File One Hundred and Twenty-One: Her Final Destination
"But you should hurry up and find out, too… Where our own secret player is hiding."
While her words did not have an immediate effect, her old friend's reaction, or lack thereof, put a small smile on her face. Yukiko did not move again, looking back at her in shocked silence as she seemed to process the recent bout of information thrown at her face. Her lips parted, eyes widened, seemingly taking into the whole picture.
From the corner of the room, a boy started shivering ─ as if her words had reached his subconscious, tainting his dreams with terrifying nightmares. Vermouth contemplated him for a beat.
But her attention was brought back to his mother when her giggles started to fill the room.
"A secret player, you say?" To her surprise, Yukiko was covering her mouth, as if to stifle down a laugh. "Oh, Sharon. If I were to say, you are the ultimate secret player." Her expression shifted to show her a confident smirk. "What side are you playing for? That's the mystery."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your boss doesn't know, do they? That Co-chan is Shin-chan's brother. Despite the fact that it would be easier to capture Shin-chan through him, like Irish did." Vermouth frowned, but she continued. "And then you warn me about this 'secret player', even though it would've been much better for your organization to keep it quiet."
Her head turned to glance over at her son. "It's almost like you do everything in your power to keep Co-chan out of harm's way. Shin-chan, too, whenever it's possible…" A small smile later, she focused back on the woman. "But if it's about Ai-chan, it's different. But why would you want to kill her so badly? She's only a child."
Yukiko paused long enough for her to provide an answer if she wanted. Of course, that did not happen.
"Shin-chan told me there's probably a reason besides hatred. You don't hate her, per se. You hate what she's capable of doing."
Again, no response. "And then there's Itakura Suguru. You know him, right?" Yukiko said instead. "That CG creator who we actresses all knew from his work in movie special effects. I was shocked when Co-chan told me you'd ordered some kind of system from him."
Though no verbal answer was given, Yukiko noticed how her entire body was beginning to stiffen up. "I heard from my actor friends that you clashed with him on some film set and had been at each other's throats since," she continued. "Well, you being you, you probably changed your voice when talking to him over the phone."
A frown appeared on Vermouth's features.
"But that system you put so much effort into ordering… Does that have anything to do with what you used to disagree so heartedly about?"
A clicking sound later, Yukiko's hands raised at the notion of a gun pointed at her face.
"That's enough, Yukiko," said Vermouth. "Just give up! I've already seen through your ridiculous plan!"
"P-Plan? What do you mean?"
"After learning that we're on board the train, there's only one thing she'd do ─ try to get away from her friends so that they're safe from harm." Her lips curved into a rather sadistic smile. "You must've predicted that's how she'd react, and you were going to take her as she's leaving her room. Then, you'd have this boy to disguise as her and appear to die in front of us, thus letting her escape the Organization's eyes."
Beads of cold sweat rolled down Yukiko's forehead.
"But the fact that she isn't in this room and he is unconscious in your room means that she didn't stick to the plan and ran away after knocking him off. With his wristwatch, I'd say, since I can't see any of his gadgets on him."
"W-What are you talking about?" the woman stuttered, plastering a nervous smile on her face. "You looked into my suitcase before you threw it out, didn't you? Did you see any disguise kit in there?"
It went away when her hand reached for something next to her ear. "Sorry. But I already got rid of it before I dealt with the suitcase." Looking behind her, Yukiko found that Vermouth had opened that certain compartment in her room ─ all empty besides a mirror and a small sink. "The disguise kit you'd hidden in this washbasin, as well as the bulletproof jacket set up to release fake blood."
"B-But you haven't found her yet either, so you haven't won either…"
"No problem," Vermouth pronounced in English, the hand that was not holding the weapon reaching to pluck out her phone from her pocket. "We've already made preparations to smoke her out."
"Ando-san, you're the culprit!" Kogoro did not fight the smug smirk that surfaced. "Only you could've done this."
Then, he felt it ─ every single gaze tearing apart from his form to be settled into the man who, frozen by shock, stood there, blood draining from his face, leaving nothing but a ghostly white shade behind.
Amid the stunned silence, Kogoro allowed himself to moisten his lips with wine. He felt pretty proud, actually, since he could say, rightfully so, that he had absolutely nailed it.
The entirety of the case was all clear in his mind now, and he could say for sure that absolutely everything made sense now.
Beyond doubt, Ando must have carried a folding mirror inside his large bag ─ hence why the brat had deemed it crucial for the case in hand. Had prepared those cards, too, leading to believe the victim that he was been selected as the victim, himself as the murderer, Ran's group as accomplices and the children as detectives. It must have been him, too, who proposed the vanishing body trick, wherein Murobashi, who had been in Room B of Carriage 7, switched places with the others.
They must have been prepared for an emergency, thought the detective. And they proved useful, since he didn't get his usual Room B in Carriage 8, like every other year.
All of it showed how important it was that Murobashi was in the aforementioned room. Once the train entered a tunnel, the culprit had played the prerecorded call bell sound. While the attendant was busy with Noto in Room A, Murobashi had peered out to check and sent a message to Ando so that he could come.
Then came the watch he had placed in Idenami's room, set to sound an alarm at a certain time. When she called the conductor to complain about the sound, Ando simply opened his door, which had a mirror stuck onto the inner side.
To think that, all this time, the person the conductor had thought to be peering at him had been his own reflection…
And then, after committing the crime, all he had to do was lock the victim's door from the outside, close his own and pretend he had just walked out, intending to check on Idenami and the conductor, until the kids found the body.
"But how?!" Of course, Ando would try to fight his way out of the accusation. "How on earth would I be able to obtain a mirror as large as a whole door on board the train?"
"That painting you were asked to appraise," replied Kogoro, brimming with confidence as if he had not figured it out minutes ago. "If you place about three slides of mirror glass in between the canvas, there would be enough." Then he turned to the blonde next to him. "Amuro-kun?"
Smiling, Amuro nodded, and moved to the painting. He had already taken the frame away and was kneeling in front of the painting. "The inside is just as sensei said it was," he said, plucking out a screwdriver from his pockets ─ now, Kogoro had to wonder if he was keeping one of those wherever he went ─ and pulled the canvas apart. "Three slides of mirror glass."
Even if he hadn't proved him guilty, Kogoro thought Ando's expression might have worked as consistent proof on its own.
"However, one has a spot of brown paint on it, oddly enough, the same shade as the doors," observed Amuro. "A part of your trick was to stop the conductor from realizing he was staring at a reflection, because the label of Room E would be reflected, too."
"So, Ando-san? Should we ask the person who commissioned the framing of this painting?" Slowly, the detective stood from his seat, seizing the criminal with an arrogant, knowing look. "If such a person actually exists."
Driven against the wall and unable to see a way to escape, Ando finally confessed. All what he had done was because of his wife, one of the many victims of that fire everyone in that carriage had been caught in.
Two years ago, he found that Murobashi had been behind the incident, so that he could steal valuable artworks from the mansion unnoticed. At first, his aim had been to force a confession out of him, but after hearing him call such a dreadful event 'exciting'...
He had seen red.
Moments after the truth had been revealed, silence still prevailed, unsure of how to proceed. Quite honestly, Kogoro was kind of doubtful about it, too. Like, could they stop the train now that the case was closed? The card the kid with the bombs had been carried said so…
Or did it?
"Umm… Excuse me…"
The voice had come out of nowhere, prompting everyone to exchange looks, as if trying to deduce who had just spoken. Which did not make any sense, Kogoro would reason later, since it sounded like that of a little kid.
He heard some shifting, then the tablecloth next to him started moving. Startled, he jumped back, just in time for a head to pop out.
Scared wide eyes peeked out of raven black hair. They stared up at Kogoro for a beat, before he crawled out completely, letting the detective see he was all but bundled up in an oversized coat ─ just like the other kid had been, from what he had been told.
"Isamu-kun!"
Amuro fell onto his knees instantly, checking him all over. A timid nod later, he was passing an envelope to the blonde, who opened it, read the card enclosed to it, and frowned.
"Mouri-sensei." He accepted the letter, if clumsily, when offered. "I believe this is for you."
Frowning, Kogoro directed his attention to it.
"Congratulations! You've magnificently solved the case!
I have to thank you, the skilled detective reading this humble letter, for allowing me to witness such splendid resolution with my own two eyes. This kid and the girl must feel grateful to you, too. They are free to go, and you're allowed to take the bombs, as well…
But… There is something missing, is there not? Such a bland end for such a thrilling case… It should be a crime, huh?
Let's finish this with a bang."
"W-What is that?!" just as he was wondering what in the world he had just read, the conductor shouted. He pushed his head out of the window, his eyes widening the next instant. "There's smoke! Smoke coming from Carriage 8!"
"What did you say?" Amuro and Kogoro let out at the same time.
And the rest plainly panicked, faces palling considerably as they looked at each other and started screaming. At that moment, Kogoro was reminded that every single one of them was pyrophobic.
"Everyone, please calm down!" So, he raised his voice, trying to get through the sea of screams drowning the entire car. "Even though there might be a fire at Carriage 8, you're safe here. That's why I advise everyone to wait here until-"
But before he could say anything, Amuro darted right past him. "I'm going to check on Hiroki-kun and the others!" he shouted briefly before disappearing. "Isamu-kun, wait here, okay?"
"Wait-" Kogoro made to follow him.
He was impeded from doing so, however, as a pair of small arms circled around his leg. Looking down, he saw the child, or rather, a scared young gaze rising to him.
It was as if he was begging him not to leave him alone.
Kogoro was at a loss of what to do.
Even from outside the door, Yukiko could clearly hear the panic-filled whispers from the other side, or the rushed stepping of people passing by her room as quickly as humanly possible. The reason for it was simple, really, since she had heard the voice from the intercom a few seconds earlier, informing everyone of a fire that had supposedly lit up in Carriage 8, meaning that everyone in Carriages 6 and 7 had to evacuate to the cars at the front of the train.
Yet, Yukiko could not do as told, even if she wanted to. She might have known Sharon for quite a few years, and had there been a time where she could whole-heartedly call herself her friend… But now, with the gun she was pointing at her, it seemed impossible.
Their friendship had not aged well, that was for sure.
"Knowing her, she'd go straight to Carriage 8, the source of the fire," Vermouth said. "She'll realize that the fire is a trap by us to draw her out."
"I see!" Yukiko said brightly. Probably a tad too brightly for someone being held at gunpoint. "She thought you'd be waiting for her at the front of the train, so she went to the back instead!"
"You don't get it at all. Her friends will also be evacuating to the front carriages." As her former friend's sneer widened, Yukiko felt hers fading away. "If she, who's being targeted, goes there, they might end up getting involved. That's why she'd decide to head into the fire instead."
Yukiko, far from knowing what else to do but to purse her lips, simply stayed quiet. Her gaze found itself in Vermouth's cold, murderous eyes, and a frown made its way to her forehead. Somehow, she was surprised with her own discovery, and despite everything that should have led her to believe otherwise, Yukiko could still see her. Shrouded in the deepest darkness, she could see her close friend, whom she had shared so many treasured moments with.
Her dear friend Sharon. The cold-blooded murderer Vermouth. All at the same time.
It was her phone which broke her from her daze, ringing inside her pocket. A hesitant look was sent towards Vermouth, and a nod had her looking at her screen. "Shin-chan…" Or rather, the name on it.
Vermouth struck, quick as a viper, claiming her phone with one hand, enclosing her mouth with the other. "Oh, what's wrong, Shin-chan?" Yukiko heard her own voice, coming from Vermouth's fake smile.
"Mum! We're in trouble!" cried Shinichi, on the other side. "I can't find Ai-chan anywhere! Is she with you?!"
Her grip was remarkably strong, capable of remaining firm against her face despite the violent struggling. "No, she hasn't come to my room!" Vermouth said, sending a sly smile towards Yukiko. "Maybe she evacuated to the front of the train? It'd be easier to hide herself in a crowd."
"Alright, I'll check the front. Mum, you stick to the plan!"
"Okay~!" She finished the call, and only then was Yukiko free to breathe again. Vermouth paid no mind to her, simply tossing the phone back at her. "You can thank me later. With that, your son will also head to the front carriages. He shouldn't cross paths with Bourbon this way."
The sneer became all the more evident when she checked out her own phone. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "Looks like we win."
Amid the smoke filling up an empty hallway, there was a blur of black. Stumbling in, the girl ventured herself inside, coughs breaking her throat apart as she advanced ─ further and further into what might be as well her final destination.
Despite everything, the corner of her lips tipped upwards. She would have to be blind not to see the irony ─ the little crow who had fought so desperately for freedom was now returning to her cage, giving up completely onto the hope that she, one day, would be able to extend her wings and soar the sky.
It's almost poetic. With her donning a simple raven black dress, a long braid tucked in between her neck and shoulder. Perfect for such an occasion.
"You really are Hell Angel's daughter." A startled gasp escaped her at the male voice reaching her ears. "You look just like her."
Twirling around, she found him. Platinum blonde hair and a bone-chilling smile made her take a step backwards.
"A pleasure to meet you. My codename is 'Bourbon'," he said. At least, he was being polite ─ for someone who had come to capture her, or murder her, she still wasn't certain about that. "Do you recall hearing this codename before?"
"I've heard of you," she conceded. "I remember Singani-san mentioning you. A couple of times, maybe. Back then, you two used to hang out a lot, or so I've assumed."
His sinister smile widened, but other than that, he said nothing.
"You're also the rival to my sister's boyfriend, Moroboshi Dai," the girl said, her eyebrows knitted together in a tight frown. "From what my sister told me, there was a lot of antipathy between you two."
"Just as I suspected, he turned out to be an FBI dog. I couldn't believe the reports that he'd been killed after betraying the Organization," Bourbon explained. "So I disguised myself as him and wandered around people close to him, to watch their reactions. But all I could figure out from that is that he really is dead."
It did not escape her how calm and composed he was throughout it all, even as he plucked out a gun and pointed it at her.
"Now, would you put your hands up and slowly walk backwards?" There was, too, that disturbing civility in it all that did not settle well with her. "We'll go to the luggage car behind Carriage 8."
There was something in the way he behaved that differed from all the other crows she had met throughout her years inside the Organization, but it was hard for her to pinpoint exactly what it was. He never, not even once, tried to hurry her, despite her reluctance to speed up her pace beyond that of a lazy stroll across the park. Instead, all that Bourbon did was walk behind her, the polite smile not moving an inch from his face.
Once they were at the back of the car, he gracefully opened the door for her. Maybe the word 'gentleman' was a fit. Probably not, since the gun in his hand had never ceased pointing at her head.
No amount of this fake gentleness could stop Sherry from glaring at him all the way from the other carriage. Because she had long learned what kind of monsters could hide behind a kind smile.
"Fear not. I intend to take you back to the Organization alive." His words, rather than reassuring, sent a shiver down her spine. "I'm going to destroy the link between these two carriages with an explosive, and break off the luggage car."
Sherry watched him kneel and place an object in the aforementioned place which, even though she could not see it clearly from her spot, she did not need to be a detective to identify it as a bomb of some sort.
"And after it stops, my partners will come and collect you," Bourbon said, getting back up ─ just like the gun, evidently. "Until then, I'm afraid I'll have to knock you out."
Her gaze, for the first time, tore apart from the man threatening to capture her, widening slightly as they made contact with whatever was right behind him. Then she watched Bourbon pause, silent for a beat, up until the door closed back again.
Without bothering to turn around, Bourbon's lips formed a smirk.
"I was wondering when you'd turn up."
Finally, he moved just enough to face a sharp, yet burning blue gaze directed sorely at him. Hands tucked inside his pockets, as it was the norm for him, the teenager moved closer.
"You're late, Singani-kun," said Bourbon, motioning to the gun that was pointing at the girl all the way across the other carriage. "But you're free to join us, if you please."
A snort shook the detective's entire frame. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'll have to turn the offer down," said Shinichi, his expression unwillingly mirroring Bourbon's. "We were just about to leave, Sherry-chan and I."
"Oh, forgive me." Bourbon's smile grew more vicious. "Did I make it sound like you are in any position to decline?"
And Shinichi's eyes narrowed.
"What are you going to do?" continued Bourbon. "Are you going to fight me, perhaps?"
A shake of his head answered his question. "I couldn't hold a candle against you." he replied, with a bit of a chuckle. "And you know that well, Bourbon."
"Then what are you planning?" It was more of a mumbled thought, to Sherry at least, but Shinichi did not seem to mind that much. "It would have been much better for you to stay in hiding and try to save this girl later."
For the first time since their encounter, the boy's focus drifted away from him. His gaze slid back to the tiny figure in black, standing there so close, yet so far away from his reach. Bourbon saw his lips curve, but, instead of the defiant smirk from before, he found a warm smile.
"Wait for me, Shiho-chan," he said to her. "I'll definitely get to you."
Shiho looked surprised somehow, Bourbon could tell.
"What is wrong with you?" he could not help his next words. "Stumbling in here with nothing but a half-cooked plan that's bound to fail. It's-"
"Pointless?"
Bourbon was cut short. Shinichi chuckled, as if he was reminded of an old joke. "I've told you before, haven't I? If it's about saving a life…" he said. "Then it's not pointless at all."
Silence followed suit his words, alongside the grin that surfaced at the palpable shock in the organization member. Lips slightly apart, eyes a meager wider than before, everything was there for the high school detective to see ─ for a split of a second, of course. The serious, composed Bourbon that Shinichi knew very well was back in a blink of an eye.
But the cocky smile remained strong as ever. Even as the gun moved away to point at his chest instead.
"If you plan on doing something…" They both heard Shiho say, suddenly. "You might want to hurry it up."
From the corner of his eye, he saw her stepping further into the carriage, examining what was inside. "This luggage car is full of explosives," she said, then, presumably referring to Bourbon, added, "Looks like there was a slip-up in your preparations."
Bourbon appeared to be genuinely surprised about the turn of events. Soon, he seemed to realize what was going on, and smirked.
"Guess I have no choice. How about you come this way?"
And as he said all that, Shinichi felt the muzzle pressing further against his chest ─ a clear insinuation of what might happen if she dared to try anything. But the expressionless gaze she set on their enemy, together with their slight narrowing, spoke of how little that persuasion was working.
"Sorry, but I decline."
Having said that, the little scientist promptly shoved the door shut, loudly enough to steal a flinch out of Shinichi. Far from stunned by her uncooperative behavior, Bourbon just snorted.
"You're as difficult as they said." He secured his grip on the weapon. "I might have to get a little rough with you-"
But just as he was about to direct it to her instead, he found he couldn't move it. "Who do you think you're pointing at?" Curled around the barrel were fingers, keeping an iron grip on it. "Did you just forget about me?"
There was a burning determination in his eyes that was so typical of Singani that, unwillingly, made him laugh. "I could just pull the trigger," he said. "Or are you delusional enough to believe you can tear this gun away from my hands?"
Shinichi hardly moved. Bourbon's finger slid closer to the trigger.
Once again, the door connecting to the eighth carriage creaked open. From the smoke, a figure made itself visible enough for Bourbon to distinguish a man standing there.
"Vermouth?" Bourbon called, his features sharpening. "Sorry, but she's coming with me."
He barely got to finish his sentence when he noticed something rolling at his feet.
"A grenade!"
He dimly heard Shinichi yell, drowned by his own shouting at the strange figure, "Who's there?!" Bourbon continued, especially unnerved by the sharp flash of green disappearing behind a gradually closing door. "Who are you?!"
Of course, Singani being Singani meant that Bourbon soon felt the pull at his arm, with no regard whatsoever of the gun that still was being pointed at his being without the safety on. It did not go off, fortunately for the detective, but Bourbon would later reminisce about how foolish that action was.
Yet, at the current moment, all he could think about was the explosion that ensued. He shielded his eyes against the wind that now viciously hit him in the face, and carefully peeked out. First, he noticed the horror crossing the teenager's face. Then came the realization that the links connecting the carriages had been destroyed, and the destiny that would come to the little girl, trapped inside.
"Shiho-chan!"
He barely registered Shinichi's shout, before he noted the movement from the corner of his eye. Teeth gritted, the teen stepped backwards, then began to run forward.
"Wait, idiot-!"
The words were shouted the moment Shinichi's feet left the ground, thus only there for the wind to hear. Bourbon saw him stumbling a little as he landed, barely making it to the other side, then paused, as if to breathe out, then turn around, raising his head to glimpse back at him.
One last time, Singani and Bourbon locked eyes.
It was the high schooler the first to break eye-contact, spinning on his heels and disappearing inside the storage car. Without him willing them to, Bourbon's feet took him a few steps forward. Then stopped, and just stood there.
And there he remained, as the sole witness of the massive explosion that followed. Nobody else was there to see him closing his eyes solemnly, turning his head away from the cloud of black smoke that made its way up into the clear sky.
A tap on her phone later, Vermouth had that satisfied look of someone proud of a well-done job. "There," she said. "That's the end."
All the blood drained from Yukiko's face. "No way!" She immediately ran to the window, sticking her head outside, horrified at the sight that met her eyes. "It can't be! Ai-chan!"
"Don't worry. I waited for the sound of my partner destroying the link to the luggage car before I detonated the bomb, so the train won't derail," added Vermouth, arms crossed over her chest before continuing. "That troublesome son of yours, though. I heard his voice, too. He might have seen through it after all and still ran to her help." Vermouth's lips quirked up. "Or he didn't trust your judgment all that much."
"Shin-chan…" Yukiko let out in a stunned whisper.
"It's a shame. I wanted to keep him alive for a little longer." Then, turning around, she added, "Playing the hero until the end. It fits him, after all."
One last look towards the woman allowed Vermouth to see the stray tears that escaped her eyes, free to dance across the wind and get lost in the distance. She saw her bite her quivering lip.
"SHINICHI!"
And closed the door, muffling the cries of an inconsolable mother, leaving them behind not to be thought about again.
What she did not notice was that, rather than 'muffled', they were actually short upon the door closing. Once she was gone, the mother stepped away from the window, glancing over her shoulder to check that it was fine to wipe her tears and smile to herself.
"It's all clear," she said, cheerfully. "You did a wonderful job, Ayumi-chan."
There was the sound of shifting as the small figure on the seat turned around, for the first time revealing a pair of big, round eyes tearing up.
Yukiko's smile dropped, noting the slight tremor of her body, "Ayumi-chan!" and crossed the room to sit alongside the little girl dressed in her son's clothes. "What's wrong? Everything is okay!"
Sniffling, the girl nodded. "I know, but it was so scary!" Despite the tears, she pulled out a shaky smile, encouraged by the tender hand rubbing circles across her back. "Are Ai-chan and Shinichi-oniisan…?"
A wide grin answered her question. "It's all thanks to your wonderful acting skills!" Winking, she added, "Maybe I should take you in as my student."
When the watery chuckle reached her ears, Yukiko allowed herself to sigh. It was all over now.
"Then, there's a teeny little thing I'll ask you to do," Yukiko added. "Can I count on you?"
As expected, the nod did not take long to come.
A gentle rocking ─ left, then right, then left again, in a rhythmic pace that almost had him sighing, undoubtedly happy to drift off once more to the land of dreams he had just been banished from so unexpectedly. But was stopped when the notion struck ─ rather than from side to side, he was mostly advancing, even though he knew all the movement his feet were subjected to was the light sway as they hung limply from someone else's grip.
Wait. A grip?
Gradually came the realization that his head rested against something warm enough not to be a pillow. A tickling, too, on his cheek ─ was it hair?
Or, more importantly, was he being carried by someone else? Now, that was weird. He could not remember ever falling asleep ─ though, to be honest, the memories were still a little fuzzy.
I was talking with Oniichan. His eyes fluttered open to realize that, as he had thought, it was a shoulder that he had been sleeping so contently against. About our plan…
But he could not remember ever finishing that conversation. "Did I black out?" he mumbled.
"That's one way to say it."
A violent flinch later, Conan realized that he had never been alone ─ it was tempting to blame his grogginess, but still, it was kind of obvious that being carried piggyback style implied that someone else was doing it. Oh, some detective he was.
But, besides the initial scare, the boy did not seem to be bothered. Lifting his head revealed the sight of Hirai Arthur's face, and fortunately not some stranger that had kidnapped him on a whim…
That was, until he saw the grin. The mischievous shark grin he could easily picture on a whole different face.
"KID-?!"
"Not." Conan paused mid-sentence, to eye the teenager warily. "I mean, yes, I'm clearly KID. But you shouldn't raise your volume. Or they might hear."
Conan's head tilted.
"Your voice, what else? You don't have your fancy voice changer with you, do you?"
He immediately brought his hand to his collar, tapping clumsily where it was supposed to be, finding strange the lack of the usual feel from his bowtie. Eyebrows knitted together, his gaze lowered to confirm the fact, and froze completely.
"KID?"
"Yes, Tantei-kun?"
"Why am I wearing a dress?"
Wow. Funny how a grade student could manage to sound so scary. Heat was radiating from his body all of a sudden, though, not unlike a living furnace ─ an embarrassed Tantei-kun means a scary Tantei-kun. He made sure to mentally jot it down.
"What do you mean?" His poker face prevailed against the fear. "That was part of your plan."
Curiously, he passed his fingers through the artificial locks of hair that were scratching his cheek ─ that explained the tickling from before, too ─ and brought it to his eyes for further examination. It's not black. In fact, it was strawberry blonde, and far too short to even reach his shoulders.
That was when it all clicked. The train. Bourbon and Vermouth. Conan's eyes widened at the memory.
Then, last time, when they had been talking it out…
"What happened?"
KID smirked, like he had been waiting for that question for quite a while.
"Believing in her word again…"
Wide eyes fell onto him ─ and he could not help but be reminded of that of a small, lost child, seeking answers about the intimidatingly enormous world surrounding him.
"It would be stupid, right?"
Shinichi wished he had any.
Yet he kept on holding that uncertain gaze, until that burning intensity diminished, leaving nothing but a drowsy glimmer behind. In front of his eyes, Shinichi saw Conan's body sway lightly, and a split second later, he found himself diving forward to catch his little brother to save him from a broken nose against the floor.
Looking down, Shinichi was stunned to see he was completely out cold against his chest.
Whereas Kaito, who had been watching the exchange in silence, wishing to have no involvement in it thus far, jumped back in surprise. He took on the scene for a little longer, then his gaze slid to the side until he found the tiny scientist. No wonder she had been quiet for so long.
Though, he had to admit; he had previously believed only Tantei-kun could be scary with a wristwatch on hand. This little lady was there to prove him wrong, it would seem.
Meitantei's attention drifted from his younger brother. He met eyes with her.
And she darted to the door.
"Wait!" Shinichi cried just before she could open it. "Wait for a moment, Ai-chan."
She halted in her steps, her fingers inches away from the doorknob. The detective sighed in relief, then, scooping the boy into his arms, he stood back up. "Did you think you could just leave?" he asked into the silence, receiving no answer as predicted. But far from being affected over it, Shinichi gently settled his brother back across the seat, taking his time to gaze down at him, before continuing, "After ruining Conan's plans like that…"
A grim smirk crossed her face as she turned. "You're going to scold me for that?" she asked back. "You've stopped being my caretaker for a long time already, Shinichi-san. It's not necessary any longer."
"Not at all." She appeared seriously surprised to hear that. "I knew this would happen."
Now, even Kaito was curious about it. "You even predicted this kind of outcome?" he asked without thinking.
"No, it wasn't me." It left him with more questions than answers, but the detective left no room for more of them. He faced the little girl again. "But I prepared a revised version of that plan."
Chuckling, Shinichi snuck a glance at the slumbering little boy. "A plan that he would never approve of," he added, smiling warmly. "No matter how hard I tried to convince him otherwise."
Together, scientist and magician blinked owlishly.
Paying to mind, the sleuth plucked out his phone.
"It was such a shame, though!" Conan's attention was brisked away from the thief and placed on the girlish voice. "I thought we would see her again, too…"
Just a few steps away from them, he spotted Ayumi and the rest of his friends ─ plus Professor Agasa, of course.
Mitsuhiko and Genta gave her a curious glance. "You know! That girl that saved us at the cabin!" she exclaimed, as exasperated. "I saw a ring like ours back then, so I thought she would be on the train…"
Genta blinked stupidly. Conan did, too.
"Oh, right!" Mitsuhiko suddenly said, giving Genta a pointed look, just in case. He continued afterwards. "But what was she doing there, anyway?"
"I don't know," Ayumi sounded genuinely troubled. "I don't think we even exchanged words… Maybe she's mute?"
"Or extremely shy."
Genta opened his mouth to say something. His friend's glares were enough to keep him quiet.
Conan was more confused than ever.
"After discussing it with your mom, Meitantei had that scary-eyed little girl send a text to your neechan," the thief continued after his long pause. "In which she detailed what was going on, and asked her to head to Room 7, Carriage B, alongside your friends. I'm assuming she silently motioned them not to say anything and showed them the message from her phone."
That much, he could imagine. As far as he knew, Mitsuhiko's phone was still bugged. He threw a curious glance over his shoulder, and it did not take long to find Ran there, a few steps behind alongside Sonoko.
Stepping down the train, Conan spotted Sera, fingers cupping her chin, presumably deep in thought. The aforementioned girls lit up at the sight, too, and rushed up to meet her. To hand her a hat, of all things.
Wait, that is her hat, isn't it? That being the case, he could not explain the look of shock that painted her face when she saw it in their hands.
"Once there, they pretended they were looking for her all over the place instead of just sitting in that room," Kaito explained. "Your mother came in and quietly passed them your bowtie-"
"My bowtie?"
"Yeah, how else were they supposed to pretend that little girl was there?"
Conan paused, as if to gather his thoughts. "Ai?"
"Nope, the other girl."
The kid glanced over to glance at his group of friends once more. Ayumi-chan?! His head felt as if it was about to explode with so many questions.
"Your mom outdid herself today, you know. She had to run to Carriage 8, where we were staying to collect your bowtie, alongside your clothes." Conan inwardly groaned at the thought of his mother seeing him in Ai's clothes. He was hoping she wouldn't bring it on next time they met. "Then rushed back to Carriage 7, gave your neechan the bowtie and took that little girl with her."
"This would be easier to understand if you bothered to call anybody by their name, you know."
"Back in her room, she disguised her as you," finished Kaito, paying him no mind. "Afterwards, everything went almost exactly as you planned it."
The kid quietened down, head dropping slightly and a frown surfacing. "My stupid brother went to meet him," he muttered, sounding frustrated somehow. "For real."
"Your friend, too." It clearly wasn't helping. "But I clearly got the worst task out of everyone."
With a click, the door closed softly again. "Well, that's about it," Kudo said, stepping away from where he had been peering into the hallway, checking on the little scientist until she was gone. "I'm leaving Conan to you."
Kaito, who had been sorting through his bag, paused. He raised his head to give the detective a puzzled look. "I thought I was supposed to pose as you?"
Not an immediate response was given, yet the magician did not force one. Kudo had walked up to the child sleeping on the couch, and smiled in that way only an older sibling would. "You were, in his version of this plan. Not in mine," he said. "That's one of the many reasons why I said he would never approve of it."
That, he could tell. "You're going to face this member on your own." Kudo nodded quietly. "Any particular reason for that?"
His features hardened, the smile vanishing in plain air. "It has to be me," that was all he said.
And all he would say. Kaito knew better than to keep trying. But it did not mean he would accept it so easily.
"Why do I get to stay in an enclosed room with this demon of a child?" For better emphasis, he motioned to the boy, who slumbered peacefully regardless of the situation at hand. "What do I do if he wakes up?"
"You keep him safe."
Kaito's mouth opened to complain, very loudly so. But the detective turned to him, effectively silencing him with that certain smirk he had long grown used to.
"I'm trusting you with him, Kuroba."
"Hey… Hey. Hey, I'm talking to you!" Conan's eyebrow had begun to tremble after the first couple of seconds of silence. It did not cease from doing so, even after he finally got a response, in the form of a noncommittal hum, "What is it? This oh-so-terrible task that was entrusted to you."
The thief gave him a long look over his shoulder then, grinning, answered, "Babysitting."
Which evaporated with a sharp cry of pain. "Ow, ow, ow!" It was hard, not to say impossible, to get the boy's hands out of his hair with him riding on his back. "See, that was what I meant-"
Conan tugged harder.
"Is this how a young lady would act?" Through hisses, Kaito still managed a grin. "You can't just break character!"
He could feel the sadistic smile that decorated the little boy's features ─ and, no, he wasn't even lying.
"Believe me, I'm not."
Too busy struggling with each other they were, that it completely escaped their notice that someone was watching. Somewhere among the crowd, a platinum blonde woman was looking their way, yet unable to believe what her eyes were seeing. She stood there, frozen in time, as the people walked past her, unaware of the internal turmoil forming inside her head.
Eventually, her expression smoothed out, and her lips curved into a smirk.
Seems like our Silver Bullet has done it again.
Maybe it'll turn out to be useful… To have a spare silver bullet lying around, after all.
She was brisked out of her internal musings at the feeling of being lightly shoved aside. A kid was running past her, unaware of the trouble he had caused, while another followed suit, at least being polite enough to turn around, mutter a brief apology on his friend's behalf, and take off chasing after him again.
Well played, indeed. But don't forget…
Another two joined them somewhere in the distance. Vermouth stared at them absentmindedly.
As long as there are players remaining in the field, the game is not over yet.
"The detailed files from the time of Akai's death..." From behind, she could hear Bourbon say. "Can I see them one more time?"
Obviously, she nodded, and went back on her way.
"Amuro-niichan!" That one was a kid, undoubtedly ignorant of Bourbon's true face. "This isn't Nagoya!"
Amuro smiled good-heartedly. "It appears we had to make an early stop," he said patiently. "Let's go, I'll buy us some more tickets, and off to home we are."
"Eh~?" came the shared reply from all three boys.
Yet, the girl did not make a single sound. Instead, she stood there, clutching her chest ─ fortunately free from any bombs ─ while her gaze roamed, searching for a little something. Flickering from side to side, falling in each and every one of the passengers' faces.
There. Smiling while she was conversing with an old man she had never seen before ─ gentle and sweet, just like the one she had offered her moments ago before leaving.
"Ah, is that the girl Hiroki-kun was talking about earlier?" She unconsciously flinched, all muscles freezing on their own. "Aoko-san, was it?"
Before long, she risked a look, and found Isamu stopping to stand right beside her. He turned to her and smiled lightly. "It was scary," he said. "Wasn't it, Maria-chan?"
Maria did not reply.
"Higashio, Honda!" That was their friend, Takuma. "Hurry up! We're leaving you behind!"
They immediately hurried up to meet up with them.
On the other side of the crowd, Kaito sighed in relief. The boy had stopped from torturing him and, while he still did not know the reason for such an unbelievable feat, he was glad that was the case.
Just endure a little longer, he told himself. Once Meitantei is back, I'll return this brat to him and head back home.
He definitely had enough of crows, bombs, and demonic little brats for one day.
"Quick question."
"What is it?"
"Does my brother know how to use your hang glider?"
Kaito's pace halted. "You flew on a paraglider before, and are about ten years younger than him," he replied, yet did not move from his spot. "It can't be that hard, can it?"
Conan's gaze was drilling holes through the back of his head.
Sighing, he resumed his walk.
"Might as well call emergency services. Just in case."
"And… There. All done." Shinichi stepped back, a gentle smile spreading all over his face. Sharp eyes fell onto the girl, scanning her all over in search of further injuries. "Are you hurt somewhere else?"
Though he knew of the concern that fuelled his actions, Ai could not help but feel a little uncomfortable, yet made no sign of it. Rather than, of course, avert her gaze, allowing it to wander about.
Under the massive sea of green and brown was where she had finally allowed herself to take a breather, eyes instinctively closing at the few rays of sunlight that filtered through. Clearly, the place was not ideal. The blistering heat of summer was not forgiving against her skin and, certainly, she would not have chosen this place over a peaceful afternoon under the Professor's air conditioning… Yet…
There, shielded by the woods, she took her wig off. And smiled lightly.
She heard Shinichi's sigh. Was she imagining things, or did he sound relieved?
"Then, if you're alright, we should get going-"
"My right foot. It hurts."
He eyed her. "No, it doesn't."
"If I say it hurts, it hurts," she answered nonchalantly. "Pain is but a symptom, something that the victim experiences, yet no observer can entirely confirm. Meaning, if you want to prove I'm lying, you have a long road ahead of you, Great Detective."
"Well, while I can't prove you're not hurting, I can prove there is no underlying condition that impedes you from walking."
"What did you say? Oh, forgive me. I'm too traumatized to hear a single word." She turned her attention to her black dress, dirty and tattered beyond repair, and shook her head. "After, ironically, almost dying on my way to escape death. All thanks to a certain detective I know who was so sure he could soar the skies on a paraglider, yet ended up running into a tree."
"Fine. You win."
Shinichi did not get to see the triumphant smirk that decorated her features, too focused on picking up the hang glider that was still laid on the floor ─ or rather, what remained of it. The metal structures that made most of it had been unlatched, some had bent beyond repair, some had been broken in half, waiting a few meters apart to be collected by Shinichi.
It stole a sigh out of him ─ it had been an embarrassing fall. But, save for some scratches, they were mostly okay. Clearly, they had been too lucky.
Finally, he crouched next to the cape and gently plucked it back up. It's raven black, observed Shinichi. It's so weird seeing Kuroba dressing like that instead of the usual white.
Though it was understandable. From what he had heard, Kuroba barely made it past the Organization's radar because KID was declared dead, while he was shown to be very much alive. A single person witnessing Kaito KID flying around equalled the media going crazy, and Kuroba shot in the head.
On the other hand, there was the black KID, Kaito Corbeau. Anyone would confirm that Kuroba had been in Japan while he was active in Las Vegas, so the suspicion would not fall on him. Besides, it seemed like the thief in black had not made a move ever since he had challenged KID, so him using black worked perfectly.
He wrapped all the remains of the hang glider on the cape and put all of them back on the bag where he had found it, alongside the first aid kit he had been using. It stuck out a bit, but Shinichi figured it was good enough.
Finally, he turned to the tree trunk he had settled Ai on, and found her scanning her bandaged arms, curiously. "You've gotten better at this," she said. "I remember you used to struggle a lot with this, back in the day."
"You might have heard from Conan, but I was posing as a doctor's assistant for my first cover," replied Shinichi, walking up to her. "I had to learn a thing or two while I was there."
At first, she said nothing, but seemed to ponder over it. While he was kind of curious about what was going on in her mind right now, he opted to turn around, so that his back was facing her, and crouched down a little. Wordlessly, the girl climbed up to his back. Spoiled little brat, he thought, rolling his eyes, and handed her the bag, deciding that she could carry that at least.
Of course, it was him carrying it indirectly, but shrugged it off.
She accepted it. After settling it on her back, Shinichi started up their way back home.
"You were quite useless in that regard," she finally said. And definitely did not miss the flinch, shaking his body. "Don't you remember? About two days after you started watching over me."
"Ah, yeah. I remember," Shinichi said. "I was so worried that any of those chemicals you were experimenting with spilled all over you." A chuckle escaped his system. "But all you got was a papercut on your finger."
"And bandages up to my elbow."
"I was trying my best, okay?"
It was followed by a sarcastic comment of some sort, which Shinichi knew better than to listen to. Instead, he paused, taking in his surroundings in an attempt to remember which way it was. He raised his head ─ considering the position of the sun, and taking into consideration the direction he was heading to, Shinichi made up his mind.
Soon, he found himself smiling proudly. He now stood out of the woods, and just a few feet away from an unpopulated highway.
"At some point, you started to improve," said Ai, suddenly, paying no regard to his internal sense of accomplishment. "At least, to the point that you could treat your own injuries without strangling yourself." After a shrug, accompanied with a chuckle, she continued, "I imagine you were motivated to learn so not to drop dead at your doorstep for your clueless little brother to find the following morning."
She could easily feel his reluctance to reply. Her eyes narrowed.
"But motivation, more often than not, is not enough to learn basic first aid skills."
"What was it this time?"
He could only laugh sheepishly at the severe gaze that narrowed upon him. No doubt, the person in front of him could see it all, from his tattered clothes and head in disarray to his muddled skin sprinkled with burns and lacerations all over.
"You have school tomorrow morning, don't you?"
"It's okay." Shinichi waved all those concerns off with a flick of his hand. "I've got Mom's makeup at home. I'll just-"
Far from reassuring, he was cut off by a groan as he doubled over, his hand flying to cradle his midriff that suddenly felt as if it was burning. The man instantly rushed over, lifting his shirt enough for him to see, then sigh ─ pressing the bridge of his nose as he did so.
"How old is this wound?"
"A week?" It came out as a question. "It was not a big deal-"
"Infections are a big deal," he interrupted him, voice loud and firm enough to shut the teenager up. Now that it was silent, the man examined the wound for a little longer and shook his head.
He stood back, turning around to look for what Shinichi assumed to be a first aid kit.
"Alright, listen. When you have a wound like that, it's best to use…"
"There are plenty of tutorials hanging around on the Internet."
There was a strange smile on her face, not that he could tell from their current position. "Sure there are," she conceded finally. "Oh, and look. Here is our ride."
Ride?
He lifted his head and, while he could make out a car in the distance, he could not recognize it. Despite it all, Ai appeared to be confident enough, and did not mind either when it stopped right next to them, the backseat's window gradually lowering until he saw it.
Unamused blue peeked out from the inside of the car, piercing as knives on his soul even with the thick glasses that covered them.
At that moment, Shinichi knew he was in for a long ride.
A/N:
KudoN1234: Sure! As long as you leave credits, I don't mind at all :)