＼(^▽^＠)ノ
Once she calmed down, Sonoko told Subaru everything. How she was worried about Ran, and how Amuro pointed her to Kuroha Hikaru. She told him about Sato offering to help and then coming up with nothing when she asked around, even with all the information she had. She told him about the man who attacked her, how he tricked her and disappeared without a trace. She told him how Shinichi was her last hope, and he was the reason she'd come here in the first place.
Subaru quietly soothed her fears, assuring her of Shinichi's safety by calling Shinichi's mom. Shin-chan is fine, just recovering from an injury, Yukiko told her, and Sonoko could at last relax.
The next week or so did wonders for Sonoko's stability. Subaru didn't comment on her skipping school, and with some help from Ran and a bit of begging Makoto, her parents had no idea where she actually was. She dropped back at the house for a few changes of clothes, but since that night, she lived in the Kudou house. It was odd at first to be in Shinichi's house at all, and Subaru had a few quirks that took a few days to get used to. But she fell into a routine with him, and the normalcy in this fortress of a mansion soothed her paranoia.
The first thing she noticed was that Subaru woke up early. Sonoko thought herself an early bird, easily waking up at six in the morning without an alarm, but it almost seemed like Subaru never slept. He burned the midnight oil like nobody's business, and he was dressed at 6:15, sitting down with a hot breakfast, keeping a second serving for Sonoko warm on the stove. He had morning classes for two hours a day three times a week. As soon as he returned on the first day, her training began.
She was surprised by how much Subaru knew about "street smarts." When she asked where he learned it all, he said nothing more than "Universities can be dangerous places." He showed her how to walk with confidence, trained her to turn her cellphone, her keys, a credit card into a weapon, told her how to recognize a dangerous situation before walking into it. The best part? He taught her self-defense.
He said it was Jeet Kune Do, the same thing Sera knew. For hours, Subaru coached Sonoko in the living room, the furniture pushed against the wall and the air conditioning turned on high. He demonstrated moves and sparred with her (she knew he was going easy on her). At the end of each session, Subaru took her to a nearby park where they ran for five kilometers. Each night, Sonoko collapsed into bed dog tired and completely and entirely sore.
Sonoko was ready to cry in an hour on the first day. She kept getting thrown to the ground again and again as they practiced countering. Subaru was kind, but none of her punches connected. He knocked her down again, but this time she stayed there.
Subaru gave her his hand. "One more time. You're getting better."
Sonoko covered her eyes, hiding the tears welling at her eyes. "It doesn't feel like it. No matter what I do, I can't get it right."
Subaru took one of her hands. "Sonoko-san, I have been doing this for over ten years. It took me a long time to get this good. You are doing well, believe it or not."
Sonoko sniffed, wiped away her tears. "But I'm not doing it right." She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. Letting go of her hand, he got into fighting position. "I don't understand what I'm not doing."
"I won't give you the answer," said Subaru, "but I will show you how to find it."
A weighted target sat next to the wall. Subaru pulled it over to them. "I'm going to punch this two different ways. Tell me what I do differently." Sonoko nodded, and he got into fighting stance. He punched the target, quick as lighting, but it hardly budged. "Now the other way." He punched the target again, this time leaning into it, his eyes looking somewhere past his target. The target fell over with a mighty thud, and Sonoko frowned thoughtfully. "Can you do it again?"
He did.
"It looks like," she said, helping him pick up the target again, "the first time, you stop before the target, but the second time, you almost… punch through it?"
She looked to Subaru for confirmation, and he was smiling. "Exactly. Even if your target is here," he punched again, barely touching the target, "you must act as though your real target is further behind it."
Sonoko nodded. "So I wasn't following though when I punched."
"Correct. And the same goes for kicking." Subaru demonstrated with a simple round kick. "Always go through your target." He relaxed, stood back from the target. "Now, it's your turn."
"Okay." Stepping up to the target, Sonoko went into fighting stance. With a deep breath, she centered herself. Through the target. She fixed her eyes on a spot past the target and threw a punch.
Subaru nodded. "Good. Again."
Sonoko punched harder. The target rocked back and forth.
"Again."
She punched.
"Breathe." She took in a breath and exhaled forced the air from her lungs as she threw another punch. "Good. Again."
Punch. "Tighten up your stance. Again." Punch. "Again." Punch. "Again." Punch. Sweat dripped down her brow. "Again." Punch, hit the target— no, hit past the target. "Again." Punch. "One more time." Punch. "Good." She relaxed, but Subaru nodded to the target. "Now switch sides, and give me ten with your left hand."
Time blurred as he put her through the ringer, drilling her on left and right jabs, basic kicks and footwork, and blocking. At some point, Subaru took the place of the weighted target, and he demanded more of her than the faceless object. Aim for my side, tilt your leg just a bit more, follow my movements, make sure you breathe. All she knew was grueling sequences, sweat, exhaustion, and exhilaration. Finally, after executing a series of left jab, high block, right jab, hook kick, side kick, retreat, left jab, right jab low block and get knocked over by Subaru if she didn't block low soon enough, Subaru all but picked her up off the ground and brought her into the kitchen.
Sonoko collapsed into her chair, breathing heavily. Her arms and legs trembled an exhaustion adrenaline had kept at bay until now. "Don't sit down. Take a cool-down walk around the hall until your breathing returns to normal," Subaru suggested, digging around in the pantry. "And drink this." He handed her a bottle of pineapple flavored coconut water. "We spar in seven minutes."
Sonoko gaped at him. "That didn't count as sparring?"
Subaru smiled. "We weren't wearing sparring gear." He took out a bottle of coconut water for himself. "Go walk. I'll find you when it's time."
Seven minutes went by way too fast, but oxygen and hydration put Sonoko in a much happier mood as Subaru fitted her with sparring gear. Subaru had changed into something a little more suited for exercise (but he really loved his high collars) and strapped on his gear before he motioned for Sonoko to stand in front of him.
"Before combat, we bow." He bowed, waist-deep, and Sonoko copied the motion. As he stood, he brought one foot back and his fists up. "We'll start a bit slower."
Nodding, Sonoko drew her hands into fighting stance. Subaru rocked back and forth on his toes. He punched at Sonoko's face. She dodged to the side and jabbed at his stomach, but he parried and got three more punches in. She only blocked the first two, the third brushing her shoulder. Feinting left, she got Subaru's guard up, and she picked up her right foot and kicked his right side. Subaru was too fast for her. He pinned her leg, and with his own, he swept her feet and she fell to the ground.
Subaru helped her to her feet. "That was good. Let's go again."
She felt a burst of confidence at the touch of pride in his voice. "Hai, sensei." She bounced on the balls of her feet. She wouldn't let him catch her this time.
He caught her plenty of times. By the time they stripped off their sparring gear, Sonoko was glad she wasn't going to school. Otherwise, someone might question the bruises already forming from almost dodged blows and not-quite-perfect attacks. She could only hope they faded before she went back.
Sonoko woke up the second morning in incredible pain, every one of her muscles crying out in agony. To her surprise, Subaru was sitting at her bedside. "You woke up many times in the night from the soreness. Today, your body rests," he assured her.
Her mind did not.
After breakfast, Subaru took her into the living room where she found that he'd repurposed the space yet again. The lights low, soft blankets and lumpy beanbags took the place of the couches as candles sat scattered across the floor, little dancing flames casting shifting, formless shadows. Subaru drew the thick curtains closed, and the world plunged into a dim orange glow.
"Wow," she breathed, as though speaking too loud would break the spell.
Subaru sat criss-cross in one of the beanbags. Taking the hint, Sonoko picked her way through the candles to sit across from him, crossing her legs like he had.
"Yesterday's focus was your physical ability, as tomorrow's will be." Sonoko wilted at the thought of that much training again. "If you do not wish to train, I will not force you. But I will ask you the same question I asked yesterday."
He fixed her with a look, and suddenly the green in his eyes flashed with intensity. "Do you want to escape the man who is threatening you?"
Sonoko swallowed. "Yes."
Subaru tipped his head. "Healing is a process. Not one that you will complete in the time you remain here, but one that can start today if you are willing."
Sonoko sat up just a little straighter. "Hai, sensei."
Subaru sat stock still with all the discipline of a true martial artist. "Let's begin."
＼(^▽^＠)ノ (▼-▼*)╦╤─
(⌐▨_・)ﾂθ ●
A week went by before Sonoko heard anything. Over the course of that time, she found herself able to last longer against Subaru, run just a little faster, and she woke up a little less sore each time. The meditation (Subaru called it "cognitive processing therapy," but Sonoko liked mediation better) was no less painful as she painstakingly re-lived being attacked again and again, but she gradually built an endurance to both.
It was Saturday afternoon that her new life got turned on its head. As she practiced her basic forms in the living room, Subaru watching, a ringtone sounded from the kitchen. Sonoko's punch faltered. "That's my phone."
"Go." He stepped out of her way, and Sonoko ran.
Sliding to a stop at the counter, she picked up her phone.
Incoming call from Holmes homie
She couldn't have answered quicker.
"Shinichi-kun?"
"Hey, Sonoko." She let out a sigh of relief. He really was alive. "Ran wanted me to check up on you." Wait, he was calling because of Ran? "She said you haven't been at school, and she's getting worried about you. She told me about how bad the rumors are, and so I thought I'd give you a call. I'm still alive. Don't worry."
Sonoko wasn't sure whether she wanted to scream or cry. "Didn't you get my text?"
"Text?" He sounded genuinely confused.
She was going to scream. "Yes. My text. I asked you a week ago if we could talk."
"Oh, um. Well. About that? I might have...blocked texts from you?"
"What!" she shrieked. Subaru poked his head into the kitchen.
"Hey, you're the one sending me those sort of pictures," he began defensively. "And I can't- "
She stomped her foot. "You didn't have to block me! Look, I get you have your precious cases, but can't you for once in your life care about the people here?!"
"I am doing everything I can," he growled fiercely. "Everything I do is for Ran-"
"Well, what about me!" she burst out. "I've known you since we've known Ran and that has to count for something. Maybe I'm not strong or smart or Ran, but I needed your help. Where the h*** were you last week," she demanded, tears stinging her eyes. "Where the f***ing h*** were you."
Shinichi was silent. A pair of hands gripped her shoulders, and Subaru guided her to a seat in the dining room. She collapsed into the chair, and Subaru left her to herself.
He dropped the cynicism, the attacking tone. "Were you attacked?"
"Yeah," she choked out, her voice cracking. She took a breath, gathering herself. "Yeah, I was."
"Was it random or planned?"
"He knew my name, and Ran's, and Makoto-san's, and he knew about you and my parents."
"Very planned," murmured Shinichi. "Did you notice anything about him? Any defining characteristics?"
"He was dressed head to toe in tattered, black clothing, but—" Shinichi inhaled sharply. Sonoko narrowed her eyes. "What is it."
"N— nothing. It's probably nothing."
"Shinichi-kun—"
"Trust me and hope that I'm wrong. What did he say to you?"
She frowned but answered nonetheless. "I was looking into this suspicious guy who'd been hanging out Ran, and he told me to drop it or he'd—" she faltered. "Or he'd kill everyone."
"Can you remember his exact words?
She huffed. "No. I don't know." She tried to think, and to her surprise, he let her. "I remember he said he'd kill Ran like he killed you. That's how I knew he wasn't tapping my phone."
"He said he killed me?" Shinichi asked almost fearfully.
Her throat was tight. "Not like he killed you, but he said it like he'd kill Ran the same way you got killed."
"Did he have silver hair? Or a fedora?"
"What? No. He looked like a drunk homeless guy. Shinichi-kun, you're not making me any less nervous." She fingered her collar, her fingers brushing the nearly healed wound on her neck.
He sighed. "Sorry. I just had to be sure I was wrong."
Her hand settled on her neck. "So it wasn't who you thought? Is that good?"
"Yes. If your attacker was the person I thought he was, then we'd be in a lot more trouble. But he's not. So you're not in as much danger as me." He laughed humorlessly, but Sonoko couldn't join in. "Now, more about this person you were investigating. What's his name? What did the man in black say about him?"
"I thought his name was Kuroba Hikaru, but apparently it's pronounced Kuroha. The man said Kuroha was 'theirs' or something like that. He talked about Kuroha-san like I was going to draw too much attention to him, but the guy kind of does that on his own, says Ran. It seemed like the man wanted to make sure no one paid any extra attention to Kuroba-san."
"Did the man have any other demands?"
Sonoko swallowed. "He said to keep my head down and make sure Sato-keiji doesn't know about this at all." Her fingers traced the band-aid on her throat. "I still don't know if Kuroba- er, Kuroha-san is working with that man or not. I mean, trying to keep people from asking questions is a nice thing, but the way he said Kuroha-san was theirs wasn't like Kuroha-san was a friend. I think he meant Kuroha-san was someone they wanted to hurt or something."
Shinichi hummed in thought. "Depends. What is Kuroha-san's profession?"
"Apparently he's a police officer. And I thought he was a man named Samejima Yasuhiro, but it turns out I was completely wrong."
"How so?"
She pursed her lips. "Well, Subaru-san—"
"Oh, is he there?" Shinichi brightened immediately.
"Uh, yeah. I'm, er, at your house. I came here after you didn't respond. Subaru-san's been taking care of me. I've been learning Jeet Kune Do and meditation techniques from him."
"Really? That's great. You won't find a better teacher."
"Yeah. He's nice. Um, anyway, he went with Agasa-hakase and Conan-kun's friends so they could give their statements on a case that you apparently showed up to. He said Kuroha Hikaru looks nothing like Samjima." She crossed her arms. "By the way, you didn't say anything about showing up to Ran's camping trip."
Shinichi coughed. "Ah. Well, it was all by coincidence. Not much happened besides solving the murder there." He coughed again, this time harder than before.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Shinichi grunted. "Getting over a cold. Mind if I talk to Subaru-san? I have a message from my mother."
Sonoko glanced around. "Let me find him. But do you think Kuroha-san is in danger?" She stood up and went into the kitchen.
"I don't know," Shinichi admitted. "I'll have to do some looking on my own. As soon as I know something, I'll give you a call."
"Can you unblock me? You and Subaru-san are the only two who know about this." She didn't see Subaru in the kitchen, so she continued into the living room where she found him sitting on the couch with a book.
"Sure. Oh, by the way. If you can't get a hold of me, call Hattori Heiji. He's a detective from Osaka. He came looking for me awhile back, remember?"
Suddenly, it clicked. "Oh, yeah. He's the one with the really dark skin?"
Shinichi snorted. "And the short temper."
In the background, someone shouted, "I heard that, Kudou!" and Shinichi laughed.
"Thanks for proving me right, Hattori," he shot back jovially.
"Why you-"
"Heiji, leave Shinichi-kun alone when he's on the phone," scolded an older woman.
"But Okan—"
Sonoko shifted from one foot to another. "Uh, Shinichi-kun?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Sonoko. Just call Hattori if you can't get me. He's trustworthy, and almost as smart as me." Another angry shout in the background. "I'm stopping, I'm stopping," he told Heiji with another laugh before he broke into a harsh coughing fit.
"Oi, Kudou," said Heiji worriedly, his voice nearly lost behind the retching coughs.
"Shinichi-kun?" Sonoko gripped her phone tighter.
Shinichi rasped, "Hattori, hand me that."
Odd, thought Sonoko. It doesn't sound like he dropped his phone. "Shinichi-kun, are you sure you're alright?"
He coughed a few more times. "I'm fine, just my— urk— meds. Can I speak with Okiya-san?"
"Um, yeah." She walked over to Subaru (he'd been giving her an odd look for a while) and held out her phone. "It's Shinichi-kun."
Subaru closed his book and took the phone. "Thank you, Sonoko-san." Putting the phone to his ear, he smiled. "Kudou-kun. Your mother is doing well, I hope."
In the Hattori house, Shinichi closed his bedroom door. "Has she spoken with you recently?" Is the house safe?
"She talks up a storm." Shuichi responded. We can speak freely. He waited for Sonoko to return to the kitchen before he stood and walked to the window overlooking Agasa's house next door. He switched off the voice changer and spoke quietly. "It seems we have things to discuss, Kudou-kun.
"Kir has news."