Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan.

Don't Play by the Rules

Chapter Sixteen: Body of Lies

Heiji leaned over the manhole, shining his flashlight down into the murky water. The smell made his stomach lurch, but the sight of the greenish-gray sludge below just took the cake. "…You've gotta be kidding, right?" He deadpanned, glancing over to the man knelt beside him. Kaito folded his pants legs up to just below his knees and then gave Heiji a bored look. "You want me to wade through knee deep sewage for over a mile? Is that even sanitary?"

"Come on in, Heiji-kun!" Yukiko called from below, waving weakly when his beam traveled over her forehead. "The water's… um, fine."

Kaito stood to his full height and took the flashlight from Heiji. "Like I said before, Heiji-kun, it's the sewers or nothing. You can stay here with the van as a look-out, if you'd like? Although I doubt you'll find anything interesting out here." They each took a quick assessment of their surroundings, which consisted of wide open, grassy fields on all sides and the dilapidated foundation of a warehouse on the right, the innards charred and grown over with weeds. Under a thin layer of smog the navy sky could be seen, the stars giving just enough light to travel by. "Maybe if you look hard enough, you'll find a good radio station?"

"Like hell," Heiji muttered, reaching down to roll up his own pant legs. "I'll go, but that don't mean I have to like it." He climbed down the thin, rusted ladder bolted to the side of the manhole, stopping halfway down to receive the heavy backpack Kaito handed to him. Once his feet were firmly planted on the cement platform beneath the ladder, Heiji handed the bag off to Yusaku and backed away so Kaito would have ample room to follow after him. Kaito slipped the lid back over the top and the sewer fell into darkness save for Heiji's small flashlight. Without the open air, the fetid smell became unbearable quickly. Heiji gagged.

"Keep your eyes on the prize, folks," Kaito chirped, taking the flashlight Yusaku offered him with a muttered thanks. "It might seem like we can't get any worse than this, but trust me, it could be much, much worse than the delicious, rotten smell of decaying rats and wading knee deep through water tainted with human fe-"

Shinichi groaned, covering his nose with his sleeve. "Please shut up. This trip will be a lot more bearable if you do."

Kaito grinned. "Sorry. I forget that I'm dealing with people who are more civilized than I."

Kogoro grunted. "Whatever." He gestured to the path ahead, which veered off into two directions, and the path behind them, which lead off into the undefined darkness. "Which way?"

Kaito pointed. "That-a-way. Might as well jump in now; the platform ends about fifteen feet to your right. Also, stay close to me. Objects in the sludge are closer than they appear." Ignoring the many glares thrown his way, Kaito retrieved his bag, shouldered it, and lowered himself into the water. Unidentified debris brushed against his calves under warm liquid the consistency of molasses. Okay, he admitted to himself as he waded, this was pretty gross. Think happy thoughts, Kuroba. Happy, happy thoughts. The sight of his beautiful, smiling wife – with no bruises or injuries whatsoever – immediately flashed in his mind. An anxious itch formed right underneath his skin. For a craggy old pessimist, when it came to Aoko, Kaito could be bafflingly optimistic.

A rat paddled by, its nose a twitching island while it struggled to keep the rest of its body afloat. Within moments, even the weariest among them had slipped into the water, and so Kaito started walking. He hummed quietly, though the muttered curses and enraged squeaks from behind didn't leave him with much peace of mind.

"We can't keep meeting like this," a younger Kaito said, leaning his shoulder against the ragged doorframe of his bedroom. Aoko sat on the edge of the bed, watching him cautiously. Her blue eyes glistened under the light of the table lamp beside her. "So what can I help you with, Nakamori-san? I assume you've been following me all this time?" He arched an eyebrow when she remained silent. "Even when I was jogging? And showering at the gym?" When Aoko blushed, "did you like what you saw?"

"I'm not here for that." She stood, hugging her midsection. Kaito cocked his head. "I need your help."

Ah, that's how it always ended up between them, wasn't it? They couldn't be within fifty feet of each other without someone getting threatened, kidnapped, or shot. That was a good thing, he supposed. Kept him on his toes.

"Holy shit!" Kogoro sputtered. "What the fuck is that?"

Kaito glanced up. Dark shapes floated in the water ahead. Dark, human sized shapes. He narrowed his eyes and pointed his flashlight at the closest one. Yukiko inhaled sharply from right behind him.

The skin and hair had been eaten away long ago. By bacteria and rats, apparently – the large rodents scurried over the body with a vicious fervor. The squeaks and shrieks they made were impossible to ignore. Gods, there had to be hundreds…

Kaito inched closer, angling the beam of the flashlight further into the tunnel. A dozen more bodies huddled against the edges of the waterway. The further into the tunnel, the newer the corpses were. The rats screeched and dispersed, though the more dominant ones hissed and swam toward them to attack. Kogoro backed up.

Yusaku walked forward. "Don't worry; as long as you don't try to take their food away, we should be fine." He turned to Kaito. "Seems this tunnel isn't as unused as you thought it was, Kuroba-san."

Kaito grunted. "Apparently so. I guess the Black Ops needed somewhere more private to dump their bodies. It means we're heading in the right direction."

The team stood in silent contemplation. None of them were strangers to dead bodies. Finding corpses in a waterway under the Black Organization headquarters was not, in itself, a shocking or overly horrific thing. It did however, raise one very important question: How many operatives would they be facing? And in the worst case scenario, would any of them end up at the bottom of this sewer?

"Well," Heizo said. "I'm beginning to think you're in over your head, Kuroba-san."

Kaito grinned. "Always am. That's what makes it fun." He gestured with his free hand. "Let's keep going. Stay clear of the bodies. And the rats." His nonchalance kept the tension from mounting, but Kaito couldn't help but scan over the faces and bodies of the dead, and send an enthusiastic 'thank you' to the cosmos when Aoko's wasn't among them.

XXXXXX

"Hey… Ran-sa… I mean… Ran?"

Ran glanced over her shoulder at the whispered inquiry. She smiled encouragingly. "Yes, Kazuha?"

Kazuha fiddled with her ponytail. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Seems really risky for you to be walking around out of your disguise like that…"

Ran shrugged and kept walking. "I attract a lot less attention without it than I do with it. The long sleeves will have to be enough. Besides, I couldn't get away with an elaborate costume when I'm hurt like this anyway – makeup would irritate the burns." Kazuha winced at the visual, but said nothing. Instead, she concentrated on an aggressive visual search of the office, lingering on the dark, secluded corners behind desks and fake ferns where bad guys could lurk. Sure, it was way after hours and Ran had disabled the security cameras, but… you never knew. Plus there were still officers running the main floor downstairs. If any of them decided to head up here for whatever reason… Kazuha clutched the grip of the gun hidden under her shirt. Gods, what had she gotten herself into?

"What are we looking for, anyway?"

Ran yanked open a file cabinet drawer and rifled through the folders. "Something. Anything. Aoko was here right before she was abducted. Likely, the officers in her department were the last people who saw her. If we can find out something about their meeting… maybe her next assignment or something… maybe we can go down the list and figure out who may have gotten her."

"But… I thought we already knew that. The… 'Black Organization', right?"

"Well, yes. But no one at the Black Organization knew Aoko was working with Kaito. They must've used a double agent in the police department to figure it out… probably happened a few days ago after Nagoya." Ran eased the drawer closed and headed for a nearby computer. Kazuha followed hesitantly. "We already know the police commissioner is involved, but he's been gone for weeks, so there has to be someone else pulling the strings as well."

Okay, so maybe rifling through the police records wasn't her ideal occupation right now, but Ran thought it made sense. What would be the point of rushing into the Black Org headquarters, guns a-blazing, when her right arm was in a cast and Kazuha was amateur with weapons at best? And more than that, what would happen if Kaito and co. actually did take down the organization, but there were still double agents inside the police department itself? What good would turning them in or handing in evidence do? It was important to get the Eagle's Eye and get Aoko back safely, but they had to be smart about it, too.

Ran turned on Aoko's desktop computer. Cracking the code was easy enough, but finding pertinent information was another story altogether. Computers were Kaito's area of expertise, not Ran's. She understood the basics, but coding and HTML and all that good stuff was enough to make her head spin. "Damn… does she have enough folders? How am I supposed to make heads or tails of this?"

That cast was obviously giving Ran a lot of trouble. Kazuha leaned over. "Um… I could try, if you want?"

With a chuckle, Ran stood over the desk and continued fiddling with the icons on the screen. "I appreciate it, Kazuha, but… you should let me handle it. I don't want to take you down with me if we get caught-"

Kazuha shook her head. It was a cop out and she knew it. "No, really. My Dad's an officer, remember? They use the same models in Osaka." She waited for Ran to move and then sat in the ergonomic chair. She began to type. "Hey, they even use the same system… You're looking for… a roster, right? Then that would be over… a-ha. I'm in."

Ran's eyes widened. "…What?"

With a smirk, Kazuha swiveled to the right so Ran would have a better view. "My dad has a laptop with the same set-up." She spun around two times. "He lets me use the internet on it sometimes, but that's only because he thinks I'm not smart enough to find any of his important files. He doesn't know that one of my classmates is a huge tech geek." Kazuha stood up and gestured to the empty seat. "After you."

"I have to say, I'm impressed." Ran sat down. "It should be a cakewalk from here..." She squinted at the bright screen while Kazuha fidgeted beside her. Her eyes scanned the dozen or so names on the sheet - both familiar and foreign – and came up with nothing. "She's… she's not on here."

Kazuha leaned over. "Oh? So she wasn't scheduled on that day?"

"No… but she was here. Everyone else in her department has had their time doubled up for the next month or so, but Aoko… why is that?" Ran rubbed her chin. "If another officer was killed, obviously they'd have to increase everyone's time to make up the slack and investigate, right? There are records for everyone butAoko. And there's nothing here showing time for investigating the string of murders throughout the police department, and I know Aoko is on that team."

"Well, if one of my colleagues was killed and I was on the investigation team for the murders… maybe I wouldn't want just anyone with access to the network to see what I was doing." Kazuha cocked her head. "You said it was an inside job, right?"

"Yes, but no one but Aoko actually knew that. There wouldn't be any reason to hide it, would there?"

Kazuha and Ran flinched as the overhead lights brightened to full power. A soft 'ding!' from around the corner announced the elevator arriving.

"Get down!" Ran hissed. She turned the computer screen off and then lunged under the desk. Kazuha followed, whispering an apology when her elbow jerked hard into Ran's broken arm. To her credit, she stifled her cry of pain. The two girls lay rigid, their ears straining for the sound of voices or footsteps on the rough beige carpet.

"I can't believe we're doing this." A male – around late thirties, Ran guessed – strode towards them. He had company; someone heavier or slower from the sound of their steps. "I've never done anything remotely illegal in my life. Now I'm sneaking into the office after hours and looking into private computer files?" His voice lowered to an anxious whisper. "What if we get caught? What if somehow someone finds out and thinks we're responsible for the murders? What if-"

"Honest to God, Takagi, why don't you tell the whole city we're here? And turn some of those damn lights off, for God's sake."

Megure. That voice registered immediately. The middle rows of fluorescent lights flicked off, leaving only a faint halo around the perimeter. Kazuha huddled further under the desk, her hand gripped on her gun. What she actually intended to do with it if they were caught, Ran could only guess and pray against. Easy, she communicated with her eyes, squeezing Kazuha's forearm. Kazuha jerked her chin slightly.

Takagi came to a stop in front of a desk a few feet to their right. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Ran stared intently at his brown loafers.

Megure grunted and came to stand beside him. "No, but keep on bringing it up. I work best under duress."

Takagi scoffed. "Was that sarcasm?"

'What are they doing here?' Ran thought. With a pang in her chest she recalled that both Megure and Takagi were in Aoko's department. How unlikely was it for Ran, Megure, and Takagi to be at the office at the same time for completely different reasons? Ran narrowed her eyes. She couldn't and wouldn't believe that these two men were mixed in with the Black Organization, but maybe they were just as concerned about the corruption as she was. Kazuha caught the inquisitive look in Ran's eyes and nodded; she was beginning to connect the dots too.

"Oops, her computer is over there." They moved to stand right in front of where Kazuha and Ran lay. Ran could swear she heard her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Takagi reached over to hit the power button on the tower. "Hey, it's already on. Why'd she turn the screen off?"

Ran closed her eyes, straining to hear the sound of more shuffling and typing.

"Who knows. Anyway, here's her address," Megure mumbled. "She's been living twenty minutes from me, and I never even knew. And here's her home number. Let me see your cell." Several minutes ticked by as Megure dialed the number and waited. "Shoot, no response."

Takagi squawked. "Someone's coming, sir."

"So what the hell are you doing, standing there like an idiot? Get down!"

The two men threw themselves to the ground… and ran right into the girls. Ran didn't think her poor arm could take any more abuse. Megure and Takagi yelped quickly in confusion, but had the mind to scramble under the desk across from them before the newcomer arrived. Megure squinted at them, and then his eyes widened. "Ran?"

Ran shook her head. Not now. Megure's eyes darted to Kazuha and then away, towards the sound of footsteps shuffling on the carpet towards them. The sound of Nanatsu no Ko sprang up from a cell phone. A man grunted and answered it. "Hai, it's me." His voice was garbled, as if he had cotton jammed down his throat. He stopped in front of Aoko's desk. Kazuha cringed. "Yes, I'm taking care of it. No hiccups to speak of. She came way too easily, so we were actually kind of disappointed… hold on for a second." With a grunt, the man stooped to lift the computer tower and ripped the cords clean from their outlets. The system gave a whine and then died. He huffed and dropped the case on the desk. "All right, I'm back… no, no sign of Bourbon. The woman seems adamant that he won't show up, but what does she know? She's a bit older, but she's attractive. I bet Kuroba was sleeping with her. I wouldn't have minded getting a taste for myself if that bitch hadn't hit me in the nose."

Racing thoughts filled Ran's head. This was their lead. Somehow, this man was responsible for Aoko's kidnapping. Would it be better to knock him out here and now, or try to tail him? Her eyes met Megure's from across the aisle. They both nodded as they came to a similar conclusion. Wait it out. Let the canary keep singing.

The man laughed. "Yeah, that's what I said. Total waste of time. But we've got enough to worry about already, you know? The Boss would kill us if we left any loose ends… guess the badge comes with a perk or two after all. It's going to be a stretch, though, to get them all at once. You think we should spread them out more, just so it seems like a random coincidence or something? A whole team at once is a little bit much, even for us right now." He leaned forward and fiddled with something on the desk - probably untangling the cords and wires so they could be more manageable. He sighed. "I suppose. Once all of them are gone, that'll be it for problems in the PD." Gathering the tower and monitor in his arms, he continued. "Well, I have to go Kir. Keep me updated on her. I'd love to have pictures if you can get any." A chuckle. "Hell yeah, full frontal would be great. Out." He wedged the cell phone in his hands and ended the call.

Ran's body tensed. She tapped Kazuha on the wrist, careful to keep the action hidden from the men across from them. Now or never.

Turned out she wouldn't have a chance either way, because Takagi was edging out from beneath the desk. Her eyes widened as she tried to signal to him – no are you crazy don't do it -, but he had risen to his tiptoes and lifted his gun above his head and-

Their canary sensed the shadow against his back and whirled. "What th-"

Kazuha jerked forward and clasped her arms around the man's legs. With a shouted curse, he stumbled backwards and right into Takagi. The computer equipment crashed to the floor.

Takagi hooked his arms under his victim's and held him still. "Torisei-san," he said, narrowing his eyes. "How nice to run into you here."

Koyo whipped his head around. "Takagi? What in the hell is wrong with you? Let me go!"

"I can't do that, sir. We have some questions you have the answers to."

Koyo tensed. A growl escaped his lips. "We?"

Megure crawled out from under the desk, muttering a curse or two when his hat fell off. Lamenting the loss of his dignity, he stood up and brushed copious amounts of dust off his pants and jacket. "Torisei-san, what a coincidence it is to find you here, especially since you seem to have the information we're looking for."

Koyo shook his head, laughing. "I don't know exactly what you heard, Megure-keibu, but… I'm fairly confident that whatever it is you want to know, I can't help you. I was… talking to an old friend of mine. No connection to the police department whatsoever." He rolled his shoulders. "But maybe you can tell your subordinate to release me, so we can talk about this like civilized men?" Something moved underneath the desk, and Koyo flinched. "What-?"

"Ran-chan, you and your friend can come out now." Megure slipped his hat back on. "Be careful of the cords."

The look on Koyo Torisei's face was anything but friendly, not that Ran expected anything differently. She and Kazuha were an unwelcome complication to his mission – an unknown variable he couldn't control. Kazuha flinched against his venomous glare, but when his eyes met Ran's, something flickered behind his irises. Before she could question it, the moment was gone and he had returned to his surly countenance.

"Megure-keibu, I can't say I understand your reasoning for bringing… teenage girls to our department." The disdain in his voice grated on both Kazuha and Ran's nerves. "I'm sure Matsumoto-san won't be pleased."

The inspector snorted. "We didn't bring them. Enough wasting our time, Torisei. You know something about Aoko Nakamori, and we'd just love to hear it."

Koyo scoffed. "I don't know what you're-"

Takagi tightened his grip. "Be very careful about what you say. Who is Kuroba? Who are you working for?"

Koyo chuckled anxiously. "I don't know anything. You are mistaken, Megure-keibu. Whatever woman you heard me referring to, it most certainly wasn't her." He sighed. "Gosh, this is embarrassing… the conversation you overheard… it's completely innocent, Inspector. I was planning an office party."

"An office party?" Kazuha squawked, her fists clenched. All eyes turned to her, and she blushed. "Sorry."

Ran squeezed Kazuha's forearm. She understood the indignation. This guy was obviously lying through his teeth, but the only way to make the officers aware of it was to give away her identity. Pure hot rage burned inside her chest.

Koyo nodded. "Yes, a party. There's been so much despair within our ranks lately, with the murders and the disappearance of the commissioner… I figured it was necessary to find something cheerful to talk about for once. But I know how suspicious you all are, so I've been trying to be careful." He actually blushed. "As for the woman… ah, let's just say my friends and I have certain tastes. I don't have enough time to pursue relationships, so I settle for the next best thing, if you catch my drift." Koyo fidgeted. "Can you let me go now? My arms are falling asleep."

Takagi let out a strangled cough and complied.

"Kuroba, that cheeky bastard…" Koyo shook his head, a small, embarrassed grin on his face. "He set me up with a girl – Hikaru… told me she was a-" He glanced at Ran and Kazuha. "working girl. Turns out she's an accountant, and they went to high school together. Punched me right in the face, as you can see." He indicated his nose, which sported an ugly purple bruise on the bridge. "Just a big clusterfuck. Trust me, it's not something I'm proud of."

Raising his eyebrows, Megure folded his arms. "What about Nakamori? Why are you taking her computer?"

"Ah, she told me to do that. She suspected someone might get wind of her theories since she's been doing some very specific research at her work station. She told me she's not much of a technical expert, so she asked me to clean her drive out for her. You know, to make sure everything's secure and confidential." Another anxious smile and a chuckle. "Can't take a chance if there's a mole here, right?"

Takagi frowned. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Koyo shrugged. "The same time as you, I suspect – right after our meeting a few hours ago. What's all this about? Has she gone missing?"

"She hasn't answered any of our calls," Megure muttered, massaging his temple. "We were worried, but it's beginning to seem as if we've blown things a bit out of proportion. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Like you said, we can't be too careful."

Koyo nodded. "Exactly. Our team members are the only ones we can trust now. We have to make sure we all know who's on our side..." His eyes flicked over Ran again, sending more indignant fury racing through her. "And who should be left out of the equation." He shook his arms out and then reached down to retrieve the computer. Not one of them lifted a finger to help.

"One last question," Megure said. "That explosion in Nagoya. Nakamori was the one who dispatched the units, but she was on duty. Did you have her on some kind of special ops deal? One that would take her three cities away?"

Koyo shook his head. "Not me. It was an awfully slow night – perhaps she was just running errands without thinking." He walked back the way he'd come, towards the elevators, and glanced over his shoulder at the last minute. "If I hear from her, I'll make sure to call you. Goodnight, Inspector. Keep your wits about you." He disappeared around the corner.

Something about that good wish seemed like a challenge. If anything could cement Ran's hatred of the man, it was that.

"Did you notice," Kazuha mumbled, "that he didn't once say Nakamori-san's name?"

Ran grunted. "Probably psychological. He's seen her since that meeting, and saying her name in particular dredges up memories of it. Doesn't want to risk it showing on his face."

"Yeah, he's lying big time. I have a real bad feeling about this, Takagi." Megure glanced at the girls and cleared his throat. Kazuha jumped. "As for you two! What in the world are you doing, sneaking into the police office in the middle of the night? You know better than that, Ran! Where does your father think you are?"

Ran blinked. "Um, well-"

"I'm so sorry, Megure-keibu!" Kazuha bowed at the waist. "It's all my fault. I dared her to do it. I didn't think we'd actually run into anyone…"

Megure raised his eyebrows. "And who are you, young lady?"

"Kazuha. Kazuha Toyama." She rubbed the back of her head. "You see, Mouri-san is away on business, and he couldn't take Ran with him, so I volunteered to stay at their house and keep her company while he's away. It was just me and her, and we wanted to do something… shocking, I guess, but…" Kazuha bowed again. "I'm so sorry. It won't happen again, I promise. And we won't say a word about what we saw. Please don't tell Mouri-san."

A furrow formed between the inspector's eyebrows, but he sighed. "Fine. Seeing as how you've been around this sort of stuff all your life anyway, Ran, I know I can count on you to understand the situation. What happened here stays here, you understand? I don't want you two involved. At all."

"We understand." Ran and Kazuha smiled extra sweetly.

Megure eyed Ran's mottled bruises and broken arm. He opened his mouth, a question on his lips, but suddenly thought better of it and shook his head. "…Never mind. It's better I don't know. I'll see you two out."

The warm night air felt suffocating after so long in the dark, cool confines of the office building. Ran and Kazuha stood out on the empty sidewalk. A taxi cab idled at the end of the block where they'd left it. As far as the driver knew, the girls were still in the hospital at the corner waiting to see a doctor. He'd never seen them slip into the alley and work back around - Ran was sure of it.

She turned to the inspector. "You take care, okay Megure-keibu? It isn't my place to say this, but something about that man seems-"

"Arrogant? Presumptuous? Dirty? Yeah, I'm getting that vibe too. Don't worry; I'll keep my eye on him. You just worry about getting home safely." Megure waved and headed for his car with Takagi. Ran and Kazuha walked slowly in the opposite direction, both silent and pensive. It wasn't until they had slid into the backseat of the taxi and pulled away from the curb that they allowed themselves to speak of what had just transpired. The partition between the front and back sears acted as protection, but Ran still kept her voice low.

"He's definitely the guy we're looking for."

Kazuha nodded, her eyes bright. "And I got that tracer on him, just like you asked."

Ran grinned. Every moment she spent with Kazuha, the more she liked her. "Nice thinking back there, by the way. You're a great liar."

"Thanks. Years of practice." Kazuha reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of gum. After offering one to Ran, she continued. "That Torisei guy sure was… creepy. It felt like he was trying to look through me or something."

And then there was that look he'd given Ran – the one that burned a hole into her mind even now, though she didn't know why. 'It couldn't have been the injuries… it was obvious he couldn't care less. Surprise, maybe?'

In the end, it didn't matter - there was nothing she could do about it now.

Deep in thought, Ran sat in silence for the rest of their short trip back to Kaito's street. The cab rolled to a stop in front of a house at the end of the block. Ran paid the man generously for his trouble and then scooted out after Kazuha. Once the taxi had disappeared around the corner, they slipped into the backyard and trekked to their destination. Ran's breath left her in a rush as they entered the safe house. Her mind ran a mile a minute.

Kazuha scurried into another room and retrieved a handheld radio. "Shall we?" She clicked it on, adjusted the volume, and sat it vertically on an end table. She plopped down on the couch. Ran eased down beside her.

For a long time, nothing was heard except static. Then, a dull thumping noise. Torisei was walking. With the contact on the hem of his pants, it would be difficult to make out any voices. Soon, though, Ran heard them.

Koyo scoffed. "Don't bother with the fancy stuff, Kir. Give me the gun."

"No way... you think I'm going to let you handle this your way and make things worse? I can't believe you fucked up this badly, Pisco. This isn't just like your usual work - this is a Class-A clusterfuck. The people in the department are supposed to trust you with their lives. You're supposed to be one of their best allies and confidants while their city is in fragments. Now you've got Wataru Takagi and Inspector Megure suspicious. They're going to pursue this, you know. They need to be dead by yesterday."

Ran flinched. Her heart clenched in despair. It wasn't her fault, she told herself. Megure and Takagi's presence had nothing to do with her. They would've been in this situation regardless. Still, since she knew firsthand what the Black Organization was capable of, she couldn't help feeling a bit guilty. Maybe if she had warned them-

"What about those girls?" Torisei's voice sounded bland. "Should I put a bullet through their heads as well?"

"It's obvious they were up to something they shouldn't have been," Kir said. "Of course, I doubt you were smart enough to actually take stock of their appearances-"

"Fuck you, Kir. I did what I was supposed to, all right? This was completely out of my hands. Don't blame me because you have a tendency for the dramatic. You could have finished this debacle ages ago - instead, you made me corner Nakamori right in an office where people could hear. You had us wait weeks while you backed all these people in a corner and got pleasure from watching them suffer. This is as much your fault as it is mine."

"Who is he talking to?" Kazuha whispered, her voice strained. She glanced at Ran. "Do you really think he can find us?"

"I don't know... he doesn't know our names and it was kind of dark, but-"

"So, anyway." Kir cleared his throat. "The girls."

Koyo made a noise in the back of his throat. "Yes... they were teenagers. Maybe sixteen, seventeen. One of them was pretty, but the other was real banged up. Bruises everywhere, and a broken arm. She even had a black eye. Whoever fucked her up, they did a good job."

Kir snorted. "Wonderful. Someone beat us to it. Did you notice anything else?"

"For some reason, she seemed familiar. Like I knew her from somewhere. But I swear, I've never seen her in my life. It was really strange, but I remember it, so it must be significant. I trust my intuition."

"How odd, because I don't."

"Look... she had big blue eyes, long brown hair, an oval shaped face... She seemed like she could be drop dead gorgeous in a few years, you know? But, that wasn't a happy thought at all... it's more like it terrified me. She terrified me. Like she knew some horrible secret about me, or she's some ghost from my past or something."

"It's probably nothing."

"Goddamn it, Fujiwara, I know there's something weird going on here. This isn't a coincidence. What are the chances of Megure and Takagi, and then having these random girls showing up at the same time? And, what's the chance of me somehow feeling connected to one of those girls? I'm sure it's a connection now. It has to be. There's no way. Whatever they were there to do... it has to do with Nakamori and us."

Kazuha paled. "Oh my God... they... how do they know you-?"

"Shh!" Ran leaned across the sofa, staring intently at the radio. She felt horrendously on edge, like the deep voices drifting from the radio weren't voices at all, but the sharp, screeching noise of fingernails on a chalkboard.

"Wait... Fujiwara? JIN Fujiwara? The police commissioner?" Kazuha rubbed her arms, which prickled with goosebumps. "This just keeps getting better and better."

Ran shook her head. "No kidding."

"Hmm. So what do you suppose we do about that, Pisco? Do you remember her clearly enough to pick her out if you see her again?"

"I know I do. In fact, she..." Koyo trailed off. "Margarita."

"What?"

"Holy shit, Pisco... she looked just like Eri Kisaki."

Ran clenched her jaw. If Torisei figured that out… if somehow he connected their presence at the department and her bruises to the explosion in Nagoya – 'No, don't go there.' That was definitely pushing it.

Jin laughed. "That's bullshit. Margarita isn't dumb enough to walk around in the open after all this time."

"Why not? Bourbon did, didn't he? They're so arrogant, they think they're above us. Well, obviously not." Koyo scoffed. "But she didn't look exactly like Kisaki. If she did, I would've noticed long before now. No... It was a resemblance. Like a bad makeup job, or..."

"You said she had bruises. That's why."

"Maybe. Or Kisaki cloned herself. That, or she's got a sister."

Jin snorted. "Or a daughter."

The silence stretched out, long and menacing. The roar in Ran's ears got louder.

"...Wait," Jin said. "You said she was a teenager-"

"Kisaki is a master of disguise. She could've easily done that."

"Yes, but... think about it. Kisaki would be around forty now. Having a teenage daughter... that's not so farfetched, is it? Did she ever get married?"

"I don't know... if she did, she was real good about hiding it."

"Maybe we should find out, then." Jin paused, and then laughed. "...Never mind. This is bullshit. We have better things to do, like cleaning up your mess."

"Fine. Let's get this over with so we can head back to headquarters." A rusted, metal door yawned open. "Quick and easy. Pop, pop. No trails."

"No shit."

Kazuha glanced over at Ran. Her face was blank. Kazuha reached over, enfolded her hand with her own, and squeezed.

"Time to go," Koyo sung. "I'll take Takagi. He needs to pay for bruising my collarbone."

"Whatever. Fucking baby."

Koyo ignored him. "But let's just play Devil's Advocate. Say Margarita did actually pop out a kid at some time. You think that kid would ever find out what happened to her mother?"

"And do what? Trust me, kids are stupid. They don't know their hand from their ass." A door closed. They walked slower. "...You think Bourbon is actually going to show up? With the Eagle's Eye? Just for some woman he's involved with?"

"Who knows. I hear he sounded really agitated on the phone, but maybe that's just because we outsmarted him. All I know is, it was a bad move on his part. You don't entrust some civilian with the secrets your life depends on. One of them always ends up dead. And the secrets always get out."

A car engine roared to life. Car doors slammed shut.

"I'll say one thing, though - it's always the last person you suspect." Koyo chuckled. "Aoko Nakamori. Of all people. If anyone is squeaky clean, it's her."

"Focus on the job now," Jin commanded. "Just seven more bodies and we can get the fuck out of here for good."

Ran closed her eyes. She was missing something; she could feel it. Something very important. A faint awareness hovered on the edge of her mind, right out of her grasp. Trust… lies… secrets… it was that last exchange that shook her the most:

"You don't entrust some civilian with the secrets your life depends on. One of them always ends up dead. And the secrets always get out."

"It's always the last person you suspect."

The force of it punched her in the gut all at once. Suspect. Ran's eyes widened. "Oh my god…"

Kazuha frowned. "What? Ran, what is it?"

"The ring," Ran murmured. She turned to Kazuha, her cheeks flushed and pupils small. "The Eagle's Eye is in my dad's wedding ring…"

"Oh wow, are you sure? That's really bad. Your dad is probably already at headquarters by now!" Kazuha bit her lip. "But… if even he doesn't know it's there, that means the Black Organization doesn't either, right?"

"We can't take that chance." Ran pulled the small headset out of her shirt and turned her mic on. "Kaito…Kaito! This is important! Please pick up."

Gunfire exploded in her ear. "Ran-chan? This is a really bad time."

Someone let loose a startled 'shit!' as the shots drew closer.

"Kaito!" Ran shouted over the din. "My dad's ring! Eagle's Eye!"

Kaito grunted an affirmative. "Got it. Later." The connection closed.

Ran blew out a breath. "Well, I've done what I can. It's up to them now."

Kazuha stood up. "But what about Megure-keibu? And Takagi-san? They said they're heading over to kill them!"

"Well…" Ran's smile was watery. "Guess I'll have to teach you how to use that rifle after all."

XXXXXX

A/N: Have you ever taken such long breaks while writing a story that when you finally sit down to write the next chapter, you've completely forgotten everything that happened prior? …No? Well, that happened to me this time. Facepalm. And you know what's worse than that? Having to re-read your own work and realizing how shitty and inconsistent it is. Ugh. Let this be a lesson to you all: always finish a story before you start posting it!

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ. So here's the deal: this story infuriates me. I really hate it, and although I'm a raving perfectionist, my perfectionism is not strong enough to sustain me for another seven chapters. SO. That gives you guys two options: one, I can continue from here until I finish, or two, I stop here.

But wait, there's more. I can and will continue if you guys want me to, but the quality will be lower. How much lower, I don't know. Probably on par with this chapter. If I discontinue from here, I can do a couple things: I can write a bunch of short Conan or Aoko/Kaito one-shots to appease you, and/or I can write some kind of epilogue that ties the loose ends with vague flashbacks. One-shots I can deal with, because I love Conan's character and I love romantic drama/suspense type deals. Novel-length fanfics, however, I can't seem to do anymore. I don't have the time or the passion for it.

The poll is on my user page. The choice with the majority by December is the winner. See you next time(?)

OMAKE

First Loves

Shinichi knew something was odd when he picked his little brother up from school. While normally Conan would've screamed "Shinichi-niichan!" upon seeing him and tackled him to the ground, today Shinichi's brother was oddly sedate. He walked through the elementary school gates and down the sidewalk slowly and with his hands in his pockets, his eyes angled towards his Masked Yaiba gym shoes. When Shinichi said his greeting, Conan only nodded once before continuing his perusal of his feet.

"Okay," Shinichi said as they walked together. "I'll bite. What's bothering you, squirt?"

Conan's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

"And don't bother lying, because I know something's bugging you. You haven't said a word since you got out of school." Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even asked me to buy you some chocolate yet." As if Conan wasn't acting weird enough, he bewildered Shinichi all the more by blushing. In his seven years as being an older brother, Shinichi had never once seen Conan blush. As a rule, Conan Kudo was too hyperactive and impulsive to ever be embarrassed or ashamed by anything. Sometimes he felt remorse for, say, breaking their mother's priceless antiques or bringing stray cats into the house who tore up and vomitted on the furniture, but even then he expressed his emotions by crying and playing the "I'm-so-cute-why-would-you-ever-want-to-punish-me" card. Blushing simply wasn't in the boy's repertoire, or at least it hadn't been. Shinichi tried again. "Conan?"

"Um…" Conan began. "Actually, nii-chan, I have a question." He stopped walking and turned to look up at Shinichi with an earnest expression. "Shinichi-niichan, how do you know you're in love?"

If this had been a cartoon instead of real life, Shinichi would've been drinking something when his brother said that, and then would proceed to spit it out all over himself in surprise. His eyes would widen to the size of dinner plates and his jaw would drop. To Shinichi's credit, he managed to keep his expression blank as he choked out a strained "bwuh?"

"How do you know you're in love?" Conan repeated. "I mean, is it something only mommies and daddies can do? Like that time I went into mommy and daddy's room and I saw daddy on top of mommy and they were naked-"

"AH! Conan! Don't say things like that out loud!" Great, now Shinichi was blushing, and he had the mental pictures to boot. Ugh, he was scarred for life. He covered his rapidly heating face with his hands. "No, love isn't… quite like that. Well, not completely anyway."

Conan's eyes were searching. "Then… is love like what you have with Ran-neechan?"

Oh god, Shinichi wanted to die. Was that Conan's intention? To kill him? Because it sure as hell was working. "Uhm…" How was he supposed to answer that? If he said yes he'd be lying, because although he and Ran shared a close bond that could be considered love to some people, they weren't in love with each other, which had to be what his brother was talking about. Or at least, Ran wasn't in love with him. If he said no, he'd also be lying because he had been infatuated with his best friend since they were in the seventh grade. And Conan was extremely astute for his age. He'd figure out that Shinichi wasn't telling the whole truth either way. Shinichi, poor bastard that he was, tended to be extremely transparent when his younger brother was involved. Decisions, decisions. "Well, yes and no. Best friends can love each other, but it's not the same as being in love. Being in love is when you… hug and kiss and say 'I love you'. It's different."

Conan frowned. "Well, what if you're best friends with someone, but you want to hug and kiss and say 'I love you'? Does that mean you're in love?"

"Yes, it does." That seemed like the simplest answer.

Conan leaned forward. "Then, does that mean you want to hug and kiss Ran-neechan-"

Shinichi gave a nervous laugh. "C-Conan! Why're you asking all these questions anyway? Do you think you're in love with someone?" Conan blushed harder, which meant the focus was finally off of Shinichi's pitiful excuse - or lack thereof – of a love live. Thank god. "You are, aren't you? Who is it? Is it someone I know?" When Conan didn't answer, Shinichi pushed harder. "Could it be… Ayumi-chan?" Conan shook his head, and Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "Ai-chan?" Conan was silent for a long time before he gave one jerk of his chin.

Shinichi blinked. Well, that was interesting. Ai Haibara was one of the most mature seven year olds Shinichi had ever seen. She was quiet, polite, and surprisingly sarcastic – in short, the exact opposite of Conan. "Really? Huh. Wow."

"So what should I do? Mitsuhiko said he was going to tell Ai that he loved her tomorrow on the playground, and I got mad, so I pushed him and the teacher gave me a time out and during the time out I realized that I must be in love with her, too! He shouldn't get to love her, Shinichi-niichan! Because I loved her first… I'm sure of it!"

Conan said the words with such intensity in his young eyes that Shinichi had no choice but to believe it. He couldn't help but smile… his seven year old brother had more maturity and guts than those three times his age. Hell, Shinichi was damn near an adult and he still hadn't been able to muster up the courage to tell Ran how he felt. He was actually considering never telling her… why ruin a good thing? Why lose the best friend he ever had over something that was probably just a long-term crush? Why lose his best friend if it didn't work out, or if Ran didn't return his feelings? Yes, Shinichi was a chicken. And for the first time, the Great Detective of the East, beloved by all of Japan, was actually jealous of his first grade brother. Because of this, Shinichi thought extremely hard on his reply.

"Conan… logically, you probably don't really love her…" When Conan's face fell, Shinichi changed his tune. "But… considering that you really like her, I think you should tell her how you feel. But you have to think really hard about it first, Conan… if Ai doesn't like you that way, or you make Mitsuhiko mad, what will you do? You have to think about all the possible outcomes before you decide to take the plunge. And then, if it's still worth it to you, then you take a chance. So what will you do, squirt?"

The young boy scuffed the ground with his toes. "I think it's worth it," He murmured. "I mean, it's better than wasting all your time wanting something when you're not going to go for it, right?"

Shinichi winced. Ouch. That one hit him pretty hard. Had he just gotten owned by a seven year old? Yes, yes he had. "That's… exactly right."

Conan nodded, and then grinned. "'Kay… but if I tell Ai how I feel, you have to tell Ran how you feel, all right? We gotta do it together! That way there's no way we can fail!" He took Shinichi's offered hand and began skipping down the sidewalk. "You're good with cases, and I'm good with people. So together we'll be unstoppable!"

Shinichi chuckled. Yeah, sure. Unstoppable. For a moment, Shinichi allowed himself to dream – to go back to the times of playground sandboxes, swing sets, and first loves. When even the most embarrassing and uncomfortable situations could be overcome with brimming optimism… and candy. For a moment, he thought of going through with it. What if Conan was right… what could it hurt? Ran would be his friend no matter what, right? "Sure. What the heck, Conan. I'm game."

His younger brother snapped his head up. "Really?" Conan bounced up and down. "Yay! So what should we do? Should we buy candy or flowers or-?"

"You don't have to do anything fancy, Conan- just… do whatever comes naturally, all right?"

Conan bounced some more. "Okay! I'll make sure we both get the girl!"

Three days later…

"Shinichi…" Ran hissed. The aforementioned teen winced and pulled away from the phone. He knew that tone; he was in for it. Yukiko and Yusaku watched with curiosity from the kitchen table. "What in the world is this package you sent me? If this is a joke, it's not very funny!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't send you anythi-"

"I got a box in the mail today with your name on it," Ran mumbled. He could just picture the blush on her face. "And… it had… things in it! Very… inappropriate things!"

Shinichi froze. And very slowly, turned towards his brother, who was constructing a castle out of Legos on the living room carpet. Feeling eyes on his back, Conan glanced over his shoulder and blinked the blink of the guilty. "What… what was in this box you got from me?"

"Shinichi!" Ran's hissing became venomous. "How in the world did you know I wear a size six thong?"

Silence. Everyone in the room had heard that one.

Conan withered under Shinichi's glare. "Um… hi?"

Shinichi sighed and smacked his head into the kitchen counter. Yukiko covered her mouth and laughed. "Well, you know what they say, Shinichi - the best way to get a woman to take off her pants is to buy her something cute to wear underneath." Yusaku, suddenly a lot less engrossed in his newspaper reading, wisely declined to comment.