Twins
Chapter 10: The Props
"Irasshaimase!"
That loud greeting was heard after a chime sounded upon being hit by the door. It was followed by a lad in blue high school uniform entering the lumber shop.
"How may I help you, sir?" asked the middle-aged man who appears to be the owner of the store.
"Do you have something that we could use as props for a scene in a balcony? I mean, the railings and the veranda itself." The lad had to get his hand from his pocket in order to describe what he was talking about.
The man smiled and replied, "Just a minute sir, I know just the thing for that." He then went into the room behind the counter.
Instinctively, the lad decided to observe his surroundings a little while waiting.
'This shop seems to be a little older than I thought... but the supplies in here are indeed plenty and-' His thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone suddenly rang.
"Kaito, you're in the wood shop already, right?" asked the girl on the other end of the line.
"You'd better be!" yelled another one from the background. "It's so crowded in here and we're dying to get the stuff we have to buy. Better do your job there well or else!"
He heard the first girl giggle and say, "Sonoko, you're being tough on him again~" She then turned back to the phone and said, "Ganbatte ne, Kaito-kun."
Before the lad could respond, the girls hanged up already. All he could do was to heave a sigh.'Those two... They even dare complain when I'm the one here who went to five different stores already to buy these' He looked at the plastic bags he was holding, '...and still have to go to five more because of this VERY long list they made.'
The store owner came back and showed him some pieces of wood. He even gave some tips on how to construct the terrace ledge they were going to make.
'How pathetic. I'm missing all the action out there; the world might be needing my help already. Right now there could be thieves on the loose or murderers planning some assassination or syndicates doing their smuggling business, but I, the great detective Kudo Shinichi, am here, buying props materials for our play.'
After buying the wood, Shinichi started walking to find the next store on the list. Good thing the wood pieces he bought were smaller than what he expected. The store owner said they would just have to fasten those bundled wood pieces together to make the balcony. Now he has lesser tasks and a smaller load.
'But then...' His mind wandered again. 'At least I wouldn't have to act and play the piano there.' He thought of his twin and smirked. 'I wonder if he's doing his role well. I'm more worried about his Shinichi role than his prince role. He could be a little out of himself when with Aoko.'
#######
"Hachoo!"
Kaitou laughed.
"Kudo-kun, could you not sneeze and laugh in the middle of a serious scene! You're ruining the atmosphere!" Aoko tried to calm herself down. It was a supposed romantic scene that they have been redoing for the third time already.
"I'm sorry, it's just funny that it happened thrice already and at the same timing with the scene." He continued chuckling.
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
Her eyes were blazing, but Kaito still found it amusing to see her that angry. He couldn't help but smile as he explained, "No, of course I wasn't sneezing everytime you say the phrase 'I love you'. It's not like I want to hear it over and over again so I'm sneezing on purpose... it's not like that, I swear." His voice became softer as he continued, fiddling with his fingers, "But of course I want to hear it from you someday, somehow, someway, but I-"
"Quit mumbling there and let's get this over with!"
"Aye aye, ma'am!" Kaitou saluted and grinned before running towards his position at the start of the scene.
The director and the students watching them merely stared at them with disbelief.
#######
Shinichi kept on looking back and forth – at his watch and at the setting sun, as he had his back leaned on the fence of Beika Park.
"What's taking them so long?"
He glanced at the things he bought – small containers of poster paint, a bundle of wood, folded empty flour sacks, glue sticks, metallic papers, a big roll of straw wire/string, some strands of aluminium wire and two bottles of chilled soya milk.
"Out of all these things, the bottles of soya milk are the only ones I can't explain." He raised a brow at the thing. "Will mixing it with paint give it a better tint? Or are they going to use it to soften the flour sacks for the backdrop? Never heard of that before..."
"Ka-I-To-kun!" Ran greeted, suddenly appearing beside him.
"Have you bought everything on the list?" Sonoko inquired.
"Yeah," He replied lazily.
"You remembered to compare prices, right?" Ran asked in a sweeter tone.
"Yep," was his quick answer.
"You didn't forget the martanpi color I told you about, did you?" Sonoko followed.
"That martanpi gave me a pain in the neck! No one has ever heard of that." He lost his calmness for a while after remembering that he had to check out different shops but failed to find that paint color.
"Baka. Martanpi is simply a combination of maroon, tangerine and pink. How could they not know that?" Sonoko reasoned.
"Baka-er. Why didn't you tell me? We could have just mixed those three colors to get a martanpi." Shinichi grimfaced at her.
"Baka-est! There's no maroon and tangerine in poster paints. You have to mix some colors first for you to get them." She sticked her tongue out to him.
Ran just laughed at them.
Though a bit irritated, Shinichi chose to keep quiet for the sake of the argument's end. He was then surprised when he saw Ran and Sonoko take out the bottles of soya milk from the plastic bag and twisted their caps open. Before he realized it, they were drinking the milk already, and it made him even more irritated.
"Ichibanya's soya milk is really delicious, ne Sonoko"
"Yup. Nothing compares to it."
"You mean you two made me buy that not for the play but just for you two?"
The girls just grinned at him.
"Oh brother~" he sighed. 'How could he stand these two?...'
#######
Meanwhile during the rehearsal break, Kaito decided to bother Aoko. She was sitting at the stairs of the stage, drinking water and reading the script.
As he was approaching, he noticed her glanced at her watch and frowned. She heaved a sigh before looking back to the script.
"What's the matter, Aoko-chan?" Arriving at her side, he asked. "Are you late for an appointment or something?"
She slowly turned to look at him, and stared coldly like that for about three seconds before turning back to the script. No word was heard from her.
Kaito whined, "Aww, don't be angry~ I won't sneeze anymore, I promise." He raised his right hand and showed an obedient face. "Maybe someone with strong vibes was just thinking about me earlier."
Aoko smirked. "Don't you know how to read other people's eyes?" She then stood up and left his side, saying, "You're noisy."
"What was that?" He followed her pace. "You saw though my eyes and found out that I'm noisy? Or were you just telling me that I am noisy?"
"Leave me alone, will you?" She lazily ordered.
#######
It was already dark when Shinichi and Ran were walking along residential streets, carrying the things they bought. Sonoko had to leave them because of a social gathering that her family had to attend.
"Ne Kaito..."
"Hm?"
"It's so quiet, can we talk about something?" She smiled. "They say that talking to a friend will make you forget that you are walking a long road and carrying something heavy."
"Then let me-" He reached for the plastic bags she was carrying but she pulled away.
"No, silly. I don't mean it like that." She giggled. "I'm totally fine with this." She smiled and lifted the bags to reassure him.
"Then, what do we talk about?" He asked comfortably.
"Hm, you ask me a question then I'll ask you."
"You go first."
"No, you go first," she insisted.
He looked up as he asked, "Why do stars twinkle?"
"Eh?"
"Just kidding." He giggled. "Hm... What will you do if... if everyone turned into zombies?"
Her forehead creased. "Well... I would find a way to cure them."
"How would you do that?" was his follow-up.
"Oops, it's my turn to ask now." She smirked.
"Alright, but don't copy my question, that's cheating." He smirked as well.
"Aww, I want to hear your answer on that too." She pouted. She looked around a little and got an idea. "If you were to spend a whole day with someone in a locked room – that is, a locked room that even a magician like you can't open – who would you like to be with and why?"
"That's still cheating, you're asking me two questions in a row," he scolded.
"No, technically it's just one question." She made a funny face at him.
"Tsk, cheater." He looked away to think. 'If Kaito wouldn't be able to open it then it's no use being with him there.' "I guess I'd be with you. It will be a good opportunity to get to know you better."
"But you know me better than anyone else, Kaito," she calmly protested.
"Yeah, but, what I mean is" He was startled a bit but didn't show it. "You're my best friend so I'd like to spend time with you like that. You know, do things that we could only do in a locked room..." He instantly covered his mouth with his hand as his eyes froze. "I- I mean-"
Ran laughed seeing him stutter. "I should have hit you already but you look so funny."
"But I didn't mean anything like- you know..." His eyes slowly wandered up above his head. Before he knew it, he received a hard slap on his left cheek.
"Don't you ever think about it." She blew her palm as if it were a gun that just gave out a shot. She smirked.
Rubbing his swelling cheek, Shinichi complained, "I thought my head was going to detach. I was only trying to say-"
"Forget it. It's your turn to ask now." She used a strict voice that made him obey right away.
"Hmpf, I'll get back on you." An idea quickly came into his mind. He smirked evilly before asking, "How much do you like Shinichi? Explain in detail."
"Hey that's not a single question!" She claimed.
"Nope, just one question plus one instruction." He smiled coolly.
It was now Ran's cheeks' turn to become red as the thought came into her mind. She didn't know how to answer, or rather, she didn't want to answer.
Shinichi, on the other hand, was smiling evilly and unstoppably. He was excited to hear how much a fan could adore him.
"I don't have to answer that." She stated blankly.
"What?" was his quick reaction.
"You know that already. You know me better than anyone else, remember?"
He pouted. "Then what's there to ask?" He came up with an idea. "Besides, feelings do change. I just want to be updated with you."
It took her quite a while to answer.
"Well, for me he's really cool." She blushed faintly. "He's very reliable when he's given a task. He can really do a lot and save a lot of people." She looked up and he looked at her. His face showed that he was flattered but at the same time curious.
"I was surprised that he really kept up with the play," she continued, smiling. "I thought he wouldn't be interested in that since he's usually busy with a lot of cases."
As much as Shinichi wanted to listen, his attention was caught by two men ahead. They had a sturdy body build and looked like motor biker thugs, but what bothered Shinichi the most was the way one of them stared at the girl beside him.
The taller man eyed Ran from head to toe and then back up again, with a mischievous smirk on his face.
As Shinichi and Ran were getting closer, the man's impish smile widened. He even licked his upper lip before taking a step towards the two students approaching.
Knowing that she is on the side near that man, Shinichi quickly exchanged places with Ran from behind. He took the plastic bags from her right hand as part of the act and promptly wrapped his left arm around her shoulder. With his hand on her shoulder joint, he gave her a gentle pull closer because she was now on the side near the road and there was a fast car coming. His hawk eyes remained in contact with that of the man as they continued walking.
In no time there was a staring contest between the two. The fact that the man looked like someone who can kill in an instant was no issue for Shinichi. He just wanted to protect her from the malicious thoughts that this man could probably be thinking of.
But from the man's point of view, Shinichi looked like a very protective boyfriend of this girl. He was infuriated a bit because of the lad's arrogant stare but his companion stopped him from doing something outrageous.
Ran, on the other hand, was not able to notice anything as she was busy telling stuff about how cool Kudo Shinichi is. Apparently, what she just noticed was his arm on her shoulder. She pointed at it and said, "Why is-"
"There was a bug!" He quickly answered. "But I was wrong." He withdrew his hand from her shoulder and showed her a piece of thread it was holding. He smiled childishly and said, "It was just this."
She giggled. "Why go to my right side and notice something on my left side? You're so weird Kaito..."
He smiled, "Well, I guess some things are noticed more when looked at from afar. People tend to overlook what's in front of them."
She gave him a light push forward. "You sound like a mature, philosophical man."
He smirked. "Isn't that handsome?"
"Nah~" She giggled.
#######
When they arrived at Ran's house, she first checked her dad's office to see if he has been making a mess.
"Dad!~ I told you to keep your office clean." She placed the plastic bags on the couch and started picking up the cans of beer and food wrappers on the table.
With the door left open in front of him, Shinichi took it as an invitation to come in. He tried to help her with the cleaning but she insisted that he just be seated.
Kogoro cleared his throat. "And what do I suppose is the show-off detective punk doing here? Perhaps you changed your mind and decided to become my disciple, ne?" He smiled smugly.
"Dad, don't be rude." Ran scolded him softly. "And he's not your detective rival. He's Shinichi's twin brother, Kaito. Don't you remember him?"
"I don't remember any friend of yours that looks like that guy..." He narrowed his eyes and observed Shinichi's appearance. "And besides, that punk is clearly not my rival 'cause he is younger and obviously inferior to my greatness."
Shinichi forced a smile. In his mind, he was surprised to see the same guy from a few days ago. 'I can't believe it. They don't look much alike either... It's really amazing that the world becomes so small sometimes."
In no time, the two started working on the props. Shinichi was cutting out papers for the decorations that Ran was tracing. They had to work in the office because Kogoro insisted them to do so. "I have to make sure that this punk doesn't take advantage of my daughter's frailty," he even said.
Dinner time came and Ran had to cook for the three of them. She left the two guys and headed upstairs to prepare the meal.
Kogoro seized the chance to ask Shinichi a few questions.
"So what do you plan to be in the future?"
"Me? Err, I don't know yet, sir," the lad replied.
"Geez, I'll never allow her to go out with a plan-less guy like you."
"G-go out?" Shinichi looked at him and sweatdropped. He then continued fiddling with a rectangular wooden box and a piece of glass of the same size as the box.
"What are you trying to do with that?" Kogoro came closer to the couch. "Trying to make a mirror box?"
"No, sir. I'm putting this mirror inside the box for a hiding trick." His detective senses made him demonstrate the thing to Kogoro. "You see, if you place something like this blue ribbon in here and then cover it with the mirror diagonally this way, it would seem that there is nothing inside the box, see?" He showed him the interior of the box, looking as clear as empty.
"Wow, it does seem empty!"
The lad smiled proudly.
"Wait... Are you sure you are not that detective punk Kudo?" Kogoro suspected.
Shinichi's smile turned into a startled expression as he tried to find a way to dissuade Kogoro from thinking like that.
"O-of course not!" He fixed his tie, which was loosened up earlier. "I'm his younger brother, a finer man than that punk." He gave him a convincing smile. Kogoro seemed to like what he said.
"And by the way, uncle," Shinichi followed, "I have to pain this box, what color does the great detective think would make this look plain but mysterious?"
"Well, violet I suppose?"
The younger one cupped his chin and eyed at the box before commenting, "Impressive. I never thought of that."
Kogoro laughed, proud of himself. "Well, that's just a natural talent of mine... being good at everything, wahahaha!"
In his mind, Shinichi grimfaced but he had to continue convincing Kogoro that he is not the smart detective he really is.
"Violet is made from the colors..." the lad left that hanging.
"Red and blue!" Kogoro answered like a primary school student, raising a hand in the process.
"Wow, you're so smart uncle!" He laughed.
Kogoro laughed with him. "And you're so agreeable!" He gave the lad a pat on the shoulder.
'So when I'm Shinichi, I'm a show-off detective punk, but when I'm Kaito, I'm agreeable... Jeez~' he thought.
When Ran returned to invite them for dinner, it surprised her how the two became friends in just a short time alone. But what surprised her more was the can of beer that her father was making Shinichi drink.
"Go ahead, you have a 'parent's' consent anyway, don't worry." She heard her father say.
"Dad~ what are you doing to Kaito?" She was, however, too late to stop his first sip.
Shinichi faced her and merely gave her a 'sorry-I-was-not-able-to-refuse-because-he-is-too-insistent' sheepish smile.
##To be continued##
AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for making you wait ^_^; school has been very busy _ hope you enjoyed this chapter, though ^_^ thanks to all who gave a review and all who added this fic to their favorites and alert list ^o^
Please find time to leave a review =D it would be an honor to know what my readers think of Twins ^-^
~I miss this fic.. I'm so glad that I was able to finish this left-\hanging chappie, moe moe~
Thank you for reading! \(^.^)/
By the way, the trick in the box with the mirror was obtained from Detective Conan Live Action 1 =D It was a really good movie so watch it if you haven't! ^^
Next Chapter~
Knowing her better means knowing what she does... what makes her happy... and what she is hiding...inside? O_O