Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan.

Word Count: 1,107

A Day in Autumn:

Chapter 2: Passing

She blearily opened her eyes, which now seemed to be filled with sand. Slowly lifting her head, a dull ache began to throb behind her neck as it was stretched from its cramped position on the desk.

"I'll be feeling that later," a voice muttered in the back of her head. For the sake of convenience and sanity, she quickly banished that thought along with all the other complaints her body supplied her with and set about turning on the computers in the dim lab and refilling her abused-24/7 coffee mug. She glanced around as the computer monitors began lighting up, and noted that the time was already 8:00 A.M… She had something to do… but she couldn't quite remember…-

"Akemi!" the name escaped her mouth before she was even aware. They would be able to meet for two hours today at 8:30, and she was already behind!

"How could I have been so careless…?"
Several answers relating to overwork and sleep deprivation appeared in her mind, which she strove to ignore as she got ready. She would just have to get ready a bit faster, and that was all there was to it.

And so it was that at 8:25 A.M. Shiho was striding rapidly to her car… or where her car should've been. She froze for a moment before remembering that she had had to leave it at the park the night before.

"You can't be serious," she muttered, staring angrily at where her car should have been. She broke into a run down the side of the road. The lab was on the outskirts of town, which meant she probably wouldn't find a taxi in the area, and it would take her about ten minutes to reach the shopping district. She would have to get a taxi there, then, and the taxi could probably get her to the café in about five minutes, so… if she was lucky, she could still get there around 8:40… if she was lucky. Was she ever lucky though? No, not really, not at all, it seemed sometimes. Still, doesn't everyone deserve a break every once in a while, maybe?

"It would certainly be a nice thing to have, for once," she thought wearily as she began to slow down, having reached the busier section of the city. She began to weave through the small groups of people along the walks, thankful that it was mostly empty this early in the morning.

Hailing the first taxi she found, she began forcing herself to relax. No need to worry her sister as well, assuming she had waited, which she probably had. It wasn't in Akemi's nature to give up on her so easily. Shiho allowed a small, rueful smile to appear on her face at the thought as she thought of the best way to apologize to her wonderful elder sister. She knew Akemi wouldn't be mad, maybe a little irritated, but nothing more than that. She couldn't actually remember a time in living memory when Akemi had gotten mad at her. She was just that kind of person, much better than herself.

She began to squirm as the taxi came closer and closer to the café they would be meeting at. What would she say when she saw her again? It had been several months since she had last spoken face-to-face with her sister, but not a whole lot had happened. She continued her research in the organization, remained pessimistic about life and… that was it.

She jerked her head up when the cab stopped and looked up at the expectant taxi driver. Taking a slow breath, she paid the cabbie and slowly stepped out. She forced her muscles to relax, determined to remain calm. No reason to make Akemi worry about her more than necessary, or at all, for that matter.

After one more slow breath, she entered the small little café calmly, quickly seeking Akemi amongst the small group of people already inside. It was a small place, but obviously well-cared for by the owner. All the tables looked clean, and the white tile floor glimmered. It had obviously been cleaned very thoroughly earlier, as it probably always was.

She was disrupted from her observations a moment later when she caught sight of her sister, waving her over from a small booth near the window, a bright smile already lighting her face. Though she didn't show it, Shiho was thrilled to see her again, and subconsciously sped up her pace as she walked over.

"You made it!" Akemi squealed excitedly. "I was a little worried at first. You're never late!"

"I overslept," she replied, revealing a rare, somewhat embarrassed smile. "I was up a little too late last night at the computers."

"You're always working too late in the lab! If you don't get more rest, you're going to break down, you know," Akemi frowned disapprovingly, but it only lasted a moment. "More importantly," and she leaned slightly as she spoke, "I heard there was a little trouble recently. Are you doing alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Shiho replied, shrugging her shoulders, "It was nothing to worry about. Vodka is already taking care of it."

"I see... Well, as long as you're alright, I won't complain," Akemi said at last. "Anyway, what else is new? A lot has been going on with me lately! You wouldn't believe it!" Akemi said happily.

"That's good," Shiho allowed a small smile to once again appear on her face. Her older sister was happy; she couldn't ruin it by making her worry for her now! As long as things stayed like this, she wouldn't complain.

***

"So… still no idea as to who discovered our little late night meeting, I take it?

"Nothing yet," Gin growled, "But it can only take so long. Vodka's out gathering information now, and I'll be joining him after this report, as ordered."

"Very well," the man replied after a moment, "Don't take too long about it, however. At a time like this, the last thing we need is cracks in our security. Make sure the culprit is found and dealt with… anything on the prodigy detective?"

"I'm still looking into it. It'd be a mistake to kill someone with so much publicity in the field of detective work. Police would naturally suspect foul play right away."

The man nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I suppose that's true. However… if he is guilty, make sure you spare him nothing!"

"Yes sir," Gin nodded with pleasure. "I will be sure to deal with him efficiently and quickly if necessary."

"Good," the man nodded once more, "then you are dismissed."

Hey everyone! Sorry that took so long, seriously... There were a couple reasons why, but still, I probably could've gotten it done sooner, so, I apologize. On another note, I would like some input about this chapter. When I typed it, it felt like I was moving too slow, but after I read it, it almost seemed like I moved it too fast, hmmmm. Ah well, as always, constructive criticism (or a nice pat on the back :P) is always appreciated, so thank you for reading!