KudoEdogawa presents...

""Always""

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alright already people..., stop trying to make me change the coupling!! The story may have some surprising plot twists just yet...*wink*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 9::

December 24th

Ran looked up from her diary...it's been quite a while since that she wrote in it. The last entry was written about seven months ago, when she planned a surprise birthday party for him. At least one thing won't change this year, she thought to herself, He's still won't remember his own birthday... She let out a long sigh and started to write again.

It's been a while since I last wrote, these past few months have just been so uneventful..., well, except the fact that I have lost Shinichi for the second time in my life. She looked at the picture next to her sorrowfully. Just a week or two ago, Shinichi had to go on a business trip in England, and he was involved in a car accident and lost his memory.

I'm such a cry baby..., over these past few days I've cried a gazillion times, I don't think I have any more tears to cry with. Of course, the police have been informed of this, and everyone's searching for him. But even if we do find him? What would we do? We can't force him to recover his memory..., and according to Heiji, he's traveling with this other girl.......

I think I'm losing his love.

Mom and Dad's been arguing a lot. Dad insists that I move on and find another guy, although Mom argued with him that it wasn't Shin-kun's fault that he lost his memory. I don't understand, why does Daddy hate him so much? Okay, so he lied to us and stayed in our house, so he's been spending time with me and even showered with me. But so what? Why doesn't Daddy understand that I love my Shin-kun and will always love him no matter what?

It's Christmas tomorrow...I'm going to be spending it all alone again this year...there won't even be Conan next to me. Oh well, anyway, I met someone new yesterday, her name is Shiho. I met her when I went to the mall yesterday, she's a great person, and from what she said, I'll bet she's really smart, and I think she's really rich also. She keeps on paying for me, so I bought her something for Christmas tomorrow.

It's the cutest brooch ever, it's crystal and in the shape of an angel...pure...just like her! I have to call her to meet her tomorrow...gah! But Kazu-chan and Hattori-kun invited me to spend the day with them, too! I guess I'll hand Shiho her gift in the morning.

~*~

"Shiho?"
"Yes, Shinichi?"
"Erm... I um..."
"What is it?"
"............... I think I love you..."
"Oh, Shinichi..."

~*~

Ran closed her diary and picked up her cell phone and quickly dialed Shiho's number.

"Moshi, moshi?" It was a man, a man answered it, that voice sounds so much like Shinichi...could it? Nah, it couldn't've been.

"Um...may I speak to Shiho-san?" Ran asked.

"Chotto..." Through the phone Ran could hear the voice yelling, "Shiho! It's for you!!"

A second later, Shiho was on the line. "Moshi, moshi?"

"Um, Shiho-san, it's Ran."

"Ah! Ran-chan!! What's up? By the way, don't call me Shiho-san...I feel old if you call me that!"

"Gomen..., hey, who was it that picked up the phone?" Ran asked.

"Oh, he's um..." Shiho hesitated. "he's my boyfriend..." she whispered.

"That's so cool!" Ran said, trying to sound excited. "What's his name?"

"Um...his name....um...it's...Hikaru!" Shiho lied. "Yes, Hikaru."

"Hehe, that's so cool." Ran said..., noting the insincerity in Shiho's voice. "Anyway, tomorrow's Christmas, so I was wondering if we could meet, 'cause I have something to give to you."

"Well, Shi-er, Hikaru and I are going to Tropical Island tomorrow." Shiho said.

"Oh, that's okay, I'm going to Tropical Island around noon anyway." Ran said.

"Then maybe we can meet there!"

"Sure!"

"So I'll meet you at the front gate at around..."

"How about 12:30?"

"Sure, that sounds fine!"

"Alright! See you tomorrow, then."

"Okay, bye."

~*~

"Who was that?" Shinichi asked.

"Oh, it's my new friend, her name's Ran. We're going to meet at Tropical Island tomorrow."

. . . . . .

~*~

"Heiji!! Hurry up, it's not polite to have ladies wait for you!!" Kazuha shouted into the guest room. Heiji grunted and there was footsteps, Heiji walked out of the room in his boxers, yawning, and he recognized the terrifying truth when he saw the three extremely disturbed masters of the house. Ran's face reddened with shock, Kogoro's cigarette fell on his desk and Eri dropped her coffee mug.

"YOU AHO!!! WE'RE NOT IN OSAKA!! THIS ISN'T YOUR HOUSE YOU IDIOT!!!" Kazuha had shouted, and all Heiji remembered after that is being beaten up by four pairs of hands and legs and finally being shoved violently back into the guest room by Kogoro. Heiji returned from the guest room, fully dressed, rubbing his injuries, went downstairs and unwillingly started his car and he, Kazuha, and Ran went to Tropical Island.

The two girls sat in the back seat, chattering away happily, while Heiji sits in the driver's seat, considering whether or not to add things into the girls' drinks in the park later on. "It's really nice of you guys to invite me to come with you," Ran said. "Oh, by the way, Merry Christmas, I have something for each of you." She reached into her red purse, the one Shinichi gave her the previous Christmas, and took out two figurines and handed them to Kazuha and Heiji.

Kazuha took it from her hand and let out a gasp of awe. "Oh Ran..." It was a small Heiji doll, perfected to every detail that the real Heiji has. Heiji got the same gift, except that it was modeled after Kazuha.

"I'm sorry that they look so ugly, my sewing skills aren't too good." Shock came to Heiji and Kazuha...she made this for them?!

Terror seized Kazuha's mind, if she was to be content with the gift, she would've admitted something that she didn't wish to. "But Ran," she said,"Why in the world do I need a Heiji doll?"

Heiji seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Yeah! Why the hell would I want a Kazuha doll?" He said, blushing.

Ran giggled, "Aw, you two are so cute. No need to try and deny that you love each other!" She slapped Kazuha on the back, causing Kazuha to blush furiously.

They parked and stepped out of the park. Kazuha and Heiji were both excited, for they have never came here before. However, to Ran, this is a place of contentment...as well as pain. This is where she had so much memory with Shinichi, this is where Shinichi told her he loves her for the first time (Fourth Movie: Captured In Her Eye), and this..., is also the place where she lost Shinichi for the first time. Her face was filled with sorrow as the three of them headed for that fateful rollercoaster where so many things have happened.

"Hello, Ran." A voiced said behind her. The three of them turned around... it was Akira!

"Oh, Akira-kun! Where have you been?!"

"I'm sorry, Mouri-kun, my family had an emergency, so I couldn't help you."

"That's alright, Akira, everything's A-OK now!" She lied.

"That's good to hear," Akira said. "Well, see you then." The three of them waved goodbye.

"Well that was a surprising encounter," Heiji said, not knowing the most surprising encounter is yet to come.

"Oh, by the way," Ran said on their way to the roller coaster, "I told my friend that we'd meet them at the entrance of the coaster."

"Is it Sonoko?" Kazuha asked.

"Nope, it's a new friend. Her name's Shiho." Ran said happily. Heiji dropped his soda, although neither Ran or Kazuha noticed it. "Ah!" Ran exclaimed. "There she is! SHIHO!! OVER HEre..." Her voice dropped as two familiar figures ran towards them, holding hands.

Ran and Kazuha couldn't believe it, they also dropped their soda. Heiji stared at the approaching figure, who seemed to recognize him. The approaching figures stopped dead in their tracks, the two companies eyeing each other.

It's him...

It's her...the brown-haired girl...

tbc...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~