I had the worst luck in the world yesterday... First, my badminton birdie flew somewhere, so now I have to switch out the birdie that I have used...for a year or two? Anyways, then I scraped my side on the tree bad, but the catch is: I never hurt myself once while climbing trees. I guess it is the bad luck churning about... Then, in the evening, I scraped my shin, but I never hurt myself while rollerblading once either... Then, I forgot to practice one of my piano songs, and tried my best to play it right during piano class but failed... That was one of my most unlucky days..
Shinichi was finally being released from the hospital, but not without instructions to stay in bed and rest. He wouldn't follow those ridiculous instructions anyways. Walking down the sidewalk next to Hattori, he sighed. It was going to be about twelve hours before he would shrink again, and then another week or so before he would be able to permanently stay his size; after staying in his normal body for a week, it would be seven days of torture to endure. Assuming that Haibara was fast. The words,
'Give me approximately a week or so.'
rang in his head. Approximately a week. Approximately. So she could either finish faster, but that was unlikely, or finish in more than seven days. Worst case scenario would be that she actually wouldn't be able to make it. If he died using the antidote, at least he would die as Kudo Shinichi, not Edogawa Conan. If she couldn't make it... Shinichi didn't want to talk about it. His foot caught on a ledge of the sidewalk cement block which was sticking out. He stumbled, and Hattori caught him with his good arm, although wincing because his wounded shoulder had still instinctively made a move, even though it didn't participate in catching Shinichi.
"Arigato," He mumbled. The continued dose of painkillers and antibiotics had made him woozy, so he wasn't really even walking, more like stumbling along. Hattori got off lighter with just a minor headache, and tried his best to lead the way through the unfamiliar city. They stopped at crossroad.
"Kudo? Left, right, or middle?" Hattori's eyes darted around, trying to figure out which road to take. Sadly, he couldn't use his detective skills to figure out other people's house. Leave that to the future generation when they probably would have GPS's implanted in their brains or something equally weird.
"Left. Then turn right, and then we're home. At least I'm home..." Shinichi tried his best to sound normal. He leaned against the traffic light pole for support, and yanked the cap Hattori had loaned him lower. They strolled across the street, and stopped on the other side of it.
"Kudo? Do we turn right over here?" Hattori pointed across the road intersecting with the one they just passed. Across started the quiet streets with quiet housesthat Shinichi had lived in. Had lived in. And would live in. He lived in it for a good sixteen years of his life, then was pushed to another familiar place, yet he had never lived there before. Now, in a week of time, he would be able to live where the memories grew and thrived again. Hattori stuck his hands in pockets, and waited for an answer.
"Hai, this road. Then just walk a few more meters, and then you'll see it," Shinichi said, and blinked. The world had just spun around, then squeezed in and out. He shook his head, and walked across the street, wiping sweat that was flowing down his chin in the process. He was baking in his cotton shirt, and couldn't wait to get home and take a shower or bath.
"Oi, Kudo, what was that?" Hattori asked concernedly. He put a hand on his shoulder, looking at his back. He watched a trickle of sweat make its way down the already glistening with sweat neck. Shinichi's checkered button-up swayed with the wind, signaling it was slightly too big for him. Hattori extracted his hand after the heat radiating from Shinichi's body was too much. If he didn't bring down the fever soon...the shrinking would cause him extreme temperatures again, and with Ran intending to stay at his house, they were going to have to rig up a good excuse to get rid of her this time.
"Nandemonai, nandemonai," he answered, waving back a dismissive wave. They continued walking, until Shinichi's footsteps gave away to an abrupt halt.
"Is this your house?" Hattori looked up at the two-storied mansion. Although no one had occupied it for a year, the plants still hadn't wilted. The windows gleamed with the unbridled sunlight, and he could see everything inside clearly; not a speck of dust. There was a darting of a shadow, and they both tensed up. They, however, were relieved when a smiling Ran came to open the gate and door inside. Kazuha came outside, too.
"Heiji! I brought your stuff! We're gonna stay here for a few weeks! Maybe we could transfer ta their Teitan High!" she held up Hattori's duffel bag and gestured to a few suitcase on the floor. Her hair was in her usual hairstyle of a ponytail, and she had on a sweeping red skirt with a pink T-shirt. Ran's hair was swept by the wind, and flew like kites in front of Kazuha. Her Teitan uniform skirt also followed suit, and she quickly patted it down.
"A-Ahou! Are ya crazy? Why would we want to transfer ta Kudo's and neechan's high school? We have our own, ya know?" Hattori sputtered, although inwardly agreeing with the idea. He was agreeing with the idea, not Kazuha. No way would he agree with that dumb ahou, although secretly, he did like her. Deep down. Too cowardly to admit it. He glared at her just to cover it up. Kazuha looked miffed.
"Well I thought transferring would be a good idea; ya could be with Kudo-kun, and I could be with Ran-chan! AHOU!" She ended her sentence by turning around, dragging the luggage upstairs, and sitting it in one of the guest rooms Ran had introduced her to. She came back, and dragged Ran upstairs.
x
It was finally settled. Hattori and Kazuha were transferring to Teitan High. The four teenagers sat in the Kudo mansion's large living room blowing off steam by their own methods. Kazuha and Ran sat in the corner, giggling over some pictures that were online. Shinichi led Hattori to his vast library, where countless shelves full of refreshing and curious pages sat in their covers. Rows after rows of books that would suck you right into them occupied the shelves that were noble enough to hold them, and Shinichi went up to them.
'Squeak!' came the encouraging sound of the opening of the glass cases. Shinichi threw one at Hattori, who was still looking around in amazement. He caught it, narrowly missing what would have been at least a bloody nose. Shinichi then selected one for himself, and they went up into his room, flopped onto the bed, and was immediately drawn into the book.
After an hour at most, the phone rang. Shinichi groaned, and lazily shouted down,
"Oi Ran! Answer the phone for me, will you?" There was a muffled reply of yes, and silence was the only thing in the room again. There then was thumping as someone ascended the staircase.
"Shinichi? The phone's for you," Ran called from the doorway, the phone in her hands. Shinichi sighed and put down the book, carefully marking it by folding its corner. He heaved himself up and walked to the door. The fever and the wooziness had seemed to be washed away by reading a few hundred delicate pages. Accepting the phone, he walked back and dropped himself back onto the bed.
"Moshi-moshi?" Shinichi spoke into the phone. He got up and went to his desk. Looking out the window, he listened to Agasa Hakase as he spoke fearfully into the phone. He said there was a package that was addressed to Kudo Shinichi that was not in Shinicihi's mail today, but in his. He said he opened it and first found a letter that was addressed to: Kudo Shinichi, also known as Edogawa Conan. The overweight professor also said that Haibara confirmed it to be Vermouth's writing, and was currently down in the basement trying to repress shivers. Shinichi paled so drastically that Ran was already hurrying over, asking him what was wrong.
"R-Ran, I need to go to the Hakase's for a while. Don't follow me no matter what. Hattori, you need to come too," he weakly said. Hattori jumped up and followed him out. Shinichi raced down the staircase, skipping two steps a time. He opened his door, sprinted to the gate, and opened it up with a bit too much force. He sprinted next door, and let himself in. Behind him, Hattori followed, yelling,
"Oi, Kudo! Matte!"
"Where is it?" Shinichi demanded. Hakase pointed to a innocent-looking box on their kitchen counter. He walked over, and opened it cautiously. The note that Hakase told him about was there, and it was written in fancy, curly writing.
'Kudo Shinichi, also known as Edogawa Conan,
You seek revenge, don't you?
I'll tell you how under the full bright moon.
You want to bring us down, don't you?
I want to send them askew, too.
Because I want out,
I will help.
Meet me at Central Haido Bridge
when the moon shines bright
and when the clock strikes twelve,
Silver Bullet-kun.'
Underneath the letter, in a small box in the big box, it encased a bottle of Vermouth.
"T-this is..." Shinichi stared at the letter in shock. Vermouth wants out? And she wants him to meet her? Couldn't this be a hoax to lure him out?
"Vermouth never lies unless have to, and this is not a have to," Haibara said, suddenly right next to him. Shinichi jumped a mile high, before scowling and said,
"Oi, Haibara, don't make me jump like that!" She took the Vermouth and spilled it on the paper. All it did was become soaking wet.
"See? She isn't lying. If she was, there would be something underneath. Yet there's not," Haibara coldly said. She checked the time. "There will be a few more minutes before you turn back to Edogawa Conan, Kudo-kun." Shinichi sat down on the couch, and waited for the pain spasms to start. Yet they didn't. After a half an hour of silence, Shinichi nervously said,
"Haibara? Maybe this was the permanent antidote? Because I don't think that I'll be shrinking any time soon."
"Baka! That can't be!" She lashed out in panic. She ushered Shinichi into the lab, Hattori in the rear, and checked him all over. Finally, she said,"Yes, this was the final antidote. You are now Kudo Shinichi unless you turn back again." Shinichi let out a cry of joy, and danced back up the stairs.
"Well," he said, finally sobering up in the living room, "I will go meet her." Haibara's face hardened, but she didn't object. This could be their chance to take them down, once and for all. He got up again, and left the house.
x
"Shinichi? What's wrong?" Ran asked Shinichi as he went into the house. Flopping down on the couch, he said,
"I'm back, and I won't be leaving again."
"Then, that means, the case is solved?" Ran excitedly asked him. Finally, finally, he was back for good. Then she remembered his reaction on the phone. If he was back and the case was solved, then his paling wasn't necessary. He could've sighed, whooped, something other than paling.
"Iie, I'm back, but the case isn't solved yet," He said, a fake smile on his face. Ran sighed, said okay, and left the room. Shinichi's face hardened.
No, the case was far from solved.
