*The second edited chapter, and I personally feel it has been improved at least threefold, seeing how much I stunk at writing the first time through. It's still shorter than a normal chapter, but I was basing it off the little I did, so I guess that's to be expected. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll take the time to review at the end!*
Chapter 2
Ran's POV
Shinichi, where did you go? I thought as I sat fidgeting on the couch, feeling the urge to just call him and confirm he was okay. He probably just thought I left without him, and decided to head home by himself. We were on different routes from Tropical Land at least.
Why am I so worried? I fretted silently, as my only company was my drunk father, who, at the moment, was in no condition to listen and even if he did, he wouldn't have cared- instead he'd have probably dismissed it as over worrying, making some lame joke about me getting gray hair or something. After all, Shinichi didn't always come back on time.
But his voice rang in my head, "Leave without me- I'll catch up with you soon!" Such carefree confidence, a smile on his face as he ran off into the shadows. Strange- all I'd seen there was a tall, bulky man dressed in black. Then I remembered the man had ridden the roller coaster with us. Perhaps Shinichi found him a suspicious character as he had so slightly hinted during his deduction.
Could it be that he ran into trouble with that man? My imagination took flight, creating some dozen variations of Shinichi getting seriously injured, Shinichi getting killed; playing the bloody scenes over and over like it was stuck on repeat. Torturing.
I need- I need to check on Shinichi, I thought, fumbling for the telephone. He- He'll answer me, and then we'll just have a big laugh over this whole fiasco. That's it, that's exactly how it'll go.
I tapped the numbers, numbers I'd long since memorized. I held the speaker quietly in my hands, leaning against the cold, hard glass of the windowpanes, staring out into the night.
There's a new moon tonight, I realized offhandedly, frowning as I recalled its supernatural meaning. It signaled death. Shinichi, you better pick up the phone, I'm going to kill you if you don't... I swear to god I'm going to strangle you...
The first ring, a second, followed by the third, all screaming that their master wasn't home. Come on, Shinichi! How long can you take to pick up a frigging phone? Dammit, just pick it up already! Please! I begged inwardly, my heart knowing that he wouldn't answer me.
It almost skipped a beat when I heard his voice, but I was disappointed when I realized my call had been sent to the answering machine. "This is Kudo Shinichi, famous high school detective, at your service. If you have a case for me, please leave your number-"
"Dammit!" I cursed as I slam the phone down. My father looked up at me in surprise, the telltale crimson blush across his face.
"What's wrong, Ran?" he inquired with a quizzical look.
"I'm going to Shinichi's house," I told him in an angry voice that sounded more like a command than a statement.
As I charged towards the door with fury and fear, the phone rang. Could it be Shinichi? It better be you, Shinichi, I seethed. Otherwise, I'm going to beat your stupid, arrogant, deduction idiot ass to a pulp...
"Hello, this is Inspector Megure." So it wasn't not Shinichi. However, the inspector's gravelly tone seemed to carry a sense of forboding, scaring me and sending cold shivers down my spine.
"T-this is Ran," I answered, my voice meek as I spoke into the phone, hearing it quaver as I shook with a sense of fear I had never felt before. "Did you want to talk to my dad, because, if you did, he's kind of drunk at the moment- I bet you can hear him in the background- I'll remind him to call you back later-"
"Well, I'd have preferred to have him tell you this, but it seems I'll have to deliver the bad news. I want to tell you right now that I myself have only just heard it and am on my way to investigate. Please try your hardest to react as calmly as you can." My breath came to a stop. I felt as if I already knew what he about to say, so sure, so afraid, struggling to keep from fidgeting.
"It's about Shinichi, isn't it?" I accused him, no emotion in my voice. There would be only one reason he'd call me at this hour, and
"Kudo-kun, well Kudo-kun..." he hesitated, making my heart flutter in a not-so-romantic way, instead, I could hear the blood pounding, make out each shaky beat as adrenaline raced through my tense body, but I understood my fight was already lost. "He's been found murdered at Tropical Land."
I had already known the answer, but my grip on the phone still went loose, dropping it as the words echoed throughout my thoughts. He's been murdered, called one ghostly whisper, He's dead, cried another. Tears started building up, spilling their heat as they overflowed and ran down my cheeks, like trails of burning fire. But they felt like ice to me, because they announced the cold, chilling truth, uncaring and undeniable.
I wiped away the moisture with my left hand, and my right lay on my mouth, covering it as I whispered, "Shinichi... You stupid baka..."
How could you? I thought, sobs racking through my throat, as I tried bitterly to keep them down. How could you die on me? I thought you cared about me enough to not leave... Why did you... Why did you...?
I refused to think the word, knowing the moment I did would be giving up, accepting the truth. And how could I? I could still see his smiling, cheerful face in front of me, his laughter as the soda spilled over us, leaving a sticky sweetness on our clothes and faces. The feeling of his hand in mine as I prepared for the hurtling drop of the roller coaster, saw his blush as I teased him, visions of Shinichi from just hours ago. Healthy, living, happy. Memories that would live with me forever.
"Ran-kun, Ran-kun." The inspector's voice emanated from the dangling phone, still bouncing up and down from my sudden drop. "Ran-kun, are you still there?"
"I-I'm here, Inspector," I murmured, grief staining my ragged voice as I picked up the handset. "It's just- it's just-"
"I know what you mean, Ran-kun," he replied sympathetically, a lighter hint of that same sorrow in his tone. "I can't believe it either. I'm sorry if this sounds preposterous, but I want you to come to the scene as a witness. You were going out with him today, is that correct?"
"Mm-hmm," I confirmed, coughing and tasting only salty moisture. "B- but I'm not sure if I want to come..."
"It's okay, you don't have to. Since you're a minor, it's perfectly okay for us to exclude you from the investigation-"
"No," I protested, my voice sure and steady. "I need to go. I think I might be able to help. Shinichi was my best friend and I need to see the person who killed him behind bars."
"If it's okay with you I guess... But- can you handle it? You'll have to see- you'll have to see-"
"I've seen corpses when I went to murders with my dad and Shinichi alike, Inspector," I informed him, a strange sense of confidence flooding through me. "I can handle it. I'm sure."
"I'm sending a patrol car to you, expect it in a few minutes." He pauses, filling the silence with awkwardness. It had to be hard how to figure out how to say 'goodbye' when you just delivered a message of death. "Bye, Ran-kun. I- I'm sorry I had to tell you." A clack from the other end signaled the call's end.
"So, what happened?" asked my dad, splayed out in his swivel chair, holding a can of beer. "Something 'bout that detective brat?"
"Shinichi's been murdered, dad," I said with an icy, tear-filled glare. "The police are going to pick me up soon so I can see the crime scene."
"Ran..." he replied, looking flustered underneath the blush. "I- I'm not sure what to say-"
"You don't need to say anything. I'll handle it by myself. So please, just let me figure it out..."
He shut up, allowing me a few moments of soliloquy to think. Shinichi, dead in Tropical Land, having never walked out of the park into safety. Shinichi, who had been laughing with me just hours before. Shinichi... The guy I fell in love with, my first and only love, the Romeo in my own play, starring me as Juliet... Shinichi, gone to me forever.
I cried for the next few minutes, his face, preserved in perfect detail, was fresh in my mind, the azure eyes shining, chocolate bangs falling unevenly, yet perfectly, across his forehead, his cocky grin, his signature know-it-all smile. It was like a photo, realistic, but lacking essence. I needed him to feel comfort, his spirit, his everything...
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and it was opened to reveal Officer Satou, a woman I'd met in Shinichi's investigations. "Ran-chan," she greeted me, giving me a benign, sad, almost tired smile. "Come with me- I'm your ride to Tropical Land."
"Okay," I replied, taking one last look at my dad, who was staring at me almost guiltily, as I exited the room.
Walking slowly down the steps, Satou-keiji made no attempt at conversation, keeping the quiet in place.
As we drove down the road, me riding in shotgun, the only sound was the gentle purr of the engine as we sped towards our destination. Shinichi, are you up in heaven? I wondered vacantly, wishing for a response from the shining stars. There was no answer, leaving me watching the skies for something, just something to distract me from the pain.
"Ran-chan, we're here," Satou-keiji informed me as the car came to a standstill. Hesitating, she continued, "You can still turn back you know. No one will blame you if you do."
"I'm staying. If not for the investigation, for Shinichi's sake. He deserves to have his killers caught. If there's any way I can help, I'll be willing to. There's nothing I won't do."
"I believe you, Ran-chan." Her confidence in me boosted my own, giving me the courage to step out of the car and face my fears. I had to accept this. You are strong enough for this, I tried to convince myself. Do it for Shinichi.
The last part was what fueled my legs and steered me towards the alley which I automatically knew was the scene of the murder, but even that enough wasn't enough to prepare me for what I saw. Had death been so utterly frightening before?
It wasn't that Shinichi looked scary- it was the concept of him lying so still with the dried blood on his face, mouth slightly open as if in a sigh, eyes closed, laying on his chest with his limbs spread out, hands still loosely grasping the crimson-stained grass. He could have been sleeping, his expression so peaceful, his body so relaxed. But the blood, his undeniable stillness, destroyed any chance of that hopeful belief. Shinichi, beyond a doubt, was dead.
From experience, I knew I was supposed to hang back, refrain from approaching him, but my body moved on its own, knees buckling as I reached him. I heard a protest, and then a 'Let it go', but they were distant. I could only hear the painful ringing in my ears, whisper his name over and over as my tears splashed onto my hands and pants, burning them.
I remembered just a day ago how I'd warned him of the danger of his obsession of becoming a detective, and his light-hearted reply. "Once you start, you can't stop! That's the feeling of being a detective!"
Was it worth it, Shinichi? I challenged silently, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. Was dying worth the feeling?
With no answer, I created my resolve. I will be the one to bring down the murderers who killed you. I will become the detective in your place, Shinichi. It all starts tonight.
*It's a lot better now, isn't it? I personally like the line 'Was it worth it, Shinichi? Was dying worth the feeling?' *laughs* That's the only thing I remember from this whole chapter. Please review!*
