Chapter 30

Wahh I'm still alive :D Thank you for sparing me LOL Yay new readers and old readers are here *sobs* Thank you thank you! Here's the new chapter! Trying to finish two months worth on summer assignments in two weeks was taxing. Going to go on vacation starting tomorrow so see you in September~ *Packing while writing at the same time*

Enjoy~

"Ya' not gonna get away with dis!" Heiji hissed, glaring up at the older man. He didn't like how things looked right now. This was the guy that shrunk Kudo. This was the guy that probably killed hundreds of people and got away with it. If he wasn't so pissed off right now, he might've even trembled.

Gin didn't answer the teen. The organization member scanned the room with trained eyes. He heard static when Vermouth had called. There was no mistake. Someone was listening in on them.

With one look from his partner, Vodka nodded and began searching the large warehouse.

Heiji blinked as he watched the man look around. That static that Gin mentioned earlier could only be caused by some listening device. He prayed that Kudo had gotten the gist of the situation and was already on the move. However, he also prayed the listening device was hidden well. If these guys found it, along with Kudo's fingerprints, it was all over.

He wriggled his arms and cursed inwardly when he figured they were tied rather tightly behind his back. The same went for his legs. There has to be something around that could help them out of here.

"It seems you know something about that static before. FBI is it?" Gin turns back to the two, his question hanging in the thick atmosphere.

"No clue on what cha blabbin' about." Heiji spat and glared at the floor. FBI? So are they involved in dis one? Do they know about Kid's situation? Kudo… He snapped out of his thoughts with a hiss when the organization executive pressed his foot against his ribs roughly.

"You should watch your tongue." The silver haired man growled lowly before glancing at the other captive.

Kaito, in return, swallowed softly and tried not to stare into Gin's eyes. He remembered this man. It was the same man with the cold-blooded eyes he had seen through that wardrobe.

He flinched when something was dropped onto the ground a few centimeters away from him.

The monocle.

He saw the Kansai teen beside him flinch slightly and felt a sense of dread run over him.

He couldn't say anything.

Knowing that once the man in front of him got the answers he was looking for, they would both be killed without a second of hesitation.

"Tell me, what do you know about this man?" Gin reached into his cloak and pulled out a photo and Kaito closed his eyes with a terrified intake of air.

No no no no…please no. Not him not him not him not him.

Heiji's eyes widen when the photo was shown. He hadn't gotten much information about the culprit of the mass murders but he knew, without doubt, this was the man.

"Leave 'im alone, ya bastard!" He hissed and attempted to lunge at the man.

Gin kicked him in the chest without blinking.

"Hattori-kun!" Kaito gasped as the detective slammed against the walls of the warehouse with a loud smack.

"It seems that you know something about this man too, boy."Gin stated calmly and looked back as Vodka appeared from behind a stack of wooden crates, shaking his head.

"Yeah! And I ain't tellin' ya shit." With a forced grin, the kansai teen spat in the man's direction. He watched smugly as the emotionless man's face scrunched up into an expression of annoyance. He pushed himself up into a sitting position; his eyes never stopped observing their surroundings. His fingers brushed against something and he stiffened. Slowly, he wrapped several fingers around the shard of glass and continued glaring at the annoyed man.

"As Anokata said, having you talk will prove to be troublesome. Seems like some physical persuasion will help." Gin sneered.

The two flinched as they watched Vodka crack his knuckles with a smirk.

"Maa, as long as you have your tongues, you can talk, right?"

The grin on the killer's face was enough to make Heiji pray quietly with desperation.

Kudo, hurry.

"KAITO-KUN? HATTORI-KUN?"

"HATTORI? KID?"

The duo was answered by silence.

"Damn it, not here?" Conan cursed and Okiya sighed in agreement.

The two had reached their first destination ten minutes ago. Due to the excessive echoes heard in the audio clip, it was clear that Kid and Heiji were in a room with hard surfaces and a high ceiling. Conan deduced that the only reasonable place the two would be held captive at would be a warehouse. A quick look around the village told them only one place matched the criteria they were searching for. However the empty looking building only proved to them that this wasn't the place.

Conan bit his lips, sweat dripping down his forehead. It had nearly taken them an hour just to get to this first destination. He just hoped Haibara was having better luck than he was. The organization wasn't one for stalling. If they don't get the information they wanted…. His hands clenched into fists and he willed himself to stop thinking negatively.

"Back to the car, Subaru-san! We have to hurry!" The shrunken teen ordered and they left the warehouse. As they ran for the car, he noticed the sun was slowly starting to lower into the horizons. They needed to find the two before the sun completely sets.

"What's the next place , Conan-kun?" The man questioned as they jumped back into the car, his fingers on the GPS.

Conan glanced at the list hurriedly and barked out the next possible place. His badge blinked and he grabbed it immediately.

"Haibara?" He prompted the scientist to report in.

"We just finished checking the first one, Edogawa-kun. They aren't here." The girl's breathless voice came through the badge. The detective vaguely registered the sound of running from the other side.

"Damn it…We couldn't find them either. Hurry to the next one! If there is even a slight chance that they're there, call me. Don't do anything drastic. We can't have them seeing you." He heard the sound of the beetle starting up on the other side and nodded to Okiya. The man stepped on the pedal and they sped out of the village.

"I understand."

All sounds from the badges ended as the two simultaneously turned it off.

"That was a great movie, Hakuba-kun."

The British teen smiled and nodded his head as they left Beika Cinemas. He had to admit that this little outing with Aoko was just the thing to take his mind off of things. Even if it was for two hours, he was able to enjoy himself for the first time since the serial murders happened.

He glanced at the girl and felt a pang of guilt. But he…wasn't supposed to be here. He didn't deserve to watch a movie with Aoko when he knew the thief was somewhere in the city without his memories of his only childhood friend.

"Hakuba-kun?"

"E-eh?"

"You haven't said anything in a while…ah! Could it be that you're feeling weird about all this? I-I'm sorry! If you were uncomfortable with it then-"

"N-No! Of course not Aoko-kun! T-this is just a trip to the movies as friends! There is no reason to feel discomfort!" He stammered out, waving his arms frantically. Oh god, he didn't want to have any misunderstandings. He was doing this for Kuroba's sake.

"Y-yeah, just friends!" Aoko smiled nervously and the two shared a moment of awkward laughter before they continued walking.

His mind drifted again as he thought back to last night's events. He had heard the thief say three names in his hysterical panic. Gin. Vermouth and Snake.

Gin….Vermouth….wine names? But then there's Snake…snake wine?...The reptile?

He didn't know who these people were but he remembered the way Conan and Hattori reacted when they heard the names.

His eyes narrowed as he went through all the possibilities in his head. They were keeping something from him.

He didn't like feeling clueless.

Hakuba blinked when he noticed he was walking by himself. With a blush, he awkwardly walked back to where Aoko had stopped half a block back.

"Aoko…kun?" He questioned curiously, stopping besides the girl. She was staring at a display case with a melancholic look. The Brit followed her gaze and his eyes focused in on the object of her attention.

It was a dress.

He was no expert in apparel but after hearing his mother chatter about dresses since the day he could walk, he knew this dress was an exotic beauty.

A symbol of elegance was what it was. Even without touching it, he could feel the soft flowing cyan-blue material that stopped just above the knees of the mannequin. Simple in design, a small brooch-like chest piece glued to the center made the dark blue top sash stand out even more. Small, delicate flower designs wrapped around the waist in a playful dance.

It was beautiful.

"What do you think, Hakuba-kun? Beautiful isn't it?" Aoko smiled softly and placed her fingertips against the glass.

Hakuba did not speak. He only nodded in agreement as he continued staring at the strapless evening dress. To be honest, he could see this dress fitting the girl perfectly. It was elegant with a childish flare that would match her personality well.

"Did it catch your eye, Aoko-kun?" He whispered, placing a hand against the glass as well.

"No."

He looked at her in mild curiosity. She returned it with a smile.

"It was Kaito that saw it."

"Kuroba-kun?"

Aoko turned away from the dress and leaned against the glass with a nostalgic expression.

"Last time we came around here, Kaito stopped in front of this place. At first I didn't really care about this thing. It looked way to flashy and there's no way I would look good in it." She rambled off in a quiet voice and Hakuba listened silently.

"But then Kaito said…t-that if I…I…did something that surprised him…he'd…he'd buy me it." She swallowed and wiped her eyes with a sniff.

"I-idiot…how can I do something surprising for you if…you're never here with me?" She glanced back at the dress with a sigh.

"Aoko-kun…" He bit his lip and looked at the floor.

"Aoko-kun, Kuroba is-"

RING RING

The two jumped a bit and looked around for the source of the intruding sound.

"Ah, it's my cell phone. Excuse me for a minute please." He muttered and reached into his pocket.

Edogawa Conan

He frowned and answered.

"Hello, Conan-kun?"

"Ah, Hakuba?" The British detective frowned slightly at the boy's lack of honorifics. He noticed the boy occasionally slipping up, calling the Osakan Hattori instead of Heiji-niichan. He also noticed the boy's out of breath and scary-sounding tone.

"Yes, what is it? Did something happen?" He asked immediately, vaguely noticing Aoko frowning and trying to hear the conversation.

"Where are you right now?"

He glanced around quickly before replying.

"I'm in Beika District with a friend. Did something hap-"

"Kid and Hattori were taken! We have to find them!"

"..What…" He nearly dropped his cell phone as his eyes widen.

"Subaru-san and I along with Hakase have already narrowed down the places to five. We already covered two and we're going to two more possible locations right now."

"I understand. And you want me to check the last one if I'm close by?"

"Yes, do you think you can make it, Hakuba-niichan?" The honorifics slipped back in as the boy began to calm down.

"Yes. You can count on me."

"Okay, if we don't find them in our two locations then we will immediately come to the last one."

"Alright."

"We think there are two bad guys. They have guns and are professional assassins so be careful and don't be anything rash without back up, okay Hakuba-niichan?" The way the boy was barking orders at him made him wonder if he really was a boy. Talking about guns and assassins like they were normal was unsettling to the British detective.

"I understand. Can you give me the location?...Okay, I'll see what I can do. Good luck." He hung up and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Hakuba-kun? What's going on?" The girl looked at him worriedly and the other teen shook his head.

"It's…nothing important. Aoko-kun, it's just…a case. I'm afraid I have to go now. I'm sorry." He began to run but was stopped by a hand on his jacket sleeve.

"Not so fast, Hakuba-kun. I'm coming with you." She scowled and refused to let up her grip.

"Aoko-kun! I can't bring you with m-"

"That was Edogawa Conan just now, wasn't it? He's always helping my dad during Kid heists. Why are you in contact with him?" She demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Um..that's-" He was interrupted when the girl gasped and glared at him.

"This is about Kid isn't it? Did you guys find him?" She stared at him with wide eyes. She had seen the amount of files and reports on her kitchen table every day. The police were frantically looking for the thief and it was taking a toll on the whole entire police department.

"Um, no that's not it-"

"Then what is it?" She demanded.

Hakuba cursed under his breath and frantically thought of ways to shake the girl loose. He couldn't bring her with him. If she got hurt, Kuroba would kill him.

"Um, it's just a case! A client of mine consulted both Mouri Kogorou and me about it so Conan-kun's helping Mouri-san inform me. Our client just got kidnapped and I have to help!" He lied quickly and prayed the girl would just let go. Aoko glared at him with suspicion written all over her eyes.

His heart sank when the girl didn't let go.

"….Alright…but I'm still coming with you! I can help!"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and pleaded.

"Aoko-kun, please-"

"Where is this client of yours being held?"

"…H-hinohara."

"Ah! Then I know that place! I have an aunt living there! We can get there on JR East! The Itsukaichi line can take us there easily!" She nodded with a sly grin and tugged the other teen down the street to the train station.

Hakuba groaned softly. Kuroba was so going to murder him when he regains his memories.

/

"Ne! Wasn't that…Hakuba Saguru?" Sonoko tugged at Ran's uniform sleeve and pointed at the girl and boy running across the street.

"You're right. That is him!" Ran gasped and watched the two go.

"Hakuba? Heiji's always complainin' bout an incompetent detective named Hakuba." Kazuha mumbled out loud.

"Where do you think they're going? They looked like they were in a hurry." Sonoko giggled and Ran frowned. She caught a quick glimpse of their faces and they looked so anxious. It's the same face…Conan makes when a case appeared.

"L-let's follow them." She announced unsurely. Sonoko grinned and smacked the other girl on the back happily.

"Heck yeah! I knew you had the sense of adventure in you! Let's go~"

His head was pounding hard and his whole body ached. If he took another punch or kick to the chest, he was going to die. His phantom injuries sparked in pain every time he shifted. This felt all too familiar.

Kaito glanced at the Kansai teen, who was in just as bad of a shape he was in.

"Shit. That's all ya got? Heh, I ain't sayin' anything, ya bastards." Heiji grinned through his spilt lip and winced as he earned another punch across his jaw.

"Hattori-kun!" Kaito hissed and glared at the monocle on the side. It had been kicked around several times from their 'interrogation'. It was all his fault. His fault for being Kaitou Kid. His fault for getting involved with these dangerous people. For not remembering anything.

Heiji cursed under his breath and tugged at his restraints. He barely got to cut the ropes before that Vodka guy started punching him. The glass shard was nowhere in sight.

"My patience is running thin." Gin's tone was threatening and filled with annoyance. Kaito bet the man would whip out a gun and shoot Heiji in the face if he mouthed off one more time.

"It seems that you're only stalling, Hattori Heiji. You don't have any information worth our attention." The amnesic thief flinched when the man reached into his pocket.

For a gun, without a doubt.

No

"Wait!" Three pairs of eyes turn to him and he maneuvered himself in front of the Osakan.

"D-Don't kill him…please."

"K-Kaito..." Heiji's whisper was soft and filled with disbelief.

"I...I can't lost another..." He whispered back softly.

Gin was unimpressed. He reached back into his pocket and took out a gun, pushing the thief out of the way.

"Then start talking." He growled and placed the gun against Heiji's forehead.

Kaito swallowed loudly and bit his lips. Even if he wanted to spill any information. He had none to give. He only knew the man as Snake. Nothing else from his recovered memories had given him any other clues.

"He….his name is Snake." He whispered softly and racked his brain for anything else to say.

"What else?" Gin's cold tone sliced through the air unforgivingly and he started to tremble against his will.

"Ah…I…" He watched the man tighten his grip on the trigger and his heart pounded furiously.

"You guys were going to kill him!" He shouted out and had his eyes glued to the floor immediately in fear. It was obvious. The way Snake had said he was going to get him killed. These people had also called Snake a traitor. They were going after him.

He flinched when Gin let out a humorless laugh.

"Of course. He was working with us, going after you for decades and he never once succeeded. Useless men like that deserve to be killed. But that traitor ran with his tail between his legs. Found someone with the same interests as him and started his own pathetic excuse of an organization."

Heiji listened silently and began piecing things together in his head. So the culprit of this serial killing was an ex-member of the organization. Not wanting to leave a rogue agent with knowledge of the organization, they sent people after him. Snake didn't want to die and looked for ways to redeem himself. That's why he planned this whole thing…. But when he failed to get away with it. He knew he wouldn't last a day in prison with the organization on his scent, so he killed himself.

It all makes sense now… Heiji thought and hissed when the gun at his head was pressed down even harder.

"And? Anything else?"

Kaito trembled again and looked away, frantically thinking of something else to say.

"Or could it be…that you don't remember anything?" Gin's smirk was all knowing and that made the two captives flinch.

He removed the gun from the Kansai teen's head, allowing the two to let out a soft sigh of relief.

The organization executive turned around briefly and took out his cell phone.

A song of beeps echoed in the abandoned warehouse and they all waited anxiously in the silence. The sun was beginning to set and Heiji grew worried. Where the hell was Kudo? They were now deemed useless by the organization. It won't be long before-

"Your use has been terminated. Anokata has given us free reign to eliminate you."

The two tensed and glanced at each other with fear.

"….In a creative way." Gin finished with a slight frown. He would've preferred simply shooting the two in the head and setting the warehouse into flames to conceal all evidence but….

He walked over to a case on a crate and opened it. He glanced through the contents before settling for one with a smirk.

He nodded his head and Vodka undid the ropes restraining the two teens' arms. The two looked confused but didn't dare make any sudden moves in fear of the gun being aimed at their heads.

With a swift hand, the silver haired man emptied five bullets from the object he held.

He then threw it in front of the thief.

"Russian Roulette."

He watched in amusement as the boy stared at the gun and trembled violently, looking sick to his stomach.

"Start."

MWAHAHA I'm evil XD

Well the dress that I described was found online somewhere. Honestly I have awful fashion taste so it might not be as pretty as you imagine it to be XD

Poo, I was so excited to publish the next chapter on the two year anniversary of this fic on the 29th. (Two years to produce thirty chapters, good job failure *facepalm*) On the other hand Natsume Yuujinchou is a great anime :D I'm too lazy to do anything when I get into a new anime so this took me a while *facedesk* Kamiya Hiroshi is so hgggnn ((awesome)) XD

Reviews are appreciated; thank you very much for reading.