*Author's Note: My MathCounts career is finally over. I really feel like crying, MathCounts was my top goal and priority for the past few years and now I'll never have it again. I'm so depressed... But anyways, I've been working on Chapter 45, and I am pleased to present it to everyone. As requested, I've included more about Kaito and Viura, but there's no Ryuu in this chapter. Next update? I'm aiming in two weeks because tomorrow I'm going to John Hopkins University to receive an award for getting a 760 on my SAT math in 7th grade (like, I scored it eight months ago) and I'll be out of the house for most of the day. As for my MathCounts result, I was 32nd in the state of Pennsylvania, and I as the captain led my team to a third place victory in the team round. This is the highest my school has ever been, and I'm very proud of our accomplishments. Spoiler Question Alert! 75th review gets a free spoiler question! (unless it's Chelsea because she already got a spoiler question) but please don't let that keep you from reviewing! Actually scratch that. Reviews up to 75 will get a free spoiler question! If you don't have an account and want the question, you'll have to leave your email address in the review to allow me to contact you. Please go onto Detective Conan World, the best fansite ever for DC! And while you're there, make an account and on the thread 'Final Username Change' vote Mohorovicic for me. Thank you. Please review!*
Chapter 45
"Where are we?" Kaito's voice seemed to echo for endless moments around the empty warehouses, the wind carrying it around with a high-pitched whistle, seeming to exaggerate the lonely atmosphere that surrounded the strange pair.
Viura was feeling the walls of a nearby building, seemingly trying to peel something off. "A passage to headquarters. Right now, I don't think it's completely safe to go to the HQ itself." With another scrape of the wall, a small, thin layer of plastic sheet came off to reveal a number pad. "Here we go. It always takes so long to find the keypad in this place."
"Keypad?" repeated Kaito dubiously. He was staring around at the depressing scene curiously, looking up at the brightening gray sky. They had driven in a bright red car- Viura had said it was a Reventon or something like that- and it took them a couple of hours to get here, even at the 90 kph they had managed to keep through the entire trip. "Why's there a password?"
"To keep people who don't belong here out," answered Viura patiently, fiddling with the numbers as she tapped the buttons with lightning speed. At each base, the password was different, and each of them was ultra-long. Most people cheated and wrote them down on a slip of paper, but she could remember every code with ease. 8395-2859-3958-9406… Seriously, what's so hard about it? "Aaand we're in!"
There was a low creaking sound as the ground itself seemed to shift, and Kaito had to stifle a gasp of surprise as a hole opened up right below him. Snow and dirt piled into the bottom of what looked like a staircase, one that led down at least 20 feet. Viura replaced the little piece of plastic and then walked over to where Kaito was standing a few feet away.
Seeing his evident curiosity and the traces of fear in his eyes, she smiled and took his hand, winking at him as she said, "Let's go." Treading carefully down the steps, Kaito wondered exactly why he had followed this woman and trusted her enough to let go of his friends. Not that she hadn't been kind to him, understanding, helpful, it was just- he couldn't put his tongue on it. A little too perfect, he thought. But I like this better than being stuck in the hospital….
When they were halfway down, the ceiling closed, leaving them trapped in the darkness. "Wait, what happened?" squeaked Kaito, feeling slightly claustrophobic once the last rays of light had been blocked out. There was a thunderous rumbling as the slab of metal slid back into place, disguising the entrance as a normal piece of gravel.
"It's just a security measure. We don't want anybody finding this place." Not to mention if somebody does happen to break in, we'll shoot them the moment they enter the door… she thought sarcastically, but not mentioning it out loud in case she lost the trust of the boy beside her.
Kaito nodded, still kind of unsure about why such advanced technology was needed. What were they hiding? Viura reached past him to knock on the door, and a screen next to it flashed and a face appeared on its surface. "Who is it?" A man's voice came out of a speaker near the screen and Viura matched it to none other than Vodka. Laughing, she answered back.
"You got put on guard duty, Vodka?" Her rose-colored eyes were shining with contempt for the man on the screen. "What happened? Mess up?" Kaito stood beside her, not sure if he should laugh as well. He grinned weakly beside her, not wanting to be left out.
"Never mind that, Viura," replied Vodka, sounding slightly embarrassed. He cleared his throat, adjusted his sunglasses, and then looked back up. "What's more serious is why that boy is with you. Who is he?"
"Oh, him?" She looked over her shoulder at Kaito, who flinched in response as Vodka's gaze flickered to him, cowering as he tried to look past the dark glasses. "Just a new, possible recruit I found. Anything wrong with that?"
"It's just that he looks familiar, that's all." Vodka pressed a button in front of him, and the door opened, revealing a dark hallway. "I'll turn on the lights for you. Where are you going? I need to unlock the right door."
"When did we add that part in?" asked Viura, looking slightly confused in the dim light of the screen. "The last time I remembered a security change was when we changed all of the passwords."
"It's just a precaution added in by the boss. There was a rat somewhere in a different department and he figured since we have the money, we might as well do this. So, where to?"
"I'm just going to my quarters. Scratch that actually- I'm going to take him to the boss so we can get him started." She winked at Kaito, and then pulled him forwards into the open door. "Thanks, Vodka!" she chanted as they entered the hallway which was much brighter than the room they had been in.
"This is a really, really long corridor," commented Kaito as they started strolling down the path. He looked around curiously, trying to see if there was anything special about the place. Instead, the pathways that surrounded him were nice and normal, reminding him of the hospital. Except there weren't any long windows to let in the sunlight, show the beauty of the awakening dawn. He wished Viura had let him stay outside a little longer to watch the sunrise, even if it was mainly hidden behind the clouds.
"These tunnels run for miles in all directions; they don't interfere with any other buildings or things like bridges and subways or such. They're pretty useful when you need to escape. And believe it or not, it's all secret," she informed him, looking back as she navigated through the turns and curves in the route, a slight grin on her face.
She personally preferred being above ground than below it, but there was a chance they would be seen by the detectives if they travelled using public roads. Not to mention that if they asked, she stood out enough by herself that any passerby would remember if they saw her. There was no possible way for the teenagers to find them here, miles outside of Tokyo and underground to boot. And also, Vermouth never used these tunnels, so she wouldn't have to bump into the woman either. That wouldn't be very pretty if it happened right now.
Now that I have him here, I have to plan out exactly how I'm going to use him, she thought. Even if I don't use him to get rid of that woman, it helps to have such a gullible subordinate. He'll be useful if I try to frame her- he wouldn't even question my orders. At least, not in the state he's in.
A large conveyor belt-like object stood in the center of the long corridor, stretching for miles on end. "What is this?" asked Kaito, voice echoing around the tunnel.
"This helps us get around faster. Nobody wants to walk 25 miles to Tokyo, do they?" With that, she pushed him onto the contraption, and immediately it started moving at least thirty miles an hour.
"Wha-what?" screamed Kaito as he tripped from the sudden acceleration. "Get me off of this thing!"
"You'll get used to it!" assured Viura, holding onto the handle. "Just keep your balance! You can do it!"
After their long, frightening voyage, Kaito clung to the wall, breathing heavily as he complained. "Never, ever make me do that again. Is this the right place?"
"Here we are, Kaito-kun," she said, pointing to a room a few yards down. Taking the handle, she opened the door to reveal a storage room. "Now stay quiet, okay? I don't want you to be too noticeable." Traveling the length of the room in an instant, she opened the exit and peeked outside, checking for any important agents before gesturing for Kaito to follow her.
It would be a bad thing if Kaito was known to be here before he was introduced to the boss. Even with her authority, if the upper agents like Gin or Vermouth happened to not like him, he would be dead before they even got there, no questions asked. Luckily, there were only a few nobodies, so she jaunted out, making sure to let go of Kaito's hand as to not seem strange.
The nobodies were silent as they watched Viura walk into of the entrance to the HQ, however conspicuous she seemed. Even though it was just rumors, they had heard many weird things about her, and they did not want to become her next victim. They did wonder however, who the tall, brown-haired youth walking with her was.
They took an elevator to the top floor of the high-class skyscraper, peaceful classical music pouring into the tiny space as it climbed floor by floor, the glass walls allowing them to view the outside- Tokyo captured in the beauty of a fiery dawn.
"It's so pretty," breathed Kaito, fogging up the glass as he leaned against the railing. Even Viura thought so as she looked past him, towards where the hustle of morning traffic was starting to gather, letting out their loud rambunctious catcalling. "This is so much better than the hospital. Don't you think so, Viura?"
"Yeah, aren't you happy you came with me?" she asked him, watching his face glow with delight as the sun painted it a rosy red color.
"It's really nice to be here. But-" He stopped, suddenly seeming to dim a bit. He frowned, looking downwards at his feet, thinking about what he had left behind. Was this really the right decision? Never mind that, he thought, shaking his head clear of distracting thoughts of Aoko. I'm here right now. That's what matters.
"Kaito-kun? What's wrong?" Viura inquired, watching his abruptly crestfallen face. She knew the reason for his immediate lack in enthusiasm, but she found it hard to sympathize. Since when did she ever have friends? Never. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry about me…" His voice trailed off as an airplane caught his attention. "It's like a giant bird." His eyes followed it as it soared thousands of feet above even the tallest buildings, not taking his eyes off of it for a second.
For the first time, Viura took in the full effect of the picturesque scene in front of her, marveling in the wonder along with Kaito. Even though the boy didn't know anything, couldn't remember anything, still, he could reveal this to her. Pretty weird, she mused, a warm tone to her thought. I don't remember ever thinking anything was so beautiful before….
With a slight ding! as the elevator door opened, revealing a carpeted room with walls that seemed covered in gold. They were draped with silk crimson curtains, shrouding landscape paintings and different pieces of valuable art. "Come on, Kaito-kun. We need to see Cognac."
"Is that the name of the boss you were talking about earlier?" Kaito looked around, swiveling his head back as the elevator closed, blocking out the rays of flame. He turned to the paintings around him, depicting things from an autumn day to an ocean storm, things he hadn't seen since he lost his memory. Some things he'd never seen, like a snowy mountain, and even a desert.
However, one thing started him reeling, and he backed up into a wall as he shut his eyes tight. "Kaito-kun?" asked Viura skeptically; wondering what had suddenly scared the boy so much. Confused, she looked to the painting of a school of fish, along with a few sharks. With realization, she laughed.
"Are you scared of fish, Kaito-kun? Is that it?" Her laughter, sharp and clear, rang out like bird song over the silence of the empty hallway, and her smile was bright as she wiped tears off of the corner of her blood red eyes. Even with her fangs and scary irises, she seemed the very picture of joy.
"It's not funny," replied Kaito, a defensive look on his face as he looked at her. "I don't know why, but for some reason I can't stand the sight of those creepy finny things. They just look so slimy, and those big gray ones have such big teeth, and ugh!" He gave a shiver of disgust, making the scene even more comical as he stuck out his tongue. "How do they not scare you?"
Viura couldn't help but giggle harder as she stared at Kaito's pouty, childish face, filled with arrogance and a tone of defensiveness. "What's so frightening about them? They're just fish for crying out loud! You know, sushi and sashimi and the like? Ever had them?"
"No, and I don't ever plan to. Why are you still laughing? Stop, Viura-chan!" he whined, putting on big, puppy dog eyes. "Stop making fun of me!"
"Did you just call me 'Viura-chan'?" She sounded surprised, and a little happy. Nobody had ever called her that before, the closest thing was the boss's 'my sweet Viura'. She hadn't expected it to sound so- so- warm. It was touching, and she watched Kaito smile back at her.
"Well, yeah. I mean, you call me Kaito-kun so I thought I'd just add the 'chan' honorific there. If you don't like it, I can change it- I mean, it's not like it-" She pressed her two fingers to his lips, telling him to be quiet. With a wink, she stepped away, hand in her designer jacket.
"I don't mind, Kaito-kun. But if we don't hurry up right now, we might miss our meeting with Cognac. He's really busy, and before we know it, it'll be someone else's turn."
"But-" He looked around, slightly puzzled as he searched to see if there were other people. "There's nobody else here. If he's that busy, shouldn't there be a line?"
"There's more than one way in, silly!" She slapped him on the shoulder gently, pushing him towards the door at the end of the hall. "Now let's introduce you, Bordeaux!"
"Aoko-chan! Aoko-chan!" murmured Ran to the nearly sleeping girl. "Aoko-chan, we're almost back at Shinichi's house. Aoko-chan, wake up!"
"What's going on?" asked Aoko groggily, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She had fallen asleep on the taxi home, too tired and much too depressed to bother keeping her eyelids open. "Are we there yet?"
"Yeah, are you feeling any better?" Kazuha stared worriedly at the girl, knowing that she was liable to snap and/or burst into tears at any wrong word.
"No, but I'm too tired to cry or anything." She paused, and then opened her mouth again. "Where's the little girl, Ai? Shouldn't she be with us?"
"We had the driver drop her off at my house for the night. She said she didn't want to set you off by accident." Ran gestured to the taxi driver, who tipped his hat.
It had been hard finding someone who was still operating at one o'clock in the morning, but they had managed to flag down a taxi. Almost immediately after climbing into the car, Aoko had fallen asleep, and they had let her be. With her fiery, untamable temper, who knows what would have happened?
Ai had asked to be let off at the Mouri Detective Agency despite Ran's plead for her to stay with them for the night. "It'll just bring more trouble. We see too differently." She motioned to the sleeping girl on the car seat. "You'll be better off without me anyways."
"Thank you." Kazuha handed their driver a tip as the exited the car, half pulling half dragging out the exhausted Aoko. The Osaka girl groaned as she saw the long path to the door ahead. Do I seriously have to walk her all that way? she wondered, hoping that the teenager would somehow regain her energy, even if it was in the form of anger. Kazuha could handle that. She was girlfriend to the most hot-blooded high school detective in Japan- and his fuse was definitely short.
"I'll help you, Kazuha-chan," grunted Ran as she took most of Aoko's weight. However, the girl stood up by herself and shoved off the two away.
"I'm not as desperate as to need people to help me walk. I have freaking legs." She started walking steadily up the path, with Kazuha and Ran looking on somewhat guiltily.
It's probably not that good an idea to baby her right now, hinted Shinichi, watching Aoko tilt her head up in the air as if saying 'hmph'! Her pride is damaged enough as it is- not to mention the pain she's probably feeling right now. In a way, it's worse than us because it's more one-sided. Nakamori's taking all the pain by herself without Kuroba to help her. On the other hand, we're here for each other, and we can share the weight of the sorrow equally.
Yeah, Kaito-kun probably has no idea what's going on. Even if he's scared because he was captured by the Organization, Aoko is feeling quite betrayed right now, and she thinks it's her fault that he left. Do you think that note was real? asked Ran curiously, wanting his opinion.
Well, it's hard to forge handwriting on a moment's notice. Kuroba wasn't even a target until his identity was revealed, and I doubt that he used his real handwriting on his Kid notices. Otherwise, it would be too easy to recognize. But since the syndicate is so big, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine them collecting his tests and essays from school and learning how to write like him. That was the part of Shinichi she loved to listen to, no matter how cold and analytical he sounded. This was him. The piece that had been missing for so long.
Aoko reached the door and laid her hand on the knocker, letting her tears run freely down her face, out of the sight of Ran and Kazuha who were approaching the entrance a little more slowly. Had Kaito really stayed here just one day before everything had happened? Before he was shot so many times? Before he lost his memory?
She didn't know how he had passed those few precious hours, but she wished she could. He had probably laughed, smiled, and just been Kaito. Playful, cocky, sneaky, devious, and maybe even played a prank. Not likely, countered her mind. What kind of mood was he in when he met you that night?
Well, it was hard for that to be anything but depressing for both of us I'm sure. He just was turned into a wanted criminal- well, he was one already, but now everybody knows who he is. With a sigh, she tried to open the door to no avail. If Kaito were here he'd probably just pick it open in seconds. But the rest of us need stuff like keys….
"The key's hidden in that fake rock right there," pointed out Kazuha, gesturing to a light brown stone lit a shining caramel in the moonlight. "Kudo-kun left a puzzle, but Heiji ended up throwing it away because he thought it was stupid."
Leaning down, Aoko opened up the rock to find the key, which she immediately inserted into the lock. With a twist of her hand, the door swiveled open to reveal a messy room, complete with torn stuffing and thrown pillows. Her mouth shaped as an 'O', she walked in slowly; as if she thought she was trapped in a dream. What had happened while they were gone?
"Aoko-chan, what's-" Kazuha stopped as she surveyed the wreckage, just as shocked- if not more- than Aoko. "What do you think-"
"Shinichi thinks they were trying to find Pandora," whispered Ran, repeating Shinichi's words to the others as she stepped next to them. "That was their goal, wasn't it?"
There's no other reason it would be like this, explained Shinichi, sounding all technical again. They wouldn't do something like this just to scare us; it would be absolutely pointless- a waste of time. However, I do find it strange that they left this much evidence- it's like they wanted us to know they were here. It doesn't seem to fit in with what Haibara told us- that they're always hiding in secrecy.
Hattori's told us that the jewel was here- but he only mentioned it loosely while we were talking. That means that he saw Kuroba with it, but not necessarily knowing exactly where it was. It's probably in his room.
How do they know that he stayed here? inquired Ran, looking around at the demolished room. I thought we kept it secret.
He probably told them himself, most likely out of fear. Hopefully it was out of fear at least. His words translated to 'he may have believed he was really part of the Organization.'
"If they were trying to find Pandora here, it means that if they didn't manage to steal it, then it'll still be here!" exclaimed Aoko, getting worked up, her energy returning. That was the jewel Kaito had stolen only nights before- the night they both confessed their true feelings. "Do either of you know where it might be?"
"Um…" started Kazuha, putting on a pondering expression as she tried to remember the events of that night. "I don't know because Heiji told me to go to bed before Kaito-kun came back. Heiji might know though- he was talking to Kaito-kun- at least, I'm pretty sure he was." She recalled a slight thump and quiet voices since she had only been half-asleep, but she hadn't been able to discern words.
"Then can you call him?" asked Aoko, looking frantic as she jumped up and down in anxious anticipation. "I bet he and Hakuba-kun are just about finished with their investigation."
"No, Shinichi's got it. He says there should have been no reason for Kaito-kun to bother putting it in a hidden place or whatever because nobody from the Organization should have known he was here. The most he would have done is placed it in his bedroom drawer because he knows that neither Hattori-kun or Kazuha-chan would steal it. I think it's a pretty sound deduction," said Ran, once again the puppet.
Pretty sound? Are you kidding me? teased Shinichi in a playful voice. I'm pretty sure the deduction skills of a famous high school detective like me- dead or alive- are usually right on. Wouldn't you say so?
Yeah, but if you're wrong right now and the jewel is still in the house, I'm going to make you deal with Aoko-chan. She'd kill you again, and who knows where you'd end up. Shinichi rolled his eyes, and smiled. Probably not with me.
That would be hell. For both of us. Ran gave a silent agreement to his statement, wondering what she would do without Shinichi's constant companionship. He would have to leave once the syndicate was taken care of, and at the rate they were going, it would definitely happen. He would be gone one day, and there was nothing that she could do to stop it. The only way for them to be together after that was to join him- and not in a way that he would encourage.
Shinichi didn't hear Ran's somewhat suicidal thoughts, and if he did, he would have tried to snap her out of it at all costs. Ran was glad of it- she didn't want to hear his opinions on this. It was her choice and hers alone. It wasn't like he could stop her after all….
Aoko thundered up the steps like a raging rhino as her mind whirled in circles. Pandora, Kaito, Pandora, Kaito, Pandora, Kaito… Her thoughts repeated these two words constantly as she chanted them under her breath. Even if she couldn't bring back Kaito, she would at least uphold his wish. To make sure the jewel didn't fall into the wrong hands, and to destroy it. That was the top priority.
Which room was Kaito staying in? she thought frantically, looking around as if there would be a huge lit up sign saying 'Kaito's Room Here'. Unfortunately, no such thing existed. And even worse, there had to be at least ten different rooms on the second floor.
"His room is the third one down on the left!" called Kazuha from downstairs, noticing Aoko's confusion. "It's a couple rooms away from the bathroom!"
The door was left open, having been left untouched after Kaito's untimely departure. Entering, she noticed that the room was surprisingly clean- it could have been described as pristine except for the bed which was left with the covers on the floor. Of course, Kaito wasn't the kind of person who usually did the bed, so it seemed untouched compared to everywhere else.
Aoko began pawing through the drawers and closet, trying to catch just a small glimpse of the blood red jewel that Kaito had told her about, a jewel with the power to grant immortality. It took her less than ten minutes to do, and Kazuha and Ran had come to help. No Pandora.
"Do you think they took it?" asked Aoko, staring at the floor in depression.
Shinichi's words echoed in Ran's head as she watched Aoko slump to the ground in frustration. It's gone. They have Pandora….
*Please review! I know I have a lot of readers out there who don't review, but please take your time to review just this once and tell me what you honestly think of this story. I don't spend 7 hours writing just because I enjoy it. I want to know that there are more than just three people out there who enjoy reading this story. Every review makes my day, so please, just this once, let me know who my readers are. Thank you.*