Kaito smiled. «You're pretty determined. That place must really matter to you».
The girl shook her head. «It's not the place», she said. «I must find my friends».
Hearing that Kaito came to himself. He, too, had something to find, he couldn't ramble with that girl. He was sorry, though. «I see. Your friends are lucky» he said. With a fleet move of his waist he made appear the rose again. «I wish you luck, miss».
She glared at the flower for a bit, she seemed doubtful accepting it or not. She finally took it.
«My name's Anzu» she said. «Is that rose your way of saying good-bye?»
Kaito thought her voice was trembling, but he wasn't really sure: her weird accent made it difficult to decipher the tone.
Looking at her more carefully, he noticed she was holding the rose with too much strength.
Her determination had distracted him: she was still just a girl alone in a city that, it appeared, she didn't know. It'd be normal if she was scared.
Still he had to go. While he was chatting with Anzu, one guy somewhere in the city was risking his life.
His gaze went on her hair. They were pretty normal, not like those he was looking for. She seemed so lost though… now that he watched more closely, he noticed pretty marked eye bags, too.
Mentally cursing himself, he decided he couldn't just leave her there.
«Since when are you around, Anzu? Did you eat anything today?»
«No, I… I didn't think about eating» she answered unsure. She was so caught in Yugi's research and in trying to grasp the huge city she'd found herseld in, eating had been the last of his thoughts.
It was weird but she didn't even feel hunger. It was like having a knot on the stomach's access. «I don't think I even could eat» she added.
When that guy stopped to talk to her, the first friendly person of the day, she had felt relief. She'd felt reassured, and instinctively she'd hoped he wouldn't leave her.
She was tired, she'd gone around for hours. She hadn't gain anything if not for unkind or, at best, perplexed answers. It seemed no one had time to spare her.
Then he'd appeared and gifted her a flower.
Anzu sighed. What was she hoping? He was a kind guy, alright. But he couldn't help her.
She had to go on. Surely the fact it was already dark wasn't helping. I wish Yugi and Atem were here… She shook her head firmly, sending away those thoughts. This time they were the ones in need of her help, and she'd do whatever she could. She couldn't afford to waste time.
«…hear me?»
The boy's voice brought her back to reality. She blushed. She'd been lost in her thoughts and she'd totally ignored him. «I'm sorry», she whispered. «I stole enough of your time. Just go, don't worry», she fostered him.
Kaito looked up and scratched his head. «You must dislike me», he said. «I offered to come with me to eat something and tell me about your situation so that I can help you, if your answer is chasing me away though…»
Anzu couldn't believe her ears. Was he really offering his help? Could she accept it?
«I don't even know your name».
She didn't know what to say, so she just said the first thing that came to her mind.
Kaito couldn't restrain his laugh.
He hadn't noticed, but he'd pile up a lot of stress during the whole day. To release it like this felt good.
«Kaito Kuroba, at your service» he introduced himself with an half bow. «Now though I'd hurry you to make a decision. I should be searching someone, too».
Still a bit incredulous, Anzu nodded and followed the guy around Tokyo's - to her unknown - streets.
«No…»
A bullet sticked to the floor, less than a centimeter away from Yugi's head. The worst thing was the cold glare of the boy who'd pull the trigger.
Yugi hadn't ever seen a glare so purely cruel, not even on Bakura. That blonde man seemed seriously willing of killing him, the high-schooler found himself wondering about when it'd happen. He was scared. He didn't want to die that way, without even knowing what state his friends – Atem specially – were in. He had to do something… but what?
The black dressed assassin raised the gun again.
«Don't make me waste more time, brat. Tell me where is the puzzle or die, I'll find it anyway».
This time he was aiming straight at his front. Yugi noticed himself trembling. Would it really end this way? He'd be killed by a psychopath being unable to react?
He swallowed some saliva.
Those could have been his last moments, but he surely wouldn't betray his friends.
He fixed his eyes on the gun's mouth in religious silence.
«It's not nice to make fun of others», Shinichi groaned. «Even more if they're kids».
Atem had just finished telling him how he'd end up there, not leaving out anything. Not even being a Pharaoh who lived thousands of years before.
The kid had skeptically listened to him, assuming a fed-up expression when he'd finished. It was obvious he didn't believe a word.
«I'm not the one lying, here» Atem simply replied. «A thief casually heard a suspicious man ordering to find me, alright. I can take that. But why would he call you?» he stopped and significantly glared to Conan. «I sensed something strange in you straightaway. I wasn't sure, now I am though. You're not a kid at all».
Shinichi winced. That wasn't a question, that strange guy had said that firmly. How was that possible? He'd find out his secret in some minutes, while Ran – who'd known him since forever – would be tricked for months.
That wasn't the only weird thing. The boy's story was pretty immaginative, patently made up – magic doesn't exist, Shinichi hadn't a doubt on that –, but he seemed sincere. He didn't show any uncertainty while he was talking. One of the young detective's prides was he could tell when someone was lying. He could uncover many assassins with that skill, even before understanding what their trick was. But his talent wasn't working with that guy. He was either a seriously good liar, either totally crazy. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.
«Do not make that shocked expression, Kudo»
Shinichi shook. Haibara had entered the room – how long'd she been there? He couldn't say. He'd been focused on the stranger guy.
Shiho went on. «Speaking from a purely scientific point of view, the existence of alternative dimensions is extremely probable. Why should the universe be just one? There are infinite possibilities. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some that diversifies from ours just in little details – magic, for example».
Shinichi gave her a skeptic glare. «Magic is a very small detail, in fact…» he observed.
Atem gave the little scientist a curious look. Her aura was alike Conan's, probably she wasn't a kid either. Not just probably, thinking it better. I've never seen a child so firmly speaking about the scientific probability of endless universes' existence…
Conan neared Ai to not have the other guy listening. «You mean you actually believe him?»
Shiho half-closed her eyes, then carefully chose her words.
«Other universes existing, it's extremely probable. Being able to cross them, much less» she said. «Surely it's easier imagining to do it with magic rather than science… But I don't know enough about that to judge». She felt on herself the Pharaoh's glare, she didn't blink though, nay, she started glaring at him. If his story were to be true, he could have been an extremely interesting study subject.
«Someone's there» Atem announced all of a sudden.
Conan cross-eyed him. Now he'd try convincing him ghosts exist, too?
Right that moment, the doorbell ringed.
Shiho didn't answer her surprise, Shinichi wasn't sure how to react. Hou could've he known? Atem was sitting on the sofa with the door behind him, he couldn't have seen anyone coming.
What was his trick?
It had to be a trick. If it wasn't – if it were to be magic – all of his beliefs would come into question. The highschool detective couldn't even think about that.
Keeping on studying every possibility – once he'd rejected the most absurd ones he'd find the truth, no matter how unlikely it was; Sherlock Holmes taught him that – he reached the door.
"Someone", however, didn't say a thing about who it was.
He hesitated right before opening the door. Could it be the Organization's men..?
Could it be they had tracked him? If that was it, the doctor was in danger.
It didn't seem like a likely theory, though…
A lump in his throat, Conan opened the door.
In front of him there was a boy he didn't know. He looked at him better. He did seem familiar…
«Shinichi?!»
Doctor Agasa's shocked voice – he had suddenly neared the door – surprised him.
Now he knew why he'd feel familiar: he was absurdly alike his real identity, Kudo Shinichi.
The child's eyes widened in understanding.
Could he be…
The unknown on the door showed him a 32-teeth smile. «You seem well-off, detective~»
«I… don't know…»
The boy's intern struggle was patent, but he couldn't really do anything against the pentothal. Not that he had so useful informations, anyway.
If Gin would've still been inside the room he'd shot the boy for sure; luckily Vermouth would send him away before injecting the truth serum.
She studied, unsure, the struggling face of their victim, Yugi Muto. She was the only one among the Organization's members to know his real identuty, the only one the boss would tell about the other dimensions.
Basing on what she knew, Yugi and the Pharaoh, who was their real target in the end, shared the same body. Catching one should have meant catching the other as well. When she had find him though, the boy didn't have the Millennium Puzzle, the object that'd allow their souls to come in contact, on himself. At first she had thought that changing dimensions had lead to it shape switching or something like that, but during Gin's interrogation the millenary spirit hadn't shown himself in any way. Where could he be then? Vermouth didn't know what to think anymore.
She decided it wasn't on her to draw conclusions; she had the informations now, she just had to report to the boss. Deciding their next move was on him.
Her glare fixed onto the boy now unconscious, she considered Yugi could be more useful alive than dead; leaving she locked the door, more in defense of the hostage from her own psychopath colleagues than .for a real fear of him escaping.