Sky: I began with the English version of the names 'cause I was watching the English version of the anime, but then decided that more people would probably read this if it had Japanese names instead, so I changed. But I'm too lazy to change and re-download all of the other chapters, so if you want to start with Japanese names, start at Chapter 7. I might change the rest later on…..I dunno. Please bare with me!
Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan/Case Closed.
Chapter One – Rachel
It's been too long, I think. Too long...
I'm startled out of my dreamy state by Conan, who plops down next to me and starts reading a Sherlock Holmes book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (Conan claims his dad was a fan of his books.)
Suddenly, I'm hit with realization: Jimmy loved his books too! In fact, he seemed obsessed with them at times; with the way he goes on and on about Sherlock Holmes and has every single book Sir Arthur Doyle wrote about him in his house.
His house. It's been so long since I've been in there. Too long...
Jimmy has disappeared for almost three months now. We had been at Tropical Land that day when he ran off, saying that he'll catch up with me later.
But he never did.
It wasn't until he was gone did I realize how much I missed him. He always had that self-centered aura around him, but he had always been there for me….ever since That day.
We were five and had only been in kindergarten for a few months. Jimmy and I didn't know each other back then; we barely paid the other any attention at all, in fact – we had our own batch of friends to play with. Besides, we were the opposite gender and boys were determined to have "cooties" back then.
It was lunchtime and I had been allowed to buy lunch that day. But I couldn't.
Because my lunch money was gone.
I was brooding over my problem while we were walking single-filed to the cafeteria when I overheard something. Brett – a particular mean boy in our class (we hadn't learned the word "bully" yet) – was laughing about "borrowing" some money with his cronies (but we had learned about "cronies", apparently).
"She's such an easy target," Brett was saying. "I mean, all you have to do is sit next to her and slip your hand into her bag; and, bingo! You have the money." This is getting weirder and weirder. "Maybe you can try it next time, Zeke." He nodded to a boy who was shaking his head frantically. "That's what I thought; I'm the only brave one around here." You're also the only dumb one. "Fine. It doesn't matter. Too bad she buys only once every six months or something. Do you think her family has financial problems?"
They were laughing when they entered the cafeteria.
My face was burning with shame by then. I tried to distract myself from Brett and his gang, but with Serena – my best and only friend back then – sick with the stomach flu, it was just too hard to do.
Until Jimmy sat down next to me.
"I believe this belongs to you." He acted all business and professional-like when he slid something across the table to me; like we were making a transaction or something.
It was my lunch money.
"How did you –?" I began.
Jimmy shrugged. "I have my ways."
He was a detective even back then, I realized years later.
"How can I thank you?" I was bubbling with delight that a boy who's never talked to me would help me.
"Be my friend," Jimmy said simply.
It was a weird request – why would a guy in the center of attention want to become friends with a lonely girl; especially at the age of five? – but I fulfilled it nevertheless: Jimmy and I were inseparable ever since.
"Rachel? Rachel?" I blinked back to reality – again – to find Conan practically sitting on me; waving his arms wildly.
"Conan?" I mumbled.
"Oh, finally," Conan muttered to himself. "Your flashback took more time than usual, you know."
"Flashback?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah. You had that faraway look in your eyes."
"Really? How did you know?" That kid sometimes really surprises me.
"Because your eyes looked like they're focused on nothing and you looked like you were back in dreamland," Conan explained. "By the way; may I ask who you were daydreaming about?"
"Jimmy," I said dreamily. "I was remembering the day when we first met in kindergarten."
I saw a hint of recognition in Conan's eyes; but how could he remember something that happened before he was born – particularly since it was highly unlikely he was even there at the time? Besides, he's a relative of Dr. Agasa's – one of Jimmy's neighbors – whose parents are out of the country and left him with Dr. Agasa. But….. but….something still isn't right…..
"Rachel? Rachel?" It was Conan's voice – yet again – and I realized that I had "wandered off" again.
"Sorry," I apologized.
Conan still seemed restless when I left him on the couch to wander around aimlessly.
I had been to my room and was halfway past the living room/Dad's office when something in Dad's trash bin caught my eye.
It's algebra written on a piece of notebook paper. They're some of the exact ones I learned in the beginning of the junior year; when Jimmy was still around.
I didn't know who wrote this or why, but I did know one thing right then and there:
The handwriting was almost identical to Jimmy's.
Sky: R&R? Please?