Hey. So I deleted the original one cause that's a mess and replacing it with this new mess. I'm having troubles writing anything so I decided to just write like I was twelve again, with no worried if the story is bad or not. I just want to finish something again after years. So yeah, this is an updated version one might say. Mistakes inbound as I checked once and probably missed a lot of it.
Do I still have to write a disclaimer?
When Shinichi opened the television he expected the usual about prices going up, a viral vicdeo of a puppy, or a new trend sweeping the country. He didn't expect this. Bold and centered at the bottom of the screen announcing the death of a medical examiner he very much loathed.
The reporter explaining the rather brutal death of Haibara Ai, excellent Medical Examiner and an asset to the department. Too excellent that she saw an evidence contradicting Shinichi's deduction and completely blindsided him they lost the case and the man walked free.
This case haunted him the following years, giving the department ground for declining him on high profile cases unless personally requested. Which happened most of the time. Still it irritated him and cursed her name whenever he heard it.
The last time he saw her was a few months ago outside a bar. She was just exiting while he and Ran was passing by. She probably didn't notice him as she was staring at her phone very intently. And now she's on television, a news anchor harping on how the department lost a great examiner.
He doesn't celebrate her death, of course. That would be of ppor taste but he feels something. Annoyance, irritation, and just plain anger. After derailing his blooming career she just dies. He couldn't eve get revenge. Prove her wrong or point out mistakes in her work.
"Typical, always walking away and getting the last word." Shinichi rolled his eyes.
Shinichi change the channel, a woman promoting and sampling a blender with vegetables, then his phone rang. Looking at the caller Id he already knew what it was about.
"Inspector," he said, "yes, I will be attending the funeral."
"Why did you come? You don't even know her."
"Because I met her once and she seemed nice. Also because it's just polite to do so since you've been mean to her behind her back." Ran pulled him tighter against her. Shinichi just sighed and led them inside.
There were a lot of police and detectives, the lab personnel , and some lawyers. Shinichi quickly noticed that he knew all of the faces and those he didn't know quickly showed they're accompanying someone in there. Shinichi furrowed his eyebrows. Haibara mentioned she had a sister in passing but from his observation she's not there.
"There's a lot of people," Ran said, looking around. "It's weird though, her co-workers are receiving the guests."
Shinichi nodded. He noticed it too. The two receiving was a man and a woman he remembers working with Haibara. The woman was wearing a black headband rather than her usual yellow and a man with freckles all over his face.
"I wonder where her family is?"
Shinichi didn't answer, he's wondering that too. He didn't know much about Haibara when she was alive, aside from their usual argument when they cross paths, but the conclusion he came about from a few things he noticed as they came in was they're out of the country. The accident happened yesterday, they probably got the news earlier and now traveling to attend her funeral.
"Let's just talk to them, I don't want to linger here and get asked about her." Shinichi pulled Ran along while eyeing the reporter talking to the inspector.
"Are you still mad about that case?" Ran asked as she was pulled towards the front.
"That case cost me more cases I could've solved," Shinichi said, then in a much softer voice, "Solved much quicker than they did."
"What was that?"
"Nothing." he shrugged her off.
"Shinichi, we're glad you came." The woman with the headband, who vaguely remember as Yoshida-san, smiled as she shook their hands.
"It's just polite to do so." He shot Ran a look. Ran squeezed his arm.
"To be honest, I didn't expect you to show at all after..." the freckled man, Tsubaraya-san said.
"That was years ago, I recovered and this is not the place nor the time to do that."
Ran tugged on his arm, Shinichi looked at her but she was smiling at the two. He shoved his hand into his pocket, he shouldn't have come. He thought showing his face would be enough to show that he moved on and probably fix his name, Tsubaraya-san is not making this any easier.
"I'm sorry for your loss, I know she's probably a nice person and a good colleague," Ran says and Yoshida-san nods. They continued talking while Tsubaraya-san excused himself and continued to receive guests, still giving him a glare every now and then.
Shinichi decided to hang around for a few more minutes, looking for a journalist or photographer to get a candid of him, not much of a candid since he was there for that reason. He got drinks and gave Ran the other.
"Shinichi-kun," Inspector Megure called, "I'm glad you came. I know you two didn't have a good relationship..."
"It's okay, I've moved on."
"Good, good. I mean it's been long enough and your career is still going strong." He nods to himself. Shinichi just takes a sip of his drink not wanting to say anything that would mean anything else.
The funeral was as boring as he thought it would be. It's a funeral so he didn't expect anything but for someone who made his work life difficult in every way, it was kind of anti climactic and he almost felt sorry for her.
Inspector Megure and Detective Takagi was called out in a murder scene a few minutes later. Inspector nodded to him across the room and they were off.
"It's another at the docks. They said it's a clean shot, no one noticed," Takagi said.
"Then we better get there before the murder has the chance to escape." Shinichi smiled at them. This is what he should be doing and he's solving this case before the day ends.
It was an easy case. The victim was Hirota Masami she works at the Uptown Hotel, based on her uniform, and it was suicide. The gun was in her hand and the shot in her head was consistent so as the burn marks on her skin and the residue on her hand. Nothing stood out for it to be considered murder and so they closed it.
Just an employee too stressed and decided death is better than constant grinding through life. He was disappointed but he just guessed it wasn't his lucky day.
Ran sent him a message about leaving him again and that Yoshida-san says 'thank you' for attending the funeral. Another follow up says she got home safe. He smiled at that.
He would've spent dinner at Ran's place if it weren't for a sudden chill that seem to follow him. He thinks he's going to be sick if he stays out and decided to just reheat something at home. He entered and promptly played the voice messages on the telephone.
Two of it was from his parents telling him that they're going to visit sometime that month. There was someone calling about hiring his services, he noted his number and address. And the last was Ran about the curry she cooked earlier, before she went home, so he can have a decent meal.
Shinichi was enjoying the curry Ran left him, a shiver sent goosebumps all over his body. He looked over the AC and noted that it was turned to a reasonable temperature. The air was slowly getting cold and he wondered if he left any windows open. He checked the windows and turned down the AC anyway.
He's walking towards his room, a sudden heaviness weighting on him after he ate, a nap wouldn't hurt. Ran can really cook a mean curry and he's both satisfied and full, he should thank her for feeding him most of the time. He pulled out his phone when it rang. It was Ran.
"Hey, the curry was delici-"
"Shinichi, Sonoko brought a haunted music box. We left it on the table and it just started playing while we were out. No one was in the room, Dad is still out and Sonoko said she stole it from her grandfather's collection she has to return it but..."
It was still light out but his body feels heavy, he plopped on his bed and decided to help. It's probably a timed music box or a magnet one. He asked questions about it shape, the material it was in, the table was wood right? And some other questions that led him to believe it was a timed music box as he first thought.
He told them they should look for numbers inside like in a number lock, it's the time of day. The two fumbled and screamed a few times before Sonoko had the courage to open it and finally see the rotating numbers Shinichi said. The two laughed and rambled about ghosts before they bade goodbye.
"There's no such thing as ghosts." he murmured. He closed his eyes and tried to to get some sleep.
There's the same chill creeping up on him, the cold biting into his skin. He turned his head towards the windows expecting it to be wide open but the curtains were still and the bolts locked in place. Another wave of coldness washed over him.
"There's no such thing as ghosts." he mutters. The cold was not helping so he decided to move to another room. He decided to go to his study.
The temperature was noticeably warm as soon as he stepped through the door. It was summer there compared to the winter cold in his room and the kitchen. Though it is warmer, a shiver ran down his spine. He kept on repeating that it was just Ran's ramblings about ghosts that's getting into him and after that disaster of a funeral. Nothing will jump out and scream his sins in wails.
He stared at the wall of books surrounding him. Might as well read while he's there. He grabbed his favorite Sherlock Holmes book and started at the beginning. Completely enthralled by it and flipping through as if he doesn't know what will happen next, a loud thump of a book falling from a shelf gave him a jump.
It was Poe's collection of stories, fallen from the third shelf that he was pretty sure was tucked in. He shook his head.
"It's nothing. Don't be an idiot." he murmurs to himself.
He's putting the book back when he heard someone whispering behind him. He turned around, eyes scanning the room for any intruders but there weren't any. His heart is now beating fast, his breathing heavy and loud in the silence of the room.
"There's no such thing as ghosts." he repeated like a mantra as he tried to ignore the cold wind suddenly blowing in the room with no windows.
He could hear whispers but he couldn't understand what it's supposed to be saying. Just hushing sound and the sound of paper rustling. His eyes snapped towards the book he left on the table, the pages turning as if a person is perusing it. The whispers grow loud and he could finally tell that it's just one person talking, he could hear the tones and the lilt of possibly words being spoken.
He took a step forward, both nervous and curious at the same time. The closer he gets the whispers seem to be clearer, enough to tell that it's a woman and it's talking but not as much as the whispers suggested. He took a step and the creaky floorboard let out a groan. The door slammed shut and Shinichi jumped his eyes wide and staring at the door.
"It's just the wind."
"Probably." another voice answered, mirth obvious from her voice.
Shinichi whipped his head towards the voice and was petrified on his spot. There, standing behind his desk and was the one turning the pages, was none other than Haibara and she was smirking at his stupidly shocked expression.
"You- you're-"
Haibara seem to be surprised at his broken words. She looked at her hands then back at him with a confused expression.
"You can see me?"
"But you're dead! How-"
Haibara walked around the desk towards him, Shinichi felt his feet move backwards. She waved a hand in front of him and Shinichi blinked.
"How are you here? I was just at your funeral and- and you're supposed to be dead!" Shinichi finally felt some control return to him and he took a few steps back. His finger pointing accusingly at her.
"The great detective is finally stunned and by something simple, really. Apparently, I'm a ghost."
"But ghosts aren't real, they're just from an overactive imaginations of someone who is scared of the dark or monsters."
"Well, you're either one of those. I'm betting on the first."
Shinichi felt dizzy add in the cold air circulating he now knew who brought it. She's living up to her moniker.
"I'm just tired." He finally concedes. "I just need some rest, this had been a busy day with all the murders, funerals, and timed music boxes. You're not real, this is just a dream. I'm going to bed." He walks out of the room, noticing the temperature shift, and into his now warm bedroom. He slipped under the covers and pulled it over his head.
He'll be fine. He just needs some rest. By morning everything will be back to normal. 'Cause there's no such thing as ghosts.
He's just having a bad day.
A/N: I've been using english naming conventions. I've been away for long.