**Warning: This fanfiction contains spoliers from the manga. Advised to catch up with it.

– a droplet of water landed on his forehead.

Water? Wha – ?

Deep turquoise eyes suddenly snapping wide open, Shinichi lurched forwards and grasped the fabric of his jacket. He was sucking the air into his lungs greedily as, through some heavenly miracle, the excruciating pain formerly present in his body dulled. It not just dulled, the teen realised. It had completely disappeared. He looked at himself in utter disbelief. There was no sign of blood on him, even though that was all he used to see on himself in the past – how long had it been? Months? It felt like years.

He was having difficulty with kick-starting his thoughts.

Still, he never doubted his biochemist accomplice, but even her pills could only relieve the pain and lessen the bleeding rather than completely healing wounds. What he was seeing was the impossibility itself, meaning that he either died or snapped at last.

On a second thought, his outfit was eerily familiar. It awoke feelings inside him, feelings along regret and sorrow. Leisurely green jacket, unsuitable shirt beaming in stark yellow – something he would wear back in the good old days. The nostalgia vanished when he realised that he was being pressed against a seat. Another interrogation? Another hallucinogen? The usual sensation akin to boiling acid coursing through his veins was missing, yet that still sounded more plausible – for the better or the worse – than the previous two options.

How long would it take them to realise that nothing would make him spill? Or have they changed their objective from that to bending his mind? That sounded scarily probable based on their actions. In either case, his mind automatically recited the protocol in such cases. Know your situation and keep your mind straight.

Anything else and you will end up insane or broken.

"Shinichi? Are you alright?"

Shinichi looked as if he saw a ghost. Ran was clinging tightly to the safety wards of the roller coaster besides him.

Roller coaster. No. Please, anything up there, just not that day.

He slumped into his seat as a half-hysterical laugh burst out of him. It was surely their favourite trick to turn his own memories against him the cruellest manner imaginable. Having him relive his moments of happiness only to turn them into nightmares repeatedly. How many times had he been forced to see his friends and allies suffer through the worst fates the sick imagination of humans can produce? How many times had he been forced to see them getting stabbed, shot, strangled, tortured, maimed and killed in a hundred-so different way – he really should have asked Haibara for that memory wipe before. At that point, they only provided a tool for the crows to make him suffer.

Yes, he should ask Haibara to wipe his memory. Haibara. He just had to find Haibara – oh. He forgot that she was already dead.

"Aargh!" Someone in the back screamed. He was instantly on high alert.

"Kyaa, what's this warm stuff?" Ran. Well shit. He already knew what that was. He felt it on his neck too.

"It's too dark! I can't see anything." The front seats took notice too. The case at Tropical Land. Had he been not preoccupied with himself, he could have – no, keep it straight. Suddenly, they were out in the light. He almost cried out at the brightness assaulting his darkness-adjusted eyes.

A collective scream slammed to his eardrums. It was rightful though. Not many people found themselves sharing a roller coaster with a headless corpse frequently after all.

There was one dive before the ride stopped.

Ran clung at his sleeve desperately, trying to keep her breakfast down. They surely knew how to hit a nail into the only place in his heart where was no room for negotiation. He wrapped his arms around her tightly while keeping her from looking at the pile of gore behind them. It was his task to deal with that, not hers. He felt her stiffening slightly under his touch. He wondered for a split moment if he was doing something wrong when he realised that in that particular point of time, their relationship stagnated on the 'childhood friend' status. With how dense his old self was, that was no wonder. It was – strange though. None of the hallucinations he had suffered through were that specific.

He exhaled shallowly. Even if he was concerned about the details, it was good to know her in safety – imaginary, but still. By the time the roller coaster came to a halt, pandemonium had erupted at the platform. He could catch some words along 'ambulance', 'cops' and 'accident'. Looking over her shoulders, he could see the people involved in the case. While helping her shaking form out of the seat, he paid a stray glance at the culprit before his eyes locked on the certain pair of men in black hiding in the background.

Even if you took all the culprits he had dealt with and put them together, they would hardly be able to muster up the vengeance bubbling inside him against those two.

Gin and Vodka.

He tried not to think of his friends who were dead on their hands.

He tried not to think of the twenty-second possible way to kill them right there with the objects at his disposal.

Their guard was down. It would be so simple – stop! Why was he thinking about that? He was terrified of how easily he was tempted to give into their twisted mind-set, of how he could spot the cracks appearing on his own personality only after some months. Even if face of their brutality, he wished to remain who he was. Their enemy. A detective with a task at hand. Seeing those two discreetly sneaking away slapped things into order in his troubled mind. His entire life was about chasing them. There was no other option for him than continue chasing them. He was not about to let them escape, to break him, even if the events he was seeing were merely fragments of his past.

Even if it could have been reality for all he knew –

But ultimately, no matter how painful it was to accept, everything he saw was an illusion. There was no more logical explanation. It was not real. Yet seeing the other people riding the roller coaster with him wearing a teary face of disbelief and absolute horror nearby, he sighed.

It looked like he had another case to solve before he could get down to real business.

"Wait, this is no accident. It's murder." Good, everyone was listening to him. "And the murderer must have been on this roller coaster with the victim. It's one of the seven of us!"

Annoying prat. Gin was closely followed by his partner. "Hmpf, we don't have time for this."

Shinichi felt a squeeze on his hand. Ran never left his side for a moment. Large tears were sitting in the corners of her eyes as she continued to cling on his arm. He almost forgot how much of a crybaby she used to be. He was glad for this version of her though, for not having been forced to witness too many atrocities yet. He drew her into a hug again as an attempt to provide her comfort while the headless corpse was being removed from its seat, not failing to notice the momentary blush under the distress on her face.

"Step back, police coming through!"

Ah, Megure. How convenient. Looking at the background figures, Shinichi found that some other dead faces came back to haunt him too.

"Inspector, can I have a marker and paper?" It sounded more like a declaration than a question.

Trusting Megure to carry out his request, Shinichi was mentally sorting out his aims. Looking at the girl by his side, he found his number one priority. Looking at the bloody scene by his feet, he decided on his number two priority. He didn't have to look towards the two crows to know his number three priority. He stopped in his thoughts as he realised that following that list would definitely going to get him killed by the evening. He was no longer the naïve high-school detective who would follow two suspicious figures backup-less without a second thought. Nobody said that he had to do everything by himself.

The law enforcement – even the local police – would have a higher chance of success then he alone would. It was common sense.

"Kudo-kun?" Megure called his name. He looked up – perhaps he had spaced out a bit there.

An officer came running and handed over the requested items. "Here they are."

He took the paper and marker wordlessly and quickly sketched the location of the suspects on the roller coaster. He made sure nothing was out-of-ordinary about his behaviour – and that included demonstrating how the crime was committed. He knew that most of the officers and spectators enjoyed his deduction show more that way too. Spectators – yes, he could already hear them whispering behind his back, awaiting him to flash his detective skills again. Backside of fame.

Not like any of them knew what he really intended to do.

A marker-written message on the backside of the paper – done. He flipped back the piece of parchment and finished what he was supposed to do.

He just finished labelling the suspects with letters when Megure squatted down next to him.

He started explaining the circumstances without a bat of eyelash. On the periphery, he could see Megure furrowing a brow. The man was perhaps not a genius, but he knew that he was smart enough to realise that script was mirrored if was read from the other side of the paper. It was only legible if was originally written backwards, and no police inspector with a competent brain between their ears would consider that a coincidence. According to his letter, the two men in the back seats were part of a criminal syndicate and would become dangerous if were exposed in public – understatement of the decade – and he requested help with apprehending them.

Megure looked at him sceptically at first, but seeing his solemn attitude, he signalled confirmation. All set then. He could finally turn his focus to the case in front of him again and make his deduction. He reminded himself to deal with everything slowly and normally. He didn't need the police to question him at the most crucial moment.

As they crossed out the option of suicide and narrowed down the suspects to five, he sensed Gin approaching. He moved so that the message was out of his enemy's sight.

"Hey, hurry it up. We don't have time to waste watching you play – "

Megure tensed. Shinichi, however, just glared back.

Gin was, probably for the first time in ages, honestly surprised. So much that he forgot to finish his sentence. With his name coming from the tap in the whole damn city, it was hard not to know that the kid was that self-proclaimed high-school detective. Despite the acknowledgement he got, he simply disregarded him as an attention-seeking brat who could only bath in fame.

He was wrong. That gaze of his – he had apparently seen more deaths than he had, which was speaking volumes. Just who on earth was that child?

" – inspector, look what was in this woman's bag!"

Shinichi already knew the answer. The bloody knife would have been decisive evidence if the deed had not been physically impossible with that weapon. He took a deep breath and started uncovering the true culprit with his usual theatrical antics. While making his demonstration with the assistance of Megure and slowly cornering the gymnast girl – Hitomi, was it? – with small evident details, he was constantly watching either the crows or his future girlfriend. Ran was always somewhere in his proximity and the other two were just loitering around, definitely eager to escape the scent of authority yet not seeming to be triggered to do anything drastic yet.

The culprit finally cracked. She took a couple of minutes bawling about her motives. Shinichi listened to it out of duty.

He didn't miss Gin and Vodka leaving the scene using her as distraction. Not like it mattered. He knew where they were going to go anyways.

Ran would as well as make it official. Something had happened to Shinichi.

One minute he was his usual, mystery freak self, talking about his oh-so favourite Holmes novels, the next he was – her expression darkened. He was having a strange seizure all of a sudden, then looked at her with the most disbelieving and broken eyes she had ever seen. As if he thought she was – what? Some kind of ghost? An unexplainable anomaly that terrified him? And that was just the beginning. In the span of some second, they found a beheaded corpse sitting right behind them.

He simply spared a glance at it and acted like it was a casual sight. The nature of his job was gruesome, that much was for sure, but him being that indifferent was disturbing. Not to mention that he guessed the culprit correctly immediately. Perhaps the others present didn't notice, but the first person he searched for as soon as the roller coaster stopped was Hitomi-san. He was a brilliant detective, she admitted that, but to determine the culprit by just looking at her – it was impossible. Then he proceeded to stare daggers into the two men who had been sitting on the backseat, acting as if he resented them more than the actual murderer with no apparent reason whatsoever.

He started bossing around the police immediately after they arrived. She knew he could be bossy sometimes, but not even letting the inspector greet him was just rude. He paid no attention to the usual commotion around him. His voice was also detached and recital, as if his thoughts were totally elsewhere.

He was nothing like the persona who enjoyed being in the spotlight. No, he was different. Bored, even – he just cleaned it up fast and neat.

In contrast of his cold behaviour towards others, he treated her as nobody would a simple childhood friend. Putting aside his world-class emotional density, he suddenly started to care for her comfort – again acting nothing like he did before. Not that she minded that, though, she was surprisingly pleased with his new attitude, but she felt something was wrong. She couldn't decide whether she should be happy or worried about the change. Add a murder to the mix to throw her emotional world into total chaos.

And there was he, staring at her fingers nervously rubbing the sleeve of her shirt. "Do they fit?"

She blinked in puzzlement before she realised what he was talking about. "A little bit big, but alright otherwise. I'm surprised that the police lent us spare clothes though."

"Megure probably didn't want to give his old friend a heart attack with sending his daughter home in bloody clothes."

She finally snapped her teary face towards him. "This is not funny, Shinichi! Someone was murdered! How can you act like nothing had happened?"

"I highly doubt weeping around solves cases." He said casually. "I've had more gore on my plate to be affected by something like this anyways."

Gaping at him, she was about to ask him to name a way a person can be murdered in a more gory manner when he stopped to check his watch. As if on a cue, a police car stopped next to them by the sidewalk. She couldn't understand what the police wanted with them – they had already given their testimony. She was looking at her friend questioningly. "I asked an officer to give you a lift home, Ran. I bet your father's already on the verge of having a heart attack by now. You were with me of all people after all."

She couldn't believe it. "You're ditching me now? After everything that went down? You're awful."

"Noted. But I've got something to do before I can go home. I'll catch up with you later."

And he left, waving her goodbye. She sighed – that sounded more like the old him. Wordlessly hopping onto the backseat and letting the officer behind the wheel handle the directions, her thoughts wandered into deeper domains. She would have been upset with him leaving her just like that, but her troubled thoughts preoccupied her mind. Leaning to the window and watching the light flashing by her, she took in the strange scent the wind passing through the gap of the half-lowered window carried. It was unfamiliar.

She had yet to learn the scent of danger in the air, after all.

"Yes, by the pedestal of the ferris wheel. They were checking the location from the roller coaster."

Shinichi, flip phone between his head and shoulder, was fumbling with an old-fashioned lock. The roof of a nearby skyscraper would have been a perfect observation spot, but unfortunately, the door leading there was closed in front of scheming detectives. He was about to curse out loudly when the sixth clip broke and clattered on the ground, but he bit it back. It was perhaps not the best idea to admit to be busy with picking a lock while he was on the phone with a police inspector.

"No, they should remain in the city for a couple of days. I think that this transaction is only one of their many businesses." He had to make it sound like a deduction, even if he perfectly knew that they would leave the city exactly two weeks after his 'little problem' was supposed to kick in. It would be much easier to apprehend them on the train, trapping them like mice in the box, but there were going to be too many civilians around. "I want you to follow them for the time being, if that's manageable. We can get hold of their contacts and find the most appropriate time for their arrest. Be on alert though, they're no amateurs when it comes to avoiding police, especially the silver-haired one."

The lock finally clicked under the pressure of the seventh clip. Exactly the same time, a barely noticeable smile crossed his face. "I have my sources. However, it would be quite complicated to explain the whole situation right now. I promise to tell everything after this ends."

Which would be one hell of a ride even with him there to aid the police.

His eyes turned towards the phone while walking towards the edge. "Yes, black trench coat and sunglasses. You found them?"

Feeling of freedom washed over him at the sight. Compared to months between four dim and filthy walls, the familiar sea of lights was a nice change. That was the first time he realised how good he actually felt. He was actually clean, wearing proper clothes and was able to breathe in the fresh air – fresh air! – without experiencing the usual dose of excruciating pain. And being able to freely walk around – truly a miracle. "No. Emphasize on stealth. Whatever you do, don't show your faces."

Unless they wanted to find themselves dead by the next day, that's it.

The connection was pregnant with silence apart from the sounds of a camera running. Ah, recording evidence. So far, everything was going according to the plan – a peaceful plan that didn't include the destruction of half downtown Tokyo. He leaned to the railing with uncharacteristic weariness, looking the threatening depth square in the face with an unfazed gaze to relearn the layout of the roads under him. He had forgotten so much – that was how Tokyo looked like? He couldn't quite remember. He let himself relax a bit, his face touching the comfortingly cold metal.

But even in his most relaxed moments, his muscles were tense, ready to react if danger was to come – danger he was awaiting since the beginning.

Oh, it did. There was no need to await it. Of course, nothing would go in order against the crows.

He immediately perked up at the sounds of gunshots, nervously snapping at the one on the other end. "What happened? Tell me! Hey, Megure!"

His fist collided with the railing upon hearing the fast recap. Even with the hypervigilance of the silver-haired assassin against them, he thought they would be able to avoid being found. Even Megure and his men should have been able to hide themselves properly – no. The police was not the one to blame. They didn't mess up anything – it was the enemy that was too formidable. His eyes screwed shut as if the thought of losing control over the situation caused him physical pain.

Losing control led to mistakes. And mistakes led to deaths.

Shinichi forcefully collected himself. "No, pull them back. Send the injured to hospital and call the headquarters to send guards there. There's a good chance that they'll be targeted again. The others exposed can continue but will need protection afterwards. I can take care of the rest. Now concentrate on the task at hand."

It looked like he would need to make some calls later. He didn't plan to send that many people in the WPP.

Well, at least there were no fatalities. Not like he would let any happen on his watch. This time around, he would not fail them. This time around, he would –

Then it hit him. He didn't have connection with FBI yet. Nor with the PSB. Heck, those were still pretty much sworn enemies at that point. As a not so pleasant consequence, he could depend only on his own abilities and resources to fund his plans. Abilities he had but resources he lacked. Which meant that anyone whose face was accidentally seen in the fiasco would be dead by the end of the week. According to the best scenario. The fact how powerless he was – he became – frustrated him to no end.

Once the word got to Karasuma, which definitely would, it was game over for everyone down there.

– if the word ever got to the Karasuma.

An unsettling smirk appeared under the dark bangs wavered by the chilly night breeze as he heard the other side of the connection reaching the same conclusion, though cushioning the words better. Somewhere deep in himself, he knew that it would go down to that. Suddenly, memories of him and his allies flashed before his eyes, preparing to face the crows so many times in the past in such a similar manner. So many times that he had lost count – many of which was probably the product of his own mind.

Akai waiting in his position behind the scope, eager to listen to his suggestions.

Rei driving up the highway, slicing through the night with his white RX-7, phone on speaker in the cup holder.

Haibara nodding encouragingly as he reached for his phone to give orders –

When he looked up, the memories vanished. It was only the nighttime lights reflecting in his eyes akin to ice. He posture straightened as the familiar sounds of police sirens in the distance reached his ears, making his determination crystallize. He missed them. He missed everyone. But that changed nothing in regards of the current situation. He only had to make sure that the objective was achieved without exposing the police officers – many of whom were also his precious friends – to even more danger.

"Permission granted – I mean, please do so, inspector." News travelled fast.

The phone clicked softly. "Yes, I requested Inspector Megure to put me through. I have crucial information about the escapees and because of that, I ask for your collaboration. Never worry, Superintendent Matsumoto. I know what I'm doing. First, you should go right at Nichio-cho 5. Switch back to Megure."

Shinichi dynamically moved to the north side of the building, from where he could follow the events.

"Send Ida and two other cars to Washari-cho 3. Have them stand ready. You and the rest continue pursuing from Mizuho-cho."

His eyes trailed the routes of each group, until he spotted a black blur between two buildings. His years worth of experience let him predict their course of actions from even seeing them for a millisecond – a course of actions that would make his scheme go awry. His eyes widened as he realised the weak point of his own plan, and that his enemies realised it too. He didn't care if he had to shout at a police officer. He just fought tooth and nails to avoid the despair breathing on his neck. "Megure, turn left! Don't let them go to the highway! I don't give a damn about what checkpoint you've put up there, they'll just cut through it! They don't give a shit about insignificant things like that!"

If they got to the highway, everything was over. His sharp eyes focused on the critical spot, as if staring it would teleport the police there. When the red lights soon gathered by the driveway, creating an unbreakable cordon, his former smirk turned into a grin. "Nice. Put through Matsumoto!"

What was going on? He was winning – something was up.

Yet no matter what his experience dictated, the familiar feeling rising in his chest was unconquerable. It was something that filled him with pride and confidence. It was something his long-lost freedom had made him forget about. In retrospective, that fact made the current situation even more – enjoyable? "Matsumoto! Turn around at Atsuo-cho 7, then right at the second intersection. You'll find yourselves face to face with them. Switch to Ida."

He was watching his plan was coming into fruition. But in the last moment, the 'black blur' took a sharp turn, entering an abandoned alleyway.

His excitement got the better of him. "That much is expected. Ida!"

Perhaps he was just imagining the static his yell created in the connection. But he was certainly not imagining the explosion and the consequent fire lighting up the horizon, marking the end of the operation. He only allowed himself to fully relax once he had gotten confirmation that everyone was alright. On their end. His voice switched into a cold one. "Check the car for bodies, they might have managed to escape. Put everyone under protection who was exposed."

He ended the call before any uncomfortable questions were asked. His mind was enough for him to deal with.

Checkmate. He gave Gin of all people checkmate. With normal police.

It sounded so impossible. His hands grasped the railing tightly, phone almost snapped in half by the fingers as he leaned slightly forward, dark bangs veiling his eyes. His frame slowly started shaking. He was – no. But it was undeniable. He was chuckling. Some seconds later outright laughing. He had never been so proud of himself. Of what? Potentially killing off two people? He needed to stop crossing that bridge quickly.

But found himself unable to control his emotions – he was so happy that the grin just wouldn't leave his face.

– if only Haibara could see the sight! No, not those thoughts! He grabbed his head, fingers grasping his hair.

Still, he won against them in the imaginary world of their conduction. And that was something. Something that left him thinking. He knew too well that they worthed their salt when it came to torture – and that there was no way out once you see the depths of their hell. They would never let you win. Never. And suddenly, everything felt more real around him. His mind finally let him think outside the box. 'When you have eliminated everything possible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'

It wasn't a hallucination. It was not even shrinking, even though that was fairly impossible in itself. No, it was something obvious yet so absurd.

– and droplet of water landed on his forehead from the dark sky.

Published: 12/12/2021