Synchronicity Chapter 12: I Have Not Been As Others Were

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

Hattori jumped a little as the door to the meeting room slammed open. The figure in the doorway removed a motorcycle helmet, revealing a determined, out of breath teen. Grinning like a child, she pointed at Subaru. "Shuu-nii, it's time to go! Kudou-kun's on the move!" The FBI agent smiled, his squinting eyes hidden behind the shine of his eyeglasses, and stood. Hattori watched them go, calling, "Be careful, Masumi, Okiya..."

 

    Hattori sighed. He knew their work would be at the place Kudou was, so they'd protect him... but Kazuha. If those guys knew she was his- anything, she'd be in big trouble. Frowning into the receiver, Heiji dialed Kazuha's number, his hand shaking as the call went to voicemail. "Kazuha, ahou, call me when ya get this! Ya hafta stay in yer house, an' don't do anything stupid! I'm coming over."

 

    He was up and moving before he'd even disconnected the call."That idiot had better be safe..."

 

    Amuro sat in the driver's seat of his car, working over the meanings of the day's events in his mind and staring at an old photograph. As the rain began to fall like tears from the heavens and darkness cast a shadow over his view, a drop landed on the picture, cutting off the two people furthest to the right. He rolled up his window and brushed off the droplet that separated a smiling Akemi and young Erru from Amuro and Shuuichi.

 

    Until today, Amuro was the only one left standing... but now, since Erru was back, maybe there was hope that his old rival Akai hadn't been snuffed that easily. I mean, he had Akemi, but he betrayed the syndicate. The one thing I could never do... He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Come on," he said aloud. His voice cracked in the hollow emptiness of the aftermath of a peal of thunder. "I'm not gonna suddenly betray Anokata just to help out that girl... she's none of my business. I've done my job." And nothing more...

 

    Even as he said it, Amuro knew the falsehood ringing in his words would be revealed to the boss eventually. No one escaped the boss once roped into the syndicate. There would be fault somewhere, and when that happened, Anokata would dispose of him, just as he had ordered Gin to when Akemi had been found out. With guilt hanging in his gut like lead he remembered that day. "I didn't do anything then, either, and then Akemi was killed... But Amontillado's just an FBI kid, one of Rye's trainees. She means nothing to me, and heaven knows the boss doesn't care..."

 

    But you promised Kinzie... Remember the day Akemi died, the unbearable pain? You know why you joined the syndicate; do you want to subject others to that? Is that why you became a detective? Erru is the one person you can still protect... Still shaking his head, he set down the photograph and turned his key in the ignition, turning on the windshield wipers. "This is crazy..."

 

    "Let go of me," Erru coughed, struggling against the arm pinned against her throat. Her father, Shinichi's father, the leader of the Black Organization, just laughed. "Show your old man some more respect, Erru-chan. I've stepped on too many people to get here to give up now! Do you know what I had to do to become the new leader? First, I faked my death with a poison I had Atsushi make, thereby freeing myself of you and your mother. But what do you know, it went and took ten years away from me.

 

    "I had to relive my school days, create myself a new life... And then I met Yukiko. She was so much more... understanding than Kinzie. I was able to rise to the top of the Organization, and when I took over the role of the syndicate's boss, I gave up the life of a detective and 'settled down' as a traveler and writer. Such freedom was worth the wait, and I even had Shinichi, the son I'd wanted for over ten years..."

 

    He glared at Conan now, his gun-hand shaking in anger. "Even you... you went and got involved in the syndicate behind my back, Shinichi... But I guess I owe you some gratitude. I never would've figured out Amontillado's little trick without your having been shrunk... Or maybe I should thank Gin, for using that faulty Apotoxin poison instead of the cyanide I ordered him to carry." Then he gave a quick nod to the space behind him, and Conan spun as an arm constricted him and lifted until he was almost face to face with the glaring, squirming Erru. Gin pressed his gun to Conan's temple as the boss said, "Thank you."

 

    Gin smiled, whispering, "This is how it ends for the two of you." As Conan tried to struggle, he pressed his arm tighter against his neck, choking him.

    With a grin and a nod, Yuusaku added, "My children..."

 

    His expression changed to one of pain and surprise as Erru chomped down on his arm, and he recoiled slightly, giving her an opening to duck out of his grip and kick Gin where it hurts. Conan writhed out of the silver-haired man's grip just as Yuusaku recovered, grabbing Erru's shoulder. Conan set his shoes and knocked Gin's legs out from under him, then falling to the ground in a fit of coughing as he finally got to breathe again. Gin hit his head on the door that had struck him earlier, and was out cold before he touched the floor.

 

    Erru hit Yuusaku in the nose with an open-palmed strike as he raised his gun arm, forcing him to back away, and reached for the hand that held the firearm. As they struggled, the pistol went off five times, twice into the ceiling, once into the floor, and two shots... Conan couldn't be sure, but through his bleary eyes it looked as though the bullets hadn't traveled clear of the two standing before him. Yuusaku fell, with Erru pinning him down, as the dented door was kicked in, and Sera burst into the room. She dropped to the floor beside Conan, pulling him into a too tight bear hug just as his breathing had become normal, and Subaru entered, stepping over the fallen Gin and kneeling beside Yuusaku.

 

    "So, this is the face you've been hiding behind that mask? Honestly I prefer the mask, Kudou Yuusaku..." He took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, clicking the left into place on his wrist. "You can move now, Erru. He's not going anywhere." The girl didn't respond, leaning shakily over the boss, as he reached for her shoulder. "Erru..." Anokata remained still as she fell against Subaru, who flinched at the sight of red spreading across the two. "Damn..." 

    After attaching the other cuff he turned to Conan, who'd just escaped Sera's crushing hug. "Yuusaku has a bullet wound at the right of his collarbone. I think the exit wound is at his shoulder... And Erru has one to the lower left... she may have a punctured lung, and both of them are already unresponsive. They're losing a lot of blood, and we need to get them out of here."

 

    For the third time the door was forced open, a panting Amuro standing at the threshold holding up his pistol and a police badge. He blinked, looked at the scene before him, and pocketed the brandished items, clearing his throat before he could get emotional. 

    "Let's get them to the nearest hospital in my car. I've got a police light in the glove box," he explained. Subaru stood and nodded, lifting Erru and passing her off to Bourbon, no questions asked of the man who had been his enemy. Conan followed, still suspicious of the syndicate member.

 

    Hefting up Yuusaku, Okiya let Sera help him carry the man out to the car. As they turned back to retrieve Gin, he appeared from the room, racing down the wooden stairs and ducking into a black porsche that had been waiting. Vodka, Akai thought. With a sigh he dismissed them as currently unimportant. Conan took the cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number quickly, running off in the direction they'd gone. Bourbon called from the driver's seat, "Come on! We have to go!"

 

    Subaru nodded and sat in the passenger's seat, glancing back at Sera, who was situated between the wounded lying in the collapsed seats. She was studying the face of her former babysitter and smiling. "This is Erru, isn't it, Shuu-nii?" He nodded as Amuro's gaze snapped in his direction at mention of his name. 

    But Bourbon returned his attention to the road, muttering, "That's not important," as he turned onto the highway, starting up the siren.

[Kuroba Kudou 5]

Hgsmrsfriztegbnlkelvh....

Awesome.

Next is the last chapter... You're not gonna kill everybody off, are ya?

'Cause Erru's pretty cool. She should be in another fic <3

[Maltavite 61]

I like it!

I wonder if Erru with her mother facing Foma (or Tomas) Krasny, the 'Don' of District Varna...

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

The final chapter will be out hopefully tomorrow!