Subaru sighed. It had been a long day. Conan had asked him to set a few things up, then supervise the outcome, just to be on the safe side.
That kid was something else.
Partially due to his fatigue, he headed straight for the guest rooms. He pushed open the one on the left by mistake and nearly dropped the book he was holding.
His eyes refused to tear away from the scene before him. There lay a woman, sleeping. She had long, black hair and seemed to be wearing all black.
That didn't bother him.
See, what really bothered him was the fact that she was there in the first place.
Alive.
"Ki ama..." He found himself whispering her old nickname. She shifted and he froze, unsure of what to do. Should he wake her up and question her or just leave her be and hope she stuck around?
He decided to let her rest and hope for the best, so he headed off to bed.
-next morning-
On his way downstairs, he noted she was still in bed, so he made two servings instead of the usual one.
She walked in, stretching just as he sat down.
She yawned, blinked a few times, then sat down across from him.
"Good morning," he greeted.
"Was it you that disturbed me last night?" She asked. "'Cause then you're definitely Akai Shuichi, though I can't imagine the circumstances that landed you in Kudo Yuusaku's residence."
So she knew, or had at least figured it out. D***, he should have just whaled her right then and there.
"I can't imagine what landed you in Kudo Shinichi's residence."
"I chose to crash here because Yukiko-san gave me the 'whenever' sort of leeway some years ago. I only made use of it now."
"My apartment burned down," he said shortly.
She nodded.
"So who are you this time and where's Jody-san?" Jodie-san? He didn't even know Jodie ten years ago!
"Name's Subaru. Jody believes some guy named Gin killed me."
"I see." She began eating, meaning the conversation was over.
"You're alive," he pressed. She set down her fork.
"Yeah. Somehow I got out of there in time, unseen, by some miracle." She sighed and shook her head. "That was too close for comfort."
"So, Kuroba Miki, what am I to call you now?"
A frown appeared on her so far expressionless face.
"I suppose you could call me Amarante. The general public seems to be satisfied with that one."
He smirked.
"Perhaps even more satisfied than they are with Subaru, maybe?" He joked. Finally, she cracked a smile.
"Quite possibly, I mean, how long has Subaru existed? A year, maybe?" He shook his head.
"Less."
"Amarante's had ten years to make an identity."
"You kept the same name?"
"It would be more suspicious to change it," she pointed out as she resumed eating. Subaru followed suit after adding:
"That is very true."
As they cleaned up after eating, Miki startled him by asking:
"How's Sher-Shiho-chan, doing?"
Subaru flinched, then stopped and turned,
"You were about to say 'Sherry.'" She nodded.
"I was fairly close with the family before s*** happened."
"No. You were involved."
"Yes."
"What was your codename?" She shook her head.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Miki emphasized her point by leaving the room, tossing an open soy sauce packet in his direction.
"See ya later!" She called, dodging the well-aimed chopstick, still coated in rice, on her way out the front door.
It ricochet harmlessly off the wooden door and rolled to his feet, leaving grains in its wake...
He sighed. That would need to be cleaned up before anyone came over...or she came back...
He had just gotten the shock of his life and knew Shiho would refuse to speak with him. Should he ask Conan? Actually, that might work.
His hand paused over the phone for only a moment.
No, he would wait. She would probably tell him soon enough, anyway.
Besides, the carpet needed cleaning...maybe he should get some laundry done, too...his shirt did catch some of the sauce as he threw the chopstick, after all...
* Miki *
Immediately outside, her old phone buzzed with a text message.
There were only two reasons why she kept it after that incident, one being that every so often, she received a text from her adorable nephew. After glancing to the side, she opened it and read the text:
Hey Auntie Miki!
Found your number again, buried away in the phone book. Mother informed me of your passing yesterday. Apparently I've been sending text messages to a dead woman (or some stranger) for the last ten years. Really sorry to disturb you. Maybe you left this plugged in at home and one of your friends is reading them. If so, I really hope it's Yukiko. She's so nice and fun, last I checked, anyway, which was after you died.
Been periodically living alone for a while now. Mom goes out almost all the time – Spain, France, America – and videos me when I get home from school. Whoever you are, you're probably very kind. I'd like to meet you, in fact. How does this Saturday at ten at the abandoned warehouse by the dock sound? It's a place she spoke with father about secrets, or so mother told me. Please come. I would be very disappointed if you didn't.
Sincerely,
Kuroba Kaito.
A smile lit up her face as she read it. Of course she would come! He was an excellent keeper of secrets, last she checked, and he learned from the best in the trade: his parents.
Then she stopped. If he learned about her past, who tried to kill her and her connections, he would press further.
Now she was undecided.
Everything would hang on her experiences for the next week.