*Okay, so this is the start of my present to my friend Pyre, who is my friend on DCW. Her birthday is actually the sixteenth, but I'm planning to release most of it before then. However, I probably won't get the chance to because I don't have much time... TT-TT (and if you're concerned about MSK, well... I haven't finished the next chapter. I'm planning to change it back to first-person. Throw tomatoes at me as you please.) I hope you like it! There will be 14 of these lil' one-shots all revolving around a different theme! Make sure to review! XD*
Part 1: 4th Birthday, First Meeting
"Thanks for inviting us," said Kudo Yuusaku, shaking Kogoro's hand warmly, looking around the small apartment. "Where's the birthday girl?"
"Mom, did I have to come?" whined a tiny four-year old Shinichi, tugging his mom's dress. "There's a mystery on TV tonight!" His blue eyes glistened with fake tears, a skill he had learned from his mother. But she was far past believing them.
"Hush," commanded Yukiko, tapping Shinichi firmly on the head, wiping the moisture from his cheeks with a light pink handkerchief. "You were invited young man, and I expect you to be respectful and gentlemanly. Besides, you can play with Ran-chan."
"Why should I play with someone I don't know?" he protested, clasping his hands together like he was praying, giving the impression of a puppy begging for a treat. "I wanna go home, kaa-chan!"
"Quiet, Shin-chan." She bent down and redid his green tie, tied into a light blue semi-formal shirt. "You should look nice for this. After all, you're meeting a girl."
She giggled, straightening Shinichi's miniature suit. He looked so cute in it, a business professional aspect contrasting with the innocence of childhood. Quite an interesting combination.
They were on the second floor of the Mouri household, the first being the detective office. Festive party decorations were strung generously throughout the hall and in the kitchen. A large banner spanned across a wall above the doors, reading, Happy 4th Birthday, Ran!
The sky outside was a darkening blue, dusted with hues of pink and orange as the sun began to sink. Shinichi glanced over his shoulder at the time with an annoyed look on his face, holding onto his mom's hand. The digital numbers read 5:36 P.M. and he fidgeted as he recalled the time of his detective show.7:30 P.M. From his few experiences, he knew parties seldom lasted less than two hours. He was trapped.
Great. I'm missing my mystery drama, and I have to play with a girl I've never even met, he thought grumpily, frowning. This sucks. I was really looking forward to it! I wonder if I can convince kaa-chan to take me home... If tears don't work, then maybe…
"Kaa-chan, my tummy hurts!" he wailed, clutching his stomach as if in pain, stomping his foot repeatedly against the ground, attracting the attention of the conversing men. "Can we go home? It really, really hurts!"
"If you do have a stomachache, there's no reason we can't take care of it here. Besides, aren't you faking it, Shin-chan?" accused Yukiko, bending down so her eyes were almost level to her son's, glowering at him with suspicion. "Do you really think you can trick a famous actress like me?" He flinched- he had been caught red-handed.
"Shinichi-kun looks as if he doesn't want to stay here," commented Kogoro to Yuusaku as they watched Shinichi and Yukiko start their nuclear war consisting of fiery words thrown back and forth, along with a few gentle hits from the woman. "He seems a little spoiled if you ask me. You shouldn't give him whatever he wants!"
"Well, I'm usually pretty busy writing, so I don't get much time to take care of him. Yukiko likes to let him do whatever he wants; once she even let him drive her car while we were in Hawaii because he asked. I'm surprised they weren't killed." He rolled his eyes- his son and wife were filled with silly antics, and having her raise him was only making it worse. But he didn't mind- it added surprise and fun to his stressful life as a highly acclaimed writer.
"Seems he definitely inherited her more feisty side," observed Kogoro, scratching his chin, empty of stubbles. "And he looks just like you as a kid. But he's shorter, isn't he?" He peered down as if to calculate the boy's height. Unfortunately, his statement was heard by the now more-than-irritated child.
"Short?" piped Shinichi indignantly, looking away from his mother in a flash of fury. "I'm not short!"
"He refuses to admit it," explained Yuusaku, grinning widely at Kogoro. "He says-"
"I'm perfectly normal, you guys just like to make fun of me! See?" Shinichi stood as straight as he could on his tippy-toes, but still couldn't reach the height of his mom's hips.
"That's what I'm talking about!" exclaimed Yuusaku, laughing at his child's boisterous denial.
"But isn't my Shin-chan so cute?" asked Yukiko, suddenly switching to a more playful demeanor, on her knees hugging Shinichi- instantly the loving, fawning mother once more. "Isn't he?" She held him up, and he kicked to try to make her release her grip.
"Gerroff me!" cried Shinichi, his groan muffled by his mother's arm, attempting to pry himself apart from her. "Let me go!"
At that moment, steps were heard from the stairway outside, and the door burst open with a loud "Taidaima!" A pretty little girl with short brown hair came in panting, totting a box that was nearly too big for her to carry. Her blue-violet eyes shined with enthusiasm, and she smiled. "Tou-chan!" she crowed, running forwards to her dad. "Me and kaa-chan got the cake! It's the chocolate one with strawberries all over it! Doesn't that sound good? It looked so nice I just had to get it!"
"It sure does, Ran," answered Kogoro, taking the cake from her hands, then turning to the Kudos. "Our guests are here. This is Kudo Yukiko-chan, Kudo Yuusaku, and their son, Kudo Shinichi-kun." He gestured to each in order, and Yukiko and Yuusaku both gave a friendly wave. However, Shinichi looked away, putting his nose in the air with a big, arrogant 'hmmph'!
"Shin-chan, say hello to Ran-chan!" demanded Yukiko, scolding her son for his rude behavior with another gentle slap on the head. Sensing his stubborness, she continued, "It's not that hard to say! It's one word for crying out loud!"
"I don't want to." He glanced towards Ran with contempt in his eyes. "I want to go home and watch TV!"
Before Yukiko could give her impudent son another slap, Ran cut in, smiling. "It's okay, Shinichi-kun doesn't have to say hi if he doesn't want to! Shinichi-kun, we have a TV too! We can watch your show together if you want!" she suggested enthusiastically, wanting to please her guest. She didn't care if he was rude- she didn't have many playmates, seeing she was an only child and didn't go to preschool.
"I want to go home to watch it," complained Shinichi, brattishly sticking out his tongue, completely unlike the gentleman he was dressed as. "Like I said, I don't want to be here."
"Shinichi," reprimanded his dad in a cold hard voice, ice and venom outlining each word. "Apologize now."
"Why should I?" asked Shinichi, avoiding the angry glares of his mother and father, instead staring at the confused Ran.
"Stop acting obnoxious, Shin-chan!" shouted Yukiko. "We are staying at this party and you will play nicely with Ran-chan, do you understand?"
"Yuusaku," whispered Kogoro, leaning over towards his friend, assessing the situation at hand. "If your son wants to leave so badly, it's fine-"
"No. He always acts too spoiled. We have to set the limits." He stared down disappointedly at his son, a frown on his face. "You can skip that show for once. Now be nice!"
"Fine," answered Shinichi, though his tone was obviously less than half-hearted. With a sigh, he faced the girl. "Ran-san, what do you want to do?"
Ran put her pointer finger on her chin for a moment, thinking. In a moment, she replied, hitting her fist to her open palm, "How about a video game? I have a couple of really fun ones! Do you like Gomera and Kamen Yaiba?"
"I've seen them before," he mumbled, trying to hide a bit of excitement at the thought of the games. He had wanted them, but his dad had refused him those as well... Video games rotted his brain, and he needed his brain to be a detective, but it didn't stop him from wanting to play. "I guess I'll try them."
"Yatta!" cheered Ran. "You'll have tons of fun, Shinichi-kun!" She took Shinichi's hand and started pulling him with her to her room, the former just maintaining balance as he was dragged across the hardwood floor.
Shinichi looked around the pale pink room; saw the tiny bed, the stuffed animals, the TV, and the large window. The moon outside was shining brightly- a beautiful crescent. As Ran set up the system, he examined the titles she had mentioned.
"Which do you wanna play, Shinichi-kun?" she asked, eagerly watching him look back and forth between the two in a moment of indecision.
"The Gomera game." He handed her the silver disc which she readily inserted into the drive.
She handed him a controller, along with a question. "What do you like to do, Shinichi-kun?"
"Huh? Me? Well, I like mysteries and detective stuff. I also like soccer a lot. But Gomera is one of my favorite movies! I've watched all of them," he explained, blushing as Ran giggled. "What's so funny?"
"My tou-chan's a police detective!" she replied, a childish grin on her face. "I like Gomera a lot too! I like karate and I go to lessons once a week! I'm a yellow belt!"
"What's a yellow belt?" Shinichi inquired curiously, forgetting his initial reluctance in the face of this curious girl.
"It's the second level. The first one's white belt. How often do you practice soccer?" she returned, wondering inside if he liked it as she loved karate.
"I play with my tou-chan about two or three times a week. He's good at goalie, but that's just because he's taller than me. When I get bigger, I'll score every time!" he declared, pressing buttons on the controller as the game started with its jingling show tunes.
"Do you think you could teach me how to play sometime?" asked Ran, causing Shinichi to blush again for reasons unknown to him. She paid no mind to it- what did it matter if his face went slightly crimson?
"Okay..." he mumbled, suddenly staring intensely at the screen as if trying to find a pixel that was out of place.
Yukiko watched the scene intently from a crack in the door, and smiled as she watched their steady progress. "I knew this would happen!" she announced to Yuusaku. "Look how happy our Shin-chan is!"
"Hmm? Is your son feeling better?" questioned Eri, joining Yukiko at the door. "Looks like they're having a good time," she commented after sneaking a peek at the happy duo.
"Eri!" shouted Kogoro from the kitchen, the acrid stench of charred fish emanating through the apartment. "The food is burning! You have to watch it!"
"Oh dear," said Eri, rushing back to the stove, and opening the lid to find what could only be defined as a catastrophe. "I wish I weren't so terrible at cooking; we usually get take-out, but since it was Ran's birthday I wanted to cook..."
"I'll help you, Eri!" offered Yukiko kindly, stepping over next to her friend. "I can cook a decent meal."
"Thanks, Yukiko," she replied, visibly relaxing when Yukiko took out the fish and started cutting off the blackened parts.
Half an Hour Later...
"Shinichi-kun! Ran! Dinner's ready!" called Kogoro from the dining room. The two children ran happily from Ran's room, chattering pleasantly.
"I'm going to beat you in the next game!" said Shinichi, sticking his tongue out playfully at Ran, rushing to the dinner table.
"No you're not, Shinichi!" she countered, chasing after him with her hands outstretched, making it seem as if they were playing tag. "I'm gonna win again!"
"Did you two have a good time together?" asked Yukiko when the two settled down in their seats.
"Yup! Me and Ran played 'Gomera'. It was fun, but I always lost," complained Shinichi lightheartedly, looking over at Ran.
"It's because he sucks at it!" she explained, causing another small, innocent argument with Shinichi which basically consisted of 'Will so!' and 'Will not's.
"So, Shin-chan," started Yukiko, a devious grin on her face. "Have you said sorry yet?"
"Sorry, Ran," he apologized, his voice hardly audible as he spoke.
"Ran?" repeated his dad, taking notice of the lack of honorifics. "You two got pretty close, didn't you? Switching from 'Ran-san' to 'Ran' in just half an hour!"
"Baro!" answered Shinichi, a pink tinge on his cheeks. "It's just easier to say because it's shorter!"
"Sure, sure," said his mom, rolling her eyes and laughing. Ran watched cluelessly, unaware of his mother's allusions.
Dinner was an even greater time for the little pair; they recommended their favorite foods, giggled when the other spilled their drink and meal, and continued their conversation. The adults continued to converse about them, occasionally butting in and asking them questions. It was clear that they had to arrange another playdate.
After they finished their dinner, the cake was brought out, lit by four bright candles. The top was covered in thin sheets of dark brown chocolate and deep red strawberries, the side smeared with generous amounts of icing. No wonder Ran had chosen it.
"Make a wish, Ran," said Eri as her daughter blew out the dancing orange flames. Ran closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together, clearly thinking hard.
"Happy birthday, Ran!" crowed Shinichi as they bit into the rich chocolate. The rest of the party was just as joyful, ending with the two falling asleep, leaning in on each other.
The present that had been intended for Ran lay forgotten in Shinichi's lap, but the former didn't care. She had gotten a greater gift than a toy; she had won a friend. And as for her wish? I wish Shinichi and I will be friends forever…
*Is my ShinRan convincing or is that not enough? Well, can't make it all that sappy seeing they're four year olds. *laughs* Imagine four year olds kissing. How OOC. Anyways, please leave a review!*