Chapter 34

Chapter 34
Two Targets
*Author's Note: Sorry it took so long. I got slowed down by Science Olympiad, MathCounts, and my beta-reader. She's really, really good at catching all of my mistakes and plot errors. *round of applause* In order to fit my current schedule, expect an update only about twice, if you're lucky, three times a week. If that was bad grammar, I don't care. I already have chapter 35 typed out, and it has undergone some editing. maybe if i do it fast, it'll be up Friday. Latest is Saturday evening.*
A huge yawn filled the silence of the nearly empty room. The messy, dark-brown haired boy stretched luxuriously as he hopped off the bed. Some of his anger and sorrow had slipped away during his almost peaceful sleep, until it had been replaced with burning fear. A foreboding, ominous nighmare had stalked his dreams last night. He shivered just by thinking about it.
Just forget about it, Kaito, he thought, trying to reassure himself. Aoko's not in any danger at all. She's absolutely fine. Nothing is going to happen. Still, visions of the mysterious shooter, the terrible sound of Aoko's final scream, and the warm, sticky red blood staining his hands while trying to save her stayed in his head, chilling him to the bone. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the nightmare. Sheesh, Kaito, get a grip on yourself.
He walked down the hallway, trying to remember where Hattori had told him the bathroom was the night before. He needed a good splash of cold water on his face. Where is that Hattori kid anyways? He looked around, until his eyes reached the clock hanging above a room. Hmm… Guess I slept in a little bit too much. It's already ten. Wonder if they left out any breakfast? Probably not; I was such a jerk to that guy last night anyways. He had finally located the sink, and turning on the water, dunked his face in. It felt relieving, but his teeth chattered as the cold droplets rolled down his face and dripped onto his dirty shirt. At least it was a good distraction from his fear. Looking down at his clothes, he realized that water wasn't the only thing on his shirt and pants.
"Shit!" he cussed, as realization came to him. "I knew I forgot something, I knew it. I can't believe I forgot to get some of my clothes from my house last night. What the hell am I supposed to change into?" A growl from his stomach reminded him of more urgent matters. He sighed, turning away from the mirror. "Guess I'll have breakfast first."
He poured himself a bowl of cereal and milk, muttering darkly to himself the entire time. These private rants consisted of disconnected thoughts about Hakuba, Aoko, his nightmare, having no clothes, and every other freaking problem he had to deal with now. He was satisfied conversing with nobody; he did it all the time. His mom was out of town a lot, so he'd gotten into the habit of greeting himself when he came home. The last time he'd heard from his mother, she was in Las Vegas gambling and hanging out with his dad's old friends. Did she even know, or care, that his identity had been exposed?
Doesn't matter much anyways, he thought angrily. She was, and always had been an absolute pain in the butt.
"Hakuba-kun. Hakuba-kun," called the teacher from the front of the room. The sound of her voice hurt his ears, and he reluctantly looked into her annoyed face.
"Yes, Sensei?" he asked, impatience and obvious displeasure creeping into his tone. His sleep had been anything but peaceful last night. He'd woke up every hour, and even when he did get sleep, it wasn't the smooth and relaxing kind, it was filled with dreams of guilt and his broken heart.
"I've called on you at least ten times already, Hakuba-kun," she scolded, obviously displeased with his attitude. "The least you could do is pay a little attention when I'm trying to teach you. Answer this problem." She used her pointer and indicated a long algebraic expression involving trigonometry and some calculus. Why did I even bother coming to school today? He wondered.
"Two 'x' squared minus four 'y' plus 'z' all over six 'a' cubed minus 'b'." The teacher looked stunned at his quick response. What was so surprising? he thought. He'd learned all of this basic math from his father a long time ago, so school was merely reinforcement. At that moment, the bell rang for study hall, and chatter from bored classmates quickly broke out.
"Hakuba-kun, you shouldn't blame yourself so much." Akako suddenly appeared at his side. He had not been aware of her approach, and was surprised to see her. "It's not your fault. Trust me." What did she know about it? He asked angrily. She had no right to say that.
"It is, Koizumi-san," he literally snarled at her. Aoko glared at him from across the room, but it was less harsh than yesterday, and her expression was more content. However, there were bags under her eyes, and it was obvious that she didn't get much sleep the night before. "Just leave me alone." He looked away from Aoko, completely unaware of the tiny red laser beam that was focused on her forehead.
An electric pulse seemed to jolt through Kaito's entire body, leaving him panting and shaking with fear. He choked on the milk he had been drinking. What was that? He thought frantically. Visions of his nightmare came back, as if to answer his question. Could it be Aoko?
"Dammit," he swore under his breath. He ran out the door, heading for Ekoda High School, a half-hour away by normal standards. There wasn't much time, and he could feel the seconds ticking down. How could he get there faster? There was no time left to think, and he sprinted down the quickest route he knew. He remembered the smile on Snake's face as he pulled the trigger, and the sadistic laughter that followed. No, no, no!
"Oh yeah, Ran-chan," commented Kazuha during study hall after a long math exam. "Where was Ai-chan this morning? I didn't see her." She stretched as she asked, her muscles stiff after being cooped up in a desk for a least an hour. She dreaded the next exam-History.
"The elementary school has off for the rest of the week, so Mitsuhiko's mom took her and the rest of her friends to a weekend camp early this morning. They're not coming back until Monday." Ran noticed Heiji standing forlornly by the windowsill, where he had been since Study Hall started fifteen minutes ago. He looked back, feeling her stare. "What was it, Hattori-kun?"
"I swear I saw Kuroba pass by ten minutes ago. Where the hell is he going?" he muttered the last part almost to himself. A tap on his shoulder alerted him to Jodie-sensei, who had a worried look on her face.
"I just got a message from one of my co-workers. Something happened at Ekoda High School, less than a few minutes ago," she whispered, though her voice was audible to each of them. "I think it has something to do with them." Their eyes went wide. Them. The Black Organization.
"What happened?" asked Ran in a whisper, fear in her voice.
"There was a sniper- and it seems a girl was hit. Her name is Nakamori Aoko- I'm not sure of her current condition." It took Heiji a couple of seconds to piece it together. Nakamori Aoko, the Police Inspector's daughter. Kuroba Kaito's best friend. There could only be one reason they were targeting her.
"We have to stop him before he gets there! It's a trap!" Heads turned as he headed for the door, when Jodie-sensei prevented him from leaving the room.
"That's not the only thing that's happened. I got this at the beginning of study hall and I didn't think it was important. But when Ran-chan brought up a weekend camp, I realized that it could be related." Her eyes showed nothing- They were as cold as steel. "Reports came in about a fake weekend camping trip for elementary age students. Their target was to kidnap one of the boys, and hold the other children hostage. No suspects have been found, and neither have the children."
"Who was the boy?" asked Heiji, half curious, half angry.
"Ryuu Miyazaki," she said, slipping back into her English cadences. "His dad is head of Japan's police forces. This information hasn't been made public because the police don't want to press the kidnappers into making any dangerous moves. But if it's them, then I don't think there's much of a chance we can stop them from killing everyone of those kids." She showed them the message on her cell phone, and Ran gasped as she reached the camp's name.
"That's where Ai-chan and the kids are!"
Haibara Ai struggled to breathe the duct tape that covered her mouth and nose. Her hands were bound behind her back, restraining her movement. She already had a dark bruise and a black eye for trying to escape once, and her captors had threatened to draw their guns. She had seen the weapons, so she knew it wasn't a bluff.
The only one bound with more than ropes was a black-haired boy with bright green eyes which were hidden behind his tightly sealed eyelids. He had told her while they were walking on the faux nature tour that his name was Miyazaki Ryuu. His father was the police officer Miyazaki Tatsuya.
"You're both dragons, huh?" she had commented, that peaceful afternoon. At the time, she had not been aware of the impending danger. It had just seemed like a normal camp, a fun place to stay for the weekend. She enjoyed the idea of staying here with her friends and she was already getting along pretty well with Ryuu.
"Yeah, it was my mom's idea." His words were casual, treating her as an equal even though he was technically three years her senpai. "My dad had a business trip to go on this weekend, and my mom's really busy so she didn't have time to take care of me. It must have been a stroke of luck for us when the brochure for this camp arrived in the mail. I had to beg to go though, looks like it was a right choice. I can't stand being cooped up in the house."
"It's nice out here isn't it?" Ai looked around, admiring the pretty scenery around her. "I've never been outside much before. It's a lot better than I thought it would be."
"It's great being out here. It makes me feel powerful and grown up. Once I get old enough, I'm going to become a police officer just like my dad. What do you want to be?" The question surprised the girl, but she answered instantly.
"I want to become a scientist, a biochemist to be exact. I find interest in the field of sciences, especially how certain chemicals can change the functions of the human body." He felt her speech was weird, he didn't know any first graders that talked like that.
"I hope you reach your dream one day." He smiled kindly.
"And you yours."
He was now unconscious; he had put up quite a good fight for a fourth grade boy. She could hardly hear his labored breathing through the stream of blood cascading from his broken nose. Ryuu-kun, she thought desperately. There was something about this boy that made her want to protect him. Want him to one day live to achieve his dreams.
"Yeah, boss, it's me, Viura," murmured the woman into a cell phone. She was curled comfortably into the corner of the room, watching them. Her comrade was probably watching the other children. "We got the kid- Have you contacted his father yet?" An answer she could not hear, then a snicker. "Well, if Gin's on it, I know he'll get the job done right."
Gin, she thought. It has to be a mistake. She felt Gin's gunshot as it ended her sister's life, his smile as he delivered the news, the horrible way he had always treated her. She felt he was worse than the boss. A little shriek came unintentionally from her mouth, and Viura looked suspiciously at her. She instantly hid her face of horror; she was supposed to have nothing to do with him.
Her heart beat faster, and she could feel fear coursing through her veins as she realized the full danger she was in. This was the work of the Black Organization. And she had just become an unintentional target.
*Note: Ryuu means dragon spirit, and Tatsuya means aggressive dragon. (or something along those lines.) I was searching up names because Ryuu will show up a lot in the rest of the story. Theories anybody? By the way, Viura is a type of red wine for those who are interested.*
*P.S. What did you think of that double cliff hanger? Suspenseful enough? Please review, they'll always make me want to write faster. Thanks for staying with this up to now! ~Aeyra*