Due to a death in the family, I would not be updating this story for 3 weeks. I apologize, but I promise to be back soon.
Chapter 60
Crimson Night
It was a starless night. The purple clouds blended in with the oppressive darkness, warning of an impending storm. Winds whipped aggressively, sweeping dead leaves across concrete pavements. As golden eyes viewed her from the dead of night, a cruel mirage of a man urged her forward—and the skies broke. On wet streets, passing yellow and red headlights reflected like watery mirrors.
Shiho stood beneath the canopy, wearing a black sweater. A hood covers auburn hair, hidden under a Big Osaka cap. She carried a small bag pack containing some clothes and personal belongings. Eventually, a bus arrived. As she entered, gray eyes gazed over in concern. With unusually high cheekbones and wispy white hair, the driver studied her.
"What are you doing here, little one?" he asked. "It's nearly midnight; where are your parents?"
With a practiced bright smile, she took out her phone to show him a message she had crafted hours earlier using the professor's phone. "Otou-san is in the hospital; I need to visit him," she said innocently, holding up the phone. The fake message was a request from a man asking anyone who questions her to assist her.
Reading the message, his gaze softened, and he smiled at her, suggesting she sit up front. Shiho thanked him as she sat down. As soon as the driver turned back to the road, her child-like mask dropped. While leaning against the ice-cold windows, Shiho glanced despondently at the raindrops rolling down the glass. Shadowy silhouettes were cast across as the bus rumbled through the nebulous darkness.
The public vehicle eventually rolled into a forested road after a few stops. Rain pelted harder, bouncing off the ceiling, creating a cacophonous din. The cold settled like a stubborn plague as Shiho reached into her pockets, fingers curling around a handle.
"The night's still young," she whispered. Her spine throbbed with an unrelenting ache that scorched through her. Burnt scars buzzed like bees, stinging her like nettles. Phantom chains bound her ankles, taking her back into the dark recesses of inexorable memories. Blonde-haired demons laughed with a silver-haired beast—and she choked, tightening her grip against the unforgiving weapon. Slowly, a smirk formed on her lips as the bus stopped.
"Take care of yourself, little one," the bus driver said as she exited the vehicle. She thanked him again and turned her attention to the building before her. There was a flickering LED sign above displaying a name. A crimson red, it casts hypnotic reflections against a rain-soaked entrance. She was drawn to it like flies to a light.
"Sancho Private Hospital," Shiho whispered, information extracted from a file proving useful. She entered quietly, slipping through sliding doors. As it was almost one, the place was empty. In the background, soft, elevator-like music played, barely audible over the raging storm outside. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a roar of thunder, causing lights to flicker.
A woman working at the counter cursed, and Shiho hid behind a chair.
"Another storm. When would it stop raining?"
The nurse yawned, rubbing her baggy eyes as she approached the main entrance. Shiho sneaks by her silently as she walks through the corridors to the main lifts. The layout of this unassuming hospital is straightforward. From internet searches Shiho had conducted the day before, she had memorized it.
She took the elevator when it arrived. After descending a level, she was faced with a shadowy hallway.
Following the lit signs, Shiho made her way to a breaker room beside the morgue. Using a stool, she opens the steel box, finding the main switches for the lights. Putting on the navigation glasses she had stolen from Kudou, she smirked and flicked the switch. Darkness descended over the place. Leaving the room, Shiho turned on the night vision feature the professor had installed in the shrunken detective's glasses.
Walking stealthily, she made her way to the emergency stairs and climbed them. Stopping at the door leading to the top floor. She drew her gun as soon as she heard voices. As expected, FBI agents guarding the premises were alarmed. After all, it was unusual for a level to plunge into pitch-black darkness so suddenly, and they had been on high alert since the last attack. She slowly opened the emergency exit doors, slipping in undetected. There were times when being small was advantageous.
There were four private rooms, but only one was occupied. The FBI had bought the whole floor—a top secret that an agent accidentally divulged, leaving files on a kitchen counter for Shiho to browse.
Shiho cautiously surveyed her surroundings, analyzing the guards' patterns and movements. There were at least five of them. Three agents walked meticulously through the corridors, wielding powerful torches, bright light sweeping around every corner. The other two stood in front of the locked door of the private room. Guns out, talking into an earpiece about the developing situation.
Timing was crucial. She needed to create an opening.
Inky silence permeates the corridors until Shiho spots a green vending machine emitting static groans. With her gun raised, she fired a shot at it. An explosion of sparks was accompanied by loud electrical shrieks. There were shouts followed by footsteps echoing through the corridor.
"We have a situation here!" one of the agents spoke urgently into the walkie-talkie. She watched them from a corner as they all carelessly raced toward the vending machine, leaving the private room unguarded. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Shiho moved from her hiding place, hugging the shadows and bending into the surrounding environment. Keeping her breathing under control, she made sure not to draw attention to herself. Passing them, she stops before the room.
As she peers through an open glass window, she hears a soft beep as medical machines beep and oxygen pumped through a mask. There she was, still as a corpse among a sheet of white.
"There's nowhere to run."
Picking at the locks, she enters, closing the doors softly behind her. The room was surprisingly warm, with a heater humming by the side. Flashes of lightning are blocked by curtains as the stormy night stirs up another rumble of thunder. Slowly, Shiho approached the bed.
"They will die."
The blonde-haired woman lay with her eyes closed. A coma, they said. The possibility of her waking up was not guaranteed. However, Shiho was not going to take any chances. Her eyes hardened as she pulled out the pistol from her pockets.
"Everyone you love, everyone you cherish."
And the demon smiled. The continuous beeping of life support vanishes into oblivion. Blood rushed through her body, her ears rang, and the pressure descended.
"Including your sister."
Banishing the grating recollections of a silver-haired beast. Cold fury persisted into apathy. A harsh chuckle escaped her lips as she pressed the gun against the woman's temple. The heft of the weapon—feels solid.
"The night's still young, isn't it," her index finger curled around the trigger, "Vermouth."
Lightning flashed, followed by rumbling thunder—
Pressing down, she smirked.
"Shinichi!"
It was a rude awakening. A fork of light branched across the sky—a roar rattled the windows. Shinichi wakes at the kitchen counter, rubbing his tired eyes. He was greeted by a haggard-looking professor and Jodie-sensei. She was soaked. An excess of water dripped from the bangs. The look on their faces—alarming.
"What is it?" he asked immediately.
"She isn't here, Shinichi," the professor says solemnly, trying to maintain his cool but failing. "I have checked the room...basement, everywhere. Her bag...her clothes... they're gone," his voice cracked as he gripped the countertop tightly.
Time slowed, elongating each passing second as Shinichi tried to make sense of the inexplicable situation. He remembers the rage in her eyes and her last words to him. An unquenchable fire.
"Boy," Jodie-sensei exclaims, breaking through his reverie. She grabbed onto him. A set of car keys was in her hands. "I might have an idea," she continued breathlessly. "But if I'm right, we need to go now!"
Shinichi doesn't waste any time. Stumbling in his half-awake state, he ordered the professor to stay put. Rushing out of the house, they scrambled to Jodie-sensei's parked car. Rain soaks through his clothes as he runs without protection. In a flurry, the woman starts her car, then steers into wet streets. They sped through slick, dreary routes. Shadows swirled, and tiny laneways turned into main roads. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and static from a radio played over the rising pressure.
"I can't get him," Shinichi tries calling Akai for the umpteen times.
"He's on a mission," Jodie-sensei responded. She made a sharp left turn, narrowly drifting off the road. Shinichi winced as the seatbelt cut deep into his soaked jacket. Hands tightening over the steering wheel, Jodie-sensei stared straight ahead at the darkening streets. Through the omnipresent storm, bright beams of a headlight cut through the never-ending darkness. A forest of trees came ahead, shielding them for a moment from the patters of rain that landed heavily on the metallic roof of Jodie-sensei's car.
The dreadful silence stretched, and Shinichi took a deep breath, his hands curling firmly around the seatbelts as he sat upright in cold leather seats. Amidst a sea of tumultuous thoughts, his mind raced, grasping at straws, searching for an anchor.
"Kudou-kun," Jodie-sensei whispered sympathetically. Shinichi could barely respond. The world around him seemed to blur as if reality itself could not keep up with the sinister scenario forming in his head. A possibility that Shinichi never wants. He blanched, doubling over. With his head spinning, he could feel the furious thudding of his heart. Anxiety crippled him, limbs going weak. He rested his face against his hands, trying hard to maintain his composure.
"We might not make it in time."
Thunder roared, booming, echoing throughout the soaked roads as Jodie-sensei stepped on the accelerator. Why… the question emerges. The weight of a locket sank deep.
Why…Shiho?
Approaching a private hospital, the FBI agent pressed down hard on the brake, and Shinichi flings the door open before the car even stopped. In a hurry, he raced past the entrance as Jodie-sensei chased after him. The woman hasn't even bothered to park her car. An irate nurse greeted them as they scrambled through the lobby.
"Wait!" she protested, "you can't park there! Where are you going!?"
Shinichi pushed past her, making a beeline to the elevators. Shoes slapped against marbled floors as he ran, leaving wet tracks. Jodie-sensei flipped out her police badge wordlessly, silencing the nurse, who nodded in shock. Pressing against the buttons, Shinichi cursed.
The lifts—were too slow!
Shinichi could not wait any longer. Turning to the emergency stairwell, he burst through it.
"Wait! Kudou-kun!" Jodie-sensei called, but he ignored her. Climbing up the stairs, two at a time, he recalled the blueprint Akai had shown him a few weeks back. Of a private hospital, housing—
Slipping, he hit his knees against the edge of a step. He yelled in pain as blood spurted from an open wound. With gritted teeth, he rose to his feet and began running again. He reached the fourth floor at record speeds, flinging the doors open with a strength uncanny for a ten-year-old.
"What!?" a startled FBI agent exclaimed. Shinichi noticed that the place was dark. Having concluded that the breakers were down, he brushed past the agents, avoiding their advances and orders to stop. He didn't have time to deal with bumbling idiots!
By the end of the corridor, he found her room, heart dropping when he saw it was forced open. There were scratches on the lock, probably caused by paper clips.
Shiho's trademark.
His breath hitched, and he burst in.
The stale air greeted him first. Then the faint electrical hum of a working heater. Nearby, medical machines beep continuously. He approached the bed slowly, his ears ringing. Shinichi was struggling to breathe; it felt like he was underwater, almost like a nightmare. The pressure grew as the shadows swirled, and he hesitated when his hands reached for the covers.
No. He couldn't—
Bracing himself, he pulled the covers off—to find a blonde-headed woman breathing rhythmically into an oxygen mask. Her eyes were closed, lying still in a comatose state.
Vermouth—was alive.
In relief, he almost buckled. Holding onto her bed, he catches himself before he fell. His concern reached new heights.
Where was she?
"What are you doing!?" an FBI agent shouted. They rushed in, alarm on their faces, hands reaching for their holster.
Jodie-sensei appeared behind them. Her hands clutched her hips as she panted. In shock, they backed away, allowing her through. "Is she here?" Jodie-sensei asked between pants, and Shinichi shook his head solemnly. Taking a deep breath, the woman leaned against the door, collecting herself.
"Did you guys notice anything strange?" she asked the agents who were supposed to be guarding the door.
"Yes," they tentatively replied, eyebrows raised, "But what exactly happened?"
"There's no time to explain," Shinichi snapped, and they were taken aback by his tone, "What did you notice?"
They turned to Jodie-sensei, who regarded him and then nodded.
"Well," an FBI agent said, "First, the lights went out, and then the glass of one of the vending machines beside the fire escape broke. Tom checked on it, but we suspect it was caused by the storm. We're still investigating."
"And you left your post!?" Jodie-sensei chided, and he flinched.
"We had to investigate. Tom said he heard gunshots," he defended. "Has something happened? Why are you here?" He paused, glancing concerned at Jodie-sensei. "Was there an intruder?"
"Kudou-kun," the woman quipped.
Shinichi regards the information. Shiho had been here. All clues point to it. But—
He reached for the object on the ground, his eyes widening. A menacing glint reflected off the bluish screens of a life-support machine. Black, steel—his lips parted.
"Jodie-sensei," Shinichi ordered, "Ready the car."
Nodding at the implications, she grew solemn.
Lightning streaked across, the sudden burst of light revealed details concealed in darkness—a loaded gun nestled in his grasp.
She was at the cafe. It had been her sister's favorite place. Akemi said it reminded her of home when their parents were still alive. Its western-like interior, classic wooden furniture, and nutty aroma of brewing coffee evoked sentimental emotions that Shiho wanted to suppress.
Why am I here?
There was a strange evanescent quality to the room. Dappled sunlight shone through the windows casting a gentle radiance at the table Shiho sat at.
How did she get here?
An English tea cup was placed before her, interrupting her thoughts. The ornament was jade green and made of china. Its sides are adorned with intricate patterns of leaves and cats. Gold-stained ceramic vines decorated the narrow handle.
Akemi once said that the cup's beauty reminded her of Shiho. Shiho had scoffed at this statement, making snide remarks. Despite her insensitivity, her sister was uncannily serious and had spent an afternoon comparing the color of the cup to Shiho's eyes. The assertions she made would have led one to assume that she was writing a thesis.
Shiho smirked bitterly. A fleeting memory from the past.
Why, then, was she remembering it now?
She realized she was not alone as soon as the citrusy scent of Earl Gray tea hit her.
"Onee-chan," she whispered.
Across from her sat a raven-haired woman wearing a brown leather jacket Shiho had given her for her birthday. Her sister looked at her with a gentle gaze, delicate soft bangs framing azure blue eyes. Embossed with intricate blue Chinese patterns of dragons and flowers, the woman was holding a white cup. Despite being a teacup, it was filled with coffee. A running joke between the cafe owner and Akemi. Again, her sister's cheeky personality came through.
The pranks she liked to play, the harmless teases...the radiant woman was always bright, like a morning sun.
"What are you doing here?" Shiho asked.
Instead of responding, Akemi drinks from the tea cup and then turns to gaze at the scenery outside. Shiho glanced at the woman before following suit.
Outside, maple trees were neatly positioned on concrete pavements. While summer winds blew past, cicadas chirped softly. As children ran past, green leaves rustled on the branches. The atmosphere was warm, and a sense of peace she never experienced before descended. It felt...almost as if...it was…
A dream.
The trance was broken.
Yes. Akemi was no longer here. The cafe, this place, no longer exists. It's all history now. Dead sisters could never be revived, yet she sat before her. The woman, or entity as Shiho called it, was mostly expressionless but possessed a gentle gaze that caused a sharp knot to form in her throat. It started small but grew…and grew…
"Onee-chan," she whispered. "Why did you leave me alone?"
Shiho was again greeted by silence.
"You were the only family I had," Shiho continued, the grief taking root once more. No matter how hard she tried, she could never escape it. "I needed you."
Then she stops, smiling ruefully at the futility of it all. The answers she wanted so badly would never be given.
The stillness stretched, the light atmosphere disappearing, leaving only the vast abyss of cold emptiness behind.
The dead don't speak.
She would never return to this place. The cafe held so many memories that just walking past it hurt.
Resigning herself, Shiho sighed. She was about to leave when a hand reached for hers.
"Shiho."
She was startled to find a wry smile on Akemi's lips. She had thought she would never hear the voice again.
"Onee-chan?"
"It's time to wake up."
"Ok, so until your 19th birthday… bye-bye."
The thudding sounds of raindrops hit the shelter above him. He hears it— the faint static of a woman's voice echoing through the place. He recognized the recording. Found in a bathroom, Shiho listened to it during a ride home, seated at the back of the yellow beetle. Basking in the evanescent glow of a setting sun, Shiho heard her mother's voice for the first time.
"Oh, maybe it's time I told you…"
Shinichi removes his glasses for a moment and wipes away the fog that has accumulated. It made navigation difficult. The place was mostly dark, cramped, musky—and located in an area of a neighborhood that had been abandoned a year ago.
"The truth is your mother is making a terrifying drug right now…"
Over the decrepit building, a rusty street lamp flickers. Wearing thin, a sign rotted from within, sunk against its hinges, and hung precariously over the edge. The flickering light in an ebbing rainstorm allows Shinichi to determine where they are. Shuffling behind him, Jodie-sensei paused as they stared into a faded, cracked window. A Victorian-style cafe was located inside.
"My lab mates are getting all hyped up about it like it's a dream drug…"
Shinichi discovers an opening in the boarded doors. It had been broken into, and the edges of the small hole were rough and jagged. "Jodie-sensei," Shinichi said, "get Akai to come as soon as possible; I'll head in first." The woman agent nodded before giving him a squeeze. "Good luck, boy," she whispered, and he grimaced.
"Your dad and I are putting our hopes on it and calling it…silver bullet."
At the mention, Shinichi stops. Playbacks of the tape recording continued. His gaze stretched through the tenebrous darkness—and in the small corners, tucked within, was that of an auburn-haired scientist. She slumped against the old booth seats of the cafe. Forest green eyes stare blankly out of the windows. Against the faded oakwood tables, the waning street lamp cast shadows. With decaying furniture and fallen debris surrounding her, she emerges like an apparition.
"But to finish the drug…your dad and I would have to leave you and your sister."
Shinichi takes a cautious step forward. Wet clothes drip over gray, cracked marble floors. In the stale, musky air, dying insects fluttered uselessly. Dazed eyes stared up at him— lips twitching involuntarily.
"Please understand, Shiho."
"Destruction of property, trespassing, theft, unauthorized gun possession,"' Shinichi began as she averted her gaze. Her hands clutched onto the tape recorder—and a photo. It was one she had shown Shinichi privately before. The laminated photograph was given to her by Akai in the snowy town of Otaru.
"You are lucky the FBI is willing to overlook your crimes," he comments.
Her stiff expression betrayed nothing as she stared despondently at the small puddles forming on cracked pavements overgrown with weeds. Her gaze lingered on Jodie-sensei's silver car and then back to the photo.
Shinichi swallows his temper. He had wanted to scream. Was tempted to grab her, shake her, and ask why she did what she did. However, it would not help the situation.
"So, what were you thinking?" he continued with a measured tone.
"How did you find me?"
She sounded…tired.
"Deduction," he remarked, slipping into the seat opposite hers. The shadows deepened, concealing her expression. "I am, after all...the great hound dog," Shinichi snorted, leaving out the part where they had frantically driven through slippery roads, Jodie-sensei making dangerous maneuvers while Shinichi frantically called anyone he could think of. The Inspectors, Ran, the professor, the children, Kobayashi-sensei, and even his parents.
Eventually, he managed to get through to Akai, who had just finished a mission. Picking his phone up quickly, the man asked for an update.
They discussed the potential paths she could have taken. Even though her actions were out of character, they were somewhat predictable.
"A cafe." Almost certain of himself, Akai replied when Shinichi mentioned Shiho's missing possessions. "Located just south of where you are, they frequented it often. If I'm not mistaken, it's—"
Abandoned a year ago, closed due to a lack of business. The significance of the place was obvious to Shinichi. Another figment of her past lost in the sands of time.
"Figures," she snorted, sinking further into the frayed leather seats. Shinichi observed her intently.
"This doesn't seem like the best place to grab a drink," he started. "Who are you waiting for? A ghost?"
It was an insensitive remark he could not take back. Shiho sank further into the shadows. With a slight smirk, the girl leaned against the glass windows, glancing at him lazily.
"So what if I am?" she asked.
"Shiho—"
"What are you doing here?" She was indifferent. "There are more pertinent matters to consider."
The anger returns, flooding through him. Worry, concern, and anxiety merge into a tight ball that ruptures.
"Would you prefer I not care?" he bellows, pounding his fist against the dusty table. "Do you realize what you have done?"
"The professor was crying! Akai had to rush back from an important mission! Are you aware that people are looking for you? We drove on slippery roads to get to you! I could have been in an accident with Jodie-sensei!"
He vented his frustrations to the girl. While jabbing in her direction, he waved his hands haphazardly in front. "They're searching for you too, the children, Ran, the inspectors!"
Standing up, he grabs her as she stiffens. "So how can you sit here," he rages, "And tell us not to worry!" This had been long overdue. Shinichi could see the dilemma behind her expressionless eyes, but he would not back down. He had to make her understand. He had to drill it into her. He had to—
"Do you realize how much resources you've wasted? How your stupid actions could have derailed our operation! How selfish your endeavor was!" The fury spilled from his lips, raw and hot. Throbbing like the wound he sustained on his knee.
The outburst left him light-headed. His ears are ringing.
"But despite everything," he declared, "Despite everything you've done. We still want you here."
He takes a deep breath.
"I," Shinichi glares at her. "Want you here."
There was a brief pause, and she laughed bitterly. It echoed through the empty cafe, through cracked wallpaper, chipped ceramic cups, crumbling floorboards, and rusty worn-out coffee machines. Having finished, she stood resolutely, staring at him with vacant eyes. Devoid of anything else.
"I can't," she replied.
"Why not?"
"I just can't."
Frustration bubbled, and Shinichi whipped out the loaded pistol he had found earlier in Vermouth's room.
"What of it?" She views it with cold disdain.
Defiantly, he pushed it toward her.
"It was on the ground," he demanded. "Why did you leave it there?"
"Kudou—"
"Tell me," he snapped as she glared at him.
When she shoved him, he had no choice but to release her.
"Stop," she lost her composure. The apathetic mask she wore was breaking. "I tried to kill her," she whispered harshly, clenching her fists. "I can never go back. I still want to—"
"Why didn't you do it?" he interrupts.
Snorting, Shiho fell silent.
"Why?" he asked again
"It doesn't matter."
"It does," He stepped forward.
She paled— about to push him away again when he stumbled. The girl caught him before he could fall. Shiho noticed his bruised, bloodied knee, and concern surfaced.
She couldn't hide it from him. She never could.
Taking in a sharp breath, she falters, but he holds firm.
"Why do you insist on this?" He recognized her aggravation, "Why are you trying so hard? I don't need this! I don't want this!"
Shinichi remained still while she ranted. Words were not necessary. With a tentative smile, he faced her.
And she stops.
"I hate you," voice cracking. "I really, really—"
Hands tightening over the photograph, she rasped.
"I know," he whispered.
The dam broke. Drawing closer, Shinichi embraced her as she rested her forehead on his shoulder. Though she was mostly reticent, the growing wet spot or her trembling body failed to conceal her sorrow.
"Please, Shiho," as she settled against him. "Let's go home."
Episodes used:
Episode 702
And we have reached the climax of Shiho's development. (It's not over yet) This was a hard chapter to write. There were many things I wanted to convey, and I hope I did it. Shinichi's anger was long overdue, and somebody needs to knock some sense into Shiho. Sometimes, a harsh scolding is needed.
I once again would like to thank everyone for reading this story. I appreciate the reviews and feedback. As usual, have a nice week ahead.