Angel
Chapter 3
He stepped out of the phone booth. For a moment, he stood as if frozen, gazing unwaveringly at the apartment. The distance that separated him from her…it was but a few meters… It was just a road he could easily cross. Yet… why? Why was it that the few meters before him suddenly seem to stretch impossibly long?
Not even aware of his thoughts or actions, seemingly an empty shell, the little boy made his way across the street as his legs brought him up the flights of stairs mechanically; bringing him to the front door he had grown used to seeing in that past year. Like a robot, he automatically reached into his pocket, drawing out a key which fitted into the keyhole, allowing him entry into the apartment he now recognized as his home.
The door swung open easily and smoothly. Apart from the dim lights thrown in carelessly by the streetlamps along the road outside, the room was unusually dark. Unusually silent too. Closing the door, the little boy stood outside Ran's room. And just a little awhile ago when he had been opening the lock to enter the apartment, this door, too, was closed. He didn't have a key to this door however. Was it even locked? He wasn't sure. He wasn't about to try. The imposing wooden door stood tall against his tiny frame, an evident reminder of his inability to open the door to Ran's heart.
The distance that separated them was barely a meter now. All that stood in the way was but a door. What about the distance that lay between their hearts? Could he ever reach her?
While the little boyfell numbly onto the armchair that faced the door to her room, Ran remained in her room still. She had been in her room all day long ever since her return from the hospital. Ever since the deliverance of that devastating news. It didn't event seemed real. So unreal in fact – as if she was living the life of a character from a story; as if this were all fiction.
Wrapped in her blankets, seated on the bed, she hugged the teddy bear even tighter. It had been a gift from Shinichi. She had been waiting for his return for what seemed like years. Despite the reports from the newspapers, about his the mystery shrouding his abrupt disappearance and the possibility of his death, she had always believed in his words – that he would return. He called often. His voice, though from miles away in some foreign land, kept her hopes alive. The suspicions that that might not be him, or that he was in some kind of a trouble had plagued her once.
Once. Not any longer.
She had chosen to believe in him. The picture of his return, of their reunion, was painted all too clearly in her mind. It was strange… She just assumed that they would always be together. He had never expressed his feelings, nor had she. Yet, what she had glimpsed in his eyes, seemed telling enough, of his feelings towards her. And for a very simple and sincere reason, she chose to believe in him and herself.
Yet now… she wasn't even sure any longer. She was no longer sure what to believe in.
As the impact of the news, of the day's events, of the happenings of the past months since signs of her illness had surfaced, slowly seeped in, there seemed to be a surreal quality about it all. Like some kind of a television drama or soap opera, she, the main protagonist was about to die. There were so many people out there who could be stricken with such an illness. Why her? Why? Was this fair? It all seemed so dramatic. That she, would be the one to die in such a cruel way at such a tender age, when the same fate could have befell upon so many others like her. And just like any fictional story or movie, there was the main question - Would she prevail in this battle against her sickness?
It was laughable. Was all this even real? It was as if she was standing from some corner, as an unconcerned third party, watching this poor innocent girl fall victim to an illness that was sapping her life away with every second. Could this really be happening to her?
Her eyes glanced towards the brown envelope containing her medical report, on the table. And as a frantic knocking sounded outside followed by an urgent harsh jangling of keys and a familiar voice sounded out words that made no sense to her, reality suddenly struck her hard like an unpredicted meteor falling upon earth.
She, Ran Mouri was diagnosed with brain tumor.
Her days were numbered.
Her remaining days were short.
And just as if the meteor had struck earth, the stars in the sky seemingly had their lights snuffed out like mere candles in the harsh winds, the earth cracked as the ground split.
Her world just fell apart.
Eri Kisaki opened the door rather violently as she stood stunned for a moment. Her normally fair complexion now showed a sheen of paleness. Even her usual impeccable neatness was ruffled as seen from the crumpled state of her clothes and the stray locks of hair that had fallen from the usually tidy bun she wore her brown hair up into. There was a frantic glimpse of panic that resided within her dark eyes.
"Conan?" she approached the little boy, her voice taking on a shrill tone.
"I heard… I heard… Ran… I don't believe this… I… Where is Kogoro? Ran… is she really?" There was something scary about this lady who usually had it all together as she walked with an imposing air of authority armed along with her cool demeanor. Yet all that seemed like a mask now as she, who had defended so many in the impartial court, now stood before the little boy, as she spouted incoherently, her eyes darting from left to right as if searching for someone.
The little boy remained silent, as if deaf to her words.
Then Eri Kisaki turned.
There seated behind the desk where he had received so many pleas and requests, was Kogoro Mouri slouched and sprawled all over the wooden surface in a drunken stupor, mumbling broken strings of words, "… Ran? Brain tumor… Eri… Three months? I… I…brain tumor… die… Ran… Ran…"
His words were audible enough to be heard in the still silence of the room. Audible enough to reach her ears, for her logical mind to put together the loose pieces of the puzzle. Eri Kisaki fell back onto the couch as a sudden weakening in her limbs threatened her stability. Her mind was in a whirl and her emotions were swarming her like a mob of insects streaming to drown her.
Yet in spite of all these, one thing stood very clear.
In the impartial court where life and death was decided, Eri Kisaki was virtually helpless in her case to defend for the rights of her daughter's life.
Helpless…
A/N: Hi! Long time no see! My exams are finally over and I am so not looking forward to getting my results back. Sorry for the long update! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review! Your comments are really helpful and mean a great deal to me! Thanks!
To
Fyliwion: Thank you! For some reason, whenever I watch the anime or read the manga, I particularly love the scenes where he talks to her in the phone booth… is it odd? x.x hehe… I'm not sure why I love those scenes but somehow I guess it's rather sweet…
Greatkid4869: Yea, I guess… I'm not sure if that part was a bit too ooc for Ran but I was trying to visualize how it might be in real life. I was thinking is quite difficult to muster up the courage to inform someone we love of such a news… so… I hope this chapter gives a good insight of her thoughts that might explain her actions… Thanks!
YumeTakato: heh… well this is under the angst genre after all... Hope you enjoyed reading it! Thank you!
DaisyAnimeluvr: Thanks for the luck and review! Hehe.. sadly I have a bad feeling about the outcome. Bleah… Thanks though.. hehe… Hope you like this!
Detective Girl 2005: lol… Thanks!
Koru-chan: Thanks! Yea, I hate that word too… I guess that's my motivation and inspiration for this story…
Shinichi's lover: Thank you for reviewing! Hmmm…. That will be in the later chapters – whether he tells her how he feels or not. Hehe…
Minette: Thank you! Your review gave me an idea for the story development! Thanks!
Colormyworld: Sorry for the long update! Thanks for the review!