SailorStar9: With Chapter 26 uploaded, this is Chapter 27 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Pairings: Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami

Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Chapter 27: The Scarlet Return

Ami flipped open her phone and read the mew message typed in an all-too-familiar code and smiled to herself. "Agasa-san," she placed a call to Professor Agasa. "I'm sorry to impose..."

With Fumio settled for the night, she boarded her motorcycle, put on the helmet and made her way to Raiha Pass with a confidential document tucked in her bodysuit.

Meanwhile...

"Raiha Pass?" Camel echoed, after Jodie had him drive them to the side road. "We're going to the place where they killed Akai-san?"

"Yes." Jodie replied. "I think we'll find something there."

"We'd better hurry." Camel warned, spotting the various Security Bureau's vehicles behind them. "We've got some strange cars on our tail. What has Akai-san been doing since then? Do you know where he might be? Maybe someone who uses the same phases? You know, Akai-san always say 'The odds are 50-50, so we're in the same boat.'"

"It's him!" Jodie recalled Okiya Subaru. "I told you about him before. The strange man with glasses I ran into at the Beika department store. No way." she gasped, seeing the barrier of cars in front of them. "They're barricading the road with cars."

"Clench your teeth so you don't bite your tongue." Camel cautioned. Speeding up, he ran the car up against a protruding rock structure to bypass the barricade. "Who the hell are those guys?" he wondered.

"They must be working for them." Jodie concluded. "Now that they know Shu is alive,they'll capture and use as a bait to draw out Shu. Focus on getting them off our tail."

"This isn't good." Camel noted, the car started to wobble. "The steering wheel keeps turning to the right. I must have damaged the tire and bent the rim when I went up over that rock. The air's leaking out of the tire."

"Do something, Camel." Jodie urged. "They're right behind us."

"There's nothing we can do." Camel growled. "I'm sure Akai-san could manage something, though."

"Open the roof." Akai instructed from the back of the car as the three Security Bureau's vehicles closed in on them. "Open it, Camel."

"Yes." Camel opened the car's roof to reveal Akai sitting in the backseat.

"Five seconds." Akai stated. "Up ahead, there's a 200 meter stretch of straight road. Once we're there, keep the car steady for five seconds. We'll end this stupid chase."

"Where have you been?" Jodie asked. "Why are you in the car?"

"Everything gone exactly like the boy's plan." Akai stated.

"You mean Conan-kun?" Jodie realized.

"Yeah." Akai confirmed. "In order to secure me without resistance, they're trying to capture one of my close associates. To maintain secrecy, they came while you were out driving and isolated from the other FBI agents." he pulled on his leather gloves. "They knew you'll come to Reina Pass since you were beginning to doubt my death." he loaded his shotgun. "Camel, the 200 meter straight is after the next right turn. Our ally in Japan is already waiting there."

"This is crazy." Jodie protested. "The car's shaking because the tire is losing air. You can't possibly aim a gun."

"It's not a problem." Akai steadied himself with the back of the driver's seat. "I can account for regular movement."

"The right turn." Camel declared. "The straight."

Taking aim, Akai fired his shot at the car's front tire, deflating it and causing the other cars to crash.

"They're not following." Jodie looked back. "We must have lost them."

"Camel, turn back." Akai instructed as Ami's motorcycle pulled up beside them.

"But we can't pursue him under these circumstances." Kazami reported to Amuro.

"Are you okay?" Akai asked the stranded officers once Camel pulled over.

"Akai..." Kazami stammered.

"Is Akai there?" Amuro shouted over the phone.

"Everyone, drop your weapons now!" Ami barked, removing her bike helmet.

"Mizuno-fukubuchō..." Kazami gasped and gestured for his men to lower their weapons.

"Don't blame me." Akai shrugged. "You're the ones who came after us. If I hadn't done that, people would've died. But I have a proposal. Will you trade that phone for the gun I just fired? It's been a while, Bourbon. No, you're Amuro Tooru now, right? To make up for ruining your friends' cars, I have a gift for you. It's the gun Kusuda Rikumichi used to shoot himself. If you investigate how he acquired it, you might find something. This is Japan. You're better suited for it than FBI. I suspected you since you were part of the Organization. But letting it slip to the kid that your nickname is 'Zero' was a mistake, Furuya Rei. Not many names produce the nickname 'Zero'. Since Mizuno Ami used to be part of our team, it was relatively easy to find you. You probably meant to turn me over to them, raise your prestige and get closer to the heart of the organization. But let me tell you something; don't get distracted by what's in front of you and pursue the wrong prey. I'd rather not have you for an enemy, if for Fumio-kun's sake. Also, I still feel bad about what happened to him."

"Which part of the massive circular from earlier this week do you gentlemen not understand?" aside, Ami stared down her lover's subordinates.

"Our orders..." Kazami started.

"The non-aggression agreement co-signed by Hisoka-buchō, Ikari-buchō and the former Kuroda-buchō." Ami brandished the document in Kazami's face. "This statement expressly states that there will be no more further aggressive actions taken against the FBI agents and I will be the front-line contact between the Bureau and FBI. I trust there will be no more incidents like what happened tonight, gentlemen. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, madam." Kazami relented.

"Shishou." Ami turned to her sharpshooting master. "It's really been a long while. Sorry," she shook her head amusedly. "Still can't get used to you without long hair. You owe me an afternoon at the firing range." she deathpanned.

"Give me a time and place." Akai quirked a smile.

"And you'd better explain to Fumio why his Uncle Akai is playing Dodge-ball without the ball." Ami grinned.

"I will." Akai assured. "Camel, let's go." he tossed the phone back to Kazami and Camel drove off.

"Furuya-san..." Ami growled, pulling rank on the dark-skinned male on the other side of Kazami's phone. "We will have a very long talk about this. Project Cerebo is already running its last stages and I trust you can make an educated guess on which country we're collaborating with this time round. I don't know what animosity you have with Akai-shishou and I don't care; I did not spend the last seven years working alongside Agent James Black and his team just to have you screw up whatever working camaraderie I have with them."

On the other side of the line, Amuro winced as he listened to Ami's rant, mentally cursing himself for forgetting that not only was Ami's rank higher than his, she had also been on a collaboration mission with the FBI for a while.

"Furuya-san, what are our orders?" Kazami asked as Ami rode off.

"Mizuno-fukubuchō has already overridden my orders." Amuro stated. "Pursuing them now will mean insubordination."

SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted, by the way. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.