Title: Errare Humanum Est
A/N: Oi! And here's another fic from me! A new one! You must be getting tired of me already, ne? Anyways, this is, once again, dedicated to my dear friend –smooch-, who has given me ideas and lots of info to this story. Thank you so much~!
I'm almost done with the second chapter of 'His Orchid'… I might post it tonight or tomorrow…
Have fun reading!
Chapter 1: This isn't right
This isn't possible! How could this happen?
One moment he had it all and then, in a blink of an eye, it was all gone. Somehow everything seemed meaningless now.
After all the effort to find those culprits and finally make them pay for what they've done… This is what he was granted with? Nothing but a few annoying interviews? What about the real prize? He didn't risk his life just to stay the way he was now. Where was the damn antidote that would give him back his 10 years?
Frustrated to no end he punched the wall, scraping the skin from his knuckles. But that didn't matter to him in that moment. What mattered to him now was to find a way to get back. He had hoped— No, he had clearly thought that when finding the Black Organization… he would find the information to the antidote as well. It had to be in their headquarters! Where else should it be?
Nothing had gone the way he had planned. Absolutely nothing at all. And the worst of all was that he had endangered Ran's life as well. Why had she taken that bullet for him? Even though he had told and nearly begged her as Conan and Shinichi that she should stay away. Out of danger. But knowing Ran like he did she hadn't listened to him at all. That stubborn girl could never stay out of trouble… But he was so grateful and very relieved that the wounds weren't too serious. No vital organs had been hit and that was what mattered most to him. Who cared if she had a scar on her side? Ran was still there.
…Unlike Shinichi.
Hadn't he called her the night before the police stormed the Black Organization and said that he would be coming home?
He had done everything so wrong and hadn't treated her the right way. And now, when she needed him the most and was in the hospital… he couldn't do anything.
"Damn it!" He hit the wall again when he yelled. He didn't even feel the pain or when blood trickled over his knuckles.
This built up anger… He didn't know how to get rid of it at all. This disappointment… Everyone depended on him to find the organization and change back. When he was about to make all of his lies undone he had to cover them all up with another lie.
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the cool cement of the wall. He was hopeless. What was he supposed to do know? The only clue he had had was that the disk containing information on APTX4869 was with the head of the Black Organization. That was his only and last clue.
Of course the police and himself had taken apart the BO headquarters and up to now they had found nothing. At some point during the past two weeks he had pulled Inspector Megure to the side and had revealed his true identity. This one had at first looked disbelieving and then laughed heartily.
"Of course!," the inspector had said. "I should have known that a little brat couldn't be that smart! And Conan was just too suspiciously similar to you!"
"Oi, oi… Who are you calling a brat?" Shinichi's eyes narrowed and he felt his right eye twitch.
"Ah." He was extremely sensitive when someone called him that. It wasn't as if he had chosen to be shrunk to a kid again. And still he was being laughed at. At least the Inspector was on his side, providing him with new information about the Black Organization and their past whereabouts. Most of the members of the association had been arrested, such as Vodka and Gin, but of course there were also some that had escaped. But it was only a matter of time before they would be caught as well.
The only thing that was important for him right now was to get his hands on that antidote.
"Hmm? Conan-kun…"
'Conan' flinched and turned around, instantly regretting for being so loud. And right now she needed the sleep most. After all yesterday was the first day out of the hospital. The doctors had insisted on her staying there but all she wanted was to go home to her family. …He could understand that. Hospitals weren't his favorite place either.
"Did I wake you? Sorry, Ran-nee-chan…"
She blinked sleepily and rubbed her eyes with one hand she pulled out from under the covers. "No, it's alright. I'm tired of sleeping anyways." Oh yeah, that was very annoying.
She tried to sit up but it hurt. So she called Conan for help and he raised the cushions so she could sit with her back leaning against it. With a smile she thanked him. At least here she felt better than in the hospital. This was her home anyways.
Everyone constantly told her that she needed her sleep and rest and that she shouldn't overwork herself. That was something that had annoyed her to no end when she had been in the hospital.
…And she had especially wanted to leave when she found out that Shinichi hadn't even visited her. Once Sonoko, Kazuha-chan and Heiji had visited her and when she asked if Shinichi had come while she was sleeping they had almost said yes— if it hadn't been for Conan. And he hadn't seen her. Even the Detective Boys had been there to see if she was alright. …But he hadn't. She was so… upset. No, angry! Yes, that was it. Of course he had called. But did he even care to visit her? No. Weren't the men in black that he was so obsessed in finding caught? Then why wasn't he coming back!
"Hey Conan-kun, did Shinichi call by any chance when I was sleeping?"
Shinichi winced but from the outside Conan stayed cool and smiled. "No, he didn't. Was he supposed to call?" He tilted his head in a childish manner and blinked. Was he? He raked his thoughts, trying to remember if he had promised anything and just forgotten it.
"No, he wasn't. But it would have been nice." She closed her eyes and swallowed down her anger. "Oooh, that Shinichi! He didn't come to visit, so at least he could call!" She reached out her arm and grabbed a box of chocolate that Sonoko had given her in the hospital. Now she ripped it open and began to throw a few into her mouth. "That's so typical! Argh! That Mystery Otaku makes me so angry!"
Shinichi laughed nervously. Oi, oi… was this another of those stress-eating-phases? Stuffing herself with food? Well, at least it was far better than demolishing furniture… ha, ha…
A little amused and freaked out he listened to her nag about him and that it would take him a lot to make up to her. Not that he knew that already. He'd probably spend the rest of his life making up to her… Especially when she found out he was lying.
He gulped. She'd break every bone in his body and then kill him afterwards, wouldn't she?
Damn, he really had to think of something good if he ever dared to tell her.
"Eh? Conan-kun what did you do?"
"Hmm?" He looked up and saw her startling eyes. She was staring at his hand.
"You're bleeding."
Oh yeah,… From letting out his anger on the wall. His knuckles were scraped open and although crust was starting to form over the open scratches. In some spots blood was glistening there. His right hand was stinging, but beside that it didn't hurt that much.
"Let me take a look at that." Ran motioned him to come to her and stretched her hand out. He gradually walked up to her and raised his eyebrows when she suddenly pulled him down next to her.
"Hey, it's not that bad. Just a scratch." Well, it was.
"What on earth did you do? Hit the wall?"
Bingo. Hadn't she realized? Hmm, probably not.
Grabbing after something next to the couch she pulled out a first aid kit. Usually it was in the bathroom but she hadn't bothered to put it back because she needed it since she was released from the hospital. Now she opened the kit and took out some disinfectant and a dabber.
After some 'owws' and 'aahs' she finally finished treating him and wrapped a gauze bandage around his hand. "There. All done." She stuck a bandage to the end of the gauze and smiled at him warmly.
"Does it still hurt?"
He winced. Not from pain but from her words. "A little," he said quietly. It hurt that he couldn't be who he really was. She looked at him for a moment before raising his hand to her lips and gently brushed his knuckles.
"Be careful today alright? When you go out and play."
He looked serious but then something inside him clicked and he starting beaming. "Don't worry, I will! Thanks for the treatment, Ran-nee-chan!"
With a grin he hid his bandaged hand behind his back, his face a little red from embarrassment when he had felt her lips.
"Are you hungry? I could make you something," he offered. Soup and eggs were the best he could do. At anything else he really sucked. He couldn't even cut a cucumber properly without them still being connected! Cooking was a mystery for itself and something he couldn't master to understand.
Ran was emotionally moved when Conan asked her if she wanted to eat anything. Usually she always cooked and made it her task in this house (even when she was sick) because her father wasn't even able to cook rice. (Not that it needed any special skill…) And before the house would burn down or anyone died of poisoning, she'd rather do it by herself. She hadn't even considered that her little adopted brother could cook. He was only eight years old after all. Even so, it was absolutely sweet of him that he offered to make her something to eat.
"If it's not too big of a problem for you, Conan-kun, then I'll gladly accept."
Shinichi's face lit up. He was relieved that he could do something to make her feel a little better.
"What would you like, Ran-nee-chan?" he asked and instantly regretted it. You stupid idiot! It's not like you can wipe up any menu imaginable!
For a short moment he thought back to when his mother had left him (he had been fourteen back then) and his dad for a vacation with friends. Of course they had tried to cook… they even followed Yukiko's recipes one by one and yet they had somehow managed to mess up. Luckily the house hadn't been set on fire. But he couldn't say so for the food… Mysterious flames shot up from the noodles, burning half of his father's eyebrow and mustache off. After that Ran had come over and the first thing she did was scold both of them before cooking something delicious.
Ran's voice called him back to the present. "Whatever you can do best."
"Eggs…?" he inquired in an unsure voice. He was embarrassed that he couldn't cook but who needed to when you were in possession of your father's Gold Card? Or had a good relationship to Ran Mouri? And if she wasn't available there were also plenty of restaurants and convenience stores as well. But back to the topic. Currently he was a little boy so he had an excuse. For now.
"Sounds good to me!" Ran piped with a big smile.
"Yay!" He was thankful. He turned around and returned the smile over his shoulder. "I'll be right back, okay? You just rest up."
She nodded and cuddled deeper into her covers, happy that food would be served to her in her own house.
"Call me if you need any help!" she called when he left the room and entered the kitchen.
"I won't!" he assured. He'd do it himself and he knew he wouldn't need her help at all. After all he had learned from the best.
First things first. He took a pan from one of the lower cupboards and set it on the stove before preparing the eggs for Ran. Once he had set up the small step ladder in front of the counter and got a pair of eggs from the fridge, he turned on the stove and started mixing and spicing the food. And soon after he was cooking the mix with butter.
It seemed so easy. Just stir and watch. Stir and… watch? Eh! One blot of egg flew right out of the pan and landed next to it on the heating surface. It sizzled and immediately turned black, shriveling into itself. Shinichi panicked and attempted to remove the burnt mistake with the spatula and burned his arm on the pan. He hissed in pain.
…Cooking really wasn't his turf.
Fortunately Ran hadn't noticed anything so far.
And fortunately the eggs in the pan weren't burnt. He was lucky things didn't turn out worse.
He turned off the stove to avoid further failures and shoveled the food on a plate. Relieved he presented it to Ran a few moments later.
"Ahww! Thank you so much, Conan-kun!" Ran cheering was something that definitely lifted his dampened spirits. She happily accepted the food and set the warm plate on her blanket covered lap. Shinichi watched her closely as she scooped her fork full of egg and blew at it before bringing it to her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. And then she bit her lip with a grin. "It tastes really good!"
She was amazed that he could cook eggs that well. "Where did you learn this Conan-kun?"
"This?" He grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "From watching my mother and you a lot."
Ran smiled proudly. "Do you want to join me?" she asked and patted a spot next to her where she could sit.
"Eh…" Hesitantly he walked to the couch and took his place next to her. And then she surprised him when she held the fork in front of his face, supported by a hand beneath it.
A grin lit up her face. "Say aaah!"
She was kidding, right?, he thought with a flush and opened his mouth slightly. "Aaah…?"
A/N: Yay! First chapter! And a… cute ending? I hope I can update soon, but univ is stressing and I'll be going to Tuscany on Friday with my class… I might write a little when I'm there.