*Steamy Rain*
by: WhiteGloves
"People can really change.
When they're far away from each other, their hearts will change.
It's so cruel that the only thing I can do is wait."
- Mouri Ran
"But why would the cat want to climb up a tree when it doesn't know how to go down?" Genta asked with round eyes as he looked at the other members of the Detective Boys. They were in their classroom and taking their recess time.
"Well, isn't that a common instinct for a cat?" Mitsuhiko answered, "to climb up a tree is second nature to them."
"That's true," Ayumi said with a smile, "my cat does that all the time. Anyway, this kind old lady asked me to help her get her cat from up the tree, but I figured I couldn't reach it on my own..."
Ai Haibara listened to the conversation with levelled eyes.
"My..." she whispered to herself as she listened on, "this doesn't get any exciting than this..."
She looked behind her and saw the bespectacled boy on his desk and looking sulky. Sighing to herself, Haibara rounded toward him and tried to peer on the boy's face.
"My my," she started quietly that caught the boy's attention, "aren't you looking gloomy?"
Conan looked up at her with one hand propelled on his chin. He gave her a long look and then sighed. Haibara took one look at him and then sighed again.
"I cannot be mistaken with that expression you're making. This is about your girlfriend, isn't? Is she suspecting you for being the real you again?"
Conan considered for a moment, and then raised his eyes up.
"Well... it'd be easy if it's only like that."
Haibara blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Conan turned away, "recently... she's been saying that she's seeing Kudo Shinichi around town lately."
Haibara remained silent.
Conan made a face.
"Did you hear what I just said?" he asked rather sceptically, "I said—"
"No need to repeat it," Haibara waved him airily, "So then what's the problem with that? Are you worried that she's been having delusions?"
"W-well... it's not really something like that..."
"Then have you confirmed if she really saw this other Kudo?"
"...not really..."
"Uhuh... so what's happened to our little detective? Lost the heart to go after her, have you?"
A vein popped up on the side of Conan's head.
"Mind your business."
Haibara shrugged and turned away from him.
"If you don't secure your woman then some man is bound to get her sooner or later... but what's so bad about living like this now?"
Conan gave Haibara a long look and saw that she was looking over Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi. There was a sudden gentle and longing look on her eyes.
"Haibara...?" he whispered as Haibara gazed another way.
"...I don't know about you but this kind of life... I don't think it's such a bad thing... I already got used to it after all and may actually never want to go back if I am given that choice... You should try to sort that one out too. Especially if it's about letting that girl go."
She walked away, leaving Conan gazing after her. Then he sighed and leaned back on his chair.
"What are you talking about," he whispered much more to himself as he looked at the cloudy sky outside the window. "...getting used to this life... huh?"
It was raining hard when Conan ascended the stairs toward the admittance room of Mouri Agency. He found Kogoro Mouri there lounging on his desk with cans of beer on it top while watching a racing match. He did not notice Conan come in as he kept on shouting on the television screen again and again.
"Hurry up, damn beast! I bet all my money on you!"
Conan gave him and exasperated look as he placed his dripping umbrella on a corner. He then placed his bag on the couch and then gazed around the room.
"Eh? Is Ran-neechan still not here?" he asked loudly over the shout of his uncle. Mouri looked sideways at him and then back at the tv.
"She's already gotten home awhile ago but she said she's going away."
"Going away? In this rain?" Conan blinked. "Where to?"
"Dunno."
"Wha—? Hey!"
Mouri gave her a side look again looking irritated.
"It's not like I didn't ask but if she suddenly came rushing in with that determined look on her face and telling me don't mind her just now, you can't blame me. She'd just tell me to shut up. Kids these days..."
Conan blinked so many times unable to comprehend what was going on. He remembered Ran's smiling face and can't help but panic...What's going on?
"Neh! Ojiisan!" he said persistently as he ran around and jumped on his table, "What did she tell you? What exactly did she tell you?"
"Bug off you brat!"
"TELL ME!"
Mouri nearly fell off his chair as he gave Conan a surprised look. The bespectacled boy looked frustrated. There was also this sudden determination reflected on the brat's eyes that made Kogoro suddenly uncertain.
"...what's with you? She came rushing in and said she saw that Kudo kid,"
Conan's eyes rounded.
"What time was that?"
"Well... it was before the racing started so that's about 5:20, I guess..."
Conan checked his watch and saw that it was 5:45.
"Then where did she say that she saw him?"
"Why are you so pushy?"
"Uncle!"
"She didn't say." Kogoro looked back at the screen with his usual air of no-nonsense attitude. Conan blinked at him once before jumping down the desk, grabbing an umbrella and running toward the door.
What's going on? He pressed the question to himself as he hurried.
"Oi," Mouri called that made Conan stop on his tracks and looked back at his uncle, "she was talking to her phone when she came in... I distinctly heard her say she saw that detective kid hanging near the park... well, it's not like she'll follow him..."
Park? Conan's eyes rounded again.
"By the way," Kogoro sat properly and looked at Conan properly, "you're familiar with that detective kid right? Why not just call him and tell him my daughter's gone after him? The hell with that kid... making my daughter run around like that... if she's so important to him why doesn't he show up when he needs to?"
Conan left the room with one last glance at his uncle.
I need to know where she is!
Conan ran toward the nearest park he could think of. On the way he couldn't help thinking of the possibilities that Ran did really run after the mysterious Shinichi Kudo that she saw. But that was impossible, wasn't it? After all... he was the real one... Ran must've been so serious to find him... what was Ran doing suddenly going on like that?
Moments later he reached the park which was almost empty. He looked around and sure enough from the corner of his eyes he saw her near the fountain. She was just standing there with her umbrella open.
"Ah... Ran-neechan!" he started toward her but then—
"Shinichi!" Conan stopped dead and looked to where Ran was looking. There was a guy standing with his back on her. "I know it's you, Shinichi!" Ran said again looking determined.
"...Ran...neechan..." Conan whispered absentmindedly as he too, also looked at the guy standing in front of her carrying a black umbrella. The guy slowly turned toward her.
"Hm?" the guy eyed her, "What?"
Conan couldn't help gasping while Ran's eyes rounded at the man before them.
What's going on? He stammered this time.
Blinking back at them was Shinichi Kudo.
"Oh?" Kudo said as he looked at Ran closely. "A cutie!"
"Shinichi!" Ran bit her lips, "you idiot... I knew it was you..."
Conan snapped from his stupor and shook his head violently.
"That's impossible!" he hissed to himself.
Ran stared at the boy with happiness reflected on her eyes.
"Shinichi..."
Then the boy raised an eyebrow at her.
"Who's Shinichi?" he asked innocently.
Ran and Conan, who was still unnoticed till this point on, both blinked. The boy merely raised his eyebrows at him.
Moments later Ran and the new guy found themselves seated on the park bench under a concrete shade while Conan stood behind a tree as he surveyed the guy. The rain was still pouring at them.
"My name's Amanoma Jiro from Shibuya district. I just came here in Tokyo a week ago and don't really know what's going on... but could you stop crying? You're name's Ran Mouri, right?"
He turned to Ran and gave her his handkerchief. Ran took it and wiped her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said huskily, "but you really looked like someone I know..."
"Really?" Jiro blinked at Ran, then smiled, "I kinda figured out it was like that."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I know you've been following me for some time now... naturally I was on my guard but then I asked myself why would a cute babe run after me? And I came with the same conclusion as your answer."
He looked at Ran and gave her a smile which made her somewhat reminded of Shinichi again.
"I knew it... you're really the same..." she smiled down her lap sadly.
Conan was watching her quietly and became quiet himself. Then he looked at the guy who looked just like him and wondered what on earth was going on for the fifth time that day. Why was there someone who looked like him too? Well, not that it was the first time he saw someone impersonate him... but that time it was that Phantom Thief.
Conan's eyes suddenly narrowed. Could this be...?
Jiro was watching Ran with a troubled look. He looked up in wonder and then sighed after a moment.
"Well... you really like that guy after all, huh?"
Ran and Conan blinked at him while he stood up and stretched.
"Well, that's a pity. You're really cute after all but you don't look good under this weather."
Ran gazed up at Jiro as if remembering all his movements and words being spoken by the same person... really... how can this person be not him?
"I'm sorry but I'm not your guy," Jiro winked at her, "Whoever this guy is, it's really too bad that he's making you go through all this sort of trouble. Shame on him."
Conan felt like he was stabbed multiple times by an arrow.
"Oh well, I gotta get moving." He waved a hand at her, "bye, Ran."
And Ran recognized that same attitude of calling her name and her heart ached more. It was the same... it was impossible to deny it... no... it's really him!
"Wait!"
Jiro looked back at her and so did Conan. They found her on her feet with sincere eyes swimming with tears. For the first time in years, Conan felt that twinge of pain deep in his heart again... he was the one making her sad like that... he was the one making her suffer...
"Ran..."
"Please stop kidding around," she cried on, "Just tell me it's you, you idiot... Tell me it's you, Shinichi..."
Tears wouldn't stop flowing down her red cheeks and Conan saw she was trembling. This side of Ran she never showed anyone... the boy bit his lip.
"Hey, now...calm down, Ran," Jiro muttered, walking near Ran and scratching his head, "I'm not lying, okay? I'm not your guy. My name's Jiro... c'mon, stop crying like a baby."
"You're the same even with that term," Ran chuckled as she wiped her eyes and peered at him with a slight smile, "Are you sure you're really not Shinichi?"
Jiro raised his eyebrow even more as he looked at her.
"Well, you're the one who knows that guy best, right? Why don't you decide that for yourself?"
Conan looked at the guy with sudden respect as he said this. Ran also seemed taken by the sudden words that she kept on staring at him.
"I don't know anymore," Ran said finally as she looked down, making Conan's eyes go round, "It's been a long time since I saw him that it's difficult to identify him from a mere dream..."
A sudden hollowed feeling filled Conan's heart just then as he gazed at her... making him feel suddenly afraid... What's going on?
"Heh?" Jiro said quietly and it was so sudden that neither Conan nor Ran noticed as the guy clasped Ran close to him, "That's really a pity for that guy... making a real cute babe cry like this... if I'm gonna tell you a difference between us then this probably is it—"
And before Conan and Ran could react, Jiro reached a hand, reached for Ran's chin and raised it up to him till their lips meet. Her umbrella was left forgotten on the ground.
*TO BE CONTINUED*
It's gonna be steamy for Ran-chan!
Better watch your girl, Kudo-kun ;p
Thanks for Reading!