at the Kudo manor, nor was it coincidence that she was feeling this way so strongly now. It was those same instincts that whispered to her to trust them, to put her faith in what she was starting to suspect in her gut, that cold, dreadful, black feeling raised up to swallow her should she even so much as entertain the notion she didn't want to think of.

Somewhere out there, in the wide world, Hattori Heiji still lived. Even if he had lost all of his memories, even if he had become a different person, Kazuha would still embrace him with open arms should he ever find his way back to her. The red string of fate that tied them together might have grown frayed and worn, but it would never be severed, not for as long as they both lived. These were all facts that Kazuha knew, these were all facts that Kazuha believed.

Somewhere out there, in the wide world, Hattori Heiji still lived. Her childhood friend, who she had always viewed in shades of orange and red, bright like fire, a raging inferno of emotion. She couldn't imagine that such a fire could ever be quenched- not by the blue of the sea, nor by the cold gray of a bullet. But perhaps there was one color that could put the fire out, consuming everything in it's path without mercy.

Black.

Placing a hand on his side, pressing tightly against it, Paikaru grimaced as he felt the bright red color that was staining his black hoodie trickle out over his fingers. The cut in itself was not that deep- the problem was the fact that Merlot was targeting the exact same location every time she attacked- and while that made her attack patterns ever slightly more predictable, it meant that with each strike she did get through his guard, the cut in question grew less shallow, and far deeper- and the fact that he was constantly moving around, evading her blows and attempting to make those of his own, really did not help matters much.

She had announced with a flourish of her hands that she would handicap herself by only using knives- and that Paikaru could use whatever it was that he wanted to attack her. He'd stubbornly stuck to knives himself, a decision that he was coming to regret, as he paused to catch his breath. Part of him wanted to toss aside this foolish bet- putting himself in danger like this for the sake of other people? He obviously wasn't thinking straight- especially since he barely even knew these people.

But the other part of him, the part that he could only assume was some small fragment of Hattori Heiji that still dwelled within him, told him that this was not a fight that he could afford to lose. One more blow landed on him, and he would lost the bet, and everyone in the Kudo manor that evening- and everyone who had allied themselves with the young detective known as Kudo Shinichi- would lose their lives.

For reasons he couldn't quite comprehend, he really didn't want that. Perhaps there was more of this so-called detective of the west that remained in him than he had first suspected- though he wasn't about to flatter himself like that. Perhaps it was only that he desperately wanted to prove to those he had decided to ally himself with- and indeed, to himself, that he wasn't just a tool created for the Black Organization, forged out of someone who had once been their friend and ally.

Merlot had told him that he had no place here. Hell, he'd agreed with her. Everything that he knew told him she was right, that he was only fooling himself trying to believe otherwise. Being here amongst people who treated him this way was like a nice dream- but that's all it was, and he would have to wake up from it someday.

But at the very least, he wanted to choose when that someday was himself. And he certainly couldn't do that if they were all dead. He wished that he could dredge some feelings up in him about the value of life and living things, but Merlot was also right about the fact that at his core, he was an assassin- the lies that she had spoken to him on that day had long since become the truth. Even if he tried, there was nothing that he could do to change it. Even if his memories came back, his instincts wouldn't fade.

"I've told you time and time again, stubbornness of your kind has no place in this trade, Paikaru." Merlot observed, her voice cool, sounding almost detached from the situation. The view from the rooftop of the building that she had selected as the location of their match was lovely- and the cool night breeze that blew through the air carried with it a promise of an early fall. "It's going to get you killed one of these days."

"Sorry for being stubborn." Paikaru couldn't help but quip, a hint of a fierce grin surfacing on his lips, pulling his hand away from his wound. "I'm going to guess that's one of my less desirable traits you couldn't manage to erase."

"It has it's merits." Merlot said simply, carefully pacing the roof, her eyes never quite leaving him, assessing every movement that he made. "It helped you learn quickly."

"Do you really think now that I know the truth, that I would ever willingly go back with you?" Paikaru asked, narrowing his eyes. "Even if you're right, and even if there's no place for me here, that doesn't mean I have to continue to accept the life that you forced on me."

"What other life have you known?" Merlot's words were simple, a slight shrug of her shoulders as she turned sharply on her heel to face him down. "There is nothing else you can be other than what you are, Paikaru. And what you are is an assassin, and my pupil. One who needs more training, but one day will be a fine successor to my legacy. Surely you don't think that you can go back to being what you once were, dear child. You really should put such foolish notions aside."

"In case you haven't noticed, I am an adult now." Paikaru noted, arching his brows, carefully studying her, looking for any open avenue of attack. There wasn't any, of course- she might be a good deal older than him, but clearly this was not a woman who had even begun to entertain the notion of retiring. "As for your question- I guess I'll figure it out myself. Maybe I can still become a detective again, in my own way. The only one who can really determine that is me."

"My, you've grown up." Merlot said. "As your mother, I'm quite proud of you Paikaru, misguided though you're getting."

"Yer not my mother." Paikaru's words almost came out in a hiss, his eyes flashing with anger. He didn't even flinch as the sharp look surfaced in her eyes as he slipped once more into his native accent. "Don't make me laugh, Merlot. Ya don't have ta keep up that kind of act around me anymore."

"Mm, I suppose not." Merlot observed, taking two steps forward, moonlight glittering on the silver knife that she held in her hand. "But it is my truth, Paikaru. I suppose that I can't manage to erase your memories a second time, but your life would be far simpler if you accepted it as yours again. Tell me, child," she asked, only the slightest bit of weight shifted onto her left foot giving hint to her next move, as she closed the gap between them with a swiftness most women of her age did not possess. "...have you even so much as remembered a single thing?"

Though he flinched at her question, it wasn't enough to throw him off his guard, and Paikaru avoid her blow, all but dancing around the knife as it trailed a silver arc through the night sky. "No." He replied curtly, narrowing his eyes, avoiding her second blow, briefly grabbing her wrist- she slipped out of his hold as if she were smoke, however. "But I still might."

"And if you don't?" Merlot inquired, effortlessly stepping out of the way, avoiding her own pupil's strike, preparing a counterattack of her own. As Paikaru avoided it with the same amount of grace, in spite of his wounds, she could only beam softly, feeling a swell of pride in her chest. "What then? You've not once called yourself Hattori Heiji, I can't help but note."

"Because I'm not." Paikaru fully admitted, casting a glower towards her, managing to grab hold of one of her wrists and toss her this time, watching with growing annoyance as she landed on her feet, not the slightest bit winded. "The hell do you care anyways? If everything goes according to plan, you'll be rottin' away in a prison cell for the rest of your life anyways."

"And this is a fate that you'll somehow avoid yourself?" Merlot couldn't help but ask. "You seem to put an awful lot of faith into this Kudo Shinichi boy. How on earth did I manage to allow such a bad influence to get back into your life? My mistake, clearly."

In spite of himself, Paikaru couldn't help but snort at Shinichi being described as a bad influence- and couldn't help but wonder what he'd think of such a thing. Granted, he had no intention of telling him anything about tonight's events, but nevertheless. Watching as Merlot slightly shifted on one foot again, closing in on him, Paikaru quickly made a decision of his own.

She still largely avoid the bullet, the gunshot ringing out clearly in the night air. Carefully placing a hand against her cheek, where a faint trail of red was welling up, Merlot's expression almost looked vaguely satisfied. "There, you see! This is what you can do when you don't let your stubbornness blind you from the possibilities. Had I noticed you reach for your pistol a moment later, perhaps it would have been too late for even one as skilled as I am."

"I could still shoot ya again." Paikaru noted, grip on his pistol not wavering. "Never said that I wouldn't try an' kill ya right here, given half the chance."

He had made something of a deal with Hakuba to not kill anyone- but frankly, he thought that he was being a little naive in that department. There were some things that you couldn't settle unless the other person was dead- and although he placed a great amount of faith in Shinichi's plan and his skills as a detective, he was willing to admit that he thought his notion of trying to capture Gin and Merlot alive was foolish- childish, even. The whole thing would wrap up much faster and much easier if he were willing to kill him.

If it were just a matter of not wanting blood on his hands, then Paikaru would be willing to do it for him. What was the blood of one or two more people on his hands anyways? It was nothing at this point.

"You are aware that if you shoot, and fail to kill me, that the terms of our bet are moot." Merlot said simply, amusement flashing through her eyes as anger flashed through Paikaru's own. Watching as he lowered his gun, tucking it back away, she plucked a handkerchief from her pocket, carefully wiping her knife of any blood, before she too, put it back away. "Very well then, Paikaru. This night I shall leave. As for tomorrow night, well- who knows for certain what tomorrow will bring, other than God?"

"Just get lost, Merlot." Paikaru grumbled. Confident in his skills with a firearm though he might be, he wasn't going to take the risk. "You can tell that old man that I'm a traitor, if ya like. I'm not comin' back. I might not belong here, but I sure as heck don't belong over there either."

"Very well, Paikaru, suit yourself." Merlot said simply, heaving a long sigh. "I suppose it's my duty to be supportive of your decisions, however wrongheaded they are. In time though, I think you will come to understand- and know that I will always be waiting, with open arms, for you to come back home."

As she turned on her heel to depart, Paikaru briefly considered trying to shoot her again- but even with her back turned, he had the feeling that he still didn't have an advantage over her. His name might be feared in certain circles- but compared to him, the one who had taught him everything that he knew was a goddamn monster, in every sense of the word.

The worst part was, there was some part of her offer that was actually tempting- the idea of putting everything that he had learned over the past two days behind him, pretending once again that the lie he'd been told was the truth, would be so much easier than trying to deal with the actual truth. But that, he vowed, he would not do- because there were people who were waiting for Hattori Heiji- and they were people who more than deserved him.

Even if he was just a shell of him.

Step one- obtain bandages.

Step two- feel grateful that the general knowledge leftover from your previous life still included first aid knowledge.

Step three- apply said knowledge.

Paikaru had earned quite the long look from the young man behind the counter of the convenience store he'd gone into to obtain bandages, and he had returned it all the same. The man wordlessly checked him out, even as his gaze drifted down towards the blood stained hoodie that he still wore, hood twitched up in an effort to somewhat conceal his face- mostly from the security cameras, really. If there was one thing good about the color black, it was the fact that it concealed just how much blood there was on said hoodie in the first place. And while some of it dripped on the floor behind him, honestly, who really cared at this point?

Finding a place to perform step three was a bit more of a challenge, since apparently, his general knowledge did not in fact, contain any kind of in depth knowledge of Tokyo's streets. He wasn't lost, mind you, he just wasn't quite certain where the most out of the way areas were. He was quite a bit away from the Kudo manor now, and tending to his wounds as soon as possible was a rather pressing need. So when he stumbled upon the out of the way park, Paikaru thought that he was in luck.

He had only gotten as far as cracking open the container in which the bandages were in, before he quickly realized that he wasn't alone. His first instinct was to reach for his concealed pistol, eyes narrowing as he turned to face whoever it might be that had fallen into step behind him. Odds are, it was probably no one- but he couldn't be too careless, not in his line of work, not when there were plenty of people who wanted him dead.

Vivid green eyes were illuminated by the street lamp just beyond him, glittering in the dark night like emeralds. For a moment, it took him a second to place the face, struggling to understand why it seemed as if he knew it- but it was the woman's own words that allowed him to piece that together, her voice shaking almost in disbelief.

"...H-Heiji?"

As recognition slowly dawned across his face, Paikaru almost found himself frozen in time. The faintest of gears seemed to click within the depths of his head, and for a brief moment, an image surfaced within it- the sight of a crowded bridge, a young girl with a scarf and a rather flashily dressed man. And though the image itself was ephemeral, disappearing almost as quickly as it came, the words lingered, the vaguest hint of a memory bubbling up to the surface.

Since when did I become yours?

Unbidden, a name slipped out from his lips.

"Kazuha."