SailorStar9: So, with Chapter 107 uploaded, this is Chapter 108 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: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.
Chapter 108: Whiteout, Part One
Sometime later...
"Kotatsus, shiruko and snowmen." the Detective Boys sang in the back of Professor Agasa's Beetle. "Camping is nice, but skiing is great."
"I'm so excited to visit the snow slope." Mitsuhiko beamed, the kids were decked in their winter clothes.
"I know." Ayumi agreed. "Ai-chan should've come with us."
"It can't be helped." Conan chuckled nervously.
"The least we can do is to bring back plenty of souvenirs for her." Professor Agasa suggested.
"Fumio-kun, this is the first time you skied on a snow slope, right?" Ayumi asked, seeing Fumio's awestruck expression.
"Uh huh." Fumio nodded.
"What's that?" Professor Agasa spotted a broken-down vehicle ahead of them.
"Maybe they got stuck." Conan suggested.
"Looks like it." Professor Agasa concurred.
"Push." Professor Agasa and Yokoyama Takeru pushed the strayed car back on the road once the Detective Boys cleared the piled-up snow.
"Thank you." Ishibashi Kengo got off the driver's seat after the car started moving again. "For a while there, I wasn't sure what we were going to do."
"No problem." Professor Agasa assured. "We should help each other when we're in need."
"Could we get your contact information?" Ishibashi inquired. "Please allow us to thank you." he pulled out his name card from his luggage. "I'm sorry. My name is Ishibashi Kengo. I develop medicines in Tokyo. This is Doctor Yokoyama." he introduced his companion.
"Conan-kun, look at that." Ayumi whispered, spotting the pair of rifle bags in the car's trunk.
"Rifles?" Conan blinked. "They've got bullets, too."
"Conan-kun, do you think those men are..." Ayumi was worried.
"Don't worry, we're not shady people." Ishibashi assured. "We came here to enjoy some sports hunting."
"Sports?" Genta blinked.
"Hunting?" Mitsuhiko echoed,
"Those certainly are guns, but we've been authorized to use them." Yokoyama supplied.
"You're going to shoot animals?" Ayumi wondered.
"I guess so." Ishibashi responded.
"I feel sorry for them." Ayumi muttered.
"Little miss, what is your name?" Yokoyama asked.
"Ayumi." Ayumi replied.
"Ayumi-chan, you eat meat, don't you?" Yokoyama inquired. "Humans are supported by the lives of many other creatures. We're grateful to the animals we hunt."
"Shall we get going?" Professor Agasa cut in.
At the ski resort...
"It's huge." Genta gawked.
"The slopes are waiting for us." Professor Agasa urged.
"Thanks for the food." the Detective Boys chorused, settling down for lunch in the resort's cafeteria.
"This place's curry is good." Genta dug into his curry rice.
"This ramen is great, too." Mitsuhiko slurped down his ramen.
"I wonder why everything tastes better at a ski resort." Ayumi pondered.
"Probably because of the fresh air." Fumio suggested, biting into the shrimp tempura of his tempura donburi.
"Let's go ski some more." Conan declared after lunch.
"Sorry, but my whole body hurts." Professor Agasa sipped his tea. "I'm at my limit. You kids go without me. Let me know right away if anything comes up." he called out to the kids.
In the forest...
"Yokoyama-san, I have to ask a special favor from you." Ishibashi started as the two men trekked up into the forest. "It's about the new medicine we developed. Couldn't you officially use our medicine at your hospital?"
"Ishibashi-san." Yokoyama stopped.
"We poured a lot of time and money into the medicine." Ishibashi stated. "An irrevocable amount. Can't you nod your head in agreement today? You know my company will go bankrupt if you don't, don't you?"
"I know." Yokoyama replied. "But Ishibashi-san, you've been hiding something very important from me. Don't play dumb with me; it's about the medicine's side effects. Our job makes us responsible for people's lives. You should know I can't ignore that medicine's side effects. Unfortunately, our hospital can't use your medicine."
"By the way, Doctor Yokoyama." Ishibashi took out his hunting rifle. "Didn't you say people are supported by the deaths of many others? Did you know? Our medicine will be adopted into your hospital as long as you're out of the picture."
"Are you going to shoot me here?" Yokoyama asked, realizing Ishibashi's intention.
"Yeah right." Ishibashi scoffed. "You're a far better shot than I am. So, I tampered with your gun. Sorry, but you're going to die here." he tossed his rifle away after Yokoyama removed his rifle from the bag. Pulling out a knife from his back, he charged at the doctor.
On the ski lifts...
"Isn't that..." Fumio peered into the snow mist that shrouded the forest and witnessed Ishibashi and Yokoyama decking it out on the forest floor, before Ishibashi managed to pin Yokoyama onto the snowy ground and stab him with the knife.
"Is something wrong?" Genta noticed Fumio's stern expression, Ishibashi casting a look at the boy as the ski lift passed by.
In the forest...
"That brat..." Ishibashi growled, knowing Fumio had seen him. "I've got to do something about him."
On the snow slope...
"You witnessed a murder?" Conan echoed after Fumio related to the others what he had seen.
"Probably." Fumio nodded.
"When and where?" Conan pressed.
"Just now when we were riding the lifts, I saw something in the forest." Fumio replied. "Two men were fighting and one of them had a knife."
"You saw them in the woods while riding the lift, right?" Conan asked. "We'll start by calling the police."
"He's here." Fumio suddenly spotted Ishibashi leaving the snow lift. "He's the culprit." he pointed to the medical developer.
"Isn't that the old guy whose car got stuck earlier?" Genta recognized Ishibashi.
"Fumio, does that mean the one who was stabbed was..." Conan realized.
"Doctor Yokoyama." Fumio nodded.
"Stay here." Conan instructed. "I'll be right back. That's him." he brought two of the ski resort's employees with him when Ishibashi strolled over to the kids and smirked at Fumio. "This man stabbed someone with a knife." he accused.
"I'm sorry, but is what this boy said true?" the male employee asked.
"Give me a break." Ishibashi laughed. "Why would I stab someone?"
"He's not lying." Fumio insisted. "I did see it happen."
"Ishibashi-san, there is a witness." Conan reminded. "You should give yourself up."
"I give up." Ishibashi snorted. "These kids are always like this. The other day, they accused me of being a kidnapper. I can't believe they're calling me a murderer this time."
"You know them?" the female employee wondered.
"Of course, I know them." Ishibashi replied. "Isn't that right, Ayumi-chan?"
"What?" Ayumi hid behind Fumio.
"Come to think of it, the boy in glasses said your name." the male employee recalled.
"It's not like that." Genta barked. "We just ran into him on the road earlier."
"That's right." Mitsuhiko added. "We don't know you at all."
"Kids, you shouldn't lie." the male employee chided.
"This man is dressed normally at a ski resort." Conan cut in. "Don't you think it's odd?"
"You're right." the male employee agreed.
"I don't know the first thing about skiing." Ishibashi explained.
"That's not it." Conan refuted. "It's because you rushed here after your crime was witnessed. The person with you was a doctor. If this is just a misunderstanding, where is he now?"
"Doctor Yokoyama is currently at the lodge." Ishibashi answered.
"Trouble between a doctor and drug manufacturer, then." Conan surmised the reason. "I bet you got into a fight after he either rejected a bribe or refused to use your newly developed medicine. Onii-san, in any case, call the police. This person is a bad guy."
"I finally found them." Ishibashi made his call. "Could you come meet me at the restaurant on the slope? Well then, someone will be here to pick us up."
"Run, guys." Conan barked.
"Those kids are a handful." Ishibashi sighed when the Detective Boys took off. "Do those brats really think they can escape?" he chased after them.
"We'll ski down the slope." Conan took the lead. "He's not wearing any skiing gear. We should be able to escape if we ski down the hill. Let's hurry. He's right behind us. We're turning you into the police, old man." he pattered Ishibashi with snowballs, giving the others time to split off. "Fumio, Genta." he caught up with the two on skis. "Where are Ayumi-chan and Mitsuhiko?"
"There." Fumio spotted the pair on the snow sled.
"Mitsuhiko, look out." Conan yelled out a warning, Mitsuhiko managing to slide under the trail signs. "Mitsuhiko, Ayumi-chan." he caught up with the pair. Sliding in front of them, he stopped the sled.
"I thought we were going to die." Mitsuhiko sighed in relief.
"Now what?" Fumio wondered.
"Can we walk back to the trail on such a steep slope?" Genta asked.
"No service." Conan pulled out his phone and saw they were out of range. "We'll start by looking for a path. Once we have phone service, we'll call the professor right away. Then, we'll call the police and explain the situation."
"Look at that." Genta pointed to the pair of men walking below them, Conan was clearing a path using the snowboard. "I see people. There are people up there."
"Head back to the hill." Conan ordered, realizing the men were Ishibashi's accomplices.
"What's the matter?" Mitsuhiko asked, Conan hustled them back up the slope.
"They're probably working with Ishibashi." Conan explained. "Ishibashi called someone to come to the slope earlier. That means he has accomplices nearby. Besides, what do you think they were doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"They're looking for us." Mitsuhiko realized where Conan was coming from.
"That's right." Conan urged. "Let's hurry. We're screwed if they find us. Guys, give me a hand." he had Genta drop the snow sled. "Pile all the snow you can onto the sled. Now." he and Genta pushed the sled down the slope.
Both Mori Masaki and Tannai Taro sidestepped the sled, only to have it hit a pine tree behind them and send the snow that was piled up on the tree to fall on them.
"Let's hurry." Conan led the others off.
"Is that..." Fumio spotted a log cabin in the distance.
"We're saved." Genta heaved in relief.
Meanwhile...
"The snow really is coming down hard." Amuro whistled, looking out of the living room window of Ami's apartment.
"I hope there won't be a snowstorm overnight." Ami was worried, bringing out two bowls of oshiruko for dessert after their shared nabe dinner.
"Oshiruko?" Amuro looked at the piping red bean soup with two pieces of mochi in it. "You spoil me."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted, by the way. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.