Detective Conan Fanfiction: Kiss of Death

Traps

"We got an FBI agent. Goes by the name Jodie Starling. Might be useful to us. But your grandson, we couldn't get him. He killed himself," Gin reported to the now-Boss.

The Boss was sitting calmly on a chair, looking down at Gin. For someone who had just lost a grandchild, The Boss was rather composed. Even Gin, who was known for his apathy, felt uneasy.

"It's fine-"

"I beg your pardon?" Gin asked, baffled.

"It's fine," The Boss repeated, "if he had destroyed himself, it meant that the very truth of my identity had destroyed him. He's weak. I need someone who hasn't been destroyed. Or maybe, I want to see that person shatter. He's gradually rotting away. I'd like to see how he gets about it."

"I don't quite follow," Gin said spitefully - he despised the new Boss.

"I think you'd comply. Who else would I be talking about? The boy who was known to be a great detective, the man who protected Sherry... rings a bell?" he continued.

"What makes you think so?"

"If we get him, I leave it to you to do whatever means to squeeze information out of Miss Starling and Conan...but do not kill Conan. We need him. And also, you only get to do this if you've agreed to have a short operation. Are you willing to do that?"

"Tsk. Fine-" Gin scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Unfortunately for the silver-haired man, his eye movement missed the apparent small devious smile on the Boss's face - little did he know that the devil was up to something.

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"Ran, we should talk," Tomoaki said sternly.

His spouse looked at him worriedly. He continued, a tad harsh on his grip, "you almost got yourself killed. What were you thinking? Didn't I tell you to go somewhere safe?"

"Why, aren't you a little bit of a hypocrite here? You're the one diving onto deep waters!" she screamed, attempting to walk away.

"Don't you turn your back on me," Tomoaki Araide rebutted.

And she did comply, eyes as soft as a sheep's wool. She whispered, shaking, "but I didn't, did I? I looked for you because I didn't want to turn my back on you."

A tear stained her ring finger.

At this, as if by some involuntary reaction, Tomoaki Araide embraced her.

"Sorry," he explained gently, "the headquarters wanted me to examine this drug-induced little girl. Turns out she was a grown woman who had inhaled a chemical drug that shrinks your body to a toddler state and makes you exhibit primal, violent tendencies. They have no limits, Ran. I don't want to drag you down there with me."

"Doesn't matter. As long as you're with me-"

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"Aye. The marriage blues," Akai sighed, lighting a cigarette and eyeing at the closed room where Ran and Tomoaki were.

"They took her away, didn't they?" Rei asked.

He puffed out the smoke, "James Black's missing too, probably dead. I was incompetent and Jodie was too sacrificial for her own good."

"We'll get her back. It wasn't entirely your fault," Rei promised, "and... thank you for helping us get Hidemi back. It's unfortunate though... it was because you helped us to retrieve Hidemi that made you arrive late at Jodie's assigned location. Because you weren't there, Jodie ended up being caught by them."