*I know. It's been almost two weeks since the last update but I've been busy. The week this was supposed to be typed, I had to study for my Science Olympiad Competition (which my team got fifth in our region for, by the way.) in the events Optics, Ornithology, Can't Judge a Powder, and Road Scholar. We're going to the states on April 29th, and I'm pretty happy about it. (except it's a five hour drive and we're taking a freaking school bus.) Um. Warnings for your prospects for a chapter next week. This weekend is my study weekend for my MathCounts competition (state competition) which is next week Friday-Saturday, therefore, I most likely won't be able to write enough this weekend because of math and my science project that I'm working on with my friends. We're making a music video about Archimede's, Pascal's, and Bernoulli's Principle. I sigh at our weirdness... Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please review at the end! It's really, really appreciated!*
P.S. Join Detective Conan World! It's a really awesome forum/wiki with lots of cool people in it! It's fun, and you can chat with a bunch of people! (why am I advertising this? cuz Mohorovicic thinks DCW needs more people, so please join, if only for my begging... Why can't I insert an onion head here...)
Chapter 44
"I-it can't be," stuttered Aoko, eyes losing their furious light, starting to stare down at the little girl. "How could Kaito have let himself get captured? That's ridiculous!" Her anger jumped once again, but it was clear that she knew and understood the situation they were in now. That Kaito might have-
"This isn't the time to just sit here and worry our heads off!" screamed Heiji, looking as if he were about to explode. He couldn't let anything happen to the magician; it just wouldn't be right. Memory or no memory, he had become a friend, somebody he had to protect. There was no way he was letting somebody from the Black Organization kidnap him. "While we're talking, they could be killing him right now! We have to start searching! Otherwise, there's no possible way we can find him."
Aoko cringed, as if stung, at the word 'killing'. She almost lost Kaito just a week ago. To lose him again would completely ruin what was left of her. Kaito was a part of her, the other half, the one who had promised to always be there for her through good times and bad. But that side of him didn't exist anymore, did it? She had tried to pry it out, to no avail, only causing him to get angry at her. To abandon her.
Broken sobs came out from her throat despite her efforts to hold them back. Even though she felt she had connected with him, the new him, he had left. It meant his kiss, her first kiss, meant nothing. That all the times he had responded to her hugs meant nothing. Not anymore at least.
"Aoko-chan," murmured Ran, not sure of what to say to the crying girl. Even she, who had lost so much, couldn't relate to this. At least she knew that Shinichi loved her. She looked to Heiji and Hakuba and said, "You guys start searching. Kazuha and I will look after Aoko-chan until she gets better."
They nodded, knowing that their opponent's head-start was already too large for their liking. "You guys just head back home once you're finished. It'd be too troublesome to try and find us; don't follow us," said Hakuba as evenly as he could possibly manage. They thundered down the hallway, splitting up when the route opened up in two different directions.
"Hakuba, my cell number's 692-294-2955, can you remember that? I need you to call me if you find any footprints or anything once you hit an exit," asked Heiji as they paused to decide which direction to go.
"I got it. Mine is 692-395-2156. I'm heading right- you take left." Hakuba raced off, leaving Heiji in his wake. He owed Kaito so much already; it would only be another sin to add onto his already too-long list. He couldn't let anybody kidnap Kaito. He just couldn't.
Heiji only caught a small glimpse of the emotion in his fellow detective's eyes as he dashed away, but the thought of that tortured, pained look stuck with him, making him realize it was based off of something he wouldn't be able to understand. Everybody but he and Kazuha had lost something important to them, something that might never be restored. No matter how much they sympathized, there was nothing that could replace the experience needed to comprehend what the others were going through. Nothing. He didn't like feeling left out, but he was glad that he hadn't gone what they'd been through. Just the thought of losing Kazuha made him shiver in fear.
The hospital lights were off, seeing that it was almost midnight, the witching hour, and nobody should really be awake, let alone searching the lonely halls. They had been turned on for a short period of time during the frantic rush where the doctors scoured every nook and cranny, but it was dark as Heiji ran through, using his cell phone as a flashlight.
Dammit, he thought as his heart pounded with fear and adrenaline. How could that kid let himself be kidnapped after we've done so much for him? Or did he really leave of his own free will? The idea terrified him as he imagined what could have been done to the thief that would make him believe that he was part of the syndicate.
"Or is it Bordeaux?" The words flew through his mind as he processed them as fast as a computer. Bordeaux is any wine grown in the Bordeaux region of France. It's an alcoholic beverage just like the rest of the agents, he deduced, almost unwilling to believe. He remembered back just a few minutes ago as Aoko read the note. Her expression: sad, angry, guilty, shocked. As he plugged it into the equation he had created, it meant she could recognize the handwriting. It belonged to none other than the magician in question.
And what about the name he had mentioned? Viura? The name wasn't unfamiliar to him; having done research in alcohol after Ai explained that all of the high-ranking agents in the Organization went by a code name, specifically drinks. But somehow he couldn't remember exactly what it was.
A sign flashing 'Emergency Exit' shone in front of him, and he inspected the door before he opened it, trying to find irregularities that would give him clues. Scanning the dust at the bottom, he noticed a single, long strand of platinum blond hair. He pulled out a small plastic bag- something he always carried with him in case of an unfortunate accident- and carefully tucked the lock into it so he wouldn't lose it. You never knew; it could well be vital information. Not to mention with the F.B.I. on their side, running DNA tests would be possible.
Opening the door, a blast of wind hit him full in the face as he leaned down and searched the ground for any footprints. And sure enough there they were, the deep imprints in the snow. He let out a small chuckle; how easy it was to find the footprints. Though it was more than a little strange that they didn't even bother to try concealing their tracks…
He dialed Hakuba's number into the phone, having memorized it after only hearing it once. The other end rang once, twice, thrice, Pick it up, dammit! And then the blond's arrogant, foreign voice answering him.
"Hello, Hattori-kun. Have you found anything?" he asked somewhat casually, not letting any emotion show through.
"You bet I have!" replied Heiji, annoyed with the teen's stuck-up behavior. What he didn't know was that Hakuba's way of coping, trying to hide behind a cool, icy voice, keeping it concealed behind a tight mask. "I got their footprints here in the snow. Go down the corridor I went and then turn right to get to where I am. See you in a minute!"
"Oy, wait a-" Hakuba was cut off, and he sighed as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Unlike Heiji, he had brought a flashlight. Navigating through the empty passages, he wondered just how feasible the task of finding Kaito would be. The guy was definitely alive, and he was pretty sure that they weren't planning to kill him.
Why the heck would you go through the trouble of sneaking into a hospital and stealing him away if you just meant to kill him once you walked out the door? It made no sense. Even if murdering him outside made it easier to clean up; it would be quite simple for such a large crime organization to cover it up. A few words from more politically powerful agents and nobody would even bother to investigate. Okay, not that far, but the real murderer would never be convicted.
This all pointed to a more hideous truth, one that said he had been taken for good. They wanted him on their side, and they had succeeded in tricking him. If their plans continued to go smoothly, the next time they would meet would end in disaster. They would be enemies. Not that they weren't before, but it would be more than a game. It would be for real. He shivered as he reached the door.
"Aoko-chan, are you sure you're okay?" asked Ran for the fifth time. Her light blue eyes were alight with concern for the other girl, who was still shaking from crying.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with a tissue. She had spent the past ten minutes sobbing her heart out until she ran out of tears to weep with. It was just so hard to think that Kaito, her friend, her lover, would just disappear like this. Which one was worse? Knowing he was about to die, or not knowing anything at all?
Doesn't matter now, she thought glumly. They both happened, and there's absolutely no point in choosing which one hurts more. They're both so painful….
She clutched Kaito's letter, as if holding it tighter would somehow bring him back to her. The words were already smudged with countless droplets of water, rendering the note almost illegible. But she had memorized the words, every single one of them.
I'm not really sure what to do anymore, and I don't know even what the truth is. Someone came in to pick me up, someone I think I can trust. I don't know if I can trust any of you after what happened today, and I don't want to face it again. Viura said you were all lying to me, and I listened. I'm leaving with her. If this is the wrong choice, then sorry to you all, but I don't think it is. Send the little girl Ai my regards, she's the only one who thought like I did.
Kuroba Kaito
Or is it Bordeaux?
"Viura," she whispered, thinking of the mysterious name that Kaito had written, not a name of an agent she had heard of before. Was it even an alcohol?
Ai was still reeling from shock in the corner of the room, trying to process the name of the member that kidnapped Kaito. Viura. A woman that looked exactly like Vermouth. Viura. A menacing, seductive voice, and cruel laughter that echoed through the small wooden cabin. Viura. Evil, blood red eyes that seemed to pierce through you, not natural, and all too terrifying.
The woman who had trapped her and Ryuu in the cabin, hit him, threw him down to the ground as he struggled against her grip. Now that she thought back on it, most women didn't have the strength to lift up a ten year old boy with one arm, did they? And throw him that hard onto the ground….
What was she? Being a scientist, Ai had a slight suspicion that the Black Organization had been experiencing with genetics. That wasn't her department, but she had heard rumors of a successful super human that had been developed in the darkness of the already shadowed syndicate, powerful, deadly. Just the thought was more than enough to send shivers up her spine.
When she heard Aoko say the name, her mouth involuntarily opened, and she uttered the words, "I know who that is." She regretted it almost instantly.
Aoko approached her slowly, but with the air of a raging lion, eyes flaring with fury. And then, the explosion she had become so used to. "Then who is it? Tell us you-"
"Aoko-chan," said Kazuha while pulling her away from Ai, who was still petrified. "Anger is not going to help you here. Just calm down and everything will be fine."
As if, thought Shinichi sarcastically.
Shinichi, scolded Ran, sounding like an older sister. Don't be so negative. You want Kuroba-kun back, don't you?
I do, but I really wish I could go with Hakuba and Hattori right now. That way I could actually have a purpose. I'm a detective, and I can't even investigate. You don't know how it feels to not be able to do anything, not even if I had all the opportunity in the world. I hope you never have to.
Shinichi was growing more pessimistic by the day, going off in rants about how much it hurt to not be able to do what he loved best. Being a detective. She really wanted to help him, she really did, but what in the world could she do about it? In fact, at times, all his complaining did was piss her off. And now as her temper was on an extremely short fuse from stress and worry, it took all of her control not to burst out yelling at him.
"I think Viura is the woman who kidnapped Ryuu-kun and I." Ai stared at the ground, shaking from the memory of almost icy red eyes. Like a snake's. Like blood. "Sh- she was on the phone when she thought I was unconscious and… and…"
"Well, if Gin's on it, I know he'll get the job done right!" A man who frightened her even more than that woman, a man with long silver hair, a man with blue irises colder than dry ice, a man who would kill without a second thought. He had pulled the trigger on her sister, laughing as he delivered the news to her, then 'Sherry', and locked her up in that cell where she had changed into this tiny body.
He had been the one who killed Shinichi just for seeing a case of blackmail. While it was a high offense for Organization standards, Gin did it without a second thought. She bet he'd forgotten about that murder by now- Gin almost never bothered to remember the people he killed. Unlike me, she thought, thinking about her own sins. I wish I never was been a scientist for them. I wish I never had to kill so many people; however inadvertently.
"It's okay, Ai-chan," said Ran, trying to urge the little girl into saying more. "Aoko's not going to hurt you." She motioned to the teen who was being held back by Kazuha, the Osaka girl, was telling Aoko to take deep breaths and calm down.
"It's not her. I'm just remembering what Viura said. She said that Gin was the one who was supposed to set the bomb for Ryuu-kun's father. And I remembered what she looked like. Those terrifying red eyes that can see right through you. They made me think of the devil."
For a second, Ran and Shinichi thought they had heard Ai wrong. There was nobody in the world with irises the color of red. Within seconds, Shinichi was processing all feasible possibilities in his head. She could have been wearing contact lenses for style. Maybe Haibara just saw her wrong. Or perhaps it was something worse than that…
"A woman like that kidnapped Kaito?" gasped Aoko, starting to fight Kazuha's grip again.
"She looks more like an older teenager than a full-grown adult. Her hair is platinum blonde, and that time, her hair was pretty short. It was kind of like mine, but the style was different." She pointed the length of her hair, barely above her shoulders, and left the image to their imagination. "Somehow, I don't think she's human though. Or at least, not completely."
"That's ridiculous!"commented Ran. She would have laughed had the situation not been so serious. "I'm sure it was just that you were too scared to think straight."
"Can a normal nineteen year old lift a tall ten year old boy up to shoulder level with one arm effortlessly? Does a normal person have eyes like that?" she countered, aquamarine orbs flaring with fire. "The Organization has been experimenting with genetics for quite some time now, but I never knew what they were doing. I think these puzzle pieces we've been given fit quite nicely, don't you?"
That syndicate definitely has the money and power to create a superhuman if they wanted to, commented Shinichi, clearly in deep thought, trying to find a way to defy Ai. If they were up against a mutant, then what could they possibly do? But how did they do the research? If Ai's correct in saying the woman's about nineteen or twenty, then they've had the technology to do it for a while. How have they managed to keep it a secret if it's been this long since the creation?
"The Organization has its ways," said Ai, as if she could hear Shinichi while in truth she was just reading the expression on Ran's face. "We've been working on the APTX 4869 for over twenty years, but it was just released around the entirety of the syndicate when the first success was accomplished. A.K.A., Kudo-kun." She carefully watched Ran to make sure she wasn't insulted by her 'matter-of-fact- statement, and continued. "If they wanted to keep Viura secret, it would be quite easy. I imagine only the highest ranked agents know about her existence. And anyone else who finds out would be killed immediately. Why you ask? To protect the secret of her development. You never know who's a rat from somewhere else."
"A rat?" asked Kazuha dubiously, not exactly understanding what Ai meant.
"An undercover agent like that F.B.I. agent Akai Shuuichi. He once snuck into our Organization under the codename 'Rye' and dated my sister for a time." She squeezed her eyes tight, remembering her sister's smiles as she talked and raved about her new boy friend, 'Dai-kun'.
"You know that guy I almost ran over with my car a couple of weeks ago? Moroboshi Dai? Well, I got to know him better and now we're dating! He's in the Black Organization too! Do you know him, Shiho? He goes by Rye!" Her eyes twinkled with delight as she did everything but dance around the room as Ai smiled gently at her older sister. She was glad that her sister had a reason to be happy.
"Anyways, details aren't important right now. We should probably head back to Kudo-kun's house now that Aoko is ready." Hopefully, she thought. It's been long enough.
"It's fine, we can go now." Aoko picked Kazuha's hands off of her shoulders, looking depressed with the new information. "I'm tired to my wits end anyways."
"Aoko-chan," said Ran, sounding worried. It was such a change from her anger that she couldn't help but be concerned for the girl's sudden lack in spirit, whether it be furious or happy energy.
"It's okay, Ran-chan. I just wish I never said those things to Kaito."
"Yo-you're from the F.B.I?" stuttered out Ryuu, the words coming out in a jumble. "T-then- b-but- why?"
"We had to take you here to protect you. We know who attacked your house, and if they found out you were still alive, they would try to kill you again. For the time being, the world believes you're dead, Miyazaki-kun." The woman smiled sadly, wishing she didn't have to spill the news to the little boy.
"How? What do you know about it?" He instantly went on the defensive, something she had seen too many times before. Denial was such a common thing, especially in the case of children like him. That Organization was despicable, killing off kids just to protect themselves.
"Miyazaki-kun," she hushed, pressing her finger to his lips. "I need you to understand something before I continue. If I'm correct in saying this, then please tell me. You know about the Organization, don't you? I bugged this room and you were muttering about them."
"Ai-Ai-kun told me about them," he mumbled, sounding surprised. He then realized he had said Ai's name, which might have been dangerous, and refused to continue.
"Miyazaki-kun, I'm not going to hurt you. I already know about the little girl- I'm a friend of the man who rescued you two from the cabin. Remember Andre Camel?" she asked, probing at the edges, trying to get Ryuu to spill what he knew. It was important to her to figure out exactly how much he'd been told about the dangers- and how safe it would be for him to leave this protected building.
"That nice oji-san? You know him?" His voice was still filled with suspicion, but he lightened up at the mention of the kind man who had gotten them out of the cabin; even if it had almost been a complete disaster.
"Yes. But I need to know how much you've been told of the Organization. I won't hurt you or Haibara Ai. I promise."
He paused for a moment, thinking it through before starting, knowing that he wouldn't be able to take his words back. "I overheard Ai-kun telling all of the senpai-tachi about them. She said that they were evil and they were the ones who trapped me and her in that wooden cabin with all the other kids. Heiji-niichan said that her real identity is Miyano Shiho from the Organization and she was shrunk by the poison that killed Kudo Shinichi. And then later Ai-kun told me to keep what I heard secret even from my parents." He paused for a moment, suddenly remembering his priorities. "What happened to my tou-chan and kaa-chan? Are they okay? Are they?"
She stood shocked, but kept her surprise hidden under a well-used mask. That little girl was part of them? She was involved with the syndicate? She could even be involved with that hated Vermouth? Keep it cool, Jodie, she told herself, taking a deep breath. Remember your priorities right now. This little boy comes first. He comes before your personal prejudices. Come on! Breathe in and out.
But as she looked at Ryuu again, Jodie sincerely wished she didn't have to answer his question, didn't have to stare into his desperate, pleading emerald eyes. But if I don't do this now, someone else will, and he deserves to know the truth. I'm sorry, Miyazaki-kun…
"Your parents died in the fire. The police found their corpses. Miyazaki-kun, I'm so, so, sorry." She waited for his reaction, for tears, but in that one moment, nothing came. His eyes closed, and he sat as if paralyzed. Still. She remembered how it felt, to see her house in flames, to hear the words 'Your mom and dad are never coming back'. And just like him, she had lost her home and parents to the Organization. But this boy, he had lost more than that…
"So, I'm never going to see them again. Never?" He knew the answer to his question, knew it before Jodie even opened her mouth. But he wanted to hear the words, even if they hurt, because he had already accepted in his heart that his parents were dead.
"No. And, there's one other thing." She stopped, hesitating. Would this next part damage him even more? Should she tell him. It's too late to take it back anyways, she thought. "Your friend, Yamada Daiki, got caught in the fire too. We believe he was over at your house and waiting for you to come home."
"Daiki?" screamed Ryuu. Daiki was his best friend, the only kid in his grade he could really relate to. Daiki wanted to be on the bomb squad when he grew up, just like Ryuu, and they did almost everything together. The disastrous camp was a rare exception to their usual habits. "You don't mean- you don't mean that Daiki-?"
"He's dead too. They believe his body is yours, and that's why you are currently believed to be dead." She held back her tongue about how lucky Ryuu was that his friend was caught in the fire. Otherwise, he would be dead. It was definite that they attacked knowing a young boy was in the house, but unfortunately for them it was the wrong one.
"Why did it have to be Daiki?" he asked, not coming out like a question, but more like a plea that she couldn't answer. "Why did it have to be him?"
She handed the boy a tissue as his tears started to flow, dropping onto the white sheets below. He hadn't expected his friend, his best friend, to be dead. He had prepared himself enough to deal with his parents. He had told himself he wouldn't cry in front of this woman, but he couldn't help it. His wall had been torn down. Daiki.
*REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I'm begging you! Please do it! Oh, I also drew some new things (they're photoshopped) and put them on deviantart and Detective Conan World, so please look at them when you have time! Other than that, see you next time for Chapter 45!*