CHAPTER 10- Countdown

Hey everyone! Sorry for late update! I had a terrible mental block and couldn't think up of anything. I think I can't finish the story by the end of the year but I'll continue the story! No way am I going to let it be on hold for very long.

Thank you for the awesome reviews and suggestions! It's really nice to know that so many of you like this story. Thanks for your support everyone!

This chapter is dedicated to a friend. If you are reading this, remember that I'm always here for you and I will always be ready to comfort you. You will meet her again. You just have to wait and believe. Believe that your paths would cross again.

*present time*

I got to tell her, Shinichi thought, I have to.

They halted in front of Café Poirot. Shinichi jolted out of his thoughts and looked at Ran who stood in front of him. She blushed slightly and looked away. Shinichi felt heat creeping up his neck and he too avoided her gaze. Shinichi could feel his heart aching at the inner turmoil he was having. His stomach turned and his heart cried out for him to tell Ran the truth but his mind was cautioning him about her reaction. It was really confusing. He never felt so undecided before. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her but at the same time, he just couldn't pretend that nothing was wrong when everything was very wrong.

"Um…" Ran said, unsure, "Thanks for walking me home Shinichi. I'll see you tomorrow."

Shinichi looked up and watched her spin around to walk up the steps that led to her home. He watched her take the first step up and he felt sick. He turned away, trying to force himself to calm down. His heart was beating uncontrollably and he looked over his shoulder to watch her retreating back. A searing pain went down his spine as he nearly lost sight of her.

He couldn't take it anymore. He rushed to the foot of the staircase and saw Ran searching for her keys inside her clutch.

Wasting no time, he shouted, "Chotto! I need to tell you something!"

Ran jumped slightly at his sudden yell but nonetheless went down to stairs to Shinichi's side.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly.

"There is something really important that I have to tell you," he answered hurriedly, the words coming out in a rush. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from her home.

"Shinichi!" Ran pulled on his arm to get him to stop but to no avail. He dragged her along, his mind intent on bringing her the place he had in mind.

Ran made several more sounds of protest but Shinichi ignored them all. He was breathing hard due to the amount of effort that he was putting in to not run away from her. By clamping his jaws shut, he ensured that he didn't say anything until they were at the destination he wanted to go. He just needed to be there to be able to tell her. His throat won't let go of the words that she needed to hear until they were there. He just pulled her on silently.

"Why…"Ran whispered, "Why are we here?"

They were standing in front of the massive stone building that housed the entrance of Tropical Land. At this late hour, most people were streaming out of the gates but Shinichi obviously had other plans. He walked up to the ticket counter, pulling Ran along. She stuttered another objection only to receive a grunt from him.

"Welcome to Tropical Land," the receptionist at the ticket counter cheerfully greeted them, "Would you like to buy the entrance ticket?"

"Hai," Shinichi said quickly, "Two adult tickets please."

The woman at the counter nodded and handed him two tickets. "That'll be 8000 yen," she stated. (AN: 8000 yen is about 100 USD. I thought that it would be proper for an amusement park ticket to be 50 USD each at least.)

Shinichi dug into his pockets and pulled out his wallet. He hurriedly passed it to the receptionist before grabbing the tickets and hauling Ran away to the entrance area. Giving the two tickets to the person collecting the tickets, he continued his dragging of Ran and into the main square. He glanced at his watch. He had ten minutes. His heart plummeted. He couldn't drag it out. He needed to tell her immediately.

"Shinichi!" Ran shouted more forcefully this time. She pulled her hand out of his tight grasp and stepped in front of him. He looked into her slightly furious, violet eyes and he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see that kind of expression again. After he told her, he was certain that he would never see the expression on her face that he loved so much. She was strong and kind. She never once truly hated him and always forgives. It was her personality that made him so in love with her. He just wanted her to be the same as she was and never change. If he told her about his time on earth, he wasn't sure that she would ever be the same. And that was keeping him from telling her.

But he already brought her this far. He couldn't just tell her that he brought her here for fun. He had said that he needed to tell her something and he would tell her. There was no way he could run away from this any longer. He had created the perfect trap for himself.

"Shinichi!" Ran said his name again. "What is going on?" she asked, "What do you want to tell me?"

"Follow me," he replied, glad that his voice wasn't strangled. He took her hand again, this time more gently and led her to the place where held so much memories for them.

They walked down the steps and into the circle on the floor. They stood in the middle and he let go of her hand. He looked around and was glad that not many people weren't there to observe them. He needed to talk to her seriously and he didn't want any raised eyebrows at their conversation.

"Ran," Shinichi said, ready to spill the beans, "I didn't tell you a part of the story."

"What?" Ran asked. She looked at him with disbelief as he had said that he had told her everything.

"There is something else that happened after the warehouse incident," he continued.

"I thought you said that you and the FBI jumped the place and arrested some of the members while the rest died," she said, "And you returned after making your statement against them. Isn't that what happened?"

"Yes, that's what happened," Shinichi answered, "but there was something else that happened."

He stopped, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He was shaking visibly as he tried to hold back tears that were welling up behind his blue eyes. He gulped down a lump in his throat and softly cleared his voice which had become hoarse. He could feel her worried gaze on him; electrifying him and urging him to continue. He stared into her violet eyes, hoping that they wouldn't break after his confession.

"I got shot," he said lamely.

"I know that," Ran cut it. She raised her hand and touched his scar, "Wasn't that how you got this?"

Shinichi flinched at her touch. He felt her withdraw her fingers and wished that he could just grab her and pull her into a tight embrace and never let go. But if he did that, he wouldn't be able to continue. It's best to keep a distance for now.

"I was shot twice," he continued, dropping his eyes to the rubber pebbled ground. "One here," he raised his hand to touch his scar, "and one here."

He dropped his hand and brought it to his chest. He pointed at the exact spot where the cursed bullet had taken away every chance of having a happy life. He pressed against the fabric that stood in between of his finger and the healed wound. It tingled slightly as though reminding him about the ticking clock on him. He pushed all thoughts of dying out of his mind and focused on his goal at hand: Ran.

She gasped. She rushed nearer to him and was so close to him that he could smell the heady smell of her rose perfume; not so strong and yet so intoxicating. He took a ragged breath of the scent to appreciate it more.

Ran took his hands into hers, grasping them tightly. "Are you okay?" she asked desperately, "You're fine right? That's why you're standing in front of me. That's why you could still dance. Tell me you're alright!"

Her voice held a hint of hysteria as the possibilities of that bullet that was shot dawned on her. Shinichi couldn't say anything. He just looked away from her intensifying gaze, trying his best to calm himself but to no avail. He felt unwanted tears spring out from the corners of his eyes. They fell to the ground, leaving two wet marks. Shinichi looked onto the floor, realising that more tears were dripping down his face. He had started and now, he couldn't stop.

No, Ran whispered in her mind, tell me it's not true Shinichi! Tell me that you are fine!

She saw tears dripping from Shinichi's face. Drip… Drip… Each drop was making her heart break more and more. He never cries. Not once had he shed a tear in front of her. Yet now… He was breaking out in tears, practically crying a waterfall. He was confirming her fears; he couldn't survive.

"The bullet was too close to my heart," he gasped out in between sobs, "They couldn't take it out."

Ran couldn't answer. She just stared at him, her eyes widening in fear. She could feel the ending where he would never be with her. She gripped his hands tightly, her fingernails leaving crescent-shaped marks on his pale skin. He didn't react to the pain nor did he stop crying. He was completely distress that nothing could break him out of it.

"How long?" she managed to choke out.

"What?" he whispered, dazed.

"How long till you…" she stopped, unable to say anymore. She felt a familiar sting in her eyes.

"About two weeks," he whispered, his voice water-laden.

Two weeks.

Not two years.

Not two months.

Two weeks.

He would be gone in two weeks. Shinichi was already half way to the ground, trembling so much that he too shook her. Ran could only stare ahead, lost in her thoughts. She was in a daze. Two weeks. That short period of time rang in her mind, reminding her over and over again about the limited time that she could be with him until he leaves her. And this time, it was for good.

The first tear that slipped out of her right eye was bitter and painful. It just flowed down her cheek freely and dropped when it reached her jaw. It fell to the ground, joining the thousands that he had shed. More followed, falling as well. She made no effort to wipe them away. She had wiped away so many tears; held back so many more. She just couldn't do it anymore. These tears needed to run free as her misery couldn't. It just stuck to her.

"I'm so sorry," Shinichi apologised, his head down and his knees bent so that his body was in a crouch. The top of his head only reached her chest as he whispered his apologies again and again to her blue heels.

Ran jerked him up, using all the strength that she could muster to bring him up to a standing position. He straightened but didn't look at her. Ran released his hands and brought her hands to cup his handsome face that made her heart leap everytime she sees it. She turned his face slowly and when his gaze met hers, she cried even more. Shinichi's eyes widened at her sudden burst of tears and he too cupped her face to hold her gaze. He couldn't care less about the tears streaming down his own face; the only ones he cared about were the ones that were staining her beautiful face.

"I'll always love you Ran," he said, holding her gaze, "in this life or the next. No matter where I am, you are always in my heart. Even when it stops beating, it'll carry on because of you. I'll never leave you. I'm always going to be with you. Forever."

More tears flowed down their faces as they allowed their eyes to devour the sight of their love's faces. They didn't say anything. They just stared at each other, waiting for something, anything, to happen. But then again, many things happened. Their entire life was a rollercoaster ride that was exhilarating, frightening, sometimes sweet and special but every ride comes to an end. There was no stopping it and when the end comes, they have to hop off and hope for the best. They just had to wait for their turn again, after the cycle of life was over. They might not have the same seats, next to one another, but they could be on the same ride. If fate grants it, they will again see each other and maybe, their time together won't be so hectic.

Ran nodded in his hands and she whispered, "I love you Shinichi."

"I love you too Ran," he returned her love with the same amount of passion and heartbreak.

Shinichi twisted his wrist slightly and glanced at his watch. Thirty more seconds. Ran noticed his slight movement and she smiled slightly. She nodded and they dropped their hands. Shinichi looked around and realised that people were staring at them. He didn't care.

"Shall we?" he asked, facing her.

Ran nodded again and they both started counting.

Jyu …

Kyu …

Hachi…

Nana…

Roku…

Go…

Yon…

San…

Ni…

Ichi.

The enchanting water that they were all waiting for came to life, flying all around them gaily. They sprung around them, changing colours and lifting their spirits as they watched the water sprouts that didn't symbolise their sadness. Each sprout thrilled them, each spray of water into their already wet faces exciting them. They glanced at each other, remembering the moments they shared in the very same spot. Now, they could add one more to each precious time they had shared together.

Whoosh!

The long-awaited water of crystal-like water finally came up, surrounding Ran and Shinichi who huddled even closer so they don't touch the wall. The barrier cut all ties they had with the outside world, leaving all their worries behind. Shinichi cupped her face again and smiled at her, his heart leaping with joy when she returned it. He slowly leaned in and with no hesitation, brought his lips to hers.

Even a speeding bullet couldn't destroy this special moment. It may crash into the barrier, breaking it but just then, it couldn't break them apart. Time may go on and people may disapprove but the feelings and the love they're feeling right now; it all belonged to them and no one could snatch it away from them. No one.

Phew! I'm done! It took me ages because I got a mental block! The next chapter would be the last.
Do you like this chapter? Do you hate it? Review please! :)

Translation:

Chotto- Wait
Ichi- One
Ni- Two
San- Three
Yon- Four
Go- Five
Roku- Six
Nana- Seven
Hachi- Eight
Kyu- Nine
Jyu- Ten

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