A Plot To Take Down The Target

The Dark Rose headquarters, somewhere in Tokyo...

The same day...

Outside the grand mansion in the suburbs, the gifts of nature were placed in a way that many visitors would admire even if what they see was just the breathtaking view of the fountains and gardens.

It was as if the mansion was built in a painter's imagination of his ideal garden.

But unknown to many people, beneath the grandest view of this great mansion lies a secret well hid from many people for more than thirty years. A secret... that only the people inside the mansion knew.

This place was the headquarters of an organization only known as the Dark Rose Agency—an organization that has close ties to the Black Organization.

But the Dark Rose Agency wasn't following most of the orders and missions assigned to them by the Black Organization. For they have a different agenda as to why they've created that organization more than fifty years ago.

An agenda that was the same age as the creation of the organization.

This was the place where the members of that secret organization have their meetings to set their plans and missions. But this time, they have gone there to deliver the news about their missions.

And unfortunately, the five men who had chased Ryoma a week ago will be delivering a bad result of their mission.

The same goes for the one who had chased Miyuzaki Shouko, the one who was codenamed Themis.

All of the seventeen members left in the organization were having their meetings at the huge conference hall located on the third level of the underground basement of the mansion.

And this time, they will be having a meeting for their assigned missions.

The five tall men (a) were waiting at the entrance of the conference hall.

Coius, Crius, Iapetus, Poseidon, and Hyperion were some of the highly skilled members of the Dark Rose Agency. But these skills of theirs were only tested in taking down their targets, not trying to get their targets to their boss, only known as Zeus (b).

Themis, however, chose the mission to track down Akira Shouko and the Shinomiya princess for her reasons.

Reasons that had existed inside of her since she was sixteen.

The meeting at the conference hall was done and it's about time for them to deliver the result of their missions.

Themis entered the conference hall first, followed by the five tall men. They've sat in their designated seats.

The lights suddenly turned off and the oblong table emitted light. Followed by the huge computer monitor at the back of one end of the table where Zeus was sitting.

Zeus was a middle-aged man, probably in his 40's, with blond hair and a mustache. He had fair skin and they could feel authority just by looking at his face; an indication of his position in that organization.

He stood up and looked unwaveringly at Poseidon.

"So where's the kid, Poseidon?" Zeus asked.

Poseidon scoffed and looked at the leader without fear. "He was probably drowned during the storm when he fell off the wooden bridge the night we chased him."

And all of a sudden, murmurs were heard inside that room. But it stopped when they heard a shout and a thump on the table.

An indication that Zeus didn't like the news at all.

"I told you to get that kid and bring him to me alive!" He then crumpled the paper on his table. "Now we don't have any other people that will lead us to that old man!"

The others shivered in fear but Poseidon didn't. It was like he was used to this.

"Why do you want to capture that tennis brat badly? You could've at least found his father and asked him," Hyperion said even though he was a little scared.

The other members waited for their leader's answer. And then Zeus sighed heavily and looked at them.

"That kid, Echizen Ryoma, is our only lead to the person who knew the hidden secret of the Shinomiya clan. We might have killed almost all of them but that person still has an access to it since he is connected to that worthless family," Zeus stated as they could see the burning hatred in his age.

"That brat is our only lead? What about his father?" Iapetus then asked.

Zeus shook his head. "Nanjiroh doesn't have any idea about it at all. Sixteen years ago, we forced him to tell us something about it and he said that an old man was the one who knew it. He doesn't have any clue about the code of the clan that will open the door to that secret. Echizen Ryoma was close to that old man Nanjiroh was talking about."

Crius then spoke. "But there's still a possibility that the tennis kid is still alive, right? I mean, we did see him fell from the wooden bridge but for a week, we kept on looking for his body to be given to the boss as proof. But we never saw his body floating on any of the rivers connected to it."

"Is that true?" Zeus looked at the five men.

They nodded. And then Zeus sat on the swivel chair.

"Okay, since you've failed to bring me that brat, this is your mission. Find him in every city that is connected to a river. If you have to search for every house and apartment there, I don't care. Just bring him to me... DEAD or ALIVE! Understand?"

"Roger!" The five men replied and then they left the conference hall.

Zeus then faced Themis who was standing at the entrance of the conference hall. And he does have an idea about the result of her mission.

"So you failed, huh?" he asked calmly.

Themis smiled and then she sat at her seat. "You can tell that. Yeah, I failed. And it proves that you haven't killed the entire Shinomiya clan that night a year ago. The youngest child of Ryuuki and Rina is still alive. And if ever I could let that bitch tell me her location..." She clenched her fist as she remembered the incident at the train station.

"Calm yourself. There's still time. We'll finish our mission way before the coming-of-age ceremony of that girl." He again stood up and looked at the computer monitor.

It was a touch screen that's why when he pressed some parts there, two profiles in a minimized window appeared.

One was a profile of a young girl and the other was a profile of a middle schooler. And when another part was pressed, these two profiles appeared in a maximized window. This time, pictures of Shinomiya Kourin and Echizen Ryoma appeared along with their information.

'We'll kill that girl as a part of an ancient agenda of this organization. And Echizen Ryoma will die with her, as well... to erase all of the evidence. They'll die along with you, mysterious old man and... Echizen Nanjiroh! You're going to join that despicable family in hell!'

And then sinister laughter was heard inside that conference hall that gave the creeps to the people inside that particular place.

xxxxxx

At Professor Agasa's house, same day...

4:00 pm...

The examination done on Ryoma by the two doctors was finished. And Doctor Miyuzaki was smiling, probably an indication of good news.

"So how did it go, Miyuzaki-sensei, Yanai-sensei?" Ayumi asked.

The doctors sighed and looked at the Detective Boys. "Echizen-kun will be fine. About his leg, well... we can make the antidote in just two days if you can wait that long, Echizen-kun." She then looked at the freshman.

"I-I don't mind waiting but..." The freshman started at Kourin and Professor Agasa. Both of them knew what it meant.

Even Conan and Haibara got the point.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Ryoma-niichan," said the innocent-looking Conan in a childish tone. "Agasa-hakase doesn't mind you staying here until you are completely healed." And then he looked at the portly professor.

Professor Agasa nodded. "That's right. Until we can assure your safety, you can stay here as long as you can."

Kourin approached Ryoma and smiled. "If you're worried about the clothes, I can get my brother's spare clothes back at the house. You have the same physique as he was so I guess you wouldn't have to worry about the size."

"But what about my family... my friends? They'll get caught up in the danger," Ryoma said in a worried and scared tone.

Doctor Miyuzaki smiled. "You don't have to worry about that. The police knew about your situation and right now, they're investigating your case discreetly. Neither your family nor your friends will suspect that you're in this kind of danger. But I must say that you must have told your mother that you have to take them away from danger. I guess they know you're in trouble now. But don't worry about it for now, okay? So take a rest there and we'll do our job to help you with your case. Okay?"

Ryoma hesitantly smiled and nodded. And then he sighed. "Thank you for your help." And then he looked at the smiling Kourin.

The doctors left the room, including Professor Agasa.

The Detective Boys stayed there and talked to Ryoma.

"Ryoma-niichan, it might be too early but can you please tell us anything about what happened to you a week ago? We couldn't start investigating this one strange case unless you tell us something," Conan said innocently.

"But Conan-kun... Don't you think it might be hard for Ryoma-niichan to do that?" Mitsuhiko asked. "I mean, it might help us for the investigation if he would tell us something but—"

"It's okay," Ryoma suddenly said.

That made the kids glance at him.

Haibara sighed. "Will it be okay for you to tell us about it?"

He nodded. "After I heard Miyuzaki-sensei's story, I think I should at least cooperate about this."

Kourin frowned. 'Story? Did Miyuzaki-sensei tell say something about the previous case in Miami, Florida a year ago?' She thought. She wanted to ask him about the story that Ryoma was talking about but she decided to keep it to herself.

She would know the reason soon enough.

The freshman sighed and the kids began to listen.

"It all started two months ago. While we were practicing for the Kantou Tournaments, I kept on being cautious of my surroundings. The threat began during a late-night practice when somebody seemed to keep notes about what I'm doing. There were times that they would insert some weird notes inside my locker."

"Weird notes? What does it say?" Conan asked. Kourin just listened intently.

Ryoma spaced out for a minute, trying to remember something and then he lifted his head. "I think it's—"

"I'll expose your tail before the full moon. I'll cover you in crimson red very soon. Tell me your secret that you guarded well. Reveal everything before the final strike of the bell." The freshman was surprised to hear the same words that came out of Kourin's mouth while he said it, as well. Even the others were surprised.

"R-Rin... How did you...?" Conan could only say.

Kourin smiled. "No doubt it's the Dark Rose. They wanted to know something or rather take something... or someone from you. And if you won't be able to give them what they want, except that you're dead on the day of the full moon."

Ayumi approached her. "But Rin-san, how did you know if it was the Dark Rose?"

The girl shrugged. "It's just a feeling. But to tell you the truth, those were the same threats found written in a note posted on the entrance of the mansion in Miami the day of the massacre." And then she faced Ryoma. "Does that note you're talking about was accompanied by a wilted rose and a black rose symbol printed on the paper?"

"Yeah, it does."

Then Genta approached Ryoma. "Ryoma-niichan, can you tell us more about that?"

The freshman sighed and then began speaking. "After that note was found on my locker, I never told anyone about it. Not even to my parents. After the late-night practices, I always felt like somebody was following me. There were times that Momo-senpai accompanied me to go home. But I never thought I was putting him in danger until the night of the storm when those men began chasing me. I was shot twice. I never realized I was shot on my thigh, though. I felt the pain but the thing I could only think of was to escape from them... away from the danger that will affect my family and my friends."

They all fell silent after that. Conan looked at his seriously-looking cousin whose thoughts has somehow plunged deeper into her mind.

It was as if she was thinking about something. Like... trying to remember something. And then he glanced at Ryoma again.

"But Ryoma-niichan..." said Conan in a concerned tone. "Do you remember the face of the perpetrators who chased you and wanted you dead?"

"I don't think they want him dead," Kourin suddenly spoke which made the others look at her.

"What do you mean, Rin-san?" Genta curiously asked.

"Yeah. You don't even know the criminal's plan," Mitsuhiko stated and then looked at Conan.

Kourin sighed. "If they wanted him dead, they should've killed him right after the note was found on Ryoma-niichan's locker. And when they chased him the night of the storm, they only fired two shots that they knew it could penetrate through the nerves to stop him from running. But that would only happen if their target abruptly stopped moving after the shot but he didn't. They didn't kill Ryoma-niichan because they wanted him alive and they want something from him. And they had to acquire it before the ceremonial full moon. Or at least that's what I know."

"And now, we only take the question of what do they want from him? Is that it?" Haibara asked.

She nodded.

"Ne, Ryoma-niichan, do you at least remember the faces of those people who chased you that night?" Ayumi asked.

"Well... They were five of them but I could only remember three since it was so dark that night." He tried to remember their faces by closing his eyes to get a clear vision. And then he opened his eyes again after more than a minute. "The one I remember the most was the man who shot me. He's the tallest one, like a giant, and he's wearing a black face mask. The other one was the man with a mustache and a long scar on his face. I think it's on the left side of his face. And the last one was the man with a big X-shaped scar on his face. I couldn't remember the other two."

'Those three men mentioned by Ryoma-niichan were just some of the members of the Dark Rose Agency who were after me and killed my family,' Kourin thought and then approached Ryoma.

"Can I ask you something, Ryoma-niichan? Do you have any idea why they were chasing you that night?"

Ryoma shook his head. "No idea."

And then Kourin turned her back to the others and walked towards the door. Conan noticed her.

"Where are you going, Rin?"

The girl stopped but she didn't look at them. "I have to go to Hakase's lab and do some research for a while. I still need to finish my project," Kourin said, and then she left that room.

"Edogawa-kun..." Ryoma called out Conan's attention. "Is Rin-chan going to be okay? She seemed troubled."

The boy smiled at the freshman. "It's okay. She usually acts like that so I'm kind of used to it. She's fine. Don't worry."

"But you know, I've felt that I haven't seen the real Rin-san yet. It's like there's still something about her that prevents her from expressing her true self," Ayumi commented in a soft tone but loud enough for Ryoma and Conan to hear it.

Conan smiled and looked at the picture frame with Kourin's family on it. "Though we haven't seen her true self yet, it's still obvious that she had changed a lot ever since we included her in our group a few months ago."

"You're right!" Genta agreed. "She never smiles before or talks to anyone except Conan."

"She's like avoiding befriending someone as much as possible. She never has anything fun to do."

Ryoma kept on listening and he couldn't help but interrupt. "Does that mean Rin-chan is just new in your group?"

The kids nodded.

"But you know, Rin-san does act a lot like Edogawa-kun in some way. Besides being smart, she's also a determined person especially when it comes to solving cases. She knows where to look for clues just to complete the puzzle for Edogawa-kun to solve," Haibara suddenly commented.

And the others agreed to it.

"Still, I want to know Rin-san even more. I want to know her true personality so I'll know how to help her in some way."

"Ayumi-chan..."

Ryoma suddenly moved out of his bed but then he fell. The kids helped him sit back on the bed.

"Are you alright, Ryoma-niichan?" Mitsuhiko helped Genta and Conan carry Ryoma back to the bed.

The freshman only sighed. "I can't move them."

"What do you think you're doing?" Conan could only ask him. "You knew the effect of the chemicals on your body and yet you're trying to move your feet. Are you that desperate?"

"It's okay if he tried to move them. It would be better if he could at least fight the effect of the chemicals in his body."

All of them looked at the one who spoke. It was Doctor Yanai who entered the room.

"Yanai-sensei..."

"We told him to help himself until we could be able to produce an antidote for his paralyzed legs. Be we got a situation at hand that could help you and the police solve the case."

"What did you say?" Conan asked.

The doctor sighed. "A presumed member of the Dark Rose Agency was found dead at an alley three blocks from here. It seemed that he was murdered there by beating him completely to death."

All of them were stunned.

"But Sensei, how did you know if that murdered person is a member of—" Conan asked but it was abruptly stopped by another voice.

"It's because of their unique symbol." The others looked at the one who spoke and it turned out to be Kourin. "Three black roses in which the stems were intertwined."

"If I remember correctly, the one with an eye patch had that mark on his neck," Ryoma said.

"What?"

"Are you sure, Ryoma-niichan?"

He nodded and then he peered at Kourin who was staring at him, as well. Kourin handed a folder to Conan.

"This might help you. At least let Ryoma-niichan see it." And with that, she left the room. Conan couldn't help but get an explanation from Doctor Yanai.

"Just let her be... for now. After revealing so much to all of you about the enemy, I don't think she'll handle it lightly. But for now, I think you need to go to the crime scene." And the doctor left the room, along with Haibara.

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta approached Conan. "Conan-kun, will Rin-san be alright?"

"What are we going to do now?"

Conan sighed and looked at the folder he was holding. "We need to know everything that's behind this case." And then he looked at the contents of the papers inside the folder. Only to get shocked to know the information inside. 'This is...' He browsed through it quickly but carefully. 'All of these are information about the members of the Dark Rose. But how did Rin manage to have these?'

With that thought, he went towards Ryoma and let him see the pictures inside. "Ryoma-niichan, were these people the ones who chased you a week ago?" And he gave the folder to him.

Ryoma took the folder and browsed through it. And then he was stunned as his eyes widened. "Yes! These were the people who chased me."

'So they have a connection, after all!' Conan thought as he continued browsing through the contents of the folder. And then he looked at the picture frame on the bedside table... The same picture frame he was looking at just a while ago. And then a realization hit him. 'This picture... was surely taken a year ago. If that's the case, Rin must have been...' He shook his head at a certain thought running in his mind. 'But if it happened, how am I supposed to know the truth behind it? Her connection to this case and the Dark Rose... I need to know it! No matter what!'

And leaving the folder to Ryoma, Conan ran towards the door and left the room. The others followed him.

Ryoma looked at the folder once again. And Karupin jumped to his master's lap. The freshman sighed and looked outside the window, looking at the red color of the sunset through the horizon.

The cat meowed at him.

"Karupin..." He stroked the cat's fur and then he sighed. "I want to help them. But with my present condition right now, I don't think I'm capable of doing anything yet."

'Rin-chan... and those men who chased me... They are connected but... how? And what do they want from me?' He browsed the contents of the folder and as he peered at one of the files, he remembered something that his father said two weeks ago.

~"There are certain secrets that people knew were needed to be hidden no matter how much we wanted to unveil the truth behind it..."~

'Does Oyaji know something about this? And what the heck does he mean by that? 'And his thought plunged deeper into his mind.

xxxxxx

New York City, New York...

On the 40th floor of a condo building in New York, Kudo Yuusaku and his wife Yukiko currently received a call from Professor Agasa. And after that, they quickly went to their rooms and get the necessary belongings that they need to go back to Japan.

"Yuusaku, are you sure about this?" Yukiko asked her husband while she also packed her things.

He nodded and then he faced his wife. "I know you're worried but I made a promise to Rina the day I saved her daughter... my niece."

"But you know the danger you'll be involved in if you helped them."

He sighed. "I know that. But this is the only thing I can do to help Rin-chan right now. I don't want her to suffer anymore."

"Yuusaku..." Yukiko sighed. "Does that mean Shin-chan...?"

"He has to know the truth now. We've kept it from him for a year and we can't keep it any longer. I know I'll be putting him in grave danger when he will learn it but this is all I can do for now."

She hugged her husband to comfort him. She knew him for so many years and she knew that he was also worried about what was happening to his niece Kourin... and to their son Shinichi.

"We shouldn't waste any more time. We need to go back to Japan as soon as we can."

And they hurried to pack their things. But while doing that, he couldn't help remembering a tragic night that happened a year ago... in Miami, Florida.

'Rina, no matter what happens, I'll protect Rin-chan. She had suffered more than enough when she lost you and Ryuuki. It's about time that they faced the truth about the dangers lurking around them. I couldn't afford to lose anyone anymore because of this case.'