Unexpected Extraordinary Experience
This is for Poirot Café, on Themed Writing Competition #14: Supernatural
I'm sorry for the lack of vocabulary, and/or any tense errors, if there's any. English isn't my native language and I'm also just an amateur writer, who always have the miraculously weird imagination no one else but me could think of. XD
(Warnings - Ran-centered, Plot twist, and Sudden unrealistic emotion and POV swap.)
Summary – Mouri Ran was a person who feared ghosts and the supernatural in general. But what would she do, if she met with the ghost of her long lost friend. The person who she had been waiting for, was dead? Was it really him?
Prompts used - "Ghost" and "Cursed"
Words – 2,668
Have you ever heard someone call out your name, while actually, no one but you were there? Have you ever seen the mysterious light in the corner of your eyes at night? Have you ever been confused when you noticed your things aren't in the same place where they were before? Have you even ever believe in the supernatural?
Mouri Ran had never actually experienced these paranormal happenings directly. Though, she believed in the supernatural, in ghosts, and it scared her just to think about it.
Even so, her childhood and best friend always told her that ghosts didn't exist, that there had to be some scientific theory which could explain them, that they were human doings, and that they weren't real. But is that really the truth? Did he know for sure? That every one of them would be all explained through science?
Now she knew it wasn't entirely true...ghosts did exist. Only that everyone couldn't see or feel them because they apparently didn't want to be noticed, they just wanted to watch over the people they cared for, that they loved. So, how could she ever have the heart to fear, or hate them? Especially when the said ghost was the person she had been waiting for, hoping for, crying for... just for him to come back?
But why him? Why? Why did he have to die? Before she could reply to his confession in London no less! Now she couldn't say it anymore...because the confession couldn't bring him back from the dead. In the end, he wouldn't come back after all...
What she could do was to keep pretending she didn't really see him hovering or wandering in her apartment for the past three days now, she recalled.
Three days ago...
She had been absentmindedly washing the dishes after dinner. Her father would come back late, like usual, so now she was alone. Conan-kun didn't stay here anymore, not since he's gone back to America with his parent since a week ago. And now she already misses his presence. He's like a brother to her after all. But that aside, there's another thing she's still wondering about. It was on her mind for a very, very long time now...
When will Shinichi come back?
She had suspected Conan was Shinichi before, but that wasn't the case now, was it? Conan-kun went, but Shinichi didn't come back, just like he had painfully done a few times before. Just where was he?
After she finished her chores and such, she was heading for her bedroom, but not before glancing at her father's room. She really missed them, both Conan-kun and Shinichi. She felt empty without either one of them present, she could realize that much.
She opened her room's door and was going to enter before she suddenly felt a cold and chilly wind pass her body. The chill ran down her spine and she shuddered. How odd, the windows were closed, and it's just a short yet instant sensation. Why this cold feeling all of a sudden?
She looked back behind her and let's say...how very surprised she was, no, more like how shocked she was to see what really passed her just seconds ago. It was the transparent and ghostly figure she feared so much, walking the opposite way from where she's standing. And before it disappeared, she also saw that the ghost held a very familiar hairstyle, the one that belonged to the very person she'd always been waiting to see after all this time. That cowlick, that unique hairstyle, no way...
Now she didn't know what she should be scared of. The fact that she just saw a ghost, or that she recognized the said ghost to be her male childhood friend.
She stood there shell-shocked, not believing it. It couldn't be him! No...no! She didn't realize until later when she had calmed down from her grief that the fragile dam of her eyes had broken and the contents inside were continuously flowing down her cheeks. He would never coming back, never again...
She feared that if he noticed she'd acknowledged his presence, he would disappear on her again. No way she wanted that to happen.
But in the end, she couldn't fool him, she never could, really. And being such the deductive freak that he was (He couldn't possibly be able to solve a case in the ghost world, could he?) He could see through her, like he usually, no, always did.
"...So, you really can see me then?" Shinichi-no, the ghost- she still didn't believe that it's truly him -threw the question, which looked more like a statement to her.
They were now in the middle room of the apartment sitting (Eh well, in his case, he was floating) across from each other at one of the small short-legged dining tables which everyone would have meals together at. Everyone...? It's just her and her father now, isn't it? She quickly dismissed the dark thought out of her mind. As of now she was having to focus on another task at hand...
She wasn't really sure how to reply to the question and instead was glancing occasionally at him who was waiting patiently for her answer. Should she tell? Or not tell? Was there a reason to hide it anymore? She couldn't hide the fact from him, so she'd just accept it already!
"U-Um" She stuttered the word out, unable to say more than that before the sound got stuck in her throat. No way could she be able to completely get rid of her fear toward the supernatural. Seeing those eyes which held no such emotions, looking blank and empty. The face which was pale white and unreadable was quite scary to say in the least.
She saw his left eyebrow quirked up in a curious gesture, probably wondering why she said something with no familiarity mixed into the word at all. And right on cue, he said. "Are you scared of me? Should I leave?" Could he read minds? She didn't think so. After all, if that was true he wouldn't have inquired her to answer in the first place.
On instinct or maybe it's just her selfishness of not letting him go, she immediately voiced her protest. "No! I mean, I-yes, I am scared of you, but I don't want you to leave, at least not right now." Her voice was almost inaudible on the last part, but from his reaction, she assumed he had heard it anyway. Wait...heard...heard?
Now that she thought about it...why did his speech sound...so weird? And why isn't he saying her name at all? He usually calls a person's name to get their attention, especially if it's her. He seemed to be fond of calling her Ran a lot more after he started claiming to be on 'cases'. And she had noticed that since he started talking to her, not once had he called her name. Was it not allowed for ghosts to say names or something?
"Well actually, I can't go anywhere until after three days from now so, don't worry about it."
"Why?" She asked with a mixture of plain curiosity. He could only stay for a week? For what reason?
"Because I still have to go back to my own world." Shinichi- the ghost -answered her in quite terrifying, emotionless yet serious tone.
"Could you...not go?" She decided to ask, hoping he would be able to stay.
"Ran, you cannot be like this forever, you have to let me go. Find someone else who will not leave you like I did."
So he's really dead? But then why did she feel like something wasn't quite right? And that something else was going to happen?
"Yo! Ran!" Then there's a voice. A painfully familiar voice that had just called her name. And she was very sure it wasn't from this ghost person who was currently floating in front of her and working hard on glaring at the door.
And that was when all hell broke loose...
"Hey! I was trying to act out my given role! Not for you to just completely ruin it! You have absolutely no fun in you at all."
"Sorry for not being the rather dramatic type like you, oh Sir Drama Queen!"
"What actually...is this about?"
"Ah Ran, I-"
"I'm helping him while I'm stuck in...this." The other boy gestured to his still transparent form. "Now that you're back, can I go?"
"You're the one who caused this mess, Kuroba. So clear it up first and then you can go wherever you want."
"Fine" The messy-haired boy then completely turned to Ran, who was currently speechless at the revelation she had experienced in such a short time. "I deeply apologize, Mouri-chan, for my rudeness. The name is Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire, it's a pleasure to properly meet you." Then in a puff of smoke, a yellow rose was now in his extended right hand.
She shyly accepted the rose, to surprised that it was actually real. "So all this time, you were fooling with me?" She asked in the serious, demanding tone.
"What could I do? I thought you couldn't see me and...I'm only doing my job that your boyfriend pleaded me to do~" She was certain she could have sensed the provoking tone that statement held.
"I didn't plead!" Shinichi quickly retorted back.
Did he mean..? "Wait, did you say...boyfriend?"
"Yep! You two interact like a real couple, you know that?" He replied mockingly with cheer.
Upon hearing the comment, She and Shinichi both blushed madly. Like tomatoes in a red paint bucket on a velvet red floor.
"Ahem, can we discard this topic for now and instead get onto the problem at hand?" Shinichi suggested annoyed, wanting to escape from the embarrassing topic as soon as possible.
"Oh, right. Go on." It looked like Kuroba-kun wasn't pleased with the interruption, but he still decided to let the matter drop.
"So Ran, it was like this..." Shinichi started his-as she would call- explanation.
He told her the entire truth. Of him being Conan, the crows, everything he had been hiding from her. Then he followed up with the current event of this ghost look-alike. It all happened four days ago before he came to her house...
Four days ago...
Today was the day he was waiting for, the day he got to go back to being Shinichi! The Black Organization had already been taken down, and the permanent antidote was finally successfully made. He was so excited to finally be himself again after so long of being a first grader. That was something he's going to miss right after, but he knew he couldn't be stuck as being Conan forever. Ran was still waiting for Shinichi after all, and he must go back...for her.
Currently he was waiting patiently on a couch, for a certain someone to show up from her basement/lab. Hakase was now out shopping. Well, he didn't want the old man to hear his screams, so it's best that he wasn't here in the first place.
She came to him after a while...with a single pill in hand. "This last one will be more painful than the ones you've taken before, so you will have to give your body a week to adjust to the change first, then you're free to go, do you understand?"
"Fine..." He said with a grimace "...and thanks, Haibara" He quickly added with sincerity clear in the words.
"Goodbye, Edogawa-kun" Haibara said with as much as respect as she would allow herself to let out.
The farewell was exchanged, then he walked out of the house and went to his own. Goodbye, Conan.
...
After the painful gasps and loud screams later, he was lying on the floor beside the bed in his own bedroom, trying to focus his vision on the smirking girl who was gracefully standing at the open door.
"I will take care of you in this 'apparently' one week of doom, Kudo Shinichi." She said with the most evil and mischievous voice he had ever heard coming out of her mouth. Creepy...
"Oi, oi, cut it off already, Haibara" He told the still-a-child-scientist and reluctantly moved into sitting position, right hand on his temple, trying to lessen the dizziness which blurred his vision. Ouch, his whole body was painfully aching all over and the pounding headache was so irritating.
"There's someone who came to visit." Haibara suddenly stated after a moment of silence.
"Who-"
That said someone cut him off.
"Hey, Tantei-kun!...Or is it Meitantei-san now?" Kid- no, it's Kuroba now, came into the room with a snicker, clearly amused with at the scene in front of him. He looked so...wait, how did he enter when Haibara was still blocking the only entrance anyway?
Now that he tried to refocused, he saw something wasn't right with the teen in front of him. "What happened to your..body?"
There was a light scowl that came as a reply, followed with "She put a curse on me again, and the only people who know me can see me." and finished with a huff as he crossed his arms.
"Who? Oh, what did you do to Koizumi-san this time?" There's only one person who could do that, the creepy witch he'd met that one time. He had even fell to her charm spell once!
"I didn't do anything with her! I just happened to unintentionally dye Hakuba's hair purple while in her vicinity..." Kuroba sheepishly explained, looking away.
"That's the reason," He deadpanned. "How long?"
"A week, a WHOLE week." Ouch, poor ears.
"We are now in a similar predicament then, I have to be stuck in here for a week as well." Then a thought hit him. "Hey, Kuroba, could you do me a favor?"
"Why should I?" Kuroba quickly retorted, probably on instinct, because just a second after "...Wait, on second thought, what's the favor?" He asked. He never asked Kuroba anything as a favor before so he must be wondering what's it could be about now.
"Could you look out for Ran while I'm recovering?"
"Concerned for your girlfriend that much, huh~?" Seemed to be back on that mischievous side of his again, wasn't he?
"She hasn't known or met me yet, so...okay, I accept, 'cause I have nothing else to do anyways~" Kuroba cheerfully accepted to do his favor. Shinichi never thought it would be this easy to ask the no-longer-a-thief anything. Sounded suspicious but he had no choice at the time.
"So you agreed, just like that?" Ran asked skeptically.
"How should I know that if, you know me, even as someone else, that it would have caused me to be seen as well?" He whined dramatically to no one in particular.
How could she not resist feeling guilty about this? "Maa Maa, it's okay Kuroba-kun, I forgive you." Because she's too kind for that "But you Shinichi, we still have some things to clear." Well, not really.
She could hear the snicker of amusement in the background.
Oh, how fun it was to see the once brave Shinichi cowered away in utter fear.
And maybe, ghosts weren't that scary after all...
Don't know how it come to this, I mean, this was suppose to be an emotional fic, but suddenly Boom! The half-crack part was born out of nowhere!
It's crappy, I know. I've never written for the supernatural before so it kinda...failed XD
Special thanks to Neo-chan! (neonkoi) For beta-ed this for me!
And down below is the scene I was going to put in the story, but nah...I think putting it in here is better.
*The Extra*
• KaiShin? XD
"I did not plead!" Shinichi quickly retorted back.
"Did too!" Came the reply.
"Did not!" Shinichi stroke back again.
"Did too~!" Kuroba-kun cheerfully mocked in replied again as well. Should she stop this childish fight, Ran asked herself. Hm, okay then.
"Oh gosh, you two are so cute!" She burst off in a fit of giggles.
"What Ran?! I'm not cute!"
"Heh, didn't know that you were going soft! So, do you like him?" She looked at Kuroba-kun to indicate just who she meant for the dense Shinichi's sake.
"Heck no!"
(I'm one of KaiShin fans out there too, but I also love ShinRan as much as I love KaiShin, so this kinda...happened XD)