Chapter 6: Zero's Past
"Why are we here at your apartment?" Shiho asked Amuro annoyed as she wasn't getting any answers to her questions.
"I need to pack some of my things." He replied calmly putting a few of shirts in a bag.
"And why we need that?" she asked.
"These things are important to live you know!" he answered smiling looking at her.
"You live here, why are you packing it then?" she was still annoyed.
"Because we will be living together. So, wherever we are going to live, I need these!" he stood in front of her holding his toothbrush and other few things in his hands. "Moreover, you ask a lot of questions, Hell Angel's Daughter!" he grinned and turned to pack his bag again.
Shiho let out a sigh but she realized that he had called her Hell Angel's Daughter before.
"What's about this Hell Angel's Daughter? Why are you calling me that? Why are we going to live together?" she sat on the chair nearby her expressions saying that she was shocked hearing that he is going to live with her.
Amuro stopped what he was doing. He was still not ready to tell her everything. He then resumed packing his stuff.
"Come one! I will reply to your every question but now we need to leave." He zipped up the bag and they both left his apartment.
Somewhere in Tokyo, a person with glasses and a suit was standing leaning on his car waiting for somebody. In a few seconds, a white Mazda RX-7 came and stopped in front of the person. Furuya/Amuro got off from the car and walked towards the man in glasses.
"Here's the address of the house and keys Furuya-san." the man in glasses handled him a bunch of keys. "I have already kept the necessary things you asked for in the house."
"Arigatou Kazami! How is the house by the way?" Furuya took the keys and the note on which the address was written on asking his subordinate from PSB about the house he and Shiho were going to live in.
"It is in good condition. It is kind of an old Japanese style house but." He replied.
"No problem! Thank you. You can go now before someone sees us and yes, for a few days don't contact me." Furuya told him to take some measures.
"Hai!" he bowed and left.
Furuya sat back in his car and rode towards their destination. In about 20 minutes, they reached. He parked his car and both of them got out of it. It was quiet area. They were standing in front of a Japanese style house. It had a good front yard. A lot of plants were grown but they were dried out because no one took care of them. He opened the gate and started walking. Shiho quietly followed him. Even though she was calm, she was still annoyed by him. Rei/Amuro unlocked the door and they went inside. There was lot of dust and they immediately needed to clean the house.
He saw a box and few plastic bags in which there were a few groceries and other necessary stuff for cooking and cleaning.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" finally Shiho broke her silence making him turn towards her.
"Before that, I am going to clean this place. You need to rest." He made her seat on a chair nearby.
It was good that the furniture and all were covered properly so it was not dusty. He removed his suit and vest and started cleaning. Shiho just sighed and closed her eyes. She was too tired to argue with this man. Rei started cleaning the inner room first so she could rest on the bed properly.
After he was done. He came back in the front room and saw Shiho sleeping resting her head on the table. He gently picked her up in his arms and laid her on the bed in the other room.
"You smell so sweaty and it's gross!" she complained. Her sleep broke because he carried her to the bed.
He looked at her, still holding her in his hands. Their faces were only a few centimetres apart. He carefully read her facial expressions which he concluded were annoyed, blushing and her nose was scrunched. He closed his eyes and chuckled.
"Well, you're sweaty too. Don't you think you need a bath?" he finally let go of her and stood beside her.
"I know that, you don't have to tell me!" she moved away her face in the opposite direction.
"So, shall we go and bath?" he smirked whispering in her ear.
"Just go alone, you pervert!" she didn't even look at him.
"You go and take a bath first because I need to clean the other room too." He left the room to continue cleaning the other room.
Conan was waiting for someone in a café. A boy in a cap came and sat in front of him.
"About the drug's effect, is it really true?" the boy asked him.
"Most probably. Haibara turned back and then I got a message from Sera. She told me that last month her mother turned back suddenly. I have an instinct that the effects of the drug are wearing off." Conan told him.
The waited came for the ordered. Both of them ordered mango milkshakes for them.
"Kudo, you may turn back anytime then, right?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Conan replied. "Kuroba, what about the other part?" he asked the boy who was Kuroba Kaito.
"I and Hakuba are trying to get down to their location but not any success yet." Kaito told him. "When is Hattori coming?" he asked.
The waiter brought their drinks and left.
"Next week." Conan replied after the waiter left. "Take care of Aoko-san. She and Ran somehow exchanged contact. We both will be in pinch. And moreover, if the part of organization knows your identity, they will start hunting for those near you. I know you know that very well." Shinichi/Conan told him.
Kaito had a flashback of what had happened to his mom and he definitely doesn't want Aoko to end up like that because of him and his revenge.
"I will take care." Kaito said and quickly finished his milkshake. "I need to go now." he paid for his share and left.
Conan left after paying the bills. He had to tell Haibara about Sera's mother and he wanted to give her the documents she had asked for.
After a week-:
Conan was waiting for Hattori at the train station. He had gone to pick him up and then they were going to meet Kaito and Hakuba. The bullet train from Osaka had just reached. He just saw Hattori and he waved his hand to let him know his location. But then suddenly he felt pain in his chest. And then he started feeling it everywhere else in his body. He knows what this pain is, no one other than him can know this pain deeply. He collapsed. Hattori ran towards him.
Conan felt like he was on fire, he was sweating heavily. He felt as if the bones in his whole body are cracking. It hurt a lot but then this pain is going to lead him to the happiness, his happiness which is Ran. And somehow, he smiled. Hattori was panicked but seeing him smile made him confused.
"Ha-tto-ri!" he called Heiji's name, "Kuroba is in the car outside. Take me there!" Conan somehow managed to speak a completed sentence.
Hattori pulled him up and managed to walk him out in the parking area. Conan showed him Kuroba's car. Kaito was standing outside. As soon as he saw Hattori struggling with Conan, he ran to help him. They managed to put him in the car while Kaito gave him a bag of Kudo's clothes. Conan started keeping a pair of Shinichi's clothes because this was supposed to happen.
And finally, he was to being Kudo Shinichi. It was long time. But he was back. Shinichi changed into his own clothes and came out of the car, still hot and sweaty.
"Kudo!" Hattori looked at his best friend who was worn out because of the change.
"I'm back, Hattori!" he smirked.
"Took you long enough, ahou (idiot)!" Hattori laughed.
Hattori knew it more than anyone else how hard it was for Shinichi to be as Conan. And he was there for him anytime he needed help.
"It's been a long time, right Kudo?" Kaito held his hand in front of him.
"Yeah, Kaitou Kid!" Shinichi laughed weakly as he held Kaito's hand.
"Let's go, you need to rest. We will call Hakuba at your house." Kaito helped Shinichi to sit back in the car. Shinichi laid down on the back seat while Hattori sat on the passenger seat and Kaito started driving.
It was one week since Rei and Shiho started living together. He still hasn't told her about his relation with her family. If someone asked how it was living with him, she would say totally annoying. But she couldn't deny the fact that he was gentle and kind to her and he never left her alone. She was still confused about why he was doing all this for her. He really is a mystery.
She was siting in the room reading the documents related to Apotoxin4869. A message disturbed her concentration. It was from Kudo Shinichi.
Shinichi: 'I'm back, as Kudo Shinichi *a peace emoji*'
Shiho: Congratulations!
She replied and tossed her phone but then a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Took you long enough!" she whispered.
"It's not fair!" she was taken aback because of the voice.
"What?" she asked turning towards Rei who had just came out of the bathroom and had caught her smiling.
"You don't smile in front of me!" he pouted.
Just what person is this! She asked to herself.
"Why would I smile without any reason?" She shrugged and continued to gaze at her papers.
"Then what was the reason now that made you smile?" he asked as he sat beside her.
"Kudo turned back to Kudo!" she replied coldly but he knew she was happy for him. But more than that he was surprised that she easily told him.
"Isn't that a great news!" he smiled. She looked at him and then she felt something in her heart.
Again! She had felt this before too. When he says something kindly or gently, when he does something for her, when he is close to her, every time something moves in her heart. She wondered if he feels something too or not. Whenever he touches her, she feels heat rising, her cheeks turn in beet red colour. What was the feeling?
"I wonder if I can make you smile." It slipped out of his mouth. He was just thinking but it came out. He looked at her, her eyes widen in surprise. "N-nothing!" he quickly got up and started walking but then he felt a tuck on his t-shirt. He turned to look at Shiho who was trying to stop him, her face red.
"Tell me!" she looked at him. "Tell me everything you were trying to tell."
In the past one week, he always tried to start a conversation with her in order to talk about her family but he failed. He didn't know why but he couldn't bring up that topic. He was really surprised that she noticed. Now, he can't run away from it.
"Okay!" he held her hand which was holding his t-shirt. "The reason I call you Hell Angel''s daughter is because your mother was called Hell Angel. I knew your parents and your sister. I was just 9 years old back then, when I met your parent for the first time."
Shiho knew that he had met her family but she didn't know anything else than that. She doesn't have any memories of her parents because they died, no, they were killed shortly after she was born. "How were they?" she silently asked him.
He looked at her gently, "They were the kindest people I have ever known. I was bullied a lot and often used to end up wounded. Akemi once saw me wounded and she brought me to your parents. Elena-san dressed my wounds. After that, she helped me a lot of times. I enjoyed being with her. Akemi and I used to play together too." He stopped. He then took a glance at Shiho who had tears in her eyes. He slowly held her by her waist and pulled her close. She didn't waver.
"I remember one day when I and Akemi were together, Elena-san told her husband that she was pregnant for 3 months. After than one day suddenly, she told me that I must not get hurt again because she won't be there to treat me. She told me that she was going away from there. I was lonely after that." He paused. Shiho was still quiet. But he could hear her sobs.
"After that I was never able to meet them. Years after that, I joined Public Security Bureau. And when I was assigned on the case related to Black Organization, I came to know about your parents, Akemi and you. I came to know about their death and I was sure that the BO played a part in their death. I wanted to meet Akemi too. I searched for her whereabouts and I was told that she worked in a bank. When I went to meet her, I came to know that she was involved in a case related to BO. I hurried to save her knowing that BO will try to kill her but, I was late. She was dead when I reached the place. Conan-kun was there. I was not able to save her." his voice broke.
Shiho was just listening to him. He sounded so broken and lonely. The person who always tried to irritate and tease her always, who showed he was such a perfect person was actually so lonely and broken. Her hands moved and hugged him. She knows how it feels losing someone so dear. She knew how he felt. Seeing Akemi dead in front of him, it was obvious that it broke him so much. Shiho's sudden move surely had him taken aback but then he calmed down, he slowly rested his head on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry! I was not able to protect your sister." He apologized.
Now, she understood why he was doing everything to protect her. She wanted to say something but chose not to say anything. She thought for now silence is better. After a few minutes, both of them decided to break apart.
"I'm sorry!" he apologized again. "Even though I said that I wonder if I can make you smile but I am only making you cry."
"Thank you for telling me about my family!" she looked at him and then smiled. "Don't apologize! Protect me instead!"
He just kept looking at her, awestruck.