This was written for Poirot Café's 6-8k Writing Competition #5: Haunted. As a general disclaimer, the things that I have written in this one-shot are not my headcanons for the characters. I highly doubt Gosho even considered this route for Rei or Vermouth. I just thought it would be an interesting spin on their relationship.

And now that I have properly confused you with my vagueness, let's get onto the story!

Death Decoder

Furuya Rei lived a solitary life. It was a necessity since his job involved working as an undercover agent for the secret police, not to mention getting up close and personal with the biggest crime organisation in Japan. It was safer for everyone if he kept to himself. No close friends, no family, and definitely no romantic partners. He had learnt the hard way what happened when he threw his rules to the side. Death was a constant shadow at his side; he'd just never realised how literal that presence was until now.

The bottle of shampoo Rei had been holding slipped through his fingers. Steam misted around him—no, around her. Because a woman had just walked through his shower wall and was now staring at him as if he was the one who had appeared out of nowhere. Long brown hair. Cute face. Big blue eyes. It took him one second to piece together her identity; it took her one second to scream. Very loudly.

"A-Amuro-san, w-what—"

She stuttered and flailed, half slipping through the wall again. This shocked her into more shrieking. Rei instinctively reached for her, hoping to calm her down or at least get her to quieten (goodness knew what the neighbours were thinking; the walls to his apartment weren't exactly thick), but his hands passed right through her arms. He paled and stared at his hands, then back at the distressed woman in front of him. Okay, either he was going crazy or there was something seriously wrong with Azusa. Judging by the way she was hyperventilating, she had come to the same conclusion.

"What's going on?" Azusa wailed, wrapping her arms around herself. "If this is a dream, I want to wake up now!"

Rei swallowed. Aside from the fact that he currently had an upset woman in his shower, her predicament did not look good. Indeed, the only logical answer for why she was no longer corporal was such an ugly possibility that even he hoped he was wrong. She was only twenty-three years old. She had her whole life ahead of her. At least, if his theory was correct, she'd had her whole life ahead of her.

Damn, this was a mess.

The sound of running water snapped him out of his daze. He turned off the showerhead and moved to touch her shoulder, only to pull back at the last second. The last thing he needed was to set her off screaming because his hand passed through her again. That had been unnerving for the both of them.

"Azusa-san," he said gently, "is it possible that you got hurt or were involved in an accident?"

She stared at him with tears glistening on her eyelashes. The sight made his heart twist a little; he had never seen her look so scared and helpless. "I don't know," she said, sniffling. "The last thing I remember was closing up the shop. I don't even know how I got here, but—" her eyes darted down his body and then back up to his face. Colour stained her cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Um, I'm guessing this is your house?"

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. "You gave me quite the fright when you appeared in my shower."

She ducked her head. "Sorry! I just—I just don't know what's going on anymore, and, um—" her gaze darted downwards again, and then she squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, but can you please put on some clothes! I can't talk to you like this!"

Rei blinked. Her face was bright red and she still had her eyes squeezed shut. He couldn't help the soft snort of laughter that escaped his lips. Right. He was naked, and she didn't seem like the type who enjoyed mixed bathing.

Wordlessly, he moved past her and grabbed the towel from the rack, wrapping it securely around his waist. "You can open your eyes now," he said, not quite able to hide the amusement in his voice.

Azusa cautiously opened one eye. This made his lips twitch even more. He had to admit that, even if this whole situation was awkward and messed up as hell, the fact that she was more concerned about seeing him naked was kind of funny. Not that his humour lasted long. Azusa still seemed more of a spirit than a physical being, and there was also the issue of how she had ended up in his house with no memory of what might have happened.

His expression turned grim. "Azusa-san," he said frankly, "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but, uh—" He broke off and rubbed the base of his neck. Damn, this was difficult. How did you tell someone that you thought they were dead?

She stared at him with big blue eyes, perhaps expecting some miracle answer that would save her from her situation. Rei inwardly cursed. He had never been a hero. Tried to be one maybe, but he'd always been too much of a black sheep. He didn't know how to help her; saving people was for the real good guys—not the ones painted in grey and who toed the edge like him. She needed a priest or some holy person; she did not need a man who was more comfortable deceiving people than saving them.

A few creases formed on her brow. He had been silent for too long. "Amuro-san?" she prompted.

Rei let out a breath. "I'm sorry," he said, not quite meeting her gaze. "I wish I could help you, but I think, deep down, you know the truth."

The light dimmed in her eyes. She swallowed and turned the other way. "Oh."

He didn't know what else to say. It was obvious that she was upset, but it wasn't like he could fix her. The dead couldn't come back to life; he knew that better than anyone.

A slight tremor passed through Azusa's body. She clutched her arms tighter around herself. "No," she murmured. "No, it can't be true. I can't just—I can't be—" her voice cut off, choked with emotion.

Rei glanced away. It was surprisingly painful to watch her fall apart. He and Azusa had not known each other for long, but she had always had such a lovely smile.

Has, he reminded himself. Present tense. She wasn't gone just yet.

Azusa was silent for a while, sniffling and holding back tears, but then she shook her head. "I'm going to find a way to fix this," she declared. "There has to be a way." Desperation edged her eyes, and she took a step towards him. "Just because I look like a ghost doesn't mean I am one, right? I mean, this kind of thing happens all the time in those super hero stories. Maybe I just got bit by something weird, or some magic person cast a spell on me and that's why I don't remember anything."

Rei blinked. Wow. Her denial was on a whole different level.

"It makes sense, right?" she demanded, grabbing at his hands. Of course, her fingers passed right through him.

He closed his eyes, holding back a sigh. "Azusa-san—"

"Don't!" she cried. "Don't say it!"

Rei spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "What do you want me to do? Lie to you? Tell you that you're going to be fine?" He purposely touched her cheek in what would have been a caress, but all it did was highlight that she was no longer corporeal. "Look at yourself. This isn't something from a manga. This is real."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why does it have to be a lie? How can you stand there and tell me to give up hope so easily?" She placed her palm against her chest. "I'm still here, aren't I? I still breathe! I can still feel my heart beat! That has to mean something!"

Rei said nothing. He wasn't even attempting to be the ever patient and ready-to-comfort Amuro Tooru right now; he was simply Furuya Rei: a man who had seen far too much death, far too much sorrow, and knew that giving fuel to her denial would only hurt her more.

Azusa scrubbed a hand across her face, wiping away fresh tears. "You're wrong," she told him. "I can reverse this. I can become whole again."

Still, he remained silent. The words he wanted to say would only hurt her. She seemed to understand, because she let out a huff and made a dramatic exit through the wall, stomping steps and all. Rei didn't bother to call her back. It was better to let her go. After all, she had every reason to be upset, and it wasn't like he could do anything for her.

He frowned at his hands—the same she had tried to grab, only to find herself clutching at nothing. For some reason, her words echoed once more in his mind:

"I'm still here, aren't I? I still breathe! I can still feel my heart beat! That has to mean something!"

His fingers curled into his palms. A twisting feeling had been spreading inside him from the moment she had appeared in his shower, but now it seemed to tighten around his heart. He felt sorry for Azusa. Heck, he'd have to be a monster not to feel anything. Still, there was a part of him—just a tiny part—that questioned what she was even still doing in the realm of the living. After all, Scotch had died, Date had died, Elena had died—every person who had ever meant anything to him had died. None of them had appeared to him in ghost form, but for some reason Azusa had.

Why?

What made her so special? Why was this woman—cute and sweet as she might be—the only one who had been allowed to stay when no one else had?

Rei stared at the wall where she had passed through. There was a bitter taste on his tongue, but it faded when he remembered the way her eyes had dimmed when he told her there was nothing he could do for her; the way all the light was sucked out of her, replaced with despair and denial.

"Idiot," he muttered.

Even he didn't know if he was meaning himself or Azusa.

oOo

"Amuro-san!"

The panicked shout made Rei's eyes open with a snap. It was too dark to see, but he could feel a presence near his bed. Someone was there. Instinct kicked in. He reached under his pillow and levelled a pistol at his intruder, even as his free hand flicked on the lamp that sat on his bedside table. Azusa's tear-splotched face shone into view. Rei blinked. She blinked. There was much blinking.

"W-what?" she stuttered. "Why do you have—why are you holding a—"

Rei swore and lowered the pistol.

"You have a gun," she finally managed to get out.

He flopped against the bed, barely holding back a groan. "Why are you even here?"

It was rude, but then they had never had anything to do with each other outside of work before today. Now it seemed that she was popping up in his apartment whenever she felt like it. Damn it, he was too tired for this co-worker ghost rubbish.

Fresh tears welled up in Azusa's eyes. "No one can see me."

"Huh?"

"I said no one can see me!" She waved her arms for emphasis.

Rei raised his eyebrow. "Uh, I can see you just fine."

"I know! That's what makes it so strange! I tried talking to my brother, Detective Mouri, the customers at the café—even random people in the street! No one can see me! They can't even hear me! It's like I don't exist to them!"

He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Maybe he was just tired and still a bit grumpy from having to deal with Vermouth earlier, but none of this was making sense to him. "Alright, calm down," he told her, shifting to sit up in the bed. "Are you saying that I'm the only person who you can communicate with?"

She nodded.

Rei sucked in a breath. Okay, he officially had no clue what the heck was going on.

"It doesn't make sense," she muttered. "Even if it's true I don't have a proper body, that doesn't explain why only you can see or hear me. I mean, you're just an apprentice detective who works part time at Café Poi—"

Azusa paused and her brow furrowed. She was staring at the gun again. Her gaze drifted to his face, to the faint scars on his bare chest and arms, and then back to the gun. Rei could almost see the cogs turning in her mind.

"You—you're just—" She swallowed and her eyes widened, staring at him as if seeing him for the first time.

Rei decided to take pity on her. "It's true enough that I am a detective, just as it's true that I work part time as a waiter."

"But that's not all, is it?"

"No," he admitted. But it was all she was going to get.

Azusa was not deterred by his bluntness. Instead, she moved closer, stepping right through his bed to peer at him with open curiosity. "Is your name even Amuro Tooru?"

Rei sighed. "We're straying from the point." He flinched as something cold brushed through his leg. "And you just stepped in me."

She jumped back and apologised.

"Forget it," he muttered. "Anyway, the real question is why no one else can see you but me. It's not like we've ever been particularly close."

"That's true," she agreed.

All they did was work together at a café. It was hardly the kind of thing that supernatural bonds or intertwined fates were made of.

Azusa's mouth formed into a small O, as if a thought had just occurred to her. "Wait, I read about something like this in a manga."

"Again with the manga," he said under his breath.

He got a disapproving pout for that comment. Rei repressed the urge to roll his eyes and instead waved his hand in a "go ahead" gesture, resigning himself to whatever nonsense she was about to cook up. She smiled and asked him if there had ever been any "holy people" or rumours of people with spiritual gifts in his family.

"No idea," he said frankly. "I'm an orphan."

Azusa frowned, but she brightened a second later. "Well, I guess the why doesn't matter so much. The point is that I think you can see me because you're supposed to help me."

"I already told you that I don't know how," he pointed out.

"But you are a detective, right?"

He eyed her warily. "Something like that."

"Then that must be it." She bit her lip. "Look, if—and this is a very hypothetical 'if'—but if it's true that I'm a ghost now, then that means at some point I died. The thing is I don't remember anything." She glanced down at her hands. "Maybe I will understand why I'm stuck here like this if I can learn the truth."

Rei stared at her downcast face. There were rules he had put in place to protect himself and those around him—rules that included keeping civilians like Azusa at a distance—but none of those rules seemed to mean much when the person was already dead. That, and he was beginning to get curious.

"Okay," he said.

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Okay," he repeated. "I'll help you."

He couldn't imagine it would be difficult to uncover the truth. Enomoto Azusa was a well-known figure in Beika; her death was bound to make the news. The case would be solved easily enough.

Except there was no mention of her death in any of the local publications or on the television. Not on the next day, nor the day after that. He searched all around Café Poirot and she took him back to her apartment so they could look for clues, but nothing seemed out of place. They couldn't even find her body.

"I don't understand," Azusa muttered on the fourth day, staring at the newspaper that Rei had spread out for her on the table.

She had finally made the headlines, but only as a Missing Person. The owner of Café Poirot and her brother had got worried enough to approach the police when they could not make contact with her. Even Mouri Kogoro and Edogawa Conan were helping with the investigation, but so far there had been no luck. Enomoto Azusa was gone—at least physically. Her spirit still haunted Rei like a particularly vocal shadow.

"I don't want you to follow me today," he told her, shrugging on his jacket.

Azusa blinked. "Why not?"

"Because you're distracting," he said bluntly.

She pouted and folded her arms over her chest. "You were much nicer when we worked together at the café."

"Yeah? Well, you didn't act like an extra limb then," he quipped.

She opened her mouth to retort, but he just held up his hand for her to stop.

"Look, Azusa-san, I know you're scared to be alone at the moment, but I have to deal with some important business today. I can't afford to lose focus when I'm with these people, so please just stay away."

"But—"

"You've already taken up residence in my apartment and spend every day chattering my ear off." He flashed her a disarming smile. "I think you can handle a few hours without me, right?"

Colour bloomed on her cheeks. She lowered her gaze and fiddled with her dress. "Um, yeah, okay."

"Good."

He loaded his pistol and slipped it into the holster hidden under his jacket. Azusa's eyes narrowed on the gun, though her expression seemed more concerned than judging. Rei picked up the car keys from the table.

"I'll be back later," he said, already moving towards the door.

"Amuro-san."

He paused and glanced at her over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Are you ever going to tell me who you really are?"

Rei stared at her for a long moment. He sighed and turned back to the door. "Just don't follow me today, okay?"

Her brow furrowed, but he did not stick around to hear her response. It was time for him to become Bourbon, and that was one identity with which Azusa—ghost or not—was not allowed to get entangled. She was already scared; she did not need to share the nightmare of the Organisation with him.

oOo

"This show is boring," Azusa complained.

Rei spared her an amused glance. "So, change the channel."

Her eyes narrowed. They both knew her fingers would only pass through the remote if she tried.

"One of these days, Tooru," she said in a voice that promised much suffering, "I will pay you back for all your teasing."

"That threat would have more weight if you could actually touch me," he said lazily.

She blew her cheeks out in a huff. Rei ignored her and stretched out more on the bed, closing his eyes in contentment. He could feel her glaring at him, but her presence didn't even faze him these days. Three weeks had passed since she had first appeared in his shower. In that time, they had grown close enough to dispense with all formality, including dropping the honorifics on each other's names. Of course, he had continued to investigate the mystery behind her condition, but there was little he could do with no solid clues to follow. Her memory had not returned either. It was a topic they both chose not to speak about; it only upset Azusa.

"Stop acting like a disagreeable lump," she scolded.

Something cold prodded him in the ribs. He flinched and opened his eyes. Sure enough, Azusa was poking him with her ghostly finger. His mouth thinned in displeasure. She knew he hated it when she did that. Naturally, she just smiled in response.

"I won't stop until you change the channel," she threatened, and poked him again.

He rolled his eyes. "Brat."

"You started it."

"Yeah, yeah." He grabbed the remote and switched the channel to a comedy show. "Happy?"

She nodded and curled up next to him like a satisfied cat. They had discovered that if she concentrated enough, she could actually sit on something without passing through the object (much in the same way she could stand without falling through the ground). Logic suggested she should be able to pick up and touch things as well using the same principle, but this seemed a more difficult feat. He was almost afraid of what would happen if she did master the technique. The ghost pokes were bad enough.

"Tooru," she said after a long moment.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll ever find out the truth? About why I'm like this, I mean."

He rolled onto his side, meeting her gaze. "I've never given up on a case."

It wasn't a real answer. Not really. He knew that not giving up didn't necessarily mean the mystery could be solved; his own past was a maze of dead ends that he had not been able to breach—not unless he learnt how to talk to the dead (the real dead; not the stuck-in-limbo, can't-remember-anything kind like Azusa). Still, the words seemed to give her comfort. She smiled and stretched out her hand so that their fingers were almost touching.

"I'm glad you're here with me," she said softly. "I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you to talk to."

Rei opened his mouth to respond, but he paused when a beam of light flickered on Azusa's forehead. That looked like—

"Huh?" she said, scrunching her nose in confusion. "Where did that red dot on your face come from?"

His eyes widened. Quickly, he threw himself to the side and held his arms up protectively over his face. Glass shattered. Pain pierced through his arm and grazed his cheek like a hot poker.

"Tooru!"

Azusa's scream echoed in his ears. Blood flowed from his wounds, hot and coppery. He hit the ground with a thud and stayed low, using the bed as a cover. Chianti would not be able to shoot him here—for he had no doubt that it was the redheaded sniper who had come to take his life. Still, if she was out there then Korn probably was too, and that meant Gin and Vodka had to be close.

Rei's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled out the device, smearing blood on the screen as he accepted the call. "Vermouth," he greeted, still keeping his attention fixed on the window.

"Hello, Bourbon," Vermouth purred from the other end of the line. "Or should I say Rei-kun? I doubt you'll be allowed to keep your codename now."

"Spare me the taunts," he snapped. "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. You blew your own cover with all your sniffing around. I warned you that Gin was getting suspicious."

Rei cursed under his breath. Azusa flinched and smothered a scream as another bullet shot through the window, hitting the spot where his head would have been had he moved even an inch. He sucked in a breath. Damn that redheaded psycho.

"Is someone else there with you?" Vermouth questioned. "I thought I just heard a girl scream."

The phone almost slipped from his fingers.

"It had better not be Angel." Vermouth's voice turned cold. "You promised that—"

Rei swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat. "It's not Ran-san."

Vermouth sighed in relief. "Oh. Then I'm sorry for the poor female who got trapped with you, but—"

"Where are you?" he demanded.

"Excuse me?"

"What you heard was the scream of a ghost only I can see or hear." Rei gripped the phone so tight that his knuckles burned white. "So, where the hell are you, Vermouth? Because right now you are the only lead I have for getting an answer to help Azusa."

There was a long pause. "I'll be at the usual meeting place. Bring your ghost friend there." A pause. "And, Rei-kun?"

"What?"

"Don't keep me waiting."

The call ended with a click. Azusa met his gaze as he shoved the bloodied phone back into his pocket.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"The short version? Some people want to kill me. I need to get out of here now before that happens."

Her eyes filled with worry. "But you're wounded, and that sniper—"

Rei flashed her a smile. "Trust me. This is my job."

Tears prickled in her eyes. She must have heard the false optimism in his voice. Still, even if the odds were against him, Rei would not give up. He had come too far. He had fought too hard. More importantly, he could not leave Azusa alone. It was only a few minutes ago that she'd admitted she didn't know what she'd do without him. He couldn't let himself die now—not when there was a chance they could finally get some answers.

Rei inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes. First thing first, get the gun.

He moved with precision, reaching up and grabbing the pistol hidden under his pillow. Still too slow. A bullet nicked his knuckles, splattering more blood everywhere.

"Your hand!" Azusa exclaimed.

Rei switched the gun to his undamaged hand. "It's fine," he panted. "Just a scratch."

Lies, lies, lies. It really was all he was good for, but whatever. No time to be distracted.

"I'm going for it," he told her, gesturing with his head at the door. "Try to keep up, but—" his mouth curved into a lopsided smile "—well, I guess it really doesn't matter for you. Bullets will just pass through you, right?"

She reached for him with useless fingers. "Please don't do this. That sniper will kill you!"

The sound of footsteps thudded on the stairs leading up to his apartment floor. Rei bit back a curse. The hunting dogs were closing in.

"Try not to distract me," he said grimly, adjusting his grip on the pistol.

"Tooru—"

Rei sprang into action, hunching his body to protect his vital areas as much as possible. Pain stabbed through his back. One shot. Two shots. Each thud was a burning shock of agony, dulled only by adrenaline. He stumbled and let himself fall through the doorway, rolling on the floor until he passed out of target range. A quick scramble had him pressing his bleeding back to the wall, pistol clutched to his chest. He exhaled and pictured the map of the building in his mind. Gin's lackeys would be coming up the stairs. Korn would be watching to make sure he didn't get out via the fire escape.

"Stairs it is," Rei muttered.

He bolted for the stairwell, not bothering to see if Azusa followed. A blur of black flickered in front of his eyes, followed by a shout. Rei fired before the agent could even raise his gun. Drops of blood scattered the linoleum floor. One down.

Rei kept running, ignoring the pulsing, aching wounds that tried to bring him down. He was not going to die here. It was a chant he repeated over and over in his mind. Elena had always told him that belief was a powerful thing. Right now, he wanted to believe in hope. He wanted to believe that he could survive.

Something whizzed past his ear. Rei dodged the second bullet and then lunged, knocking the man down with a kick.

"Bourbon."

The cold voice sliced through the millions of calculations still whirring through Rei's brain. A bitter laugh swelled within the blond. So, it wasn't just the hunting dogs who had come for him. Heart pounding, he turned and met the silver-haired agent's gaze—those dead eyes that had never known pity. Rei took aim with his gun.

Too slow, his mind chanted.

The bullet had already burst from Gin's trademark Beretta 92, moving in a path to create the perfect headshot. Rei knew that he could not dodge it. Not at this proximity or speed. Not when his injuries were draining him of energy.

"No!"

Warmth and softness enveloped Rei. He sucked in a breath, feeling the feathery touch of hair and tear-stained skin brush his cheek. Together, they fell back against the stairs. It was only a split-second before he felt the warm body nestled against him turn cold and incorporeal, already beginning to slip through him like wind. Rei didn't hesitate; he levelled his gun at Gin—right through Azusa—and fired.

Those dead eyes widened, showing emotion for only a heartbeat, and then Gin collapsed in a spray of red. Rei let out a breath. He glanced at Azusa, who was kneeling on the ground and staring at her bloodstained hands in wonder.

"I—" she stammered. "I actually—"

"Let's go," he said, getting back to his feet. "We're not out of danger just yet."

Azusa nodded and scrambled after him. They kept running.

oOo

The sun was setting when Rei stumbled into the park, making a drunken-like path for the bench where an old woman sat sketching birds. Beside him, Azusa fussed and fretted, occasionally putting her ghostly hands through him in a useless attempt to help him stay upright. It was sweet of her, but still he'd rather she didn't keep shocking him with her death touch. Whatever had happened to her back at the apartment building with Gin seemed to have been a one-time deal only.

"Tooru, you need to see a doctor," Azusa told him. "Please, let's just go to a hospital."

"No need," he muttered. His target was right there.

He closed the last few steps between himself and the bench. Without preamble, he grabbed the old woman by the wrist and yanked her to her feet. The group of birds took flight in a flutter of wings.

"Young man, what are you—" the old woman spluttered, only to pause when she saw the blood stains seeping through his black clothes and onto her own. Her whole demeanour changed in an instant, and her voice lost its aged frailty. "Idiot boy."

Rei tightened his grip. "Vermouth," he gritted out between clenched teeth. "You promised."

Something flickered in her eyes. "I know." She wrapped her arm around his waist, holding him up with the hidden strength he knew so well. Her gaze shifted to Azusa. "Well, what are you just standing there for, girl? We're leaving."

Azusa jumped and glanced around behind her. "Huh?" she said, staring back at the disguised blonde. "You're talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?" Vermouth retorted. "Now, hurry up before your little hero here bleeds to death."

Rei tried to say something, but now that he had finally found his mentor, it was as if all the energy had been sucked out of him. He slumped against the older woman and surrendered to the fuzzy black clouds that swarmed his vision. When the darkness cleared, he found himself lying in a bed in a room that he did not recognise. Azusa sat on a stool to his left. She smiled when their eyes met.

"Welcome back," Azusa said.

He noted that she was no longer wearing the blue dress from earlier—the one that had been covered in his blood. Instead, she wore loose jeans and a top that gaped a little too much at the front. Clearly, it had been designed for someone with a much bigger bust.

"Where's Vermouth?" he asked, glancing around the sparsely decorated room.

"That woman left to prepare some medicine for you." Azusa leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Just who is she anyway? I couldn't believe it when she took off her disguise! She looks so much like you! And she seems to know everything—not just about you, but about so many things. She didn't even hesitate when she was removing the bullets and stitching up your wounds."

His fingers brushed against the bandages that dressed his wounds. "Vermouth is—"

The door opened and the blonde in question entered the room, looking as youthful and beautiful as ever. Rei fell silent. Azusa leaned back and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Wise girl to be nervous. Vermouth wasn't someone to take lightly.

"I see you're finally awake," Vermouth said by way of greeting. "Here, drink this."

He accepted the cup of medicine and drank it without hesitation. If she had wanted to poison him, she wouldn't have bothered to treat his wounds. Not that he had ever thought Vermouth would actually try to kill him. Threaten him maybe, but then that was just their way. He blackmailed her, she blackmailed him; he threatened her, she threatened him. It was a dance of secrets and lies that never seemed to end. Still, for all that, a thread of affection had managed to survive between them. It was a dysfunctional bond, yes, but a bond all the same.

Because they were the same.

Azusa stared at the two reconnaissance agents, perhaps also seeing the similarities in the way they carried themselves. Their body language, their expressions. Rei wished he could say it was just because Vermouth had been his teacher, but this time the niggling thought that had haunted him on and off since he was a child refused to be suppressed. He couldn't help but remember Azusa's innocent observation.

"She looks so much like you."

Not like Sharon or Chris Vineyard, the famous actresses who were fake identities that Vermouth had created for herself. Like him.

Rei tightened his grip on the cup. It wasn't the first time someone had noticed the similarity between his and Vermouth's appearance, but right now the comment made him feel like the medicine working through his body was indeed poison. Vermouth had always taken a special interest in him. She had been there to watch over him when no one else had, stepping in to fill the gap that Elena's disappearance had created.

And Vermouth was the only other person who could see or hear Azusa.

Rei met his mentor's gaze. "I think it's about time you tell me what's really going on," he said grimly. "Don't you?"

"Are you sure you want to know the truth?" Her mouth curved into a smile, though her eyes were far from amused. "You won't like it."

"Try me."

She spread her hands in a shrug and began to weave a tale so fantastical it could have come from one of Azusa's manga stories. Vermouth claimed that the reason he could see Azusa's spirit was because of his mother. Long ago, that woman drank an elixir that allowed her to cheat death. She never aged, never got sick, but with the gift of immortality also came a curse.

"To overcome her own mortality, she had to first taste death," Vermouth explained. "This experience left her sensitive to the realm of the dead—especially to the lost souls trapped between worlds. Think of it as like being an anchor. The dead are drawn to you." A shrug. "At least, that was your mother's experience. Perhaps it is different for you, but it does seem like you inherited at least some of her spiritual sensitivity."

"Then I was right!" Azusa exclaimed. "You really can see me because of a spiritual gift." Some of the triumph faded from her eyes. "But, wait, does that mean I actually died?"

Vermouth looked the brunette up and down. "You certainly appear to be a lost soul, but your link to the world of the living is stronger than usual." She stroked her chin. "That could just be because you came into contact with Rei-kun's blood, though."

"My blood?" Rei questioned.

A faint smile curved Vermouth's lips. "I told you that your mother found a way to cheat death. Her blood is not like a normal human's, and that same blood runs through your veins, albeit on a weaker level." She nodded at Azusa. "For a soul who has not fully passed on like this one, coming into contact with your blood can have interesting effects."

Rei frowned. He remembered the moment when Azusa had become corporal in his arms—just in time to push him down before Gin's bullet could split through his skull. Was it because his blood had got on her?

He put the question to Vermouth. The older woman hummed in thought and admitted that there was a high chance Azusa was not dead.

"Normally, your blood would just make her visible for other people to see," Vermouth explained, "though the effect only works once and doesn't last long. The fact that she was able to physically touch you suggests her link to the living has not been severed. If I had to guess, I'd say that her soul somehow got unattached from her body. It happens sometimes after experiencing severe trauma."

"Then I still might be able to come back?" Azusa asked.

Vermouth nodded. "If you can find and reconnect with your body, you should be fine."

Azusa sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

There was still the problem of actually finding out what happened to her body, but just knowing that she could return to the world of the living seemed to be enough for Azusa. Rei wished he could say the same for himself. Vermouth had given him a lot to think about—most of which he still had a hard time accepting.

I did warn you, Vermouth's eyes seemed to say.

Trust her to see through his veneer of calm to the turmoil writhing within. His whole life he had tried to uncover the truth behind his past. What orphan didn't? Everyone wanted to know the answer to those three questions: where did I come from? Who were my parents? Why was I left alone? Now, the missing pieces to his jigsaw puzzle had at last been slotted into place. He just didn't like the final picture.

Vermouth had said that his mother did not age. She said that his mother could see spirits. There was only one woman he knew who fit that description.

"I guess I should be happy you decided to hint me towards the truth," Rei said, trying his best to appear unaffected. "You never did like sharing your secrets."

A hint of a smile curved Vermouth's lips. He noticed that the expression did not reach her eyes. "I almost thought that you were going to choose not to ask me about that," she said, and then shrugged. "I wouldn't have blamed you."

"You're my mother." The words were hard for him to get out, sticking to his throat. "That's not something I can ignore."

Something flickered in her eyes. "I guess not."

Azusa glanced between the two, one hand pressed to her mouth in surprise. "Wait, this woman is your mother?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Vermouth said in a wry tone. "It's true that I hardly qualify for the title. Still, I am the woman who gave birth to him."

A bitter taste filled Rei's mouth. "I'm surprised you didn't just get an abortion. It must have been very inconvenient for you, and it's not like you wasted any time in getting rid of me once I was born."

"Now that's where you're wrong," Vermouth said softly. "I never chose to get rid of you, Rei-kun."

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Vermouth explained that twenty-nine years ago she had given birth to twins: a boy and a girl. The doctors had told her that the boy had died not long after being born. Vermouth, then going under the alias of Sharon Vineyard, had no reason to suspect otherwise—especially since the girl, Chris, had been a sickly thing.

"It was only when I saw you at the facility that I realised the truth," Vermouth said. "I confronted Miyano Elena about it, and she admitted that you had been taken by the Organisation to assist with their research." A harsh laugh. "That fool actually told me she had been keeping my child from me."

Rei sucked in a breath. He remembered hearing about the fire that had killed the Miyanos and destroyed most of their research. Pisco had called it an accident, but even as a child, Rei's instincts had whispered murder.

Vermouth leaned forward. "I'm not going to pretend to be a good mother. You can hate me if you like; I won't blame you. But I hope you believe me when I say that I never wanted this life for you. Part of the reason I became Sharon Vineyard was so that I could start a family outside of the Organisation, but—" a bitter smile twisted her mouth "—well, I'm afraid that both God and luck abandoned me a long time ago. You ended up being taken from me at birth, and Chris died when she was still young."

"You go by her name," Rei observed.

Vermouth shrugged. "I don't physically age. Taking on my daughter's identity was the most practical solution."

Something cold and heavy settled in his stomach. This was his mother? This callous, cynical woman?

"Um."

Both turned to glance at Azusa, who blushed and chewed on her lip upon finding herself the centre of attention.

"Sorry," she said, ducking her head. "It's just, um, I was wondering, Vermouth-san, why you didn't just take Tooru—I mean, Rei—back when you realised what had happened. If you're immortal, you shouldn't have had anything to fear in going against the Organisation, right?"

Vermouth chuckled. "You can lose the honorific, girl." Some of the amusement faded from her eyes. "As for why I didn't take him back, it's because I knew there was no point. I might not be able to age, but I can still die. Going against the Organisation openly without the Boss's permission would have been suicide. Plus, it suited me better for those fools to realise that Rei-kun could not help them complete their dream drug."

"Dream drug?" Azusa blinked.

"The power to de-age and defeat death," Rei elaborated. "It's the reason the Organisation even exists. Undertaking that kind of research involves a lot of money and unethical experimentation—two things that go hand-in-hand with criminal activity." His gaze flicked to his mother. "You were the inspiration for that research, yet you've been hindering their efforts every step of the way." He shook his head. "I don't understand. What is your goal? Why did you join the Organisation? Is it just because the Boss is your—"

"It's because I was foolish enough to open Pandora's Box," Vermouth cut in softly. "Now I have to close it again."

As if on cue, Rei was hit with a wave of tiredness. A numbing sensation spread through his body. He blinked and tried to fight the weight pressing down on his eyes. The empty cup of medicine slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, rolling a few times before it stopped at Vermouth's feet.

"Rei!"

Azusa's shout sounded so far away, almost muffled. He blinked and stared up at his mother. Vermouth stood over him like a two-faced angel. So beautiful. So full of deceit. She leaned down and whispered words to him before placing a kiss on his cheek. He would have laughed if he wasn't about to pass out from the sleeping drug she had put in his medicine.

Her parting words had been a death threat to ensure he didn't spill her secrets. It seemed that some things never changed.

oOo

The wind was cold. Rei tugged his jacket closer to himself, stamping his feet from time to time to get the feeling back into his legs. What the heck was taking her so long?

"Sorry!"

He raised his head and saw Azusa running towards him. She smiled and held up two cups of steaming coffee.

"I thought these might come in handy," she said.

Rei's fingers brushed against hers as he took the cup. "Thanks."

She just grinned and sipped her drink. It had only been a week since she had been released from hospital. He knew that it would be much longer before she fully recovered from everything that had happened. After Vermouth's drug had worn off, Rei had returned to Beika with Azusa to find that Mouri Kogoro (or, rather, Edogawa Conan) had tracked down the waitress's body. The reason they had not been able to find her sooner was because she had fallen into a coma and was being kept in the Jane Doe section of a Gunma hospital.

Thankfully, her body had not shown any signs of mistreatment aside from the ugly wound on her head. Still, there was a part of Rei that was torn between relief and frustration that he had not been there when her kidnapper had been caught. Relief, because he would not have trusted himself to stick to the law and not kill the bastard right then and there; frustration because, like his mother, he had always found revenge more satisfying than playing the good hero anyway.

"What are you thinking about?" Azusa asked.

He cast her a sidelong glance. "Nothing much. You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

She scuffed her shoe as she fell into step with him, bumping his arm with her own from time to time. His fight with the Organisation was far from over, and he knew that one day he would have to face his mother again, but that was okay. Rei had always lived a solitary life. Now, he was just glad he did not walk it alone.

Believe it or not, I actually started writing this fic with the intention of making it a romantic comedy, ha ha ha … *cries on the inside*

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. It's sort of all over the place because I was writing in a hurry, and I ended up having to cut a whole bunch of stuff so as not to go over the word limit, but oh well. What matters is that it's complete.

Also, do point out typos, etc, if you see them. It's almost 6am and I have had no sleep, so my editing is probably pretty shoddy.