RAN'S MESSAGE #59

I've decided. Medicine it is. They've even got a Karate Club! I'm so excited. Wish you were here.

He woke up calling her name that day. Then, frowning, he tried to forget about it as much as he could. He bought an second hand copy of Conan's work to read. He tried puzzles, word games, chess boards, football, hell he even went as far as trying to cook his own meal. Try as he might, Shinichi Kudo could not get her off his mind.

'Kudo,' Haibara stated finally, after watching the little boy pace around the tiny apartment they shared for half an hour, 'stop.'

He complied. 'I'm calling professor Agasa,' he stated after twenty nine seconds. Yes, Ai Haibara was timing him.

His partner gave him a weary look, 'We're almost there Kudo, don't ruin it now.'

'I know Haibara,' he ran a hand nervously over his hair, 'it's just…' he stopped himself. What was he going to say? I feel there's something wrong with Ran? 'Nevermind,' he said, finally able to convince himself that it was just his nerves.

Life could not get any better, Shinichi thought to himself gleefully as he walked out the airport amidst the group of tourists. Finally, after months of being away, he can finally get back safely to home.

To Ran.

Still, he would have to get past the reporters unnoticed first. He had not had a chance to rest since he'd brought down the syndicate. The police had about a thousand and one questions that requires compulsory answers. And he had not had the chance to call back home yet. Still, they let him come back as soon as they're done interrogating him.

He and Ai had had to hide in the middle of nowhere for the past month in order to shake them off their trial and plan for the attack. But everything went pretty well in the end…

Life was pretty good.

The reporters were already swarming outside the airport. News travels fast these days. Wearing a worn jacket and a cap he snagged on his way back, he pulled his raggy looking luggage out down the stairs through the reporters.

'SHINICHI KUDO!!' shouted one particularly annoying kid after he got a look under the cap.

The reporters snapped their heads in his directly immediately. They started shooting the questions at about the speed of a Maglev Train in no direction in particular. But by that time he was long gone.

'Last one,' he promised himself softly as he stared out through the window and the woods.

Officer Megure eyed him from the driver's seat oddly. 'Something wrong Shinichi?' he enquired, carefully choosing his words. He didn't appear to have heard him and the officer repeated his question.

'Oh, nothing,' he smiled, 'just thinking about the baka detective.'

Officer Megure all but slammed the brakes of his car. 'Whi…which detective?' he stuttered, stealing a few questioning glances at the young man.

'Just kidding,' he stated with a laugh. Then, glancing at the startled look on his escorts' face, he was almost tempted to ask for the reason. 'I'm simply wondering why they leaked out the location of this hideout on purpose,' he lied.

'We'll know soon enough,' the police said, quiet once more.

The hidden warehouse was not quite hidden. Simply remote and abandoned. The three police cars cruised on the rocky streets, quiet unsure of what they're searching for. Overgrown hedges and creepers screamed negligence at the officers.

'Are you sure they're not pulling your leg Shinichi?' Officer Megure questioned, driving through the same road for the second time.

'They have nothing to gain by doing so,' he smiled, 'except perhaps wasting my time.' He was cross-examining each house carefully. Surely enough, as they neared an old, creaky warehouse, he ordered- yes ordered- them to stop. 'This is it,' he stated simply.

'In position everyone!' Officer Megure ordered.

Even as he said the words, two men walked out of the abandoned building. Holding their hands in the air, they were smirking as they surrendered. Shinichi frowned, he was not expecting to find anything here. Well, he was expecting an explosion of some kind. But not people. Honestly, those two had all the time in the world to run.

He stood motionless, thinking of all the possible explanation as the police handcuffed them. One of the men appeared to be blinded in one eye while the other was limping as he walked. Both looked fine otherwise, with identical black hair and wearing black suits.

He accompanied them back to the car silently. Nothing, he thought as he walked I can think of nothing they achieve by baiting me out here.

'Oy, kid,' the one-eyed man called back as he sat in the car. 'I hope you've been reading the papers,' he grinned maniacally. 'Your girlfriend looks great dead, no?' he smirked. The officers stopped dead in their tracks. Officer Satou, who'd been holding him caught him by his collar and slammed him against the car, 'You're responsible?!' He paid no heed to her, looking at Shinichi with a triumphed look on his face. 'He doesn't know,' he whispered.

Miwako Satou released him and averted her gaze on Shinichi. As did the rest of the officers.

'Does… doesn't….Doesn't know what?' he spluttered.

'You didn't know?' officer Takagi stuttered.

'He doesn't know!' the one-eyed man laughed. 'Shinichi Kudo was too busy chasing after facts to realise…' his grin was wide and malicious, 'his little girlfriend was dead.'

'Dead?' he repeated calmly. Walking towards the man, he clenched and unclenched his fists. 'Don't you dare speak of her that way,' he threatened, pinning the man against the car.

'Ran Mouri died in a car crash two days after her father, Shinichi Kudo,' he droned. 'Two weeks ago. Ran Mouri is dead. Dead. Dead. DEAD.'

'You lie,' he said.

He merely smiled and gave him a sad look.

Officer Miwako placed her hand gently on his shoulder, 'He's not lying.'

'He's lying!' he insisted, shaking the man roughly.

'Shinichi…'

'He's LYING!' he shouted. 'You didn't let yourself be caught just so you could tell me this. I would've found out myself. Tell me the truth!'

'Smart kid,' he growled. 'No, we didn't let ourselves get caught just because we'd like to break the news ourselves.'

'We let ourselves be caught,' the silent man in the car started, 'to let you know how pretty we think your girlfriend is.' The two men laughed as if it was their secret joke. 'Listen,' he whispered. A vaguely familiar sound emitted from his back pocket.

'You must be the major case he's been handling…' silent laughter 'and to think he kept all those secrets from me just to keep me save…'

Silence filled the air as they tried to imbibe what they've just heard. 'Surprised? I've got more,' he laughed.

A scream filled the air, more of surprise than pain, 'ouch?' she giggled and coughed. 'You should bandage that. Unless you want me to die of blood loss, of course.'

'We've had so much fun with her,' the one-eyed man said, shaking his head slightly. 'Pity she has to die…' Shinichi was onto him in less than a second, though he only manage to land a few punches before the police regained their senses and restrained him. They stopped as the voice continued…

'He's going to get you. And you won't be able to hurt anyone anymore. That thought comforts me…'

He could almost see her smiling. 'Stop it! Stop it!' Miwako screamed, she had covered her ears with her hands, tears dripping down her face. Officer Takagi was too dumbstruck to try and comfort her. No one moved.

'You're not bad people really… I hope, you'll see one day. How the world can be a beautiful place…. After you go to jail of course,' she laughed.

Officer Megure pulled the man out of the car and searched him, trying to find the damned thing and turn it off. It wasn't in his back pocket. Or any other pockets. He paused as the sound started again.

'You recorded me?!' she screamed, suddenly furious. Sounds of struggling and a loud bang as a gun went off. 'You can still fight,' a man's voice stated icily. 'Burn that!' she ordered, breathing heavily. 'Actually, we're going to give you to your precious boyfriend,' he taunted. 'NO!' she screamed, 'don't' she was crying. 'It'll kill him…'

'First time we heard her cry. After ten days. She's one tough cookie,' the man laughed. Officer Megure finally found the tape, hiding in a small compartment on the soles of his shoes.

'Don't' Shinichi stated. 'I want to hear it.' A few female officer had broken into tears. The others simply looked away. Most of them had gotten to know the gentle girl. Watched her grow up. Officer Megure's finger hovered above the stop button, but he was deterred from pushing it when the tape started rolling again…

A splash, a gasp and then, 'I'm awake…' she was shivering. … 'Shinichi…' he tensed she took a deep breath, 'you're doing me a favor, by the way,' she giggled, 'Shinichi Kudo,' her voice seem to fail her. 'I love you…'

'You might want to know she's still in the building by the way,' the man stated suddenly, with an odd grin on his face. A motorcycle roared into view even as he said it. Shinichi looked towards the said building hesitantly.

'Ran…' he whispered, then louder, 'Ran!' as he made towards the warehouse, his legs suddenly weakened.

'Grab him!' a familiar voice ordered, holding him in place. 'HOLD HIM!!' he ordered for the second time as no one seem to move.

'RAN!!' Shinichi shouted, running towards the building. Two officers held onto his arms tightly, though unsure. 'LET GO OF ME!!!' he ordered. 'RANNN!!!'

'Shinichi!' Hattori barked, punching the said man's face roughly. 'Wake up. It's just a trick. Don't you see?! They're just trying to get back at you!!' he reasoned. But Shinichi was beyond reason. How could you blame him? After all he'd heard.

The forgotten tape keep rolling…

'Kill me…'

For a second, no one move. And then, everything happened at once. The one eyed man let out a blood-chilling laugh and tapped the soles of his shoes twice as Shinichi broke free from their grasps and ran towards the building. Officer Megure punched the off button on the recorder as Hattori shouted at Shinichi.

And the building exploded in a gigantic burst of fire.

'Kill me…'