Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ Revelations ❯ Revelations 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Author's notes: Okay, sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. *sweatdrop* Hope those reading it will like it. Please, some C & C on this chapter...I am desperate...really.
Tell me where I'm doing wrong and where I am doing right. Please?
One more thing. This story is set after the manga volume 34 and will have some spoilers for those who haven't read until there.

Disclaimers: Standard disclaimers apply.


Chapter 4


There was a tense silence in the hospital room as the four males and one female waited breathlessly for an answer. Ai sat cross-legged on the small chair near the window, turning the yellow capsule over and over in her hand while frowning intensely at the sleeve of notes Yusaku had gave her after he had dropped his bombshell to the Professor and her. Apparently, Ai had passed on a sample of the drug and the imperfect antidote she had made as well as her notes to Yusaku at his request through the Professor. Yusaku had contacted a scientist friend of his who, after much experimentation, had produced the antidote. Shinichi wasn't very happy to know that it was kept from him, but he understood their intentions. To have your hopes raised then dashed wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Ran had left with Kazuha earlier for the hotel they were staying at to unpack. She wasn't exactly pleased with the whole idea, but since Heiji had sat rooted to his chair in a manner that suggested that it would require an army to remove him and more to even change his mind, Shinichi had turned to Ran for help. And though Ran resented the fact that she would be excluded of this very important discussion, she had understood the reasons behind it. All of them didn't want more people knowing the secret and thus exposing them to the danger. Heiji especially, had been vocal in his insistence that Kazuha be left out of it entirely during the interval where Yukiko had somehow managed to distract Kazuha into leaving the room for a while. And so Ran had sort of 'volunteered' to do the job, so to speak. But the look she shot Shinichi as she left didn't bore well for him in the near future.

"Well?" Finally unable to stand the suspense, Shinichi had asked the question foremost on their minds.

Ai finally put down the sleeve of notes she had been holding. "It appears to be quite alright from what I can see from this notes. Of course, I cannot really say for certain without more experiments. But on the whole," she smiled, a real true smile. "On the whole, I think this is it."

Heiji whopped and began to dance round the room, laughing all the while. Yusaku and Yukiko were both smiling, as was the Professor. Shinichi looked a bit dazed. He still hadn't quite gotten over the shock of Ran finding out the secret and now there was a chance, a chance for him to get back to his own body. He could hardly believe it.

"Well, I should be going now. Professor, could you get me discharged? The sooner I can get to work, the sooner we can get back to normal. Kudo-kun, when are you returning home?"

Shinichi looked at his father. "Tomorrow morning?" Yusaku nodded. "Oh and Professor, can you help me make something by tomorrow?"

"What is it?" Shinichi told him.

Eyebrows were raised around the room upon hearing his unusual request. Professor Agasa thought for a moment. "I can have it ready for you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

"Thanks Professor." Shinichi grinned at him in gratitude.

As Ai and the Professor and Ai left the room, Heiji raised his head. "Wait, can you make one for me too?" The Professor looked surprised for a moment, then nodded and left.

"Shinichi, you take care of yourself now. Your father and I are going home to get things ready for your return." Yukiko kissed her annoyed son's forehead as he squirmed uncomfortably. Heiji grinned as Yusaku muffled his son hair before leaving the room.

"Otou-san." Shinichi called out. Yusaku turned back inquiringly. "Thanks." Yusaku just smiled and left, leaving the two boys behind.

"So." Heiji raised an eyebrow and eyed his friend in amusement. Shinichi lifted HIS eyebrow in respond. "So what?"

Heiji's grin became wicked. "Judging by the way you looked at each other before you left, I gathered that everything's out in the open now between Neechan and you?" Shinichi shifted uncomfortably. Heiji's expression became even more wicked, if that was possible. "So, what did she say? Did she hurt you very badly? Did you tell her how you felt?"

Shinichi scowled at Heiji. "Hattori, you are even behaving worse than a woman! What happened between us is really none of you business!"

"Aw, come on Kudo. Spill the beans!" Heiji wheedled.

"No! Now I have to send a message to Ran so keep your mouth shut!" With that, Shinichi resolutely turned his back to Heiji and took out his cell phone and started dialing.

************************************************

Ran gripped her cell phone tightly and shut her eyes. She had just received Shinichi's message telling her about the outcome regarding the antidote. She wasn't sure she was supposed to feel happy or worried. On one hand, she would be very glad to get her seventeen-year-old Shinichi back, but on the other, the risks of taking the antidote worried her. Risks that Shinichi seemed to have conveniently forgot.

"Ran-chan, are you alright? You look a bit pale," Kazuha asked anxiously as she glanced at her friend. Ran sure was acting weird today, frequently drifting off into a daze. And now, after reading the cell phone message, she looked positively worried. "If you have something on, you can go first. I'm sure that Heiji baka will turn up sooner or later. You needn't keep me company."

Ran shook her head. "No, Kazuha-chan. it's alright. There are just some things worrying me. Don't worry. I know of a place that sells really nice ramen, why don't I take you there for some lunch? You must be hungry after the long plane journey."

Kazuha still looked dubious but agreed.

************************************************


"I'm home!" Ran called out as she took off her shoes. "Otou-san? Are you home?"

"Ran! I'm in the office." Kogoro replied. Ran walked in and saw her mother there too.

"Oka-san? Why are you here?" Ran was surprised to see her mother here, in the office, and chatting very pleasantly with her father too! Does this mean....?

"Why Ran, is there any reason why I should not be here?" Eri asked mildly.

"No, of course not, just that...." Ran trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"I assume that since you are back, HE is awake," Kogoro said abruptly, stubbing his cigarette in the ashtray in front of him.

"Er...yes," Ran said slowly, unsure where this was heading.

"Good." Kogoro stood up and straightened his jacket.

"Otou-san, where are you going?" Ran asked, afraid of that slightly maniacal look in her father's eyes. Her mother was still sitting calmly on the chair in front of her father's desk.

Kogoro cleared his throat and tried to look calm. "Why, to the hospital of course! I think its time HE and I have a little chat, don't you think?" Without a further word, Kogoro walked out.

Ran stared at her mother, aghast. "Oka-san! Why didn't you stop him!"

"Why should I?" Eri answered calmly. Then, her face softened at the distress in Ran's face. "Don't worry Ran. He won't hurt him. Much."

"Now, why don't I prepare some dinner for you? And your father too when he returns." Too dazed to hear her mother properly, Ran just nodded and walked to her room.

Once inside, she quickly took out her cell phone and dialed Shinichi's number.

"Shinichi, did I happen to mention that my father also knows about your secret?"

********************************************************* ******

Shinichi gulped once. Then twice. He wasn't sure he was really up to facing Mouri Kogoro in his present state. The person in front of him showed no resemblance to the egoistic and slightly foolish man he had once thought he knew. The Mouri Kogoro standing in front of him now seemed another man entirely. Now I understand how a mouse feels just before a cat catches it, he thought desperately. Heiji had taken one look at the expression on Kogoro's face when he came in and vanished to goodness knows where. Even facing Ran was better than this.

"SO." Folding his arms, Kogoro knew he cut a very imposing figure. Back when he was still a policeman, he had frequently used this tactic to scare the criminals into confessing. And it usually worked. There was no reason it should fail now, judging from the slightly panicked look on THAT BOY's face. Inside, he was enjoying himself thoroughly. It was time someone took a peg or two down from THAT BOY. And who better to do it then him. Eri and he had worked out together just exactly how he should approach him. THAT BOY was a clever one and need special planning before he faced him. After the trashing down Eri gave him for not telling her what he knew of course. Kogoro winced internally at that. He had half forgotten how sharp Eri's tongue was.

Shinichi tried valiantly to gather his scattered wits, but they all seemed to have gone on an extended holiday without notifying him. "Em...er..."

"Perhaps, you would like to explain a few things to me. Things like BOW-TIE VOICE-CHANGERS and SLEEPING DARTS for instance?" Kogoro growled softly. He was enjoying that almost trapped look on HIS face. And the way HE was squirming under his glance, it was almost worth it for him to endure the 'sleeping' treatment every time a case came up for the past year. Almost, but not quite. Time to get the conversation back on track.

"Wouldn't you like to know, why I had kept your secret for you?" he asked the apprehensive Shinichi almost conversationally. Thrown off-stride by the abrupt change in manner, Shinichi could only nod cautiously.

"You could say it was because of your parents' request. Or maybe it was because I felt it was the right thing to do. But I think the most important reason was that I could get to take a peg or two down from you," Kogoro grinned at the flabbergasted Shinichi, looking surprising youthful for a man of his age.

Shinichi found that he was grinding his teeth. Tried to stop. But couldn't. It didn't help that from the knowing glint in Kogoro's eye, he knew it too. Darn! The number of times, over the past year, when he had to grind his teeth and bear with it when Kogoro treated him like a kid, when he was forced to behave like one to advert suspicion, he had known all about it!

He supposed he deserved it, for both putting Kogoro through it-though it had been necessary at that time-and for underestimating him. After Ran had told him her father had found out about him a long time ago, Shinichi discovered that he had to revise his long-standing opinion of Kogoro. Drastically. And seeing him now, today, all his previous conceptions evaporated, leaving him with the realization that Ran had a pair of very formidable parents. He had best not underestimate her either.

"I suppose I do deserve it. I apologize for putting you through all that, but did you really have to hit me and bash me on the head at every turn?"

"It taught you humility," Kogoro produced a cigarette out of nowhere and began to puff.

Shinichi sighed. It seemed to be his day for getting little 'chats' from people. And they were NOT going the way he had expected. None of them. He wondered if they had all discussed this beforehand about who get to grind into him first. Or had they decided by throwing a dice or something?

"So, where does this put us now?" Shinichi rubbed his forehead.

"Hmm....well, I was going to send you to boot camp on the other side of the globe, but then thought it would be too easy on you. And now is not the time, is it?" Kogoro grew serious.

Shinichi shook his head. "No, I have reason to suspect that things are going to come to a head soon, if not sooner."

"Any clues or information about this Organization?"

"No, not really. But I have some ideas..." He trailed off thoughtfully.

"Well then, I think its time we have a truce. At least until this whole mess is over. What do you say?"

Shinichi thought for a moment. "Truce." They shook their hands on it.

"I will give you all the help you need for the time being. And you do all you can to fix this mess. I don't want anything to happen to my daughter, so you better buck up. Is that understood?" Kogoro said in a deadly voice.

"You needn't worry. I will never let anything happen to Ran if I can help it." Shinichi looked Kogoro squarely in the eye. Kogoro stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Don't think that this gets you off the hook. Far from it. But all this can wait. And if I continue on, Ran would never talk to me again," Kogoro glance at the door where Ran stood, looking ready to jump to Shinichi's defense at any moment. "There's just one more thing: Don't EVER let my daughter cry again. Or else."

"Otou-san, did you really have to do all this?" Ran asked, exasperated. It had taken her much longer than she expected to get away from her mother and her attempts at making dinner. At least she prevented her from burning down the kitchen.

"Yes. Just wanted to make sure things are UNDERSTOOD between us. Right, KUDO?" Kogoro asked with steel in his voice. Satisfied by a mute nod, he turned to Ran. "I'm going home now. You don't come home too late, you hear me?"

"Yes, Otou-san." The sudden light of mischief in Ran's eyes made Kogoro wary. "Oka-san just made dinner and ask me to make sure you went home to eat it." Kogoro turned pale and muttered something about a mahjong session he had. "Otou-san," Ran said in a warning tone.

"Alright, alright, I'm going home." Muttering all the while, Kogoro stalked out of the room, but not before giving Shinichi a measuring look, which he returned. Satisfied, Kogoro left.

"Thanks for rescuing me there." Shinichi took Ran's hand in his own small one.

"You're welcome. Now there are some things that happened last year that I'm still not quite clear about. Would you care to explain?" Ran asked archly.

Shinichi sighed. It was going to be a long night.

*********************************************************** ***********

Yusaku opened the door to his home, carrying the small bag that contained Shinichi's clothes during his stay at the hospital. Strange, he hadn't thought of this as his home for many years now, not since he migrated with Yukiko overseas. Why does this feel like home now? Was it because there was more people here now, giving it a feeling of 'family' or at least, 'friends', instead of just an empty house?

Shinichi followed him in, accompanied by Yukiko and Ran. Ai, the Professor and Ran's parents were already in the living room, having arrived much earlier. It was the first day Shinichi was out of the hospital and they had decided that a council of war, so to speak, was needed urgently. Yukiko had protested, saying that Shinichi wasn't up to it, but was over-ruled, much to her annoyance.

"Well, since everyone is here at last, we can start the meeting. I still have a lot of things to do at the Agency." Kogoro said. Eri looked at him. "What?" Kogoro asked in confusion. Eri sighed. She still has a long way to go with him it seems.

"I propose we bring the police in onto this. If the Organization is really as big-scale as you say, we will need them. We can't bring them down by ourselves." Eri said reasonably.

"No. The Organization has very widespread operations. We don't know where or when their members will turn up. We can't take the risk! What if someone in the police is in the Organization?" Ai objected.

Kogoro looked shocked at the very suggestion. "How can you say that? They are the police! They won't do this, won't they?" He looked at his wife for reassurance.

"That's hard to say. Eri-san is right. We will need more help if we want to bring down the Organization. We can't do this alone, and we can't afford to let this thing drag on. I think they are getting suspicious. Even if they didn't know about Shinichi and Haibara-san, they should have some inking now after the incident two days ago." Yusaku said thoughtfully. "Would you care to hear a suggestion?" Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"I met someone a few months ago. Someone from the FBI. A mutual acquaintance introduced us. I think he might be able to help us. I had checked him up thoroughly before deciding to bring him into this. I think we can trust him to help us. That and he has a personal stake in this whole business as well. Besides, I found out from him that the FBI was also investigating the Organization."

"Otou-san, have you ALREADY told him about me?" Shinichi asked. Yusaku nodded guiltily. "Otou-san! How could you do this? I can't believe you kept so much from me! What else are you holding back?" Shinichi was angry.

Yusaku waved away his son's objections. "This friend of mine arrived in Japan a few weeks ago. And he has already begun his investigations into the Organization. The antidote was able to be finished this quickly was also because of his influence. Shinichi, I think he can be trusted. If we need police help, why not his?"

Shinichi sighed. "Since you have already told him everything, what else can I say? Who is he?"

"He was actually situated in New York until recently, that's where I met him by the way. And his name, is Akai Shuichi."

******************************************************** *