Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…
A/N: Let's play a game, shall we? In this chapter, there are 3 references to Harry Potter, so if somebody spots them, please tell me and I will send cookies and love to you! :) I'd also like to give a shout out to everyone who favourited and/or followed this story, and especially to Guest (I really want to know who you are!), Xabarin, Crazyforshinichi and Nen91, because your reviews were wonderful and they made me so happy. Thank you! I really hope every one of you will enjoy this chapter as much! :)
To everyone else, thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you too! Enjoy! :)
Run
Chapter 3
Promise me
After several deep breaths, Ran was not on the verge of crying anymore. She felt that she could praise herself because she had gotten a little better about that in these last years. She got up from the sofa looking for non-trivial things to do capable of distracting her, but she didn't find many in such a tiny inn room. She approached the desk and poured water in a kettle to heat it and prepare some lime blossom tea, wincing when her lips came into contact with the hot liquid.
A very small part of her could understand why Shinichi was acting like this. She knew that his desire to protect her at all costs came from a very good place in his heart, and that it was indeed the same part of him that hadn't wanted to tell her about Conan, but this sense of chivalry of his was getting ridiculous now. Maybe the next time he came through the door she should just punch his lights out, and then beat some sense into him.
Why was it so difficult for him to accept? They had been a team before, while growing up. All the petty thieves, they had fought together. They had solved cases and cracked riddles and mysteries together. And even when he had been Conan, she had always acted like an older sister ready to help. Why didn't he understand that she would give her life for him as blindly as he would give his for her? Why did she always have to stand on the sidelines when it mattered? Didn't he trust her to stay alive? She wanted to end this nightmare, once and for all, because it hadn't only been a nightmare for him. She had been part of it when he was Conan, and she was part of it now that they had fled together. Stupid suiri-otaku…
Ran decided that maybe some jogging would get her mind off things, because at the time she just wanted to kick something to the outer world. And if she continued thinking like that, she would be forgiving him faster than she was intending.
A knock on her door interrupted her train of thought. Not even 20 minutes had gone by since Shinichi had left but, apparently, he had come back. Well, he had better have the apology rehearsed and learned, or he would have another thing coming.
When she opened the door, she found two men dressed in black on the other side, identical smirks on their faces.
"Hi, Missy. Your boyfriend left you, huh? Ready for some fun?" asked the one on the right, holding a stun gun in his hand. The other man was pointing a handgun at her.
She looked at them for a moment, at both guns, and then returned her eyes to their faces. Her face grew serious.
"Always," she replied.
[…]
Shinichi drove for 5 minutes, arriving at a clearing in the middle of the forest of Nagano. He had followed the directions that Vermouth had told him over the phone, right after his nap in the morning. His stun-gun wristwatch read 6:59 pm, so it shouldn't be much longer until Vermouth appeared, he thought, while leaning on his car. Directing his eyes at his wristwatch again, the thought occurred to him that he didn't actually know why he was still wearing it, when it only served to remind him of one of the most awful times of his life. He supposed he had some kind of attachment to it, but he couldn't be sure.
And while he waited for her, another thought developed. How had everything come to his trusting Vermouth to escape the Boss' clutches? Two years ago he wouldn't have doubted to send her to prison, as the ruthless assassin she was. But everything had changed when she prevented Ran encountering certain death at Gin's hands. Then, he didn't have the heart to hate her as much anymore. He owed Ran's life –and his– to her, after all. So he let her go. When she went away, she left her number written down on a note. In case of an emergency, she had said while dropping it on his hand. He hadn't heard about her in two years. He would have rather not given her a thought.
He had to wait 3 more minutes until a black car pulled over in the same clearing. A woman came out of the car, her blue eyes and blond hair shining in the scarlet light of the evening. She sported the same knowing smirk that she used to show years earlier, as if everything was going according to her own plan.
"Hello."
"Hello, Cool guy. Skip the pleasantries. Tell me everything you know."
Shinichi braced himself, breathing deeply, and began speaking.
"I met Ran at a case that happened at the Hospital she's studying in, and there I met a member of the staff, Sakurama-san, who congratulated me on destroying the Organization. The strange look he gave me when I left had been irking me a bit, but then I realised that Sakurama is an anagram of Karasuma. I panicked, I called you and went to find Ran, and she didn't believe me until we saw that the Karasuma Renya had texted her I've got you now. We don't know if Sakurama-san is indeed Karasuma, but the truth is that the Boss is chasing us down."
"How is Angel?" Vermouth asked, concerned.
"Currently she is mad at me…" he replied, ruffling his hair. "We disagree on how to approach this."
"She's a strong girl."
He didn't know why, but he was reminded of Haibara telling him exactly the same thing at some point two years ago. He managed to reel in the comment that was threatening to come out of his mouth, since he didn't know where Haibara stood in Vermouth's list anymore.
"I know she is, but she wouldn't win against a gun."
Vermouth studied him, and Shinichi felt like he was sinking in the ground under her calculating gaze.
"Do you remember the Halloween party?" Vermouth asked. "She protected Sherry from my gun."
"What? She did what?" Shinichi yelled, outraged. "Why didn't you tell me that?"
"It was not my place to tell," she replied simply, shrugging her shoulders.
That might be true, but the little smile she was displaying did nothing but unnerve and infuriate him. He couldn't help losing his temper a bit.
"Don't give me that. How could you? You shot your gun at her?"
"I wanted to kill Sherry, but Angel appeared out of nowhere and stood in my way. She was fine afterwards, wasn't she? She's very resourceful, she's a bright girl, and she can take care of herself, even better than you."
"Vermouth, I don't…"
"Look, when we took down the Organization, before I fled, I promised your mother that I would see to your safety. To the safety of the both of you. That's why I gave you my number. Something told me we hadn't seen the end of it. And I will die trying. I owe you both my life, and not just once."
"But I did not get Ran not involved the first time for her to be involved now!" Shinichi cried.
"She is involved, whether you like it or not. Whether you want to accept it or not," Vermouth replied, her tone firm.
It was hard, but he couldn't argue with that. He opted for a change of topic, partially to spare him of having to consider that maybe he needed Ran for this more than he cared to admit.
"Anyway, I need to get rid of my car."
"You can take mine, and I'll take care of yours," she said opening her palm, inviting him to exchange their keychains.
"Have you thought about what we can do to stop him?" he asked.
"Not yet. I have a few ideas, but they will take time. We can do nothing but hide until we know where he is. I can go to Beika to investigate this Sakurama-san you mentioned. In the meantime, go to my house. It's in Amakoyama," Vermouth proposed, fishing for her keys in the left pocket of her trousers.
"You don't mind?" he asked, already opening his hand to grab them.
"No. It's better if you disappear for a while as I did. Nobody will find you there," she said while typing something on her phone. "I've just sent you the coordinates."
Shinichi took out his phone and looked at the screen, but he wasn't convinced. It all seemed too easy. He couldn't stop himself from running all the possibilities where this could go wrong in his head, and it showed in his furrowed brow.
"Don't you trust me?" she asked, a sly smirk on her face.
"I trust that you want to keep us saf–"
Suddenly, he was overcome with a sick, worried feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't felt like that in a long time, so it left him a little uncertain. It was building, building, until…
Ran!
Her worried face had appeared in his mind, and he knew then what it meant.
"I have to go! Ran's in danger."
He rushed to Vermouth's car, sitting in the driver's seat and stepping on the gas pedal after a second. He didn't even look back. He could just hope Ran was safe.
Vermouth, however, couldn't help smiling. This Kudo Shinichi, she thought, he was Kudo Yukiko's son alright, a passionate and dedicated young man, with an annoying tendency to head straight into danger without pondering any consequences, and it was even more recklessly so when she was involved. She only hoped he would be able to see through the blindfold of love, because he needed her. He needed her desperately to make this work.
Well, she had work to do, she couldn't be wasting time thinking about stubborn detectives. Sighing, she stretched out her arms before taking his car back to Beika. This would be a long journey…
At the same time, Shinichi was already racing to the door of the inn, going up the stairs two at a time, to come to a halt before the door of her room. He looked at both ends of the corridor, and not a voice was heard, making his hair stand on end. He went silently into his room for a moment to retrieve the handgun he had left in his bag, and then made his way to her room. Bracing himself, while a feeling of dread was settling in his heart, he opened the door.
"Ran, are you o–?"
He stopped speaking when he felt the air leaving his lungs, as he was pushed backwards from his abdomen and against the other wall of the corridor, making him land on his back. His eyes widened considerably upon seeing that Ran was at the door of her room with her leg up high, a subtle expression of pain on her face. It didn't take a detective to know that she had used one of her powerful kicks on him.
"Oh my god, Shinichi!" she cried, approaching him with worried features.
"I'm okay, I'm okay. I just need to get my lungs working again," he laughed, while he rubbed his stomach with his hands to dissipate the pain.
"This is not something to joke about! I could have killed you! How come you didn't dodge it?"
"I'm sorry, but I wasn't expecting Miss Kanto Karate Champion to lunge straight at me!" he yelled at her. He inhaled to calm himself, and asked: "What happened?"
"Two men came after you left. I guess they were henchmen of Karasuma. They wanted to take me with them."
"Where are they now?"
"Out cold, and their hands are tied," Ran replied, pointing to the inside of the room where two men laid on the floor.
He didn't say anything else. He would never admit that he was speechless, since he hadn't been expecting Ran to be capable of such thing. Well, he knew she could, theoretically, but to see it with his own eyes… He got up from the floor and went into the room, looking at the both of them. Indeed, the imprints of Ran's feet and fists were on different parts of their bodies. A shiver ran up his spine when looking at the two guns that rested on the floor at their side. He got down to take hold of them, giving the handgun to Ran and keeping the stun gun for himself, as he still had his handgun with him.
He needed a moment to take it in. He could have lost her right there, he realised. If he hadn't felt Ran in danger, he wouldn't have come back to her aid as fast. Of course, her karate had prevented further damage, be it physical or emotional, but she shouldn't have needed to use it in the first place. He should have taken her with him, he should be at her side at all times. Indeed, it was Ran that Karasuma wanted, not him, or at least that was what it seemed after him presumably infiltrating the hospital and sending that text to Ran. It was just lucky that these two hadn't stood a chance against her, but maybe Ran wouldn't be so lucky the next time. He couldn't help looking at her with wonder, as if he were seeing her for the first time all over again, while he tried his hardest to refrain himself from hugging her right there.
"You're okay, right?" he asked, instead, standing, directing a worried glance at her.
"Yes, but I think I sprained my ankle a little fighting them," Ran replied sheepishly.
"Don't worry. I'll tend to it when we arrive at location," Shinichi smiled.
"Oh, we're moving?"
"Yes. We're not safe here, as you've, um, seen," he finished after a moment of hesitation, pointing to the two men lying on the floor with his foot. "Vermouth is lending us her house for a while. Take your things; I will call the police and inform Takami-san."
With everything that had happened to them in the last minutes, neither of them seemed to remember that they had ended their previous conversation at each other's throats.
[…]
After making all the necessary arrangements, both were walking to the parking lot, although Ran was limping a bit. She didn't protest, but Shinichi couldn't help sending her a worried side-glance.
"New car?" Ran asked, stopping when she saw that Shinichi opened the passenger's seat door of a black car that she didn't remember driving to the inn with.
"It's Vermouth's. The bullet holes in mine were not exactly inconspicuous, so…"
"Figures."
He also got in and started the car to drive through a ground road into the lush forest.
They braided a conversation discussing non-trivial things, like family, friends and respective jobs. Word by word, while Shinichi was driving them to Vermouth's house in Amakoyama, the old Shinichi and Ran were leisurely coming back. Ran was visibly cheerful, considering that she had been forced to leave Beika to save her life and had been attacked by two madmen just one hour before. She had also phoned her father to let him know they were okay, keeping the conversation short and to the point, since Shinichi had advised her against disclosing where they were heading, in case the phones were tapped. Kogoro had told her that he and Hattori were moving too, so Shinichi supposed that what had put that beautiful smile on her face was the feeling that this was going to be over soon.
"How is he?" Shinichi asked, referring to her father, when she hung up.
"He very much wants to kill you," she giggled, "but he wants to do it himself, and that's code for wanting the both of us to come back safe."
"He's a good old man," he smiled, looking out of the corner of his eyes at her. She was facing down, directing her gaze at her hands in her lap. "Why haven't you told him about those two?"
"I don't know. I didn't want him to worry too much, I guess."
He didn't think her reply granted any response. Returning his eyes to the road ahead, he smiled.
"And… I think we're here."
Ran also lifted her head, seeing how a beautiful cottage was appearing among the trees and vegetation. Ran was amazed that something this beautiful could lay hidden in that part of the forest. They got out of the car, Shinichi taking their two bags once more. She tried her best not to limp, but he saw right through it.
"Do you need help?" Shinichi asked, concerned, while he searched for the keys of the cottage in his pocket.
"No, no, I'll be fine," Ran replied, waving her hand.
The both of them entered the house, a little living room welcoming them. Ran was busy looking at every corner, but she heard Shinichi addressing her.
"You stay put. I'm going to search for a medicine cabinet. Be right back."
She only hummed in response, seeing him going up the stairs with their two bags. She then sat down on the comfortable brown sofa that seemed to be inviting her to do so. She had some more time to inspect the living room from there, noticing that the decorations and room were very austere, although they did give her a cosy warm feeling. Only for a minute, she allowed herself to not think about what had brought them here.
When Shinichi returned, he only smiled and approached her, offering her a painkiller and a glass of water. She muttered a quiet thank you, while he got down on one knee in front of her. He cut a section of a compression wrap, placing it behind her toes, and wrapped it around her foot, heel and ankle.
"You're actually good at this," she praised him, startled. After all, it had always been her dressing his wounds.
"Why the tone of surprise? I had to teach myself a few things when… you weren't there," he said, unable to hold her gaze, so he focused on the task at hand. He hadn't intended that to come across as a reprimand, it was just stating a fact, and thus he felt the need to clarify. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."
"No, I know. Things happen," she replied nonchalantly.
No more words were exchanged until he finished his work.
"Done!" he announced, getting up and sitting with her on the sofa.
A mildly uncomfortable silence settled then between them until Ran realised that she had yet to ask how his meeting with Vermouth had gone.
"Has she thought of any plan?" she asked, and elaborated when seeing his confused expression. "Vermouth?"
"Oh, yeah. No, not really. She will go back to Beika to investigate. Maybe we could have thought of something, but I left her there…" It was his turn to elaborate now. "I felt like I needed to come back to the inn, so..."
"Why?"
"Hm," he began, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I don't know why or how, but I guess I've always been able to feel if you were in danger, if you… If you needed me. Somehow." His hand came to scratch the back of his head, betraying his nerves.
"Wow, I didn't know that…" Ran hesitated then, looking at her hands, wondering if she should tell him that something similar had happened to her in the past. She really had nothing to lose now, did she? "But I guess I understand what you mean," she began, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "There were times when I felt you shouting at me, warning me about something. Maybe I was just imagining it, but…"
That honest statement, together with the soulful shy look she was giving him, made his heart skip a beat, and compelled Shinichi to disclose something he really hadn't planned on telling her anytime soon.
"In fact, it's weird but… This morning I went to your house because I had a nightmare about you telling me that we were in danger, and then I thought about Sakurama-san and, well, you know the rest."
"Really? That's something…"
She really couldn't find the words to describe something like that. She couldn't exactly say that it was unexpected, however. She had known that she could hear him sometimes, feel him, but she had been naïve enough to think that it was only on her part, as if it was a fickle of her imagination. It hadn't been the case, apparently. And she did not know how to feel about that piece of information, if she was honest with herself.
"You hungry?" he asked, needing to do something to distract himself. "Maybe we should eat dinner?"
"Yeah!" Ran replied, actually glad that his stomach had saved her from having to search for an answer she might not be ready for. "What are we having?" she asked, looking at how he was standing up from the sofa.
"I'll search the shelves. You stay here," Shinichi said, raising his hand upward to make her stop.
"Shinichi, my ankle's not broken, you know?" she said, standing up too. "You can't stop mothering me now."
It was right then that her ankle twisted a little, a movement that would, by all means, have sent her straight to the floor, if it hadn't been for his arms that caught her by the waist in the nick of time.
"Oh!" she cried, grabbing his arms to steady herself.
She couldn't help looking up at his handsome face. She felt his hands burning her where he was touching her waist, and a tingling sensation stemming from there to reach all the corners of her body. She felt the heat getting to her cheeks, and she was sure she was blushing as badly as he was, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. Her heart flipped, a suspicious flutter settling there just afterwards. He also couldn't do anything but stare at her, with an expression of longing she scarcely saw, one that moved something inside of her. Her brain was trying to reboot, and she realised that she needed to put some distance between them if she didn't want to do anything she might regret afterwards.
"Dinner?" she asked, breaking the moment.
"Yeah," he said, gulping, removing his hands from her waist. He even took a step back to be sure. "Sorry."
In the end, they only found some instant noodles, but it was better than nothing. They agreed that tomorrow they would have to go in search of supplies to the local supermarket.
After that, Shinichi proposed watching some TV to pass the time before going to bed. They sat on the sofa present in the living room, a considerable distance between them. They didn't find anything worth watching, so a singing contest presented by Yoko Okino would have to do to take their mind off everything that had happened to them until then.
It also gave Shinichi some time to ponder about the one thing that was bothering him since that conversation with Vermouth. It was on the tip of his tongue, it wanted to get out desperately, but he needed to think how to put that thought into words before taking the plunge. It was crucial he worded it right, so there couldn't be any more misunderstandings between them.
"Ran," he began, demanding her undivided attention by facing her. "I've been thinking about something. When these two men came to find you in the inn, it got me wondering why I had told you to stay in the inn in the first place. I guess the thought didn't occur to me, that someone could be after you instead of after me. But if that text from Karasuma and those two were anything to go by, it's becoming clear that you are his main target this time. And if that is indeed the case, I'd like to think that you would be safer with me, so we'll be joined at the hip–," he hesitated a second to process what he just said, trying to ignore the fact that he was probably as red as cherry, and he felt the need to clarify just in case. "So to speak. From now on, anyway."
Listening to that last part, even if the determination in his eyes had not vanished in the slightest, Ran couldn't help giggling softly at his slip. Nevertheless, she hoped the fluttering she felt in her heart had nothing to do with any suggestions her brain was silly enough to interpret from his words. He was still blushing profusely, but he didn't falter anymore.
"But let me make something very clear. I know it is hard to believe, but I am currently open to the idea that maybe I do need all the help I can get to destroy them once and for all. But I will not, under any circumstances whatsoever, trade you. You coming along does not, by any means, imply you charging in to save my ass. You'll come with me anywhere, but I don't want you taking any risks for me. Do you hear me?"
Shinichi sported a very serious face, and his tone was firm, so this was no time to be laughing internally either. But Ran had known him all her life, and she was beginning to see this for what it was. A compromise. Shinichi had admitted that he needed her help, finally, even if he didn't come right and say as much. Still, he didn't have any right to be asking her to behave once the shots were fired, and even more so if he would still leap into the path of a bullet for her. She opened her mouth to protest, but he was faster.
"No, don't give me that look. You can't argue now that I will take risks for you, because I will and that's how I do things. It's just that, when you're in danger, I have this teensy tendency to panic, because well… You know," he was still flushing scarlet, while pleading at her with his eyes. "So I need you to promise me something."
"What do you mean?"
"That you will obey any command I might give you at once, and without question. If I tell you to hide, you hide; if I tell you to flee, you flee; if I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you leave me and save yourself."
She didn't reply. She couldn't possibly promise him that, could she?
"Ran, promise me!"
He was looking at her eyes, demanding, imploring for her to listen to him, but what he saw left him breathless. He saw how something shifted in her gaze, as if she was looking at him in a different light. He didn't understand what it was she wanted to get across, or even if she was aware of what that was herself. He could do nothing but stay frozen on the spot, observing her, drinking her in, trying to read her.
For her part, Ran was faring no better. Her heart was taking over her mind irrevocably, beating wildly in her chest, and she couldn't stop her body from moving on its own accord. She saw how he opened his mouth to draw in some air, possibly to insist on another one of the craziest ideas he had yet to deliver, and she couldn't help shortening the distance between them. She shut him up with a kiss.
And yeah… This happened. They took over, the lovebirds. Not sorry at all! I don't know if I'm able to transmit it through the writing, but this is supposed to be a roller-coaster of emotions, mostly on Ran's part, but I think you will see it more in the next chapter. But for Shinichi, he's never had things more clear in his life, he knows what he wants, and may all Heavens help him achieve it!
Did anybody spot the Harry Potter references? I couldn't help it! Such a fantastic work by JK Rowling deserves all the recognition she can get! As I said, cookies and love to everyone who can tell me where they are! :)
I'm really grateful for your opinions and reviews, because they really keep me going. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and that you will leave any comments or questions or whatever in the review box. I would be really grateful if you told me how this is going so that I can improve it! Thank you again for your support!
With love,
DCSR392.
