Ysabet's Notes: Hiya. Well….. when I said that the next few chapters would be significantly smaller--- I lied. Sorry about that; they're just gonna be humongous, I guess. And, by the way, any significant silliness in this chapter can be attributed to a large amount of cold medicine and to conversations with Becky Tailweaver, whose fanfics I STRONGLY suggest you go and read if you want a major treat--- amazing stuff, and far superior to mine! Wicked sense of humor there, and lots of the more peculiar parts of this story are due to her suggestions and/or egging me on..… Ysabet, Professional Bad Influence and Rabble-Rouser
Chapter 3: Additions and Subtractions
"Ummm, h-hajimemashite--- My name's Himitsu Rin….." The young voice faltered a little with the introduction; small hands gripped each other in unforeseen shyness. "I'm your new classmate. I-- I'm glad to be here….. and I hope I don't screw up….. and what am I doing, going back to grade-school?!?" In an effort to shake off her nervousness, the child crossed her eyes, tugged one down and stuck out her tongue at her audience:
"Bliiiiiiiiiiii-e-e-e-e-ehhh…..!" There; that was better. Ran smirked at her reflection in the bedroom mirror, which smirked back.
Well, if all else failed, that sort of introduction should get her sent into the halls with water-bucket detail right off; what a way to start your first day at school. The young woman/young child wondered if they still did that sort of thing in grade school, or was that too old-fashioned? She'd probably find out soon enough--- In the meantime, she surveyed her appearance in the mirror.
New clothes: Check. The simple tan overalls-set and dark red t-shirt would do just fine, though she was a bit doubtful about the cluster of butterflies embroidered on the front pocket. Ran sighed; this was one of her mother's more wearable 'kawaii' choices.
New school supplies: Check. The backpack would do just fine, and she had loaded it with the usual school-type supplies-- notebooks, pencils, that sort of thing. On Conan-kun's advice she had added crayons. The girl shimmied her shoulders a bit, settling it into place.
New body: Check. 'Rin' stared herself up and down, from toes to crown of head; she'd manage. It all felt so weird still--- just sliding out of a chair was a new experience, considering the drop to the floor. And then there were the bathroom shortcomings; she had never quite realized until now just how tall a normal toilet was (although the thought that at least she wasn't a boy was a considerable consolation).
She'd manage….. so long as she didn't panic. Not Panicking was high on her list of Important Things To Remember.
Those eyes looking back at her from the mirror, were they the eyes of the child she had once been? No, not really; there was a weight of experience there that sat oddly in her little-girl face. Ran cocked her head to one side; now, how did Shinichi manage it---? *Let's see….. The times that I nearly caught him he always looked so shocked, and then his face would just slip back into that little 'I'm-So-Innocent-I-Squeak' look of his, like a curtain coming down…..* She frowned fiercely and began to practice.
Several tries produced a remarkably Ayumi-like expression (which Ran privately dubbed her RinFace), all wide eyes and eager inquisitiveness. *That'll do,* she thought with satisfaction, failing entirely to recall what kind of results Conan's 'Innocent' look had produced in the past (immediate suspicion of guilt). *Take that, World!* And she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue once more: "Bliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-e-e-e-e-ehhhhh!!!"
Slow clapping erupted from behind her; Ran spun in place, face burning.
Edogawa Conan, formerly Kudo Shinichi, leaned against her doorjamb, trying hard to keep his face serious; but both eyebrows were climbing his forehead by now and the grin that kept sneaking onto his face was wide enough to hurt. And yet, at the same time there was a certain glimmer of understanding in his dark blue eyes; he had been where she was now. "Getting ready for the big day? That expression'll go over just great….." He crossed his arms, snickering.
Ran made another face, this time at him. Conan merely grinned. "Dinner's ready. Of course, if you'd rather stay here and make faces at the mirror---"
The girl frowned, considering. "Is my mom cooking, or did Dad order out?" she asked, shuffling her backpack off to plop it onto the bed. She followed suit, hopping up to sit beside it; her new shoes fell with a double 'thud' onto the bedside mat.
"Uhhhh….. she cooked, I think….."
Ran sniffed the air apprehensively; *Let's see….. Very strong tea, a scorched something-- rice? Lots of soy sauce, something I can't identify….. Mom definitely cooked tonight.*
She looked at Conan. "You.... never got much of a chance to try my Mom's cooking, did you? While we were growing up, I mean? Maybe we should both stay up here--- you can give me pointers on how to handle school tomorrow." *It's not that I don't love my Mom, but she cooks like..... well--- she doesn't exactly cook; she just sort of adds familiar things together and hopes for the best. Fish, soy sauce, pineapple, tabasco, lettuce, peanut butter, onions, chocolate.....*
He surveyed her, the familiar slantwise smile lighting up the young face behind the glasses. "I dunno….. looks like you've got the perspective down, at least--- " He shrugged, arms still crossed. "The big thing is both to take it seriously and not too seriously at the same time."
At her blank look Conan laughed and clasped his hands behind his head, still leaning on the doorjamb. "I mean, you're going to see these kids and their teachers and all every day for--- well, for years if Ai doesn't find us a solution. At the same time, it's *Grade School* for crying out loud--- half the time I'm just trying to stay awake through class." He rolled his eyes. "Let's see; right now we're deeply involved in the wonders of two-digit addition and subtraction--- there's this rumor that we'll be talking about some mysterious thing called 'multiplication', but it's unsubstantiated as yet. And then there's Kanji study--- you have to be careful with that one, it's really easy to be too good at drawing the characters---"
Ran crossed her legs, sitting indian-style on the bed. "Sounds..... grim." She studied his face. "And you've been doing this for a whole year. It couldn't have been all bad-----" The little-girl voice was soft, worried. "Will I be able to pull it off, do you think? I'm going to try as hard as I can not to be a, a burden-----"
Dropping his casual pose, Conan's face turned serious; his eyes darkened, and suddenly Shinichi was looking out at her from behind the thin mask of lenses. "Ran..... you'll never be a burden; there's no way--- I mean, I can't begin to tell you---" He stopped and took a deep breath, pulling off his glasses and gripping them tightly in his small fists. "If you only knew how it feels right now, not having to hide from you anymore..... I feel like somebody just removed weights from my shoulders."
There was a long moment of silence, filled with things that neither adult-turned-child could quite bring themselves to say. In an effort to lighten things a bit, the boy managed a chuckle. "Hey--- you know what I've missed the most over the last year?"
Ran was blushing a little by now. "What?" she asked shyly.
"Just being able to talk to you. Sometimes--- when I was just Conan--- I could manage it, for a while; but I always had to filter whatever I did or said through 'Conan the kid'. I don't have to do that anymore." His serious gaze had softened, a smile playing about his lips. "And you know how much I like to talk....."
Ran couldn't help chuckling, even through her blush. "I know." She scooted forward then, hopping down from the bed to land on the rug with a thump. "You'd better go on down to dinner now--- I'll be right along after I change. I just wanted to try these on....."
As he turned to go, he felt her eyes lingering on him; and behind his back he heard her say very softly "I've missed you too, Shinichi....."
The door shut quietly behind him.
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Dinner was--- interesting. And a few other things starting with 'in-' as well: inedible, inevitable, interminable…..
*Indescribable…..* Ran stared at the plateful of... something... in front of her. The same question kept cycling through her mind over and over: *Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Animal, veg---* Across the table there was a muffled "mmph!!" as the actual taste of his first bite registered with Conan.
She didn't dare to look up; it would only compound things. Best not to witness each other's suffering.
Stirring the substance with a chopstick, she addressed her waterglass. "Umm, Mom? Do we have any plain bread in the kitchen?"
Her mother frowned. "I think so..... Why? Ran, are you feeling well?" Maternal concern was evident in every word. Ran stifled a feeling of guilt and replied cheerfully: "I'm fine, I'm fine--- I just thought bread'd go really well with this--- this--- what is it?" She poked at something, which jiggled where it lay.
"Just something I whipped up; I got a bit experimental this evening," said Kisaki Eri, a note of pride in her voice. Across from her Mouri Kogoro opened his mouth to make a comment, then thought better of it and was silent.
Ran glanced up, meeting her mother's eyes with a brave smile. "It's really... unique, Mom, really different; but could I have some bread to go with it, please? Thanks." The older woman slipped off her chair towards the kitchen, and the little girl leaned forward to meet her dinner companions' desperate eyes quickly. Under her breath she hissed:
"Listen--- take a bite of bread, then a bite of what she cooked; when you swallow it you won't taste it as much. Eat a lot of the bread and you won't have to eat as much of that..." Ran spared a glance at her plate and shuddered. Both pale faces nodded thankfully; when Eri returned with a basket of rolls, there was a flurry of reaching hands. Surprised, she raised an eyebrow. "So bread makes a good accompaniment; hmmmm.... I'll have to remember that for future reference." She took another large bite.
Ran shivered slightly, memories of past meals with her mother passing through her mind like bad dreams. *No wonder I learned how to cook so early.....*
Across the table her father cleared his throat, swallowing a bite of breadroll. "So--- got your first day at school all worked out? I took care of your registration and all that bother today....." Mouri sounded a bit tentative, watching his daughter carefully sift through her meal with her chopsticks for something identifiable.
Ran smiled at her father, seeing his dark expression soften a little. *He's been looking so tired, so--- confused, I guess, ever since this began..... It's been hard on him, all these changes.* She reached across the table for another breadroll. "I think so..... It's been a long time since I was in Grade School, but I think I can handle it again. And besides, Shini--- Conan-kun'll be there to help me out, right?"
Mouri grunted, quirking one sardonic eyebrow towards the person in question. "Yes, he will--- won't you, boy?"
Startled, Conan looked up, swallowing a quick bite from his third breadroll. "Mmmph-- um, yeah--- of course I will." Mouri-san's expression needed very little interpretation: Help Ran out or die like a dog in the street.
*Like I'd ever abandon her…..* His eyes flickered towards Ran; she ducked her head as she hid a smile. At least she didn't' doubt that he'd be there for her.
*Ran, I hope you know what you're getting into….. Huh; just had an odd idea. No more 'Ran-neechan' around to help out--- she always took me places, got me in where a kid by himself couldn't go when good old Oji-san wanted to leave me behind. That's a change… maybe a difficult one. But I'll manage--- we'll manage.*
He stirred his plate with a chopstick. "Everything'll be fine. You already know Genta and the other two, that'll help--- though don't be too surprised if they drag you off to play at Recess." He grinned at the faint look of dismay on Ran's small face. *And don't be surprised when half the first-grade boys decide they want to be your boyfriend, 'Rin-kun'; you're going to leave a trail of broken hearts behind you…..*
Conan took another bite and suppressed a grimace; the bread idea was working, at least partially. "Playing's actually one of the better parts of this whole situation--- you'd be amazed what you can observe about the people around you by just acting like a kid. They don't pay much attention to you when you're doing what's expected of you; I get a lot of clues like that."
Mouri Kogoro paused in the act of drinking his tea; his brows drew down like a thundercloud and Conan/Shinichi suddenly found himself being glowered at. "Speaking of clues….."
*Uh oh.*
"….. Just how many times did you 'help out' on cases this past year? All those 'Kudo Shinichi' phone calls--- and didn't you actually show up a time or two? What about that?" The table had grown rather quiet.
*Crap; I keep forgetting--- he's not really an imbecile, he just tends towards tunnel vision. And I've just poked a hole in his tunnel, and now the light's pouring in….. or something like that……* Reluctantly the boy reached into his pocket and tugged out the most useful of the gadgets that Professor Agasa had provided him with: his bowtie voice-modulator. "Ah, well….. As for the phone calls--- " he twisted the dial and held the bowtie up to his lips; "--- this is how I managed them." Shinichi's voice suddenly entered the conversation, making them all jump.
Conan/Shinichi grinned wryly at them all, twisting the dial again. "It's pretty useful, really….." he said in Ran's voice; she stared at him, open-mouthed. Another twist, then: "I only use it when I have to, but it's saved my hide a time or two," said Mouri-san's deep tones, drawing a wide-eyed, slackjawed look from the detective. The boy clicked the dial back to zero and handed it to Ran, who took it gingerly. "You said something earlier about having to call Sonoko-chan, right? Your voice is number 73.9 on the dial."
Mouri was frowning now. "Just how many times have you imitated my---"
Conan cut in hurriedly; he had expected this. "Not too many, really--- just a couple of times when I needed to sound, ahhh, believable or intelligent---- you know, beyond doubt? That sort of thing." *Okay, that's an outright lie, I admit it. And I will admit it later, to Ran….. but if I told Oji-san about all those 'sleeping detective' episodes right now I wouldn't live to see daylight, I'm absolutely sure of it. I'd end up shoved into a trash-compactor or something equally lethal.*
Kisaki Eri was eyeing him with suspicion. *Better watch it with Eri-san--- she's a lot sharper than her husband.* In answer to her unspoken question, the boy shook his head. "And I've never imitated your voice--- I can promise you that." *Not that I wouldn't have done so if it was necessary, but the opportunity just never came up.*
Mouri-san settled back with a somewhat unsatisfied-sounding grunt. From the dark look on his face he still had questions regarding the whole 'voice' issue, but for the moment he seemed willing to let it lie. He had other things on his mind, equally unsettling things. "And the cases? How often have you poked your nose in? And don't tell me you haven't--- I remember you, Kudo; you couldn't help it." At Conan's guilty look he snorted in satisfaction. "Thought so. Well?"
*Oh boy…..*
"Ahh…. That is….. where do you want me to start?"
************************************************************************
*Poor Shinichi. Can't say you don't deserve this, though…..* Ran slipped quietly away from the table where Conan/Shinichi was still sweating out her father's interrogation.
*And I plan on doing a little 'interrogating' of my own later on….. I wonder how many times he imitated MY voice? And there's that little dart-gun thing of his--- He'd better not tell Dad about that or… I don't want to think about it.*
*Still---*
*--- I wonder if I can get Professor Agasa to make me one?*
A preoccupied expression crossed Ran's face as she padded down the hall towards the living room. *I suppose I'd better call Sonoko now. I still feel so bad about that; I think she's going to miss me. We've been friends since I was a little kid. I'll miss her, too….. but telling her our secret is out, really; much as I like her, she tends to gossip.*
An adjustment of the bowtie's dial and she was set. She spent a few minutes playing with the device, giggling a bit a bit at the variety of sounds she could produce. *I can see why Shinichi prizes this thing so much--- it's really useful. Just something else to ask Professor Agasa about.* Reaching for the phone, Ran tucked up her feet beneath her and settled down for her first excursion into modulated prevarication.
Fifteen minutes or so later she hung up, frowning. Sonoko-chan had been… difficult; while she had seemed to believe Ran's story, there had been a certain something in her voice that made the transformed young woman wonder just how convincing she had been. *I guess part of the problem is that I hate to lie to her; we've always told each other everything, and now anything I say to Sonoko will have to be… adjusted. Just like me .*
From the dining room Shinichi/Conan and her father's voices made a slightly strident duet; they seemed to be discussing something about a bomber…? Oh right, that case that had happened on Shinichi's birthday a few months back. Still curled up beside the phone, Ran felt her cheeks heat slightly as she remembered her abortive 'date' and the ordeal that had resulted, trapped within the rubble of a ruined and crumbling building.
*He was there with me, on the other side of that blocked doorway; he may have been in a little boy's body, but Shinichi really was there with me. He would have--- if the building had blown up--- he told me that he would stay with me---* She closed her eyes. That had been so close, too close.
The two voices had been joined by a third: her mother's, inquiring and rather sharp. *Maybe I'd better go rescue him-----*
And then she caught the words 'hot spring trip' in the conversation and froze, remembering vividly: *We… went to that resort. To a hot spring. And I… oh Noooo..… I dragged Conan in--- and I washed his hair---*
*AHHHHHGH!!! SHINICHI saw me NAKED!!!*
Total, face-scalding, red-to-the-roots shock…..
Ran slid off the couch and hightailed it to her room, eyes big as saucers. *Let him rescue his own damn self!!*
The bowtie voice-modulator lay forgotten on the couch.
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"Ummmm…. Ran? Can I talk to you for a minute? It's about school tomorrow….."
"No! Go away!!"
Perplexed pause. "Are you--- mad at me for some reason?" Silence; then…..
"What do you think, *huh?!?*" A crash of something against the door indicated a briefly-airborne wastecan.
Wince, widened eyes, shuffling of feet. "What's wrong? Did I do something?? Listen, if it's about dinner, I ate as much as I could stand---"
Another WHAM!, possibly from a thrown book. "Does the phrase hot spring ring any bells for you?!? How about NAKED?"
"……………..…..ohshit……………..….."
"…………."
"…………."
"I think you'd just better go to sleep, don't you? GOODNIGHT!!"
"…….……..…..goodnight………......….."
Silence again, broken now and then by muffled cursing in a little girl's voice.
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It was nearly two hours later when he heard the knock on his door. Conan lay staring up at the lines of light cast onto the ceiling by the streetlights outside; "Come in…" he said softly.
A small, tousled head poked around the doorjamb; great dark eyes blinked at him, solemn and a little apologetic. Ran smiled wanly in the shadows. "I… couldn't sleep. Did I wake you up?"
He smiled faintly back. "Nahh; couldn't sleep either." Conan gestured for her to come in, watching as she padded across the floor to drop cross-legged onto the carpet beside his bed, her back to him. The streetlights threw golden highlights across Ran's chestnut hair, tiny shining rivers that glinted and changed course as she turned to look up at him. "I'm… sorry about earlier. I was embarrassed." She ducked her head, a blush that only the darkness saw warming her cheeks. "Guess I still am."
He could feel his own face warming. "Ummmmm….. me too. Sorry………."
"……….thoughIhavetopointoutthatyoudidpullmeinwithyou………"
Ran glared at him through the shadows, struggling to keep a straight face. Conan/Shinichi grinned to himself, counting. *… five… four… three… two…* She lost the battle and began to laugh. "No fair--- I didn't know any better!" Their laughter mingled in the darkness, striped with streetlight.
Still laughing he sat up, propping himself against his pillows. "Well, now you do. The next time we go to a hot spring you can keep your hands to yourself, Hentai Girl..…"
She sputtered. "Shinichi!!!" A fallen pillow was swung in his direction; he retaliated, and the next few minutes were filled with half-hysterical snorts, giggles and the dull 'thud' of impacting ammo. At last, strength spent and weak with laughter, they both slumped back in their places. "I haven't (pant)… done anything like that (wheeze)… with you since we were kids, Shinichi-kun….." Ran pushed a tangle of hair from her eyes, sliding down to sit with her back to the bed.
Conan/Shinichi was already half-hanging off the mattress, having taken refuge at the bedfoot; he slid down to plomp next to her on the floor, knees drawn up to his chest, arms clasped around them. Still chuckling, he closed his eyes and imitated her voice in a squeaky little-boy falsetto: "'Shinichi!!! Oh, the horror--- he saw me butt-naked in a hot spring!!!' Never mind that I yelled my head off when you hauled me in….."
Ran snickered. "You screamed like a girl," she teased him, tugging her bathrobe tight around her shoulders. The air in the room was cool. He opened his eyes and cocked one eyebrow at her, grinning.
"Hrmmph. You should talk….. Hentai. Hentai Girl... I think I'll keep calling you that--- it'll make your parents wonder."
Ran's eyes narrowed and she raised a pillow in mock-threat. "Try it. I'll smother you in your sleep--- I bet I can find an old file-box up in the attic to hide your body in, you're small enough to fit….."
Conan/Shinichi sighed, propping his chin where his clasped hands rested on his knees. "I'll save it for special occasions, then." He blew out a long breath. "So are you ready for tomorrow?"
She yawned. "Guess so….. I've been trying hard to recall what it was like the first time I was in Grade School, but it was a long time ago--- I never realized how much I had forgotten." She ran her hands through her hair, snagging on a tangle. "Oww! I don't remember my hair being this long when I was little before--- it wasn't, was it? I think I used to tie it back....." Ran gathered the long, dark fall into a double handful, drawing it back from her face. The boy studied her for a moment; "Yeah--- that looks more like it used to. I remember, one time I tied your hair-ribbon onto the top rung of your chair....."
She scowled sideways again at him. "I wouldn't try calling me 'Hentai Girl' now if I were you--- when I got home this afternoon, I tried out a few katas; this body may be a lot smaller and weaker, but some things still remain. It's kind of like your soccer skills, I guess."
Ran yawned again, stretching her thin arms out in front of her. A small smile crept onto her lips as the little girl glanced sidelong at the boy beside her. "So watch yourself....." She shivered a bit, her eyes sleepy.
Conan felt his heart twinge inside his chest; for a moment his own eyes were very much those of a young man in love. *I'd really rather watch you, Ran, and remember.....* "Still the karate champion, huh? Some things never change..... Do you think you can rest okay now?"
She yawned one last time, a long movement full of the curling-up that precedes sleep. "S'pose so..... can I just sit here for a while?" In answer he scooted a little closer, and she smiled to herself as her head drooped to rest against his shoulder.
The boy stretched his short legs out in front of him, side by side with Ran's. Four small feet, two in socks and two in house-scuffs..... The proportions weren't the same as that of adults; the ankles were too thin, the feet too long, the knees too knobby. Sitting there beside her, though..... Conan could almost forget that they wore the bodies of children. But sooner or later something silly (like their feet) would remind him, and he would remember.
*It's going to be a long, long next few years, Ran-kun..... Ran. We have a lot of growing up to do.* He tilted his head a little sideways, studying her profile out of the corner of his eye. The small face was lovely in the dimness, tendrils of hair shading her dark eyes; Ran's long eyelashes threw sudden, spiky shadows across her cheeks as they drifted closed.
*I wish--- I wish I knew how to tell you what I'm feeling right now; I'm worried that you'll regret this, that I've ruined your life; I'm afraid for you when I see how hard things are for you, and I'm proud when I see how well you handle them; I want to tell you--- tell you---*
Her eyes were fully closed now, and her breathing deepened into sleep.
*----- tell you everything inside me; all the stuff I never told you while we were older..... when we were Shinichi and Ran, not Conan and Rin, another world ago.....* Warmth seemed to seize his heart, wrapping it around thoughts of Ran until he felt warmed through.
Her negligible weight rested against him as Ran/Rin slept, small head pillowed on his shoulder. The boy's own eyelids felt heavy, and they slipped closed as a last lingering thought ran through his mind like the closing notes of a piece of music:
*Ran, Rin..... the best of both worlds.....*
He slept, warm and secure.
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Darkness. It always began with darkness. But there was nothing frightening about it, not really, no terrible black void or anything like that; there was a familiarity to the starless night by now. It felt… comfortable.
And besides--- they always had each other for company.
Shinichi glanced down at his companion; the young boy's rather tousled head came no higher than his waist. His other self stretched short legs to try and match his pace, and the young man obligingly cut back his stride. Conan glanced idly around at the darkened, empty roads, lenses flashing back the sulfur-orange lights that hummed overhead. "Do you ever wonder what we'd find if we went down one of the sidestreets?"
His older persona shrugged, hands in pockets. "Sometimes..... Not tonight, though; I want to see if Ran'll be waiting for us."
"You mean 'Rin', don't you?" The small boy mirrored his movements unconsciously, shoving hands into his own pockets.
"Same thing."
"Yeah..... Do you really think they'll be there?" They had almost reached the Tropical Land parking lot; it stretched huge, flat and empty before them, a black asphalt desert. Shinichi shrugged again, a wistful look on his lean face. "I sure hope so..... this is the only way I can see the 'old Ran', after all, and vice versa." He tugged at his jacket, pulling it closed against the chill that always seemed to pervade their private dreamscape.
His companion grinned slantwise up at him. "Oh, you just want to sit on a bench somewhere and neck....."
His older self poked him with one finger in his ribs, a faint blush staining his cheekbones. "And this is wrong *how*---?? I mean, in the morning you'll remember anything I do as well as whatever you do or say....."
The boy chuckled. "I know; and here I am, stuck in a little boy's body with a not-so-little-boy's mind. That sucks, you know?" He sighed. "It's like we thought just before we fell asleep--- it's gonna be a long, long next few years. Rin and I have to grow up into our selves all over again. Hey--- " he turned to Shinichi, a curious look on his young face; "--- I wonder if you and me will gradually become one person again, or will there be two Shinichis here eventually? One the original, one an adult version of me?"
The older boy shook his head; they had crossed the parking lot by now and were approaching the open gates. "Beats the hell out of me; no idea. Guess we'll see, won't we? Unless Ai finds a cure, I mean." He reached long fingers out towards a carefully landscaped flowerbed, plucking a single chrysanthemum; the dark red petals were like silk against his skin, and both Shinichi and Conan shivered simultaneously at the sensation. "So-- does it bother you, the idea of you and me merging permanently?"
The boy reached up to run one finger across the petals; he grimaced. "Not really; I mean, it happens every time we wake up from one of these........... You're pretty sure they'll be here, huh?" He shoved his hands into his pockets, kicking at a pebble as they passed a darkened concession stand. Shinichi glanced down a little impatiently. "Yeah, yeah; I'm sure. At least---" His words were broken by a distant shout: "Shinichi? Is that you?"
Both heads whipped around. Ran stood a little ways away, over by the House of Mirrors; beside her a small form waved madly. "Conan-kun?" The little girl's voice was a soprano version of her older self's.
A little hesitantly they met together on the darkened midway; Shinichi's eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of Ran-and-Rin, side by side. Two faces (one high-cheekboned and graceful, one heart-shaped and delicate) mirrored each other's expression, smiling shyly. They were both a little out of breath, as if they had been running; Ran smoothed her hair down with one hand and broke the silence: "Well-- we made it….."
Shinichi let out the breath that he was surprised to find himself holding; he fell quite naturally in beside her as they walked, with Conan moving alongside Rin. "Yeah... I'm glad it wasn't a one-time fluke. Was it hard, finding us?"
They both looked at each other, perplexed. Rin answered, her round face puzzled; "We--- don't really know, I think; I-- we-- just went to sleep and woke up behind the Arcade. You know--- back where we changed….."
Shinichi half-frowned half-smiled; "Yeah, I know." He glanced sideways at Ran's face; in the flash and glare of the park's blinking lights her face was a composition of delicate lines and curves. Her eyes threw back the glitter of the Mystery Coaster's gaudy façade like a field of stars as they followed the movements of the empty cars along the tracks.
*God, she's beautiful…..* he thought. Shinichi glanced down at Ran's smaller self as well; the little girl was watching him with a wistful, remembering look on her face..... For a moment he was awash with deja vue, as memories from his own childhood overlaid the face before him; gently Kudo Shinichi reached across and tucked the chrysanthemum he held into Rin's hair. She reached up to touch it with one small hand, smiling.
Beside her Conan smiled to himself in answer.
As they walked, going nowhere really, Ran's hand slid quietly into Shinichi's; startled, he stopped in his tracks and then was tugged sideways towards a bench. "Let's sit for a while….. I don't know how long we have like this, and I want to talk," Ran said, smiling a little. Conan opened his mouth to say something--- and then shut it abruptly at a glare from the older boy. "Ummm, sure--- me and Rin'll find something to do….."
Rin grinned at her other self and gave her a surreptitious thumbs-up, tugging Conan by the hand determinedly. The younger pair wandered off towards the distant roar of the empty coaster, talking softly together as they went.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
What Shinichi and Ran spoke of then neither could ever recall clearly later on; most of their memories would be hazy, filled with the simple, overwhelming relief of having found each other again. But the words didn't matter, not at all--- what mattered was being together, waking and sleeping, young or old. And in the end, when the words ran out and they fell asleep sitting on the bench with their heads pillowed on each other's shoulders, that was really all that they needed.
Off in the distance, two smaller forms mirrored them on another bench, worn out with riding the park's rides. They too had found everything that they needed…..
Each other, at long last.
************************************************************************
It must've been near dawn when they both awoke, slumped against each other on the floor of Conan's room beside his bed; there had been a noise.....
Conan yawned widely, blearily aware that something... wasn't right. *I'm--- on the floor? Next to Ran??..... Oh; right. We fell asleep, and we were dreaming-----* Beside him the small girl rubbed at her eyes and began to speak: "Conan-ku---" She froze.
There was somebody else in the room.
A small figure (no larger than they were, surely) was standing over by the open window (*Wasn't that closed earlier?* thought Conan), watching them. He--- and they could see now that it was a 'he', a young boy--- had a curious expression on his rather pale face; leaning against the window-ledge, he fingered something small and shiny concealed in the palm of his hand.
For a long moment no one spoke. Then the small boy slid the whatever-it-was that he was holding into a pocket, stared Conan straight in the eyes and announced abruptly: "I found out." The soft voice seemed to raise echoes in the darkened room.
Conan/Shinichi tried to drag his intellect back out of the depths of sleep. "F-Found out what?" *Who the hell IS this kid, and what's he doing in my bedroom? Window's open--- he must've come in there. He looks familiar.....*
The boy answered him solemnly. "About the bad stuff. Daddy said not to look, but I did." A wave of sadness passed over the thin face, but he seemed to shrug it off. Moving soundlessly, he drifted over to the desk, picking up a copy of The Hound Of the Baskervilles that lay open there. "Hey--- you've got the same name as the guy who wrote this, did you know that?"
Ran stirred, sitting up a little straighter to stare intently at his face. "Who are you? How'd you get in here?" Her voice sounded rather small. He ignored her questions, flipping through the book. Closing it with a flap of pages, he dropped it onto the desk. "That's too hard for me to read yet; you're smart..... I remember; in school you always look bored."
*'School'? Do I go to school with this kid?* Conan frowned; the boy looked so damned familiar.....
His eyes were adjusting to the dark now, and he could make out a few more details. A plain t-shirt, blue or grey; jeans, dirty-looking tennishoes--- just normal little-kid clothes. He opened his mouth---
The boy turned abruptly back to the window, cutting him off. "I've gotta go now... it's time for school. It's always time for school for me now." Glancing back over one shoulder he looked sad again. "I wish I could go home instead....."
Ran's small voice spoke up. "Why can't you? Are you in trouble?"
For the first time he looked at her; shaking his head, his expression grew distressed and a little anxious. "I can't--- I have to go to school." Then his mood changed again as he swung around to stare back at Conan, determined. "Don't let him get you--- he tries to act like he's nice, but he's not; he's a bad man. Don't let him get you!" The words rang sharply in the dark room.
Puzzled, Shinichi/Conan began to struggle to his feet. "Don't let who get me? What are you talking about? What--- what-----"
He was addressing an empty room. In the blink of an eye, the boy had simply gone.
"Uhhhhh-----" *Gone?? No way--- he went out the window or something---* Stumbling, he made his way across to the window, barely aware that Ran was on her feet right behind him.
The cold night air his face with a blast of wakefulness, chasing the last cobwebs of sleep from Shinichi/Conan's brain; but that was of little help--- there was no-one below on the scrap of backyard lawn, or in the street, or on the sidewalk--- The little boy, quite simply, was gone.
*No way. People--- kids--- don't just disappear like that. C'mon, Kudo, get your brain in gear.....* He craned his head to either side, leaning far out the window; vaguely he was aware of Ran clutching at his shirt from behind in an effort to keep him from becoming the Late Edogawa Conan, Lawn-art. *Not here..... Where-----* Still leaning out, he turned to look up towards the roof; *No scrapes or scuffs from a rope, nothing to indicate any other kind of lift mechanism..... no marks to either side of the window..... where the HELL did he GO?!!?*
The boy became aware of a rather annoyed, piping voice: "--- if you don't stop wiggling around like that, you're going to end up on your idiot head, and then you won't be able to--- Conan-kun--- Shinichi--- get back in here right now!!--------" The grip on his shirt had grown tight and desperate, tugging hard.
*Oh. Right.* He slid back in through the window, landing in a heap below the windowledge. Through tangled bangs he stared up at the indignant, half-frightened small girl who stood before him, arms akimbo. "Ran....."
She snorted, the exasperated noise sounding rather funny in her lilting child's tones. "Right out the window, with never a thought about gravity. You haven't changed a bit! No wonder you made such a convincing kid---"
Never mind that; not important. "Ran." She ground to a halt, the lecture snagged by the look on his face. "Ran..." he continued, his gaze fixed on hers. "..... That kid just here--- you spoke to him, right? I mean....." he searched for words; "....I wasn't just dreaming or anything, right?" The dark blue eyes that stared up at hers were, for a moment, Conan's......
The young girl shook her head, absentmindedly reaching out to brush the strands back from his eyes. "Not unless I was dreaming too. I saw him--- he was here, he spoke to us both..... and then he was gone, like a candle blowing out." *And that will probably bother me a lot when I have the time to think about it, I guess.*
Ran studied the boy, noting with a sense of wonder the shift in his dark blue eyes as they sharpened, grew introspective and thoughtful, went from Conan to Shinichi..... *So that's what it looks like from up close--- I've seen that look so many times before, that 'There's a mystery here' moment..... but never like this, never knowing what was going on in his mind.* She mentally thumped herself across the forehead. *How could I ever have mistaken him for a normal kid? No normal little boy ever has that kind of look on his face.....*
She slipped past him to stare out at the night, her small feet cold on the tiled floor even through her house-slippers. There wasn't much of it left--- already the stars were beginning to pale, dimming down to mingle with the faint glow on the eastern horizon... they had slept most of the night through, sitting side-by-side on Conan's rug. Ran blushed a little; innocent as it had been, she didn't think it would be a good idea to mention that to her father.....
Behind her there was a shuffling noise; she turned to see Conan settling himself into the chair in front of his desk; one hand reached for the Sherlock Holmes novel that the unknown child had been examining, riffling the pages absently. His eyes were distant, fixed on some elusive fact that danced just out of his reach; standing there with one hand on the windowledge, Ran felt a lump rise in her throat. *That's Shinichi alright--- that face is the face I grew up with. He really hasn't changed a bit.* "Shinichi?"
He smiled briefly at the girl. "Go to bed; there's still an hour or so before we have to get up for school. I'll be okay..... I just want to sit and think for a little while. That kid--- he was familiar---"
Ran nodded, tugging her robe closed around her small frame a little more tightly. As she eased the door open, she heard a sharp gasp from the darkened room behind her and turned.
Shinichi sat bolt upright, a triumphal look on his face. "Got it!!" He beamed at her. "He was that boy we saw in the park! You remember, Mitsuhiko's friend? The one who borrowed his flashlight! --- What was his name? To-- To-something....."
She frowned, thinking hard. "Toshiro, wasn't it? Something like that?"
He nodded, chin on fist. "Now....." The young-old voice was slow and thoughtful; ".....What the hell was he doing in my room? And where did he go?"
Their eyes met, and she had no answers for him. Shaking her head, Ran sighed. "Goodnight..... Shinichi. Conan-kun......"
The small, somewhat distracted smile she received in return was enough to warm her through as she padded down the hallway to her room to spend the next hour or so in uneasy sleep.
************************************************************************
Morning, breakfast-time:
"Mom, it's no problem--- I'm used to making breakfast every morning! Really, I can do it..... It's no trouble at all! And you've got to get to your office, ne? You don't want to be late---" The older male at the table looked across at the younger; identical exchanges of *Thank God!* flashed between them. For once they were in perfect accord.
"Well--- alright, Ran-chan, if you're sure. At least let me make some tea....."
Wince. "Fine; but remember, only a few minutes for brewing..... and don't dump sugar and milk in the pot just because you like it Western style....."
***
On the way to school:
"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this....."
"Ran--- uhhh, Rin-kun? Stop hyperventilating; you'll pass out. It's not so bad--- there's Recess and all, and I found a few ways over the past few months to make things a little more bearable---"
"Really? Like what??"
"I'll show you later. We're here--- c'mon, Rin-kun..... Out of the car. Let go of the door handle--- got your bookbag with you? Good. Easy now, you'll be fine. Walk, Ran--- I mean 'Rin'......... Oh, great; there's our own personal three-kid Escort Squad, all lined up and ready to go-----"
"Eeeeep. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can-----"
***
School, First Day:
"Ummm, h-hajimemashite--- My name's Himitsu Rin….."
************************************************************************
"See? It's not that bad....." grinned the young boy, settling down beside Rin on the playground bench. He shoved the glasses back up his nose and took in her rather woebegone expression. ".....Or is it? What's the problem? Did something happen?" His expression became anxious.
She shook her head, dark strands of hair flying. "It's not that bad, not really; it's just that--- well, there's things I'll miss from my old school. Like....."
"Like....?" Conan eyed her with some misgivings.
She began to tick them off on her fingers. "One: Things to do. I mean, you always wish that school was easier, but *this*---! Do you ever feel like your brain is going to atrophy? Two: Other girls my age to talk to. There's Ayumi-chan, but she's not Sonoko....."
*Thank God for small favors.* Conan rolled his eyes. *I like Sonoko-chan okay, but five minutes after the Mouth With Legs hears our secret it'll be known from Okinawa to Hokkaido.....*
"And, Three: Cute guys around to watch....."
"Hey!!" The young boy shot her a wounded look, which made her giggle. "Sorry, but no matter how, umm, attached you are to one person... you still tend to--- window-shop. But all these boys are, well, little boys....."
He shrugged, feeling slightly disgruntled. "That's just as well, ne? Seeing as you're a kid too....."
Ran crossed her arms in front of her, scowling. "So am I supposed to start developing some sort of crush on one of them? Maybe I should; maybe if I found one that was interesting enough......" She turned her face a little away. Conan stared, a dismayed look crossing his face. "Ran!" he hissed; "They're kids! You wouldn't--- you can't encourage that sort of--- I mean, I saw how half the boys in class were trying to get you to sit by them----"
For a long moment the little girl kept her nose upturned, face stubborn; but gradually a grin crept in around the edges, and she glanced sideways towards Conan. ".....Gotcha....."
*Aaaaagh!!! I will never understand women! Doesn't matter what age they are, doesn't matter what SIZE they are, I will never understand women!!* He groaned. "Keep that up and I won't show you my favorite sanity-saver-----"
She swung her feet, looking at him inquiringly; her chestnut hair blew across her face in the light breeze, and Ran tucked it back behind one ear. "You said something about that earlier. What is it?"
Conan slid off the bench. "Follow me--- I can usually find him working in the south hallway about now---" They slipped off the playground into the cool recesses of the older part of the school, moving down towards the science labs that the older students used. A janitor's cart was parked in one hallway; much to Ran's surprise, it was there that Conan made his stop.
Glancing about surreptitiously, he hissed a quick sentence towards the hunched figure that was scrubbing at a dark spot on the left-hand wall: "Oi, Hei-san! What do you have today?"
Without lifting his head the coverall-clad figure muttered: "That Western magazine you like--- World Investigative Report, right? And then there's--- Who's this with you? You're usually alone....."
Conan grinned. "You'll have another customer, but I think she'll want to read something else. Rin-kun, meet Hei-san; Hei-san, this is Himitsu Rin. Got any of Ai-kun's magazines handy?"
The head turned. Brown, muddy eyes flicked briefly across 'Rin's' small figure, noting the curiosity in her sharp gaze. Untidy hair tumbled from under a workman's cap; the creased, slightly vapid face nodded to her. "Morning, girl. So you'll be reading Ai-kun's stuff? No problem....." Reaching a hand behind him, the janitor unerringly found a pocket in the rolling cart and produced a few well-thumbed magazines. Bemusedly Ran took them; *What---? Cosmopolitan, Time, NewsWeek---? All translated versions, too. What in the world??*
He reached back again, presenting the boy with several other periodicals. "Break room's open--- you can go in there. Looks like you've got about fifteen minutes before you have to go back to class." His rather dull face flickered momentarily with a surprising array of expressions: amusement, speculation, suppressed curiosity--- for a second, it was almost like looking at a different person. Then he shrugged, the vapidity sliding back into place like a mask. "Enjoy yourselves....." He reached behind him for a scrub-brush.
Conan chuckled, then pulled Ran into a side room; it looked to be some sort of faculty lounge, with couches and card-tables. The boy hopped up onto a couch, opening a magazine at random. "See what I mean? Short of Professor Agasa and Ai, this's been damn near the only sort of break I've ever managed to get from being 'Conan-kun' twenty-four hours a day. This guy-- Hei-san--- I caught him one day about a month ago, reading through Scientific American; I started reading over his shoulder, and then I sat down and went through the pile of magazines next to him. He just stared at me for a few minutes, and then he brought out a crossword puzzle....."
Ran's eyes widened; she could just picture the two of them, working their way through the questions.....
"So when we finished, he just looked at me and said 'You're not exactly an ordinary kid, are you?' and I looked right back at him and said 'And you're not exactly an ordinary janitor, either, right?' And ever since then he's been bringing in all these magazines for me to read--- I sneak in here at Recess, find myself a quiet spot, and settle down for a bit......" Conan turned a page, his voice trailing off. "I don't ask him why he's working as a janitor with a mind like that, and he doesn't ask me why I want to read Scientific American and Real Detective Stories. I did find out that his wife's a librarian, though, which explains where he gets the issues. When we're done, we just leave them here; he'll pick 'em up later."
Ran sat down next to Conan; still a little puzzled, she opened Cosmopolitan and scanned the table of contents. It looked to be a good issue. "But..... he really is a janitor, right?"
The boy shrugged. "Just goes to show you should never judge a person by appearances; we ought to know that better than anybody else-----" He turned another page, and she smiled to herself at the absorbed tone in his voice.
"Mmph. Guess so....." She turned to the article on page sixty-seven: Living Longer, Loving Longer--- One Woman's Guide.
*Bet I could give you a few tips, hmmm?* thought Ran at the author with a wry internal smile. She pushed back her long hair from her face and began to read.
************************************************************************
They were on their way back to the playground when they heard it; as the two simulacrum-gradeschoolers passed the storage room, it took a moment before the sounds caught their attention.
*..... crying? The sound of sobbing.....?* Ran paused, a worried look crossing her face. Beside her companion's head whipped around towards the doorway to their left, marked with a small sign: STORAGE-3B. The sounds were faint; even as the two stood listening, they died away so quickly that it was almost possible to believe that they had not been there at all.....
..... except, of course, that they had both heard them. Glancing uneasily at Ran, Conan tried the doorknob; it refused to budge. Behind them both the janitor's rather toneless voice spoke up: "You won't be getting in there. I don't even have a key--- far as I know, only one of the science teachers does." He continued to scrub at the same patch on the wall, muttering under his breath: "...stupid stain, won't come out even with bleach, who-knows-what splattered and left to dry and a gash in the plaster to boot....."
Conan cocked his head to one side. "Is there... somebody in there? I thought I heard-----"
The janitor shook his head. "Old buildings like this, you get all sorts of sounds. Like I said-- nobody goes in there but the science teachers, and I never even see 'em go in at all--- guess they do it when I'm not around." He shrugged non-commitally, then glanced up at the two children. "Better get going," he suggested, wiping his hands on a rag that hung from his pocket. As the they turned to leave, he said casually, "….Got one of those new Mensa-level logic sets in the mail the other day--- want to take a look? Could bring it in tomorrow….." He tugged his hat low on his forehead with long, callused fingers.
The small boy grinned a little. "Sure-- we can give it a try. See you then."
The janitor just grunted, rolling his cart a little further down the hall. In the shadow cast by the brim of his cap, a faint, cocky grin flickered fleetingly past as he shuffled by the still-damp wall.
Unnoticed behind him, the stain that he had been scrubbing bled slowly back into place, dark and fresh.
************************************************************************
*Lunchtime--- and apparently the menu includes 'New Girl du Jour'….. God, was I this silly when I was a kid?* 'Rin' ducked a thrown napkin for the third time. Scolding by Teacher had produced a slight modification of the class' behavior, but predictably it didn't last.
"Rin-kun! Catch!" Laughing, Mitsuhiko aimed a breadroll in Ran's general direction; by sheer luck she fielded it back towards the freckled grade-schooler, who shouted in enthusiasm and bounced it towards Genta.
Beside his companion in adversity, Conan swatted a flying chopstick out of the air with practiced absentmindedness; he took a hasty bite in preparations for the next volley. "Is it always like this?" Ran said, swallowing quickly before any more airborne utensils headed their way.
Her companion shrugged, flashing her a rather strained grin. "No--- actually they're sort of showing off for you today; try not to encourage them, huh?" He winced as a crash behind him indicated a misfire.
Ran's eyes widened. *'Showing off for me'??* She watched as two little boys did their best to imitate walruses--- the chopsticks that they were holding in the corners of their mouths made admirable tusks. Several seats down she heard Genta-kun arguing with another boy as to who could pick up the largest amount of food with said utensils…..
Still busily eating, the boy beside her sighed an exasperated sigh; he twitched slightly as another balled-up napkin passed overhead. At the head of the table Teacher emitted an identical twitch, watching the chaos resignedly. Ran shook her head and tried to work up a convincing look of 'I'm-too-shy-to-play-right-now', ducking low to eat her food. Another napkin bounced off the table beside her.
Under the cover of the noise, she muttered sideways in a prison-whisper: "Did you find anything out today about that kid we saw last night?"
Conan stirred his lunch a little, turning over a piece of carrot with a chopstick; he shoved his glasses a little farther up his nose with the chopstick's blunt end. "A little….. his name's Toshiro, Nodomo Toshiro. His dad works here at the school--- he's some sort of supply clerk. Toshiro hasn't been to school in four days….. His father reported that he was sick, then that he was out of town visiting relatives."
Ran smiled a little wryly. "There's a lot of that going around….." Conan snorted, and a momentary flash of Shinichi gleamed in his eyes.
He continued, chewing on a bite and flinching slightly as another chopstick skittered across the table. "His dad's been here for years--- good record, no past convictions, nothing like that." She stared at him frankly. "How on Earth did you find that out?"
Conan--- no, Shinichi looked smug. "Snuck into the librarian's research terminal this morning, during the Free Reading period; you'd be amazed what you can dig up on the Internet these days, if you're careful….."
He took another bite, eyes a little distant. "So..... Obviously Toshiro-kun's not visiting relatives out of town, not if we both saw him twice in the last couple of days. That narrows things down to three major possibilities, with a number of variations: First-- Nodomo-san actually believes that his son is out of town, visiting relatives; second-- He's lying, and is aware of his son's whereabouts. Third-- he's lying out of ignorance or possible coercion and is unaware of Toshiro-kun's location."
Ran took a swallow of her drink; the straw slurped noisily. "Conan-kun....." she dropped her voice; "Shinichi..... Do you think he was being held against his will? And maybe got away---? But why would he come to you instead of his father?" Her brow wrinkled as she worked at the puzzle, and Conan/Shinichi felt an unwilling smile tugging at his lips in spite of the seriousness of the conversation.
*Is that what I look like when I think, that sharp look?* he wondered; *Normal kids like Ayumi and the others don't look like that--- smart as they are, they're still kids, and they think like kids. No wonder Ran almost caught me so many times..... that's not a child's expression on that face right now.*
He chewed on his lip, considering. "Well..... it sounds silly, but me and the Terrible Trio there" (he jerked his chin towards Genta, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko, who seemed to be in the process of recreating the Samurai class using chopsticks as weapons) "are fairly well-known as..... um.... the Detective Kids." Conan dropped his chin onto his chest; he knew what was coming next.....
"You mean the Detective Boys, don't you? I saw the initials built into those little radio badge-things....." Ran's tone spoke volumes.
It was Shinichi who winced; but it was Conan who rolled his eyes up to heaven, groaning "It wasn't my idea! I didn't design them! Talk to Agasa-san!"
Her smirk said "Gotcha!" all over again.
Conan cleared his throat. "Ummmm. Well--- he might've come to us because of that--- but I still can't figure out where the hell he went last night....."
The din of the lunchroom won out for a few moments as the two kept silent, munching on their last few bites. At last Ran lifted her head, a rather peculiar look in her eyes. "Um, Shini--- I mean, Conan-kun..... I really, really hate to think about this, but..... There's only one thing I can think of that shows up and disappears without a trace....."
At that the boy rounded on her, shaking his head. "Don't go there. I know what you're thinking, and I don't believe in that sort of thing." He laughed shortly; it sounded forced. "Remember what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said in The Sussex Vampire? 'The world is big enough for us; no ghosts need apply.'"
The class was beginning to haul itself to its collective feet now; the last of the napkins were flying through the air or sliding along the floor, and one lone chopstick rolled to a halt at Ran's feet. She looked down at the utensil as she stood; then she spoke very softly into the boy's ear: "And do you remember what Doyle-san said in the Sign of the Four? I've always remembered it--- you're not the only one who likes Sherlock Holmes, you know. 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' There's only one truth, Shinichi-kun.... You taught me that."
As they filed in a more-or-less docile mass for the cafeteria door, the boy caught Ran's gaze with his own, dark blue and brown meeting. "Right. The problem's always finding out what it is--- and just who's responsible for hiding it in the first place."
************************************************************************
Finally, finally, the interminable day had come to an end. As her mother's new car pulled away from the curb, Mouri Ran silently congratulated herself on surviving Grade Two, Day One. *If I can manage this I think I can manage just about anything; and I'd better get used to it quickly--- this is going to set the pace for me for the next few years. God.*
*But it's worth it.....* She only had to turn her head just a little to see the boy sitting beside her on the car-seat; without a word they had both climbed into the back, neither choosing to sit in the front beside Eri-san. *If we were still teen-agers we might be, umm.... well, cuddling a little back here; nothing beyond that--- I mean, my mother's up front! But..... we aren't, and we can't, and we won't--- not for a handful of years, anyway.....*
*.....a really long, long handful of years..... dammit.....* She blushed at her own thoughts. *But I miss that! We had barely gotten beyond the 'friends' bit when this all started, and there wasn't much time for anything else to develop--- Well, no use crying over spilled milk; I made up my mind, and I'm glad I did. Even after today.*
*But.....* Her eyes slid sideways; if she looked at Conan just right, she could see Shinichi there: the eyes, of course, and the unruly dark hair that she had tousled unthinkingly so many times over the past year--- and the sweep of jawline, rounded now but angular someday--- the stubborn, stubborn chin-----
Ran sighed.
Beside her Conan shifted. "Ahh, Eri-san? Where are we going? This isn't the route to---"
She cut him off with a wave of one hand. "I know, I know--- I need to stop by my apartment and pick up some things, and I believe I have some of Ran's old things that might still fit her." Ran blinked. "You still have my old clothes?"
If Eri's face had been visible, she might have been blushing. "Maybe just a few boxes..... Your father was going to toss them out once you had outgrown them, but, well---"
A blare of horns blasted across whatever Ran's mother had been about to say; she cursed under her breath, maligning the other drivers' ancestry and ultimate destination after death. Conan gulped; he found his hand clutching Ran's without the least conscious thought of reaching for it.
*But it's warm..... and it's nice to have hands the same size again, isn't it? Though I wish she hadn't had to do what she did for that to happen-----* As always, when thinking about Ran's transformation, Shinichi/Conan felt a wave of guilt wash over him. *Ran--- today was hard, I know; I hope you don't regret this too much.....* He snuck a look at her face; the large eyes were fixed on her mother's movements, a slight tinge of apprehension tinting them a little darker than usual. As Eri-san took the offramp towards her section of town, the boy felt the warm fingers tighten a little in his, and he looked down in surprise as their fingers interlaced. *Ran--?*
He glanced back up; she was smiling at him, just a little, her heart-shaped face innocent and beautiful in the afternoon light. The forefinger of her free hand went across her lips, signifying 'silence.'
He smiled a little himself and complied. The rest of the trip was too brief.
************************************************************************
Ran sat back on her heels. "All this stuff..... Mom, I had *no* idea you kept all this! Does Dad know?"
Her mother fidgeted by the open apartment door, looking out over the half-dozen or so containers of clothes, toys, etc., etc., etc. that she had just brought out of storage. "Not really....."
There was a rustling to one side of the apartment and an unenthusiastic grunt. "More clothes..... Hey! Ran, I remember this outfit---" Conan held up a polka-dotted sweater. Indignantly Ran stomped across the room and snatched it from him. "You should remember it, Shinichi-kun--- you got me completely soaked and half-frozen one day while I was wearing it! Remember? The snowball fight at the park when I was nine? You were chasing me with a handful of snow and I stepped in a hole right next to the pond and fell in---"
His face cleared and he shoved at his glasses with one finger. "Oh yeah-- you looked like a drowned rat---"
Ran snorted; Eri-san looked horrified. The boy suddenly came to the realization that a change of subject would probably be a good idea just then, rooting hurriedly around in the box. "Umm, clothes, more clothes--- hey Ran, here's that top you were looking for-- catch! More clothes, more clothes, some shoes--- and a photo album? This looks interesting....."
Leaving the door open, Ran's mother walked across the room to kneel gracefully beside the box. "Oh.... that one; I wondered where it had gotten to. Ran, you ought to see this--- Look: it's you--- right then, and right now....."
And it was. The pictures spanned the years between kindergarten and second grade or so; a wide-eyed, childish Ran laughed, romped, scowled or stared out of each photo. There were even a few containing Shinichi; kneeling on the other side of the box, Ran slid a finger across one photo. "Shinichi-kun, do you remember this one?"
(Engrossed in the album, all three ignored the faint sound of footsteps coming along the hall and stopping at the open doorway.....)
The boy frowned, tugging his glasses off absentmindedly. The photo was familiar, no doubt about that..... It depicted two children, both scowling; each wore costumes of some sort--- the girl had on a long white robe or gown and her dark hair was braided up on either side into coils, while the boy wore a simple white karate gi and held some sort of plastic sword in his hands. "Halloween, second grade," said Ran softly; "Do you remember, Shinichi? I was Princess Leah and you were Luke Skywalker--- I remember, you sulked because you wanted to be Han Solo instead." She giggled and the boy flushed, muttering "Hey, Solo had class; and he had a brain, which was more than Skywalker ever showed in the first movie....."
Eri-san chuckled fondly. "You were both so cute--- you know, though? Your expressions aren't the same, not really; the more I look at these, the more differences I see. Ran, you look--- I don't know, older somehow, even though physically you look the same-----"
(.....The figure at the door was stock-still, shocked into unaccustomed silence.....)
Ran rolled her eyes. "Well, Mom, I have lived nearly eighteen years, you know--- despite current appearances! How much more different can you get? It's bound to show in the eyes-----" She turned to Conan, who was sitting absolutely still, staring straight ahead. "Don't you think so, Shinichi? ---Shinichi? What's the matter??-------- OH............"
Kudo Shinichi was staring directly at Suzuki Sonoko, who stood in the doorway, a perfect expression of horrified disbelief in her eyes as she took in the entirety of the scene and the conversation that she had just, quite plainly, overheard.
The three guilty parties froze in place like frightened rabbits. And the only thought that passed through Conan/Shinichi's dread-filled brain as his gaze locked on Sonoko-chan's was this:
*Doomed. We're doomed. The Mouth With Legs has us dead to rights. We are so totally doomed.....*
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End of Chapter 2
(Hee hee; aren't I evil or what?..... Ysabet)
