Synchronicity Chapter 7: He is Fond Of Enigmas

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

Hattori yawned as he turned a corner and turned his baseball cap. "I try an' warn Kudou that his life's in danger, an' he goes an' turns his phone off... Terrible detective work..." He took another step, pausing in mid-stride as an odd feeling struck him. Those guys aren't here, are they? He stopped walking and glanced around discreetly, giving a sigh of relief. No one was following. But less than thirty seconds after he'd began walking again, a transmission was sent through to the cell phone of an elderly-looking man in the restroom of an okonomiyaki shop. "Another rat... do we take care of it now, or let him be the bait?"

 

    Shinichi face-palmed and shook his head. "Does EVERYONE know about the Black Organization now?! Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Natake shook her head and put her finger to her lips. "Look, all I'm gonna say is that Kiichiro's real name is Tooru, and he is NOT in a good mood." Shinichi took a sip of his soda as the okonomiyaki was set on the table. "How am I supposed to believe that from someone I've never met? You could just as likely be Bourbon." Natake glared at him, replying, "I have solid proof that I'm a girl, but there's no way in hell I'm showin' anyone. Besides, I found this tracer in your sleeve."

 

    "Okay, okay, I believe you, sheesh." Shinichi picked up the tracer... If that's Bourbon, his assignment must be to interfere and find out the same thing as me... So let's give him a red herring." As he stood, Shinichi paid the bill and asked the employee not to tell 'Kiichiro' where they went. Natake insisted on packing her Okonomiyaki and taking it along. "I will not waste the food this man made us, and neither will you!" And so five minutes later, Shinichi and Natake were jogging along a backroad, carry-out boxes in their arms, as Shinichi looked for a likely place to leave the tracer. 

    "Hold this." Shinichi stumbled back as a box was shoved into his arms. Natake snatched the tracer from his pocket and ran out into the street, jerking her head in a signal to follow. In a few moments Shinichi had figured out the plan, and he smiled as he said, "Good idea... Motion and a crowd."

 

    Natake took a deep breath before drawing her arm back and throwing the button with exact aim toward the bullet train that was just passing them. It stuck somewhere near the lower end of the outer doors and Natake nodded once. "Okay..." She then grabbed her box of food and ran off, calling, "C'mon, Kudou! We've still gotta outrun him if he's as smart as he thinks he is!" Shinichi followed at a sprint. "But why are you helping me? You aren't involved in this... You can go do what you were before," he reasoned. Natake shrugged. "Why not? Even if you are a famous detective, you've got to have others to help you, or else you'd never make it this far. Everyone needs help sometimes..." She trailed off, watching the crowd in the street as they passed. "Even that guy." She pointed out a teen sitting alone at a cafe table, reading over a menu and glancing around surreptitiously.

 

    "Oi, where're you-?" Natake sighed and followed Shinichi to the table as he sat down, "What's going on, Hattori? Your cap's switched...A case?" Hattori stared at Shinichi. "Y- Yer alright... that's good... I heard about this case thing, an' it's really dangerous for you ta do this... Those guys activated a new member, Amontillado, and they sent him after you. And they know everything..." Natake cringed at Hattori's mention of 'Amontillado', then broke into the conversation. As though she didn't already know, she asked, "Who's this, Kudou-kun?" Shinichi froze, then bade her sit. "Ah, Hattori, this is Natake...?"

 

    "Just Natake..." Shinichi blinked. "Ah, okay... Natake, this is Hattori Heiji, a friend and fellow detective." Hattori nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet ya." Natake bowed, effectively hiding the beginnings of a smile. "Likewise." She then sat and remained silent while the detectives conversed. After both sides had been explained, Hattori sighed, "Kudou, ya can't take this case... That person is involved. This time it won't be enough that they avoid capture. They want you dead..." Shinichi shook his head. "They can't know. If they did, Ran and Oji-san wouldn't be safe." 

    Concern darkened Hattori's expression as he asked, "Are they?" Shinichi nodded quickly. "I spoke to Ran before I left, and she's fine. Wouldn't there be a more discreet way to get rid of me if they knew that I..." he froze, glancing at Natake. "Uh, how much DO you know about this?" She shrugged, replying, "Everything I could find out from news articles on deaths and bombings in Tokyo, info dredged up from outside sources that shall remain nameless... I don't know what those guys want with you, though... They play the big time. Unless you're important to something bigger, I can't see them taking time to deal with you."

 

    Shinichi's mouth twitched at 'Taking time', and he glared at Hattori, who quickly stifled his amused chuckle. "I witnessed a blackmail deal a while back, and one of the guys tried to kill me." Natake raised an eyebrow suspiciously, inquiring, "How exactly did you survive an attempt on your life by those guys?" 

    He froze at the question, and Hattori jumped in. "Ya see, he got to the hospital in time to save his life, but then he was put into a witness protection program, 'cause the guys who did it weren't caught..." Natake shrugged, replying, "You don't have to be so defensive... It's not like they're... Dammit, Kudou! Bourbon's still looking for you, you idiot! How could you sidetrack us like this?" She stood quickly and dragged Shinichi up by the arm, pulling him along as she sprinted through the pedestrians. "Feel free to come along, Bakkatori..."

     Heiji grumbled, "It's Hattori, Hattori..." but followed nonetheless.

 

    Within five minutes the three out-of-breath teens had reached a back road alley that stretched for what seemed like miles, and Natake finally seemed satisfied that they'd lost Bourbon. "You can slacken the pace if you'd like, Kudou-kun." Hattori glared at her. Oh, so ya get HIS name right? She turned and gave him a blank glance, turning back without a word, and he twitched a bit, feeling like she'd read his mind.  Good thing this girl's on our side... Shinichi slowed down a bit, asking, "So, Natake-san... That's your surname, right?" She nodded coldly as he added, "It sounds familiar... I just can't place it. Can you tell me your name?" 

    She turned away sharply, staring at the wall of the alley. "You don't have to, it would just help... sorry." Natake sighed, glancing at the others, and then sped up a little, walking on ahead. "Ah, we're slowing for a bit, Natake-san..." She said nothing and headed off as neither of the others made a move to follow. "I think ya upset the kid..."

    

    After several minutes of awkward silence and walking, the detectives caught up with the girl, who had stopped just outside the alley and was leaning against the wall, reading. As they approached she neither looked up nor acknowledged them, but she did read a line aloud. "He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics..." She closed the book and tucked it into her backpack, adding, "Someone I knew was like that..." Her gaze never left the ground, and she started walking again silently. After a moment she added, "Come on, Kudou, Bakkatori..."

 

    Shinichi and Heiji followed, the latter grumbling about the butchering of his name yet again, as she led the way through crowded streets and abandoned roads to a decrepit building that looked like it had once been a storehouse. She motioned for them to follow as she entered a window unabashedly and plunked herself down beside a pallet. "Make yourselves at home. We may have to wait it out here. Third floor's got a restroom that works plumbing-wise on Tuesdays." Hattori grimaced, asking, "D'you LIVE here?" Natake's face lost all expression, and she dead-panned, "Do I LOOK like I live here? This is just a hideout spot for when things get tight during a case..."

    "So you're a detective, too?" Natake frowned, replying, "Sort of... I guess." Hattori risked another question. "How safe is this place?"

 

    The girl shrugged again. "If somebody wanted to get in, nothing'd stop 'em, but there's not a good chance they'd be looking here to find anybody." She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "Wake me up if anything happens..." After twenty minutes trying to also get some rest Heiji sighed and turned to Shinichi. "Look Kudou, I don't trust this place to be a good hideout for long. Bourbon's pretty good at getting information, no matter how well you hide it. He'll have people looking for ya, and odds are for her an' me too... If he gets a lead, we're as good as found, an' I'm pretty sure he's got more up his sleeve than acting like an old guy..." The boards on the door shook as a boot struck against them three times, and Bourbon's  voice sounded from the other side. "I told you, this is it."

 

    "Dammit..." Shinichi stood, shaking Natake's shoulder. "Get up! They're here." Hattori grabbed a piece of plywood, holding it before him like a kendo blade as the girl stirred and looked around. She hopped up as the voice sounded again. "No... Amontillado ran off again as well. Odds are they're here..." 

    Natake grabbed one of Shinichi's arms and one of Hattori's, dragging them to the stairs. "Go up to the fourth floor, quickly. There's a way out under the fifth floor stairwell that leads to the East exit. Go to the police station and get help. Hurry it up, Kudou!" Shinichi frowned. "Aren't you coming?"

     She shook her head, shoving them forward. "Just give this to someone at HQ."

    She shoved a crumpled paper into Hattori's hand and turned around as the first board was pulled free. "Leave now," she whispered, walking to the door. She put a pair of earbuds in, pressing a button on the mp3 player she'd snatched from the table and picking up the fallen plywood. Shinichi looked to Hattori, who nodded, and the two raced up the stairs as silently as they could, headed up to floor four. The sound of boards breaking and a voice carried up to them as they sped up. "Don't worry, they're he-" The sound was cut off by a loud thump, followed by a softer one. "What are you doing?!" Shinichi bit his lip and ran faster, resisting the urge to race down the stairs and face Gin, who had just spoken.

 

    That sound must have been Bourbon running into something, or... He remembered the board Natake had been holding. She might have struck him, but... There's no way she would have been allowed to do that, but there hadn't been another sound after Bourbon had fallen. He could hear the next voice loud and clear over the transmitter that accompanied the note Hattori held. "Sorry, Gin-sama... I thought he was a burglar... I was listening to some Poe, so I didn't hear you announce yourselves. I'm sorry you had to take the door down... Was there something you needed?"

 

    "An explanation as to why you ran off with the target and tried to shake Bourbon would be appreciated," Gin replied coldly. Shinichi recoiled as Hattori grabbed his arm and pulled him to the opening in the stairwell. 

    "I left on my own to pursue him when he ran off... Then I decided to leave it to the guy assigned this petty job and take a nap before my meeting with the boss..." As they closed the makeshift door behind them, Gin spoke three words that left him frozen, addressing Natake with a familiar tone. "Thank you, Amontillado..."

[Maltavite 61]

Keep up your writing! +1 rep for ya! (Even you didn't include any character deaths unlike mine!)