Yes, Conan does not belong to me, but to Aoyama Gosho, Shogakukan (Shonen Sunday) and Movic.
Remember, the 17 year old Ran uses *thought* and the older version of herself uses [thought].
Chapter Four: Natsu Matsuri (Summer Festival)
By Laura Hoak-Kagey
When Ran opened her eyes this time she found herself standing in the middle of a street that was filled with various booths and stands. It looked like a Japanese summer festival...
*Where are we this time?*
[This is your future. All of the same rules apply as did when you visited your other possible future. I'd rather let you discover things for yourself instead of me telling you...but if you have any problems, I'll come back to help you out. Until then...]
*Wait...*
But Ran knew that the silvery lady was gone already. She sighed, and decided she should start looking around. If she was here, then most likely her future self and/or Shinichi's future self was here as well.
Ran had passed a few food stands of okonomiyaki, yakitori and yakisoba before she heard a little girl squeal in delight.
"Papa! Shinji! Look! I got one!"
Ran walked to get a closer look. The girl looked to be about five, and was wearing a darling yukata (summer kimono) with bursts of fireworks on it.
A man wearing a male yukata, her father Ran concluded, had his back to her, but was guiding the little girl's hands towards a plastic bag filled with water. "Hurry Misaki! If you wait too long, the fish won't make it..."
*That voice...could it be?*
Ran walked to the side of the goldfish-catching booth in order to get a look at the man from the front. Once Ran saw the man's face, she knew who he was. It was an older version of Shinichi. If Shinichi was here, then that meant she had to be here with him. If they were still together, which Ran hoped to be true.
After the man running the stand had tied a string at the top of the plastic bag, he handed it to Misaki. "There you go, little girl."
"Thanks!" After she had taken the goldfish, her eyes lit up even more. But it wasn't long before the little boy next to her started to complain.
"Papa! I wanna fishy too! I keep trying, but I can't do it." He put his bottom lip out a bit, in a pout.
"Just leave it to your papa, and I'll get a fishy for ya too, alright Shinji?" Shinichi gave not exactly a grin, but a warm smile to his youngest child.
"Really Papa? You'll get me a fishy?"
Shinichi ruffled Shinji's hair. "Of course." Shinichi paid the man running the stand, took his little fish scoop of wire and paper, and bent down to the little pond-like box which held the fish. "Alright...help me decide which one Shinji. I can't do this by myself..."
Ran tried not to laugh. Shinichi was being so...so father-like. Which meant he was being sillier than she had ever seen since they were children themselves.
*But...if Shinichi's here, why am I not here?*
She decided that all she could do was follow the trio. At some point she would find out who Shinichi's wife was.
Ran spent the next half an hour following them. It was entertaining to watch Shinichi take Misaki and Shinji to booth after booth, trying to win them prizes and make the two children laugh whenever they couldn't win anything. Finally, after stopping at a crepe booth, they went to a nearby bridge, and sat down on the raised curb of the sidewalk.
"After you finish eating your crepes, we'll set off some fireworks until the big ones come. Does that sound good?"
The siblings said together, "Yeah!"
The two children quickly devoured their crepes, and anxiously waited for their father to start giving them fireworks. After Shinichi had given each of the two children a sparkler, he started to light one for himself when Misaki spoke up.
"I wish mama could've come." She continued to stare into the bright light of the firework, never looking away from it to her father's face.
"Misaki, we talked about this before. Mama needs to rest. You know she would've come if she could have." Shinichi's face had become solemn while he had said these words.
Since Ran didn't have exact proof as to who his wife was, she tried not to worry too much. Rather than try to contemplate it all, Ran waited to see what would be said next. However, at that moment the silvery lady decided to speak to Ran.
[Ran, since it would take a lot of time otherwise, I'm going to take you to Shinichi's house.]
This time, the somewhat soothing silver light didn't come, but instead the surroundings around Ran shifted and then changed. When everything was still again, Ran was standing in front of Shinichi's house.
*Well, I suppose I should enter it...*
Ran started for the house and within a minute she was standing in the entrance hallway. She noticed the little geta (Japanese style sandals) on the floor, and surmised that Shinichi, Misaki and Shinji must have come home ahead of her.
She headed up the stairs. On the second floor of Shinichi's house was where the rooms used as bedrooms were at. Ran just barely reached the top of the stairs when she saw Shinichi come out of one of the rooms.
"Good night kiddies." Shinichi quietly shut the door and sighed.
He sure looks tired, Ran observed. Shinichi's face told her that something was occupying his mind, but she wasn't sure what.
Shinichi started down the hall, and went into the room Ran remembered as his parents bedroom. She followed him, but the door shut in her face.
*Lucky thing I can go through doors...though if this is Shinichi's parents room from before, I would guess that it would be his now. Stepping through this door will show me who his wife is...*
Ran took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped through the door. After a few seconds she finally got the courage to open her eyes. She could see a woman lying in the bed, with Shinichi at her side.
"Shinichi...you're back? How'd it go? I'm sure Misaki and Shinji had a good time." It was the woman from the bed who had spoken.
Ran stepped forward to find out who was in the bed, but her question was answered with the words Shinichi said next.
"Of course they had a good time. But they wanted you to be there too, Ran. Don't ever think that they didn't want you there, okay?"
Ran. So it was her that was the woman in the bed. But why...? Ran hoped that she'd be able to find out from the pair's conversation. Although Ran did find it strange that the older version of herself had a blanket on, with lots of pillows surrounding her as well. It was summer...
The older Ran in the bed gave a weak smile. "Don't worry, I don't. If I could just get out of this bed..."
"You know better." Shinichi curtly answered. Though his expression softened quickly. "You know what the doctor said. Shinji should have been the last child you had. Carrying this third child to term is dangerous for your health, and I don't want anything to happen to you. You have to follow the orders of bedrest for all of our sake." Shinichi squeezed his wife's hand tightly.
*Third child...? So that's why she can't get out of bed!*
Ran moved forward to get a closer look at her future self. Even though Ran could tell that this lady was having a hard time carrying out her bedrest, she look content and even radiant despite her condition.
But she couldn't do anything but smile at the way the married couple were looking at each other. There was so many loving and caring emotions in their faces.
*I hope she turns out alright...*
[This is as far as I can show you. But do listen to this. A beautiful little girl named Eriko strongly resembles the grandmother she was named after...]
Ran noticed a brief pause, but soon she heard both voices of her older selves inside her head.
[Although it may not have helped you, we have shown you your futures. Although there is no easy way to get to a future, nor is there a way to escape all sadness and pain, but we hope you realize how different something can become with the outcome of one decision...]
Only a split second passed between the voices ceasing and a swirling white and red light encompassing Ran. She felt as if she were falling from a great height; a darkness filled her vision.
*~*~*
Alright, there is one more chapter after this, to tie it all up. But let me know what you think please!
Oh, and about the names so far. Here is why I picked them (previous chapter too...)
Misaki--means "Beautiful bloom" and anyone would want their child to be one. :)
Shinji--- A combination of Shin'ichi and Heiji
Eriko--explained, but named after Eri, Ran's mother
Nami--the meaning is "wave" but I picked it because I like Nami from One Piece :)
Yuuichi--Well, I wanted a name with the "ichi" part of Shin'ichi's name, and I had a little boy named Yuuichi in one of my classes I taught before
Yamazaki Keiichi---Yamazaki is the last name of Ran's Seiyuu, and I took Keiichi from Ah! Megami-sama! :)
Chieko---well...I've heard the name before, and was the first to come to mind
One last note. All the things mentioned at the Summer Festival are true things you do at a Japanese Summer Festival....
July/August 2001