Distressed

I don't own Detective Conan or any of the characters

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Chapter One

It's quite ironic really when you think about it, the first room he saw was the firing rage, and he just walked straight in. he had failed, his witness, the person he had promised would come out alive, has died, shot to be exact. I don't think he's been through this before, losing someone that is, he's taking it a little too hard though, a little…too personal. Looking through the clear glass, he was in his adult form. His black leather jacket was torn all the way down his right shoulder, his white shirt graphitized with hot, thick blood. A cut down his left cheek and a deeper one right across his chest, but those didn't seem to hurt him for some reason. I could see Ran trying to 'make him feel better' not much progress there though. She gave up about 10 minutes later, she walked out with a face full of uncertainty and fear. Hattori and his girlfriend, Hakase, the sleeping Kogoro, Suzuki, Kudo's mom and the FBI, all carried the same worried face.

"I've never seen him like that, he just keeps saying that he's fine"said Ran

What happened wasn't Kudo's fault though, the man sacrificed himself for the cause, Kudo knew that, well should know that but giving the circumstances anyone with a reason would have done the same, including me.

Dawn was breaking, the sun climbing up the horizon. The darkness left in the sky was being stripped away by the light of its rays. A warm day approaching, erasing the traces of a dark stormy night, a night where we almost lost everything. I tried to look away, to keep a straight face, pretend to be occupied with the little thread hanging off my shirt. My mind was occupied alright, but all I could think about was him. His sight was plain disturbing and quite honestly pathetic, a man gave up his life for justice and peace why can't you just respect his decision and why the hell are you taking it so personally. With all that said, I can't deny the tears that wanted to form around my eyes, seeing the one person who means the world to you in such state honestly no one should ever experience that. I didn't dare look at him again for I knew that one more look at him and I don't think I would've been able to keep this façade or the tears from running down my cheeks for much longer.

"why don't you try talking to him " it was Kudo's mom who said that, and she was talking to me. It wasn't a question nor was it demand, it sounded a lot like favor. The way she said it, she truly believed he was going to open to me and Just like that, all eyes were on me. Confusion, that's what I saw in their faces, well except for Hakase and Kudo's mom of course. The nature of the relationship Kudo and I have was still unknown to them. The whole day we pretended to be strangers, you know for safety reasons. He introduced me as a coworker from overseas with the name Julie Webb, which I never approved of, crazy to think the grin I saw on his face when he said it was mere hours ago. So naturally, I was a complete stranger for all they knew.

"why me? " I said, still taken aback from her request but she just smiled in return. I looked over at Ran, she had a 'why-the-hell-could-she-get-to-him-if-I couldn't' face. A minute had passed on complete silence, I don't know why I was so nervous about talking to him, I guess it was fear of the unknown. Fear that I may fail which is a huge probability. Mostly though, it was Kudo's mom. For some weird reason which I still don't understand, I didn't want to let her down. Releasing the thread I was toying with the whole time without notice, taking a deep breath I took my first step.

My hand was reaching for the doorknob when I stopped, turned to Jodie

"give me your gun" I said

Okay probably not the first thing you want to say before walking into a room with an emotionally distressed person, although Kudo's mom didn't seem bothered-unlike the others including Hakase- she just kept on smiling and if possible she seemed even more relaxed.

"No!" that was Ran, I don't think she trusted me with her boyfriend, especially with a gun in hand. I couldn't blame her.