File One: The Memoirs of Kudo Shinichi
If there is something in this world that Kudo Shinichi will never, ever forget, it definitely has to be the day he received the news. The news that changed his life forever.
Despite it being a crucial moment in his life, he doesn't remember the exact date, yet, he can deduce that it took place around the first weeks of April, when he was a mere third grader.
There is no way he could be mistaken about it.
"Look, look, Shinichi! Aren't they beautiful?"
Until this day, Shinichi can still remember Ran's ever beautiful smile as she admired the breath-taking view that surrounded them both. Unlike his childhood friend, however, Shinichi recalls being not nearly as enthusiastic as her about it.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered instead, rolling his eyes.
Ran glared at him in response, lips pursing together in a pout. "You aren't even looking!"
Not that Shinichi particularly cared. "They look exactly the same as last year," he said boredly, arms crossed behind his head. "What's so special about them, anyway?"
"They are pretty," she replied, as if it explained everything. But it didn't, not to Shinichi anyway.
Seeing that, clearly, she hadn't succeeded in making the boy see reason, the girl huffed and turned her head away, refusing to say anything else. Shinichi wisely chose not to emit another word, deciding that letting the girl enjoy their little detour all she wanted was for the best. Besides, it's not like I need to hurry, he thought. Homework aside, there was nothing to do once he got back home, or rather, got to the Professor's.
Speaking of which, maybe I should pass by home and pick up a book...
"Besides..." Shinichi's head jerked up when Ran spoke. "Mom told me the other time..." There was a radiant smile blooming on her face. "Cherry blossoms are the symbol of new beginnings!"
"Ah, I see," he said, completely uninterested by what she had just said.
The girl didn't seem to notice ─ or care. "Isn't it exciting, Shinichi?"
A faint shrug of his shoulders was all the answer he was willing to grace her with, allowing his gaze to wander back to the front, where the fallen petals had already painted their path with their beautiful pink color. His mouth hung open for a moment, amazed by the blossoms that gently fluttered down with the breeze, making everything feel alive.
Maybe Ran was right ─ maybe they were pretty after all. Not that he would ever admit it out loud, of course.
Soon after that, the two children went their separate ways. Like every other day, he waved the girl goodbye from over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow!" he had shouted, too, as always, before turning around to continue his way home.
In no time at all, he found himself standing right in front of the enormous gates in front of his house. As any ordinary day, he just pushed them open.
A new beginning, huh? Unlike any other day, however, her words continued to echo in his head. Yeah, right. He snorted at the absurd thought, approaching the front door.
After fetching the key from his pocket, the boy placed it in the lock. As if this year is going to be any different… He turned it. … from the last…
Then, all thoughts suddenly stopped, skidding into a halt inside his head as he gazed down at his hand, which was already trembling at the realization that the door was already unlocked.
Thinking about it reasonably, the boy knew the best course of action was to step away, making as little sound as possible, then run to the Professor's house next door. There, he was supposed to call the police and wait for them to resolve the problem… That was all he should have done.
In reality, however, he stood there, frozen in place, urging his muscles to work, but with little success.
They moved soon enough, if only to flinch away when the door flew open out of the blue.
"Shin-chan~!"
Just as he was about to have a panic attack right then and there, something, or rather someone, leaped at him. All of a sudden, it was difficult to breathe, thanks to a pair of arms that had enveloped his tiny body, forcefully squeezing all air out of his lungs.
"M-Mom..." At this point, he wasn't sure if he wouldn't have preferred an intruder instead of her. "Let me..."
Muttering an apology, the mother let go, allowing the child to glare lightly at the beaming woman ─ who didn't, by any means, look remotely sorry for what she had almost done.
"Shinichi." Raising his head, he saw his father next, standing in the doorway. "Hey."
Looking closely, Shinichi could see his dad's lips twitching with hidden amusement, which, in turn, made his eyebrow twitch as well. "Welcome back," he muttered under his breath, promptly dodging his father's hand from landing on top of his head and entering his house. "I thought you were in Paris for another week."
His parents didn't seem to worry much about it. "Well, we were going to," his mother said instead, with an odd smile stretched all over her face. "But we were dying to come back to Japan."
"Ah, really?" replied the boy, lacking any real enthusiasm.
"We left you here in Beika for so long, too," his father added. "Has it been lonely?"
In fact, Ran had asked the same thing when she had first learned that his parents were visiting Paris last February, even if Shinichi hadn't understood it at the moment. Why would he? If anything, he had convinced them to leave him with Agasa back in Japan. The excuse he had used was that he was starting his third grade soon, and that he hadn't wanted to miss out on anything ─ he wished he could be surprised over the fact that his irresponsible parents had forgotten that their son was supposed to go to school.
It worked out just fine for him anyway and he got what he wanted ─ some well-reserved peace and quiet.
"Not really."
Carelessly, the child threw his school bag on the couch, then paused, noticing that his parents were right behind him, following closely. It was strange, at best, so he just stood there, arching an eyebrow at the pair, who merely smiled further.
Shinichi blinked. Definitely, there was something he wasn't understanding.
"There's that..." Yusaku said. "And we have some news."
News? Shinichi was officially confused now. His parents were grinning so widely that it looked like their faces would split in half, noticed the boy after studying them for a moment. If he had to guess, he would have said that they were excited, except that he couldn't see any reason for such eagerness.
"Maybe it's a little early." It was she who began, walking closer to the clueless little boy. "But we wanted to tell you before anyone else."
Just as he was going to ask her to elaborate, she gently grasped his hand and, ever so slowly, placed it against her belly. Owlish blinking was the response they got ─ first to the place where their hands overlapped, then to their faces. They remained in silence for a second, gazing down at their son expectantly.
It didn't look like he was going to talk anytime soon, "Any guess?" so Yusaku decided to ask instead.
Shinichi was at a complete loss for words, therefore Yukiko took the chance and beamed.
"You're going to be a big brother, Shin-chan!"
Those words were left hanging in the air, even several seconds after they had first been pronounced. All the while, the child remained perfectly still, staring at them, but unwilling to open his mouth to break the ominous silence that had settled upon their shoulders.
Eventually, the boy opened his eyes wide, as if they had just reached his ears. "I'm going to..." Again, he blinked slowly ─ as if he was awakening from a long dream. "... what?"
Her son's confusion amused Yukiko, so she giggled lightly. "There's a baby growing in here," she explained, motioning to their intertwined hands that were still pressed against her belly. "He, or she, is going to meet this world around November."
Then she gazed at Shinichi, searching for any kind of reaction. After a moment of thinking deeply about it, the boy's face contorted in a weird grimace. "But why?"
The boy couldn't, for the life of him, comprehend what in the world could possibly make a person want another child roughly nine years after the first one. Sure, he remembered that, at some point in his life, he used to want a younger sibling, but Shinichi had been, like, four or five. After several times of getting turned down, he had mostly gotten used to the fact that he would forever and ever be an only child…
His mother chuckled at his clueless expression. "You will understand when you're older."
Shinichi rolled his eyes. He had the distinct feeling that this wouldn't make any more sense when he grew older, either.
"So?" Yukiko's grin was so bright that the kid even worried he would get blind just by looking at it. "Aren't you excited, Shin-chan?"
What happened next was far off from what they had foreseen. The little boy didn't grin in joy, nor did he complain over the fact that he was going to be a big brother soon ─ no, he did none of that. He just fell silent, staring at her mother's belly for a solid minute without moving a muscle. Naturally, both parents exchanged a look, worried that this wasn't going so well as they had expected.
Only when his father's hand dropped on his head did his gaze tear away from there to look at him, a little surprised still. "Shinichi," Yusaku said, crouching down next to him. "We were wondering if you could help us with something."
"With what?"
"You see, your mother and I have been struggling to find a proper name." Yukiko looked as confused as the kid himself ─ Shinichi wondered why. "So we'd be quite grateful if you could help us find one." The man smiled gently. "You have been reading a lot lately, so we thought you might have seen a name you liked-"
"You're a novelist, Dad."
"And even so, I still have found nothing that fits perfectly." He chuckled, causing Shinichi to raise an eyebrow. "It's such an important job, so we're counting on you, alright?" Yusaku winked. "Shinichi-niichan."
Shinichi-niichan never replied.
"What?! A brother?!"
The loud exclamation made the young boy huff and slowly turn his head away from his friend to that other equally shocked girl. "This is weird," he said, voice laced with annoyance. "I'd have sworn I was talking to Ran."
"That isn't important!" she exclaimed, pushing her way past Ran, who still stared, absolutely dumbfounded by what she had just heard. "I mean, you are having a brother!"
Only then did Ran wake up from her stupor. "Or a sister."
"There's no way he's having a sister! I'd feel sorry for her for having this brother if that was the case."
"Don't be so mean, Sonoko..." Shinichi's eyebrow was twitching, but made his best to ignore it. "Say, say, Shinichi." Ran turned to her male friend. "A girl or a boy? Which one is it?"
"No idea."
"Yeah, but what do you think?"
"How am I supposed to know that? I don't know."
Having said that, Shinichi went back to his food, hoping that he would get to eat something before class started once more. Both girls watched him for a beat, before they exchanged a questingly look. Sonoko went back to observe him again until a smirk escaped her.
"I see." By her tone alone, the boy could already tell he wouldn't like whatever would come out of her mouth next. "Shinichi-kun's just jealous."
Shinichi almost choked on his food.
"Jealous?" Ran blinked. "Shinichi?"
"Yeah! Because the baby is going to get all the attention from his parents!" she declared proudly, as if she had deduced everything. "And we all know how much of an attention-lover Shinichi-kun is."
"Oh, I see-"
"Don't agree so easily." Shinichi scoffed, stubbornly looking away from the two. "I'm not jealous. It's just..."
"Yeah?"
Shinichi sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "This is too sudden that-" He huffed. "I don't know how I am supposed to feel."
Even Sonoko seemed to have fallen out of words, taking a step back as she simply stared at him, unable to make out a sentence in reply. Ran, too, stared silently for some more with big, round eyes.
Until she frowned. "Do you want a sibling?"
"That's… hard to tell."
"Then!" Shinichi almost fell off his chair, startled when she suddenly stood up, slamming her hands against his desk. "He'll be my brother!"
"... Or sister," added Sonoko, unhelpfully.
"Right!" She looked so determined that Shinichi couldn't say anything in response. "You don't mind, do you, Shinichi?!"
"I don't, but..." Slowly, his surprise drained and his entire expression dulled. "I don't think it's possible." He watched as the girl deflated, then dropped on his chair, blinking in confusion. "What's gotten into you, all of a sudden?"
She smiled awkwardly, almost embarrassed. "I have always wanted a little brother or sister, you know," she said, with a shy laugh. "Hearing you speaking of something like that, like it meant nothing..."
Shinichi understood what she meant, but omitted any kind of comment.
"An older sibling would've been cool, too, but that's impossible at that point," she added with a laugh.
"Do you really?" Sonoko shrugged. "It's not something so special, actually..." Then she seemed to ponder over something else. "Though I wonder what it would be like to have an older brother… Ah, someone so strong and reliable who-" She stopped short, stealing a look towards the boy. "Right. It could've been like Shinichi-kun, too… That wouldn't be any good, either."
Hey.
"And what about a younger one?" asked Ran with a smile, genuinely curious about her answer.
"It'd be cute at first, but I guess he'd grow up at some point..." To Shinichi, it was odd how she looked so disgusted at the idea, even if she was still, like, eight. "A girl would be nice though!"
"Say, if Shinichi has a little sister, maybe we could dress her up!"
"That would be so much fun!"
Now, Shinichi was definitely hoping it would be a boy. For the remainder of lunchtime, he continued to listen, half-interested as the two girls conversed about the many possibilities that a baby coming would mean, and when class rolled about, the boy found himself barely listening to what the teacher was saying.
That means I'll soon become an older brother, he thought, absently playing with the pencil in his hand. An older brother…
After class, he headed to the local library, deciding to start his own investigation on newborns, and the like. He should have expected that the other two girls would tag along, even if he told them off.
Soon, it became official that Shinichi would have a baby brother.
The news had made both his parents unbelievably happy, which Shinichi found rather reasonable but, strangely enough, also a little strange to him. They both were grinning so widely, pleased beyond a doubt about the new life they had procreated, yet Shinichi, even if he did smile along, couldn't feel the same way.
His parents were taking this too lightly ─ a baby would change everything. And with that, he meant every single aspect of their life, of his life. With his peculiar upbringing by those two, Shinichi's life was already messy as it was. A little brother would flip all that upside down.
Not to say that Shinichi would be his older brother. And he wasn't entirely sure what that meant.
Or, if he was fit for the job, anyway. Being an older brother was such an important responsibility ─ they hadn't even given him the choice, he had somehow been forced to accept. And to think of a name, too, thought the boy, leaning further into the balcony with a stubborn pout, fixing his eyes on the ocean extending all over his eyes. A name is such an important thing… If I do it wrong, I'd be ruining somebody else's life forever.
He had no idea what his father had been thinking about when he had proposed it, but it surely wasn't such a great idea to him.
"I heard you're going to be a brother soon."
Shinichi couldn't help the startled yelp he gave out at the sudden voice, and the figure that was right beside him the next moment, before he could be any the wiser of his presence. Amused, the man chuckled, but barely moved from his position, and slowly, Shinichi calmed down.
"Ah, it's you," said the boy, settling his bored eyes back on the sea in front of him. "Kuroba Toichi-san, right?"
"I see you learned my name this time," he replied, with a pleased smile on his face.
"Of course I did. My mother dragged me to this place to see your show, after all." He paused, gave him a curious look, before continuing. "Why are you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"The audience is, and always will be, the deciding factor in a performance's success." Shinichi blinked in confusion when Toichi turned to him and smiled. "How would I ever hope to amaze you with my performance if your mind is not here?"
The child stared back at the older man for several seconds until he finally realized what he was talking about and went back to avoid his gaze. Toichi didn't seem to mind. In fact, he stood there patiently still, listening as the sole sound of the waves breaking against the rocks filled what would be, otherwise, a fairly uncomfortable silence.
"Say, Toichi-san..." the boy mumbled. "Are you an only child?"
"That's a good question," he said, then snorted, as if amused by his own joke. "I'd say I have an older brother."
Toichi gave him a pointed look. Shinichi did not understand.
"I heard from your mother that you don't particularly enjoy the idea."
"It's not like I don't like it! But..."
"It's overbearing." Shinichi looked back at him in surprise. "Confusing, and scary all at the same time. You don't know what is going to happen next."
The little boy opened his mouth, ready to say something when he hesitated, allowing it to slowly close, and his eyes to flicker nervously around. Toichi said nothing, merely smiled once more before continuing.
"It's just like a magic trick in that sense, if you think about it. The brightest, most incredible one to have ever existed."
"A magic… trick?"
"When you're first presented with a magic trick, you can't even imagine what is going to occur next," he explained patiently. "You watch as the magician prepares it, closely, curiously, maybe a little worried… And then, when you least expect it, it happens." Toichi chuckled, a little amused by the attentive look the child was giving him. "And next thing you know, you're gaping, unable to grasp how it had happened, but thoroughly amazed by it."
Followed by this, the magician turned fully around to face him and crouched down next to the child. "Remember this, Shinichi-kun," he said, holding out his index finger in between the both of them. "Life is such a precious, yet feeble thing. That is why it must always be protected, at all costs."
The older man said nothing else, just staring at the boy for long enough for him to understand that a response was needed. So, the little one nodded, allowing Toichi to smile in delight and go back to his feet. Shinichi did not say anything, nor did he move after that. Merely watched him retreat to his family, not without exchanging looks with his father as they crossed paths.
They both smirked at each other, Shinichi observed. It made the young boy wonder if there was something beyond ordinary friendship that they both shared.
"What were you two talking about?" questioned Yusaku once he reached his son.
He wasn't surprised when the child stared at him, saying no word at all, before his gaze fell on the man he had been talking with moments ago. It didn't matter, not to him anyway ─ he had already quite a good idea what all that had been about. "Say, Dad," uttered the child, still gazing at the magician crouching down next to his beaming son, much like he had done with him earlier. "Shouldn't Toichi-san be getting ready for his show?" It should begin shortly, after all.
Yusaku's gaze flickered to the person in question. "Yeah, that would be the case..." Then it came back. That same smirk Shinichi had seen just moments ago. "... had he been an ordinary magician, that is."
"What does that mean?" Shinichi asked, looking up at his father.
Yusaku chuckled, amused at the curiosity brimming in those enormous eyes of his. "He's the best magician I've ever crossed paths with," he said. "I'd say his performance is brilliant, and his tricks are mostly flawless."
"Mostly?"
He stayed quiet for a second, glancing back at the magician. "Yeah." As if sensing his gaze, Toichi's head turned in their direction. "Mostly."
As the both men exchanged gazes once more, smirking at each other as they did so, Shinichi finally understood what had seemed off from the beginning. Like he had suspected, there was no only friendship displayed in front of his eyes to see.
But a fiery, undying rivalry.
Now, to earn his father's respect, this person had to be, like, really good, realized Shinichi while he watched the magician in question with wide, curious eyes.
I wonder… Taking advantage of the fact that his father was too focused on his rival to notice, the boy silently tiptoed away from his position. I wonder what makes him so good.
Beyond long, he had climbed up onto the stage, hand resting on top of the black curtains on the back. It must be here. He frowned, slowly sliding inside. Surely, Toichi-san must be hiding everything he needs for his show here, the boy thought as he, bit by bit, immersed himself in the darkness. But Shinichi didn't let that intimidate him ─ on the contrary.
He would soon bring that trick to light, and he couldn't wait.
"Don't interfere!"
The aggressive voice that boomed in his ears made all that determination scurry away, causing the little boy to stagger backwards for less than a second before he hurried to hide behind a pile of boxes. "This is my business, not yours," the voice continued, dramatically lower than earlier, but still retaining that fury that Shinichi could clearly hear from his spot. "You despicable woman."
All the while, Shinichi held back his breath, worried that it would be noisy enough to give his position away. This doesn't sound like Toichi-san. Obviously it didn't, he remarked, since he was still outside with everyone else. Unless he had pulled out some sort of disappearance trick and had made it before the child, of course. Does he have an assistant-?
A cold, female giggle made all his thoughts freeze. "Don't worry," He could swear he had heard that voice before. "I won't interfere."
Curiosity tugged at him, forcing him to, instead of shrinking away from sight, inch forward to try to see anything. "I'm just here to make sure there are not any loose leads anywhere."
Loose ends? He leaned further. Is she talking about a trick or-?
"And should I remind you?" Malice laced her tone and sent shivers down Shinichi's spine. "Fail, and you know what will happen."
What will happen? the boy wondered, standing on the tip of his feet, eyes squinted in a vain attempt to see anything through the darkness. What is it? He unconsciously leaned over even further. What-?
Blood froze in his veins, eyes wide and watching, as if in slow-motion, as the box on the top slowly topped over, and fell on the ground with a loud sound.
"Who's there?!"
Shinichi barely held back a scream, bolting away as fast as his legs could manage to, not daring to wait and see what this man had to say to him. He would just kick him out, either way, so he definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of his anger ─ he did sound rather annoyed, at the least.
The scolding his mother gave him after that made him wonder if it wouldn't have been best to stay behind with the man. As she went on and on, he dimly heard Chikage laughing, amused by the scene unlike her son, Kaito, who paid no attention to all, awed at everything around him and excited to no end about the show he was going to witness in a matter of minutes. Knowing better than to meddle with an angry Yukiko, his father mostly stayed quietly, only nodding when he was addressed.
Kuroba Toichi's magic show started not long after that. Minutes later, Sharon joined the group, quietly apologizing for being late and, sure enough, the words Shinichi had heard before slipped from his mind, not to be thought of again...
Until it happened.
Before young Shinichi could even fully realize it, he had found himself screaming, insisting over and over to the incompetent detective in front of him that there had been no accident. That a murder had been committed ─ he knew what he had heard! It was first degree murder, and it would go unsolved if they didn't hurry before the culprits ─ plural, of course ─ got away from there.
He didn't know how it happened but, the next second, his father was kneeling down in front of him, hand resting on top of his hair. "I'll solve it, Shinichi." He had such a determined look in his eyes that Shinichi had never seen before. "I definitely will."
But it convinced him he would do it. His father wouldn't let this murder go unpunished, for sure.
Nodding, his father stepped away from his sight, leaving to talk this out with the authorities. His young eyes thus were free to see ─ see the tragedy that had fallen upon them with no warning. Unconsciously, the boy took a step ahead, mesmerized by the flames burning brightly, waltzing across his gaze vigorously as if they had a life of their own.
The same flames that, ironically, had engulfed that mysterious magician, to never be seen ever again.
Arms wrapped themselves around his neck, keeping from moving any further. Shinichi didn't fight his mother's embrace, even sunk further into her chest, taking notice of the violent spasms her body gave out ─ she was crying, noticed the boy with a grimace.
He gave the flames one last glance, "Life is such a precious, yet feeble thing," before he finally turned around to face his mother. Despite the tears flowing freely down her face, she was still smiling at him, he noted with surprise, yet did not comment on it.
Instead, his eyes lowered to her belly and, before he fully realized what he was doing, he rested his hand on top of it. Yukiko paused, surprised at the unusual action, until she sighed, and let her eyes slide close.
When she gently guided his head against her belly, her son simply allowed it. Silent all the while, he pressed his cheek against it, and sighed.
It's so warm...
Finally, he returned the hug, burying his face against her.
"That is why it must always be protected, at all costs."
"So, Shinichi, when is he coming?" Shinichi raised an eyebrow at the girl walking right beside him. "Your brother, I mean."
"Ah, yeah..." That word sounded a little weird in his ears. "That."
"He should be arriving soon, right?" she added, humming thoughtfully. "It's already November."
It surely didn't feel like so much time had passed, yet Shinichi knew for a fact that time didn't lie ─ it just kept on running restlessly, regardless of what he thought, or what he wished, really. Time has really passed ever since that day, he privately mused, head rising to look at the path ahead. The day I received the news.
Such an irony, at that ─ he barely suppressed a laugh at the thought. To think that, back then, they had been watching those cherry blossoms, and that Ran had mentioned that they stood for 'new beginnings'. Privately, he had laughed at the thought of anything of his monotonous life ever changing, disregarding that thought as an absurd one that would never happen.
And now, there he was, months later, undergoing his way back from school with the same girl, eyes lingering, probably for a little more than he should, on the same cherry trees that had once left her out of breath. Pale pink had been replaced by scarlet and gold, falling, riding through the breeze until they inevitably landed gently on the ground, painting the path home once more.
Soon, all leaves would fall, leaving their spot for winter's snow to collect on the tree's branches, only to grow once more when summer rolled around. Life would start again.
Life. Shinichi stared intently at his feet. A new life.
"How is he going to be called?" Ran asked suddenly, pulling him away from his own thoughts. "Did your parents think of a name?"
Shinichi flinched. "Well…" His friend tilted her head, not understanding. "Dad actually asked me to think of a name."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Your dad did?" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah, can you believe it?" He huffed. "He put it on me. And he's a novelist! You'd think he would have thought of something…"
Followed by this, the boy groaned, arms crossed behind his head, and kept on walking. "Say, Shinichi." But Ran stood in her place. "Do you think he did it on purpose?"
Shinichi stopped, giving her a bland look. "Of course it was on purpose," he said. "I bet he wants to annoy me or something."
"I don't think so."
Now, it was time for Shinichi to stare in confusion. "Maybe he noticed you weren't sure about how to feel about a baby," she explained, smiling at him. "And thought it'd help you feel like you're part of everything!"
It left Shinichi out of words for a second. "That's stupid," he finally concluded after a while, turning around.
But never did he stop thinking about it.
"Then you didn't choose a name yet?" she inquired.
"It's not like I didn't try," he confessed with a sigh. "No matter the reason, you can't just shove such an important decision to somebody else."
"You will be fine," Ran told him with a bright smile, skipping right past him. "You'll be an excellent big brother, so don't worry about anything."
"I'm not worried!" he huffed, following after her, opening his mouth to say something else, when a completely different matter suddenly struck him. "Your house is not that way."
Instead of looking embarrassed by her supposed mistake, she giggled. "I want some answers for my question," she answered. "And if you don't have any, your mom definitely will."
Shinichi looked as if he wanted to protest, but settled with a shrug instead. "Why do you want to know so badly?" he grumbled. "You'll notice when he arrives."
Because his parents were, without a doubt, going to show their new son to everyone they knew, and that certainly included Ran's parents, since they had been friends with his mother forever, or so he had heard. Either way, he didn't explain this, just watched as the girl pouted, looking somehow infuriated by him asking such a thing.
"I'm just excited, is it wrong?" she mumbled, looking away. "Aren't you, Shinichi?"
Frankly speaking, even months after the revelation, Shinichi still didn't have an answer to that. Once more, his gaze fell back ahead and fell into a silence that Ran found a little uncomfortable. Despite that, she didn't break it, and continued to walk quietly beside her friend, until the gates of the Kudo residence were seen from where they stood.
"Shinichi… What's going on there?"
The question had crossed his mind a fraction of a second before her, yet instead of answering, he just rushed ahead, with no warning, eyes settling on the yellow beetle car parked in front of their house.
Professor Agasa lives next door. He reasoned, heart beating so strongly that he momentarily feared it would burst. So why would his car be here?
Unless… His chest clenched ─ rushedly, he pushed the gates open, not bothering to close them after he ran through. Unless something happened.
Just as he reached the door, the boy paused. Confusion took over his face when he heard voices ─ his mother's, mostly. It sounded like bickering, for reasons he couldn't comprehend at the moment, but made him feel a little more at ease. If she was like that, surely nothing might have happened, he thought.
Slowly, he opened it, peeking inside.
"Calm down, Yukiko." His father was standing in the middle of the room, attempting to sound as soothing as possible, Shinichi presumed. Agasa was also there, laughing nervously at the scene developing in front of him, but all the boy could see about his mother were the ends of her hair, as she dashed from side to side, impressively quick for a third-trimester pregnant woman. "I can-"
Halting into her steps, she spun around to glare at her husband. "Oh, is that right?!" she snapped, causing both Yusaku and Agasa to step back, terrified. Shinichi wasn't surprised ─ in fact, he was surprised she didn't choose to fling the bags she was carrying around at his head. "I thought you couldn't, since you said you'd get this done last week!"
"I… was busy."
"Busy?! You could've gotten it done in half an hour! Even less!" Groaning, she turned her attention to the clock on the wall. "Where is Shin-chan anyway?!" The boy in question cringed at the mention of his name. "He's late!"
"He's going to get here in any second, I'm sure..." Agasa tried to appease her.
Nope, definitely not ─ Shinichi didn't want to deal with any of this. Slowly, and silently, he took a step back, hoping he could hide somewhere until things were just a little less hectic…
"Shinichi?" He jumped violently when Ran's innocent question rang through. "What's happening?"
The girl blinked, confused by the annoyed look he gave her, until his attention was brought by the door opening. "Oh, Shinichi!" called Agasa, surprised to see him. "Just in time!"
"Just in time… for what?"
Instead of replying, the man stepped away, allowing Yukiko to approach the door, her husband helping her every step of the way ─ Shinichi had to wonder how much she actually needed that help, though.
"We're going to the hospital right now!" It was disturbing how genuinely bright his mother's smile was, as if she hadn't been lashing out at her husband seconds ago. "My water broke."
Shinichi's eyes widened, now finally understanding the weight of the current situation. "Water broke?" he barely paid attention to the girl standing beside him. "Can… water break?"
Agasa smiled at the little clueless girl. "She means that she's about to give birth."
"Eh?!" Ran gasped, hands flying in her mouth in surprise. "Really?!"
The boy didn't move, only paying attention to his parents, who made their way to Agasa's car.
"I'll take them there," the professor continued, smiling at the children ─ even if one of them was currently paying attention to his words ─ until he focused exclusively on Ran. "Ran-kun, would you take Shinichi to your home and explain this to your mom?"
"Sure!" She beamed. "Can I come to see him tomorrow?"
"I'm sure Yukiko-san won't mind."
"Yay!" Ran jumped on her spot, clapping her hands. "Did you hear that, Shinichi?" But she got no answer. "Shinichi?"
Looking back at her friend, the girl felt her every movement stopping, standing still and watching him gaze at the yellow beetle for a beat, before something suddenly took completely over him and, with no warning, took off running.
And quietened down by shock, Ran watched him stand on his tiptoes. Tugged by curiosity, both parents, currently sitting together in the backseat, blinked at their son. Unbothered by their attention, and encouraged by it, even, the boy frowned profusely.
"I want to come along," he said firmly.
"But Shin-chan," his mother tried, with a smile strained by the pains she was definitely experiencing right now. "We don't know how long we'll be there."
"I know."
"We could be there all night long," she attempted to reason with him, but the boy stood there, gaze unwavering and holding hers with ease. "And you have school tomorrow."
"I can ask Ran for her notes," he replied right away. "I can skip school for one day!"
Yukiko looked as if she wanted to keep arguing, but was suddenly silent when her husband leaned forward, and promptly opened the passenger door. "Yusaku!" she hissed, glancing away from the bewildered gaze of her son and to her husband. "You're just going to let him?!"
Finally realizing what his father meant with such an action, Shinichi rushed inside the car, as if he was worried that he would change his decision out of the blue.
"What's the matter?" Yusaku asked, smiling placidly. "He was going to find his way into the hospital either way."
Yukiko opened her mouth, then closed it, quickly realizing that she couldn't argue with that. "So stubborn..." She held a hand against her cheek and sighed heavily. "I wonder where he got that from."
Neither Shinichi nor Yusaku commented on that ─ the risk wasn't worth it.
So, after assuring Agasa that she would be fine walking back home on her own ─ really, it wasn't the first time she had done it ─ the professor rushed to his car, starting it up. In no time, the yellow beetle was zooming out into the distance, until Ran couldn't see it anymore.
Only then did Ran allow herself to giggle ─ she couldn't wait to meet Shinichi's little brother tomorrow. With that thought, she turned back around, bouncing the entire way home.
That Shinichi, though, she thought, with a slight shake of her head. I'm sure he'll be okay.
She knew, because she had seen it ─ Shinichi's big, sparkling gaze when he finally realized that his brother would arrive soon.
His mother hadn't been lying when she said that it would take an awfully long time.
A few hours had passed since she had been rushed to a room, followed by his father, who frantically paced around until one doctor had told him he was allowed in, if he desired to. His entrance was met by his mother, who snapped at him, screaming at him things like 'how come you didn't know you could enter?' or 'were you planning on leaving me alone?' or 'why are you acting as if this is your first child?!'
To which Shinichi couldn't help but silently agree. As much as his father was a complete genius when it came to mysteries, he also was a complete numskull with interpersonal relationships.
Hope you don't end up like him… He stopped completely, gaze straying away from the Sherlock Holmes' book he had, fortunately, been carrying inside his school bag. Whatever your name is.
That was right ─ his eyes went wide at the realization. I was supposed to think of a name. He held back a gasp, closing the book and settling back on his lap. I completely forgot about it.
… Surely, Dad and Mom would have thought of something just in case, right?
A small voice in the back of his head denied it completely ─ who was he lying to, anyway?
Groaning, he placed his hands on top of his head. This could be troublesome, he decided, barely retaining the urge to pull his hair out. This is bad ─ real bad.
"Shinichi?" His head craned to look at the professor sitting beside him in the otherwise empty waiting room. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah." He forced a smile out ─ it turned out to be a weird grimace, however. "Don't worry."
Yeah, don't worry. His eyebrow twitched. Just having a bit of a breakdown here.
Agasa wasn't completely convinced, but shrugged it off right away, going back to the magazine he had picked up to kill some time. Only then did Shinichi allow himself to sigh, all but melting against his seat. I have to think of something.
So, he just sat there, eyes fixated on the wall, willing for any names to come into mind, but he was kind of drawing a blank. It's no use. He sighed, heavily. I should've thought of this before!
He passed a hand through his hair. You're already doing a terrific job. He gripped his hair tightly, gaze dropping to the floor. Your brother hasn't even been born yet, but… His eyes narrowed. But...
Slowly, he allowed his hand to slide away from his place on top of his head, dropping back into the book on his lap.
You're failing as a big brother already.
The thought had crossed his mind before he could even be aware of it, but never left. It stayed there, instead ─ crawling in there like a bug and clinging to him like a tick, refusing to let go.
Shaking his head, he struggled to concentrate despite everything. There was no time for such things. His little brother ─ that still sounds so weird ─ needed a name. He needed it now.
As much as he wanted it, it wasn't easy. Two hours later of mentally putting together all names that he could possibly think of, and nothing. No progress whatsoever.
It didn't help that the unwelcome thought had yet to leave. The small voice in the back of his mind wouldn't shut up.
Dejectedly, his gaze dropped to the book on his lap. And froze.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
The Sign of Four
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"Conan..."
"Huh?" Agasa mumbled, jerking up from his little nap, offering the little boy a sleepy, confused gaze. "Did you say something?"
"No, no really."
Shrugging it off, the professor made himself comfortable on his seat away, drifting once more the next second. Paying no mind to that, the little boy focused on the book cover again, fingers brushing against that one word.
Conan, he tasted the name in the privacy of his own mind. Conan.
A timid yet genuine smile made its way to his face, without the boy ever noticing it. Neither did he note that the small voice in the back of his head had gone completely silent.
And there it remained, as the boy opened his book again, eyes skimming through the pages, waiting anxiously for the time to come.
He didn't know exactly how much he had waited, or when he had nodded off, book on his lap and body slumped over the professor. But soon, his eyes fluttered open, gaze lazily roaming across the empty room, looking for whatever had just woken him up.
It didn't take long to figure it out. The book on his lap fell into the ground with a dull thud, yet, nobody minded that much. Shinichi merely ran to the closed door, eyes wide as plates, and stood right there, gaping in amazement.
Amidst the silence reigning over their shoulders, the cries of a newborn filled Shinichi's ears, and he couldn't wait until they opened that door ─ the only thing that separated him from everything happening inside. Eventually, the cries subsided, but still nobody was letting them in.
"They'll let us inside in a minute," Agasa said while smiling. He looked quite amused ─ Shinichi wondered why. "Be a little patient. He isn't going anywhere."
He was definitely being patient, huffed Shinichi, crossing his arms over his chest. But they are taking too long, he added, eyes narrowing a little, settling them back on the door. Nothing happened, right?
Probably just a few minutes passed by, yet Shinichi felt as if he had been standing there, bouncing lightly on his spot, for hours. Finally, the door creaked open, and Agasa had to hold him back from his shoulders to impede him from rushing inside.
A woman ─ the midwife? Not that Shinichi particularly cared about such things ─ met eyes with Agasa first, before her gaze lowered to the boy's expectant one. Something about him made her smile kindly. "Congratulations, Big Brother." She winked at him. "You have a cute little brother."
Followed by that, chuckling at the awe clear in his face, she stepped aside. Hesitantly, he stepped forward, gaze travelling across the room until he found his father's smile, waving at him. His eyes lowered to her mother's tired, but also pleased expression, and he came closer.
Only when he had reached both his parents did he notice the tiny bundle snuggled against his mother's arms. "Shin-chan," she whispered, beaming so brightly despite her obvious exhaustion, gently removing the blanket from her newborn's head. "Meet your little brother."
The newest addition to his family looked exactly as he had imagined him to be. Red-faced, eyes scrunched, even as he dozed comfortably against his mother's chest ─ exactly like every other newborn out there, actually. "Isn't he cute?" Yukiko cooed. "He looks just like you, Shin-chan."
Shinichi fought hard not to look all that offended. "Where?" he muttered, eyes unable to look away from the small form in her arms, despite what he had been thinking.
It didn't escape Yusaku. Noticing his eldest's displeasure, he let out a short laugh.
"So, Shinichi?" The boy looked away from his new brother to blink confusedly at his father. "Have you thought of a name?"
The boy stared for some more until his words finally filtered through. Still unresponsive, he focused back on the bundle in his mother's arms, eyes narrowing just a bit. His hands were clenching her blankets lightly, Yukiko realized. "It's okay." She put on a hopefully comforting smile. "Your father and I already thought of a few ones just in case-"
"Conan."
That took her off guard.
"I like Conan," he repeated, gaze raising to meet her mothers. "I mean..." before all that courage vanished into nothing, allowing her eyes to drift away, somewhere else, away from her own. "Forget it," he finished lamely, with a sigh. "It's stupid and-"
"I really like it!" His head snapped up, confused at her reaction. Paying no mind to that, she tilted her head to address her husband. "It's kind of cute, don't you think?"
Yusaku looked at his oldest son for a moment, smirking at him and leaning forward. Shinichi let out a surprised squeak when he placed a hand on top of his hair. "Such a good name," he said, smiling amusedly when the boy promptly blushed a bit, averting his gaze.
Mother and father smiled at their youngest son, eyeing him with nothing but pure love in their gazes. "Conan-chan," she whispered, passing a hand to her baby's cheek. "Welcome."
Once more, Shinichi leaned over the bed, squeezing in between their parents to have another look. Nothing this, Yukiko giggled, moving over. "Shin-chan." She motioned to the free space next to her, and the boy immediately climbed and sat there, silently.
"Would you like to hold him?"
He looked back at his mother in shock. Again, she giggled, passing an arm around his shoulders.
"I thought I was coming next." It was almost amusing how Yusaku, of all people, sounded at the edge of pouting right now.
Yukiko scoffed, turning her head away. "You would, had you done your job like you were supposed to," she scolded lightly. "Shin-chan did his perfectly, so it's only fair."
But the boy didn't reply. His mother had to suppress a laugh, gently guiding his hands to hold the baby properly, even if she didn't risk letting go of him. She watched in glee as her oldest's eyes twinkled, taking into his little brother.
As his head came to rest against his chest, and the choked sobs turned into soft whimpers until they disappeared completely, Shinichi still tried to get around the fact that the baby in his arms was so tiny. Granted, he had read about babies, and he knew for a fact that it was natural and healthy, just this big, but seeing him from close was different.
Shinichi felt his lips tugging upwards on their own accord, cuddling his baby brother closer to his chest, taking into the comfortable warmth that new life provided and, suddenly, all doubts and concerns he had before dissolved into nothing, as if they had never been there to begin with.
Smiling at the newborn dozing off against him, nine-year-old Shinichi decided it. He would protect Conan, no matter what happened, no matter what it took.
Even if his own life went with it.
A/N:
I couldn't get this off my head, so I decided to just write it down. At first I planned to make this something like a prequel telling Shinichi's point of view of the events leading to my other fic, The Little Detective, but I don't know if I'll ever update this. I want to focus on my main fic first, and then I'll see what I'll do.
For the moment, I'll leave it as a little self-indulging one-shot until I decide what I want to do with it.
Hope you guys enjoyed it anyway!