Everyone has waited long enough so I'll just leave all my explanations for not updating a long while after the chapter. However, before we proceed, I would like to thank everyone who has been patient with me and especially the reviews! I appreciate them a lot!
Happy reading everyone!
FILE 8
"I'm open! I'm open! Pass it here!"
Kudo Shinichi stopped the ball with his chest when it was passed to him and continued on the offense. It was their Physical Education class and today they were having soccer – the detective's favorite sport. It had been long since he had formally played it with a team. He had been playing it by himself with the accompaniment of a wall latwly. So, he was enjoying himself. He had missed this.
Shinichi stopped as he was blocked by two large lads who were on their defensive poses and were trying to steal the ball. He was not troubled at all. Instead, he let out a smirk. He kicked the ball in the air and they just gaped in amazement as it flew over their heads. He just easily passed the both of them and received the ball as it precisely landed in front of him and continued his attack. As he was nearing the goal, more and more players tried to intercept him but he just passed them without any difficulty at all. As soon as he found his opportunity, he kicked the ball towards the goal. It was a strong kick since the goalkeeper did not even had the chance to flinch as it passed him with a humbling speed and hit the net and a whistle was heard.
He threw his arms up in the air and laughed proudly. He made it. After a long time, he had made a goal. Everyone cheered except that it was more of a giggle from the girls/admirers and his teammates ran to him and hugged him as they were shouting in happiness.
In the crowd, Sonoko let out a smile. It's been long since she had last seen Shinichi this happy and she was glad. It's been a month since Ran's death. He seemed to have moved on and she was sure since he was playing soccer, again.
XXXAN ALTERNATE REALITYXXX
PE was their last period and so Shinichi, changed back to his school uniform, was found walking down the hall and was going towards the shoe lockers.
"You've worked hard, Kudo-kun." Three lads said as they passed by him.
"Oh, you too."
"It was a great shot, Shinichi-kun," Sonoko praised as she suddenly appeared beside him.
He visibly flinched, surprised of her sudden appearance beside him. "What do you want, Sonoko?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"So cold. Shouldn't I at least be treated a bit better since I am the best friend of your…" She trailed off since she did not have the nerve to finish. She shifted her gaze at Shinichi but his expression did not change. He seemed not affected at all.
She let out a small smile. "I'm glad that you've finally moved on and back to your usual self. Well, I'm not really glad of the second part since I've always disliked your attitude but if it is overall, it's better."
"Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically.
"Ne, I'm curious. Now that you've moved on, does that mean you've forgotten about Ran?"
"Are you kidding me? Ran is someone I will never forget."
Both of them stopped as Shinichi stopped in front of his locker. "Instead of that, I chose to treasure every memory I shared with her. With that, she continues to live because her memory is alive within me."
"Heh… I've realized you can be sweet, too, Shinichi-kun," Sonoko teased.
Shinichi just chose to ignore her and opened his locker. As soon as he did, fountains of what seemed like envelopes and cards burst out of it and landed in front of his feet. Sonoko whistled in amusement while Shinichi just watched what he regarded as trash in annoyance.
"You sure are very famous with girls. They seem to be increasing every single day."
"Shut up," he shot back.
Sonoko snickered. "Well, good luck with those. I'll be going ahead. Bye!" She concluded the conversation with a wave and walked out.
Shinichi watched her leave with narrowed eyes and shifted his gaze to the pile. He sighed and muttered, "It's such a pain to clean these things every day."
XXXAN ALTERNATE REALITYXXX
"Shinichi-niichan!"
Shinichi stopped just after the school gates as he heard the all too familiar high-pitched voice that called out his name. He turned his head to his right and saw Rena halting beside him. She grinned up at him and he smiled.
"Don't you get tired of waiting for two hours every day?"
She shook her head. "I stroll around and go here a few minutes before your dismissal. Besides, I enjoy hanging out with you. I like Shinichi-niichan a lot!"
He raised his eyebrows in amusement and crouched. "Oh? Why is that?"
"Because you always protect and take care of me. You're like a brother to me."
"Oh," he muttered in relief. And I thought I would be having trouble with a little girl liking me. I already have enough trouble with the girls at our school.
"Oh, before we go home, let's eat at the W's. My treat!"
"Huh?" he blinked in confusion.
She snatched something out of her pocket – a coupon and waved it in front her proudly. "I won a coupon at a little competition in our school. She winked. "A free meal for two and it's only valid for today."
His eyes widened in disbelief for a split second before he let out a smile and placed his right hand on his stomach to emphasize what he wanted to say next. "That's good. I'm quite hungry."
"Me, too! Let's go!"
XXXAN ALTERNATE REALITYXXX
Both arrived at the fast food chain and they entered it. The chain was packed with customers and for a moment there they doubted if they had a space to eat but it soon dissolved when one particular table for two which was beside the window caught their eyes. On top of it sat a reservation sign and a 'RESERVED FOR TENSHI RENA' was written on it.
"Wow! A table is reserved especially for us!" Rena squealed in delight.
Shinichi's eyes narrowed pleasantly. "Heh heh. That's convenient." He felt a tug on his hand and his eyes shifted to it and realized Rena was pulling him excitedly. He sighed. Kids always do get excited with simple things. So, he just allowed her to guide them to the table. As soon as they sat, someone in a plain blue polo and black pants approached them. There was an uppercase w printed on the upper left corner of his polo so Shinichi assumed he was a waiter in the chain.
"Good afternoon, Sir, Ma'am," he greeted the both of them before he turned to Rena. "And I guess this adorable little girl here is Tenshi Rena-chan?"
"Hai!" she chirped.
The man smiled gleefully. "Congratulations for winning in our little contest."
"Arigatou!"
He held out his hand. "May I take your coupons then so I could get your meal?"
Rena easily snatched them out of her pocket and handed it to the man in front of her. "Here!"
He took it and glanced at it before he turned back to them. "Please wait for a while as I take your meals." And he walked away. After a few minutes, the same man came back with two large burgers, French fries and sodas.
"Enjoy your meal," he bid with a grin. Both of them thanked him and he was about to walk away when he suddenly stumbled. Good thing Shinichi was quick and he immediately stood up and before he had fallen to the ground face first, he caught both of the man's arms. The man sighed in relief.
"Are you alright?" he inquired.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine," he said shakily and Shinichi helped him to steady his footing. "Thanks. It would've been painful if I fell."
"No problem. Be careful next time."
He nodded. "I will. Thanks, again." And he walked away.
Shinichi went back to his seat and both of them said their graces and started digging in.
"Oh, right. I heard from Otousan that Kaito KID will be having a heist at the Tokyo museum tonight." Rena said as she opened the cover of her burger.
"Ah, yes. He's planning to steal the Night Stone," he said as he munched on his burger.
"I did not have any idea who Kaito KID was but Okaasan said he is an international thief and go all over the world to steal gems but he returns them later. Does that even make any sense?"
He just shrugged.
"Anyway," Rena continued. "She said he's a very smart and sly thief and the police always lose to him. But the catch is he doesn't cause harm. It's not his first time here in Japan, right? So, does that mean you've been to his heists?"
"Yeah. Once."
"Okaasan said his heists are very interesting and a lot of people come to watch. It's like he's doing a magic show. I like magic shows and it sounds fun! I want to watch! Some of my classmates are going to watch too! Are you going, too, Shinichi-niichan?"
"I received an invitation from the police asking for my assistance. Though I'm not really interested in thieves and I find them boring, he's an exception. Last time I faced him, I've almost caught him but he still managed to escape. No one had done that to me so, I'm going tonight."
"Then, that means he's really good! Because he had defeated you before!"
Shinichi narrowed his eyes. Heh. Heh. There's no need for you emphasize it.
"You should catch him this time, 'kay Shinichi-niichan?"
He nodded and grinned. "Of course!" And munched on his French fry. Somehow, he turned his head to the window and watched people and cars passing by while eating his burger and fries.
The traffic light had just turned from green to red and the cars went to a halt and the people had their chance to cross the street. He almost choked on his coke when a pair of high school students, a boy and a girl, of his age who crossed the street caught his attention. Basing on their uniform, they were not from Tokyo.
He had to do a double-take and blinked his eyes to make sure whatever he was seeing was real and not an illusion or another one of his imaginations. They did not look like a couple since they kept their distance but they looked like close friends – very close friends. They were chatting happily but it slowly shifted to bickering. As soon as they reached the sidewalk, they stopped and there they continued their squabble. He felt melancholic. He was reminded of him and Ran. However, that was not what caught his attention. It was their appearance – their faces in particular. The boy, who had his hands crossed on his chest and looked arrogantly at his friend while bickering to her, looked exactly like him. Well, almost. He would have been a total replica of him if it was not for the hair, he would have thought it was him. The girl, on the other hand, who was flailing her arms while arguing at him heatedly, made his heart stop. He slowly reached out his hand in front of him.
"Ran…" he muttered longingly.
"Huh?" Rena heard him and she turned to him. "What did you say…" she trailed off as she saw the look on his face. His attention was fully outside. His eyes were glassy with pain and longing. His lips were quivering which looked like he was controlling himself not to cry. When was the last time she saw him looking like this? Right. It was more than a month ago; on his birthday at the Ferris wheel.
She got curious and shifted her eyes outside through the window. She immediately saw the pair since they were standing near them and were fighting like kids at the middle of the city. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the lad. She looked from him to Shinichi and turned back to him.
Incredible, Rena thought. It's incredible how two people could look so much alike. Her gaze turned to the young lady and that's when she understood. She felt her heart constrict and looked worriedly at Shinichi. And when she thought the wound has been healed, it was opened again.
"Kaito, when are you gonna stop on supporting Kaitou KID?!" Aoko fumed.
"And what's wrong with that?! Everyone's doing it, too!" Kaito shot back.
"But he's a thief! An international criminal! He's bad! People like those should not be supported!"
"But he's cool and clean! He doesn't harm people and does impossible things! How could he be bad?!"
"Just because he is an illusionist like you, you're supporting him!" She crossed her arms on her chest, turned her head away and muttered, "Such an idiot. BaKaito."
Kaito copied her action and muttered, "Ahoko."
They turned to look at each other again and stuck out their tongues simultaneously and turned their head away once again.
"What's so cool about KID anyway? He's just a show-off and attention-hungry thief," Aoko demeaned.
A vein suddenly popped on Kaito's forehead in annoyance. Unknowingly to Aoko, she had insulted the thief quite directly and he did not like it – even a single bit.
"Oh yeah?" he turned to Aoko. Annoyance was evident on his features. "If KID's not cool, then what do you call your Otousan who is always outwitted and fooled by him?" Kaito shot back, getting even.
Aoko gasped and also turned to Kaito. They were now facing each other and she was glaring at him while Kaito looked satisfied of himself.
"What. Did. You. Just. SAID?!" Aoko said, her voice rising each time she uttered a word. Her eyes were on him, scrutinizing his every being. He felt a chill ran down his spine. If Aoko could, she would have killed him right there. Thankfully, she had her values and they were aligned with morality.
"Oh, Kaito, you are so DEAD!" Since they were at the middle of a city, it was impossible for her to get a hold of a mop so this time, she made use of the only thing she had access on which could be a useful weapon: her satchel. She swung it as hard as she could towards Kaito, aiming for his head since she was so determined to knock him out but he was fast and had ducked into safety, both of his hands on his head, a terrified expression plastered on his features.
"Whoa! Aoko! That's dangerous! Don't you think you're getting too violent for just a simple comment?" he managed to defend himself while he continued to dodge every single assault/swing of Aoko.
"You call that simple?! You've just insulted Otousan!"
"You insulted Kaitou KID, too! Why can't I? Besides, it was true!"
"I don't care! You've just got overboard!" She raised her satchel above her head and charged it to smash it on Kaito's head.
He saw that coming and made step back. His hair moved because of the air the satchel produced and he felt a scratch on his nose as it moved pass in front of him. It was a little too close. He surely would have blacked out if he was not fast enough and able to avoid it
"Ha! Missed!" But his boasting did not last long since he lost his balance. Then, what happened next went into slow motion. The traffic lights went from red to green and cars started zooming past each other. He frantically swung both of his hands to return his balance but he was not successful since he slowly stumbled backward. Aoko was too surprised to react so she just stared at him as he crashed on the street. He lifted his head and massaged the back of his head as he expressed pain. He propped up his body with his elbow as he slowly tried to get up. He turned his head to right and his pained expression turned to horror. She saw his expression and she also turned her head to the same direction and her eyes widened as he saw a black Porsche was going fast towards his direction. She wanted to react and get him out of there but her body just would not move.
Everything went back to its normal speed as Shinichi and Rena stood up from their seats. Rena slowly placed both of her hands on her mouth as her widened eyes watered. She was quivering in fear but whatever happened next went black as her eyes were covered by Shinichi's hands and his other arm was wrapped protectively around her. She knew the scene was too sensitive for someone at her age but she did not know if she would be grateful to what Shinichi did since they remained that way for several seconds, both of them unmoving and had her waiting for who knows what. Finally, his hands moved away from her eyes and she had to blink and squint at them to adjust to the light. It was a blur at first but she finally saw the situation in front of her. The activities outside seemed to be in a halt since everyone had their eyes on the lad who was sitting safely on the road and the car was parked a bit too close in front of him. She placed a hand on her chest, where her heart was supposed to be located, and sighed in relief. She could feel her heart beating rapidly. She felt scared at a moment there but was now glad since nothing bad happened.
She smiled in relief. "That was close, right Shinichi-niichan?"
No response. Confused, she turned to him and she saw him still staring outside but this time she could not make out whatever was bothering him. All she saw was his eyes were widened in surprise and disbelief and his mouth was quivering, it looked like it wanted to move, wanted to say or shout something maybe but he did not seem to know what to say.
Kaito just stared at the black Porsche in front of him with terrified eyes. It was only a hair away from him. Good thing it stopped before hitting him so he let out the air he was unknowingly holding. He sure was lucky.
The driver's and the passenger's doors opened simultaneously and two men clad in black climbed out from it. The smaller and chubbier man came from the driver's side while the taller and slender one with long silver hair flowing freely on his back came from the passenger's side. Kaito just stared up at them as they neared him.
"Hey, brat, you're not harmed or anything, right?" the smaller one asked casually, there was not even a hint of worry or concern on his voice. They did not even try to crouch to talk to him properly.
He shook his head.
"If so, you better stand up and get out of our way. You're delaying us," the other one said harshly, his voice deep and metallic. Kaito's eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance as he felt affronted with their unconcern. He turned his attention to the silver haired man and he instantly felt shivers crawling his whole being as he was captured by those cold blue eyes staring at him uncaringly. With just one look, he knew immediately he was one of those people you did not want to mess with.
Scenes that happened a month ago that Shinichi will forever regret came back to him all at once as he watched the all too familiar two men clad in black. He almost forgot how to breathe as he suddenly felt his lungs unwilling to receive air.
How…? What…? When…? was all he could comprehend at the moment. He initially thought, no, believed they were dead because of the burned car they found at the park but they were here, alive in their flesh and blood. That just meant…
He quickly held onto the table as his legs suddenly got weak. A lot of force was granted on the table since it shook and the drinks toppled, quickly soaking their meal and covering the table with soda. Some overflowed and sunk to the ground.
Rena's head shifted to the table and gasped at the scene in front of her. She shifted it to Shinichi and she saw him dangerously paling. "Shinichi-niichan! Are you alright?"
But her question went unheard as several thoughts exploded his mind. That just meant… All this time, they were wrong. That he had just let those murderers of Ran wander around Japan freely while Ran and her family were still imprisoned with their impossible hopes of giving justice to her death for the past month.
His heart was straining itself into pumping so fast that he could feel the blood rose to his head as he felt the familiar emotion coming back – rage. The enraged desire to get back to those men and let them rot in prison was all he could feel at the moment.
He saw his replica stood up and cleared the way for them and they walked back to their car. He heard bells ringing alarmingly in his head as he saw them climbing back in their car. He felt a hint of panic. They could not escape! Not again that they were in his reach. If they escape again, he did not know when he would be able to see them again. They had gotten away with their fake death for a month; that just meant they were no amateurs in this field.
In a snap, he was already dashing towards the doors of the chain while leaving poor Rena shouting at him in confusion and concern.
He pushed the glass doors open but he was already too late. The black Porsche just passed by in front him. His cold and hard gaze followed the car and he wanted to run to follow it but it was dashing its way to the long straight road in front of it fast and his instincts told him it was not the wisest idea because sooner or later he would lose them.
"Damn it!" he shouted in frustration. He placed both of his hands in either of his pants pockets and he walked in circles as his mind was running on what to do. He suddenly stopped as he felt something that was never before in his right pocket. He took it out and he saw a plain white card. He just stared at it. It was a blank. What was it doing in his pocket? He did not remember putting it in.
He flipped it at the other side and there he saw writings and a familiar caricature at the lower right corner of the card.
I'll see you tonight.
Kaitou KID (caricature)
The next file will be delivered soon!
Author's Note:
Okay, I'm very sorry for the very late update. Reason? School and a major writer's block. I really had no time to write lately. Our professors were like giving us a project extravaganza. Also, I really had to squeeze my brain just to write this chapter. No ideas seem to come out. I know I just said at the previous chapter that I'm excited in writing the next chapters. Well, maybe because it's the result of not writing for a long time and always facing numbers and debit/credit.
Once again, I apologize and I hope this chapter was not as dragging as I think it is. Please don't forget to review so I'll know your thoughts! I just love reading them.
'Til next time everyone!
June 1, 2013
