*So, the people who've seen my drawing of Little Heiji with the bloody arm know I've mentioned a fanfiction I was planning to write for my dear Hei-chan. ^^ So here I am, presenting it to DCW. It's actually almost weird. I posted it on ff.net first instead of here... I usually post new stories here first, but that's not the point. I want to say I'm glad you clicked the link and I hope you enjoy reading this story! Prologue first!*
"Damn that Kudo, saying we should just check out this weird place in Tokyo, maybe the Organization's here, and then leavin' me alone and runnin' away. Where could little bastard have gone?" bitched Heiji irritatedly, cursing Conan under his breath as he tried to make his way through the darkness of the warehouse, searching for light that could lead him out. He scraped his hand against a rough surface in front of him, noting that he had once again hit wall. He couldn’t even see his fingers in the inky black, much less his surroundings. What an annoying situation to be in.
He had lent his flashlight to the little elementary schooler who had promised to give it back right after he was finished. Conan had run into the building, and after a couple of minutes that felt like hours of painful waiting, Heiji had followed, searching feverishly for the shrunken teenager, unable to locate him, overcome with the worry that something- something had happened to the faux child. If he was found by somebody dangerous, then only Heiji could help him. Well, now Heiji was stuck in the building with hardly any idea of where the exit was. Not a very ‘helpful’ position to be in.
Placing his hand on a wall, he sighed, starting to wonder if he should just sleep on the ground and wait till morning. There were worse places to spend a night- after being trapped in a musky attic with a gun pointed to his head, it didn’t really matter to him anymore. There didn’t seem to be any real danger. After all, there was no evidence that the syndicate had ever put a foot in the abandoned building. He could hear some rats squeaking, see a tiny sliver of light through the ceiling, but it didn’t really reach the ground. The worst thing that could happen was a rodent bite or catching a cold from the fall chill. He didn’t even worry about the syndicate.
Conan's 'lead' simply had to be false- wouldn't they be dead right now if the Organization was truly here? Sheesh- the little twerp had some guts to call him all the way to Tokyo in such a futile attempt in his quest to take down those men in black with only a ‘this place looks weird!’ Like that was a sufficient amount of information to convince anyone of their existence.
And why did he need a friend with him to scout the place if he hadn't asked Heiji to watch his back? He had just said, “Wait here for me.” Then he scampered into the warehouse, quietly entering without a single peep. Maybe Heiji was supposed to keep watch, but the little brat should have known he simply didn’t have the patience for that kind of thing. He was called a hot-blooded detective for a reason.
Heiji sighed as he plopped down onto the hard ground, letting out yet another curse as he hit the floor faster than he thought he would, bad temper taking over after his initial irritation. However, the injury seemed to make him think twice about the mini-investigation.
Strange... he mused, noticing something strange, tapping the concrete below him, hearing an echo like knocking on an empty fish tank. This sounds... hollow... Could it be their base is underneath here? Maybe Kudo was right after all!
He immediately got on all fours, using touch alone to try and find a secret entrance of some sort. "If only Kudo hadn't taken the flashlight!" he groaned noisily, giving up as he realized it was hopeless. "I can't see a thing!" He blocked his mouth as he realized he had said the words too loud. What if someone realized that an intruder had discovered the place?
He held his breath as best as he could, covering his mouth with his hand to stifle the fear that threatened to spill out, revealing his location. Taking a pen out of his pocket- he had kept it with him since he’d rushed to Tokyo right after school was over- he tossed it a distance away, waiting, waiting for footsteps to follow the clattering. But nothing happened except for the sudden cawing of a crow outside, and some more high-pitched squeaks and scratches of the rats.
It felt like years, eons before he finally relaxed, satisfied that he wouldn't be murdered tonight. Luck seemed to be in his favor. He let out a smirk, lying down again, about to give in to slumber before seeing a light in the distance. Kudo?
He cautiously walked over, fear still clinging to his mind, unable to see the possessor of the flashlight’s face due to both distance and poor lighting. The footsteps came closer, as did the dim yellow bulb, illuminating the gray, dreary walls. It passed over him when the figure was about fifty feet away, and he realized that wasn't the shrunken child. Shit! I’m definitely, very, very screwed!
He yelped as a bullet whizzed by his cheek, almost burning the skin, feeling the tiny wind blow his hair, and ducked as another bullet flew towards him, backing out of the light. There was a low chuckle, and a muffled bang rang out, and this time, Heiji could feel the pain in his shoulder, the burning sensation that tickled up and down his arm.
He bit back a scream of agony as the wound stung, blood seeping into his clothes, running down his back and front. Weaving, he sprinted to where a spot of moonlight had appeared on the ground, praying that it was an exit, not some window located ten feet up the wall.
A small stone jabbed his ankle as the bullet made impact with the solid ground, cracking it and sending bits of the concrete flying. Heiji cursed under his breath, mind numb with unparalleled terror, clutching his injured shoulder as he increased his speed even more, sprinting like a wild animal.
"Come back here you little rat," purred a sinister voice, arrogant and challenging, echoing across the enclosed space. "Aren't you having fun? We’re not done with our game yet."
Heiji gave no answer, much too concerned with escaping, charging out the exit he had discovered by following the moonlight. He knew better than to look back- but from the noise he knew his lead was definitely shortening. His pursuer was not too far behind him, still shooting as the sound of his footsteps came closer.
One last pull of the trigger launched the missile at Heiji's side, causing him to stagger over after getting a good three hundred feet into the surrounding woods, writhing as he gasped in reaction to the sudden pain, brambles cutting into his bare skin. He breathed hard, closing his eyes as his hunter approached, expecting another bullet to blow off his head, end it all right there.
"Looks like my gun's out of ammo," explained the man cheekily after allowing his victim a minute to wonder about why he was still, examining the fallen teenager with an air of curiosity, nudging him with the toe of his coal-black boots. "Seems as if I'll have to use a different method to get rid of you." A hand pulled the boy up, the helpless teen opening his eyes with a gasp, letting out a whimper-like noise as he stared into the hard, cold eyes of his hunter.
The rest of the man's face was still shrouded in shadows, hidden from Heiji's view except for a wisp of dark brown hair near his ears. He pulled out a small silver case, opening it to reveal small red and white capsules labeled for words too small for Heiji to focus on even if he could focus on something other than the pain of the gun wounds. He waved them in front of the suffering youth, giving him a good glimpse of his doom.
"These should do the trick." Heiji felt something cold and smooth slide into his mouth as two slim fingers parted his lips futher, followed by a swish of water to wash down the poisonous pill. "Hattori Heiji, is it? I’ve seen this face before. So what does the great detective of the west think of this?" asked the man conversationally, as if this was a nice friend-to-friend meeting.
Heiji thought he was being burned over an open flame, salt poured into all his open wounds. He wanted to scream, but it was like someone was clutching his throat, keeping him from breathing. He was unaware the man who had shot him was dragging him to a more secluded area, lowering the chance of his body being discovered. He couldn’t think through the pain, he couldn’t move through the fire.
The man let him go; satisfied with the position he left the teenage boy in. Heiji opened his eyes a little bit to see the man running away, leaving him lying on the muddy ground, dying. He took one last breath before closing his eyes and drifting off into oblivion.
***************************************
“Yes boss. I took care of that intruder. He won’t speak a word about us.” The man said, eyes glowing with menace as he stared forward at a shining screen, eyeing the shadowy figure warily.
There was a snicker on the other side, before a clear, deep voice answered, “Good job, Bourbon.”
