[AN] Sorry, I usually update very slowly and sporadically. But I am glad that some people are interested. By the way... Anyone interested in being my beta reader? Lol... I could use a couple since I'm not too patient with correcting my own work and it would be nice to talk with people who actually know/love Detective Conan as well as I do (more or less) so if anyone's interested, give me a message. All you need to do to 'qualify' is know/love Detective Conan, patience (you'll need that a LOT with me), good grammar (since I, obviously, have none), spell check and... well that's it. When I say patience, I mean... Patience is a virtue, kind of patience. I only ask my friends, but they get confused a lot cause they're not an anime-otaku like me. Well, at least with Conan anyway... They're also way too nice... I mean, they always say my stuff is interesting, but I don't know if they're being truthful or just being nice.
[This Chapters Inspiration] Detective Conan's theme 'I Can't Stop My Love for You' preformed by Aiuchi Rina. To those who have seen that opening, I just love the scene where Ran is holding a hand to Shinichi after he's shrunken and still in the clothes he had been wearing previously, only now it's two or three sizes too big. It spoke volumes to me. =) Various other songs on my computer. The reviewers =) I was really happy when you guys told me how interesting my story was, telling me in the depth of your comments and how you couldn't even pause for a meal to finish this. I like hearing your comments =) and of course, thank you to the rain on sunless days.
[Disclaimer] It's really hot right now--I mean, I don't own Detective Conan. Also, one line of the message does not belong to me. I won't say which one yet since it'll ruin this chapter for you if I do, so next chapter I'll tell you which one it is if you don't already know.
Faraway
The Trouble with Cats and Messages
[Kaku]
"Professor."
The man in questioned started to hum an old tune as he headed over to the ticket booth. He stopped a few feet short, still humming, as he looked over the digital board above the booth. Movie titles and show times covered the screen in brightly lit letters and numbers for a few moments, before changing to a completely different list. He waited for the title of the movie the Detective Boys wished to watch to appear on the board, placing his chin between his thumb and forefinger as he decided on the best time to go.
"Professor." This time the call was sharper and clearer. The Professor began to hum louder, shifting from foot to foot unconsciously.
There was the unmistakable click of something breaking free of its clasp.
"Oh Shinichi-kun!" The elder man turned around and glanced down at the boy who was currently aiming at him with his watch. "I didn't hear you--"
"I know you did, Professor." Conan told him, scowling as the Professor offered him a nervous smile. The watch was now locked on its target.
"Yes?" He asked as he tried his best to sidle out of the target range, but Conan followed his every step. He sighed in defeat as he straightened up, almost as if this really was his last moments in life, eyes closed and chest puffed out in a show of acceptance.
Give me a break... Conan thought wearily as he put his watch away, shaking his head lightly. There's definitely something that I'm missing here.
"Stop, Professor. I don't know why you won't tell me..." He trailed off, looking over at the rest of the group. They were currently staring at all the posters of movies now showing and up coming in theaters. Talking excitedly to one another as they pointed and awed over the posters. "I could always ask them, but I have a feeling that their version of events will sound a lot worse for you."
"Well, it's nothing important really..." The elder man tried to cover nervously, waving his hands a bit. Conan frowned, but quickly turned it into a smirk as he casually glanced around, observing his surroundings carefully as his eyes held a twinkle of mischief. The color drained out of the Professor's face as he recognized that look, which meant no good for him.
"Hey guys!" Conan called suddenly. All three stopped their chatter at once and looked over at him curiously. A few passersby glanced over at him as well. He called to them, cupping his mouth with both hands to help his voice cross the great span of space between them. Agasa looked horrified for a moment as more people began to take notice of them. "Could you tell me wh--"
"--Which show you would prefer?" Professor Agasa finished with his great hand over Conan's mouth--and nose. Cutting off more than his shouting, Conan struggled as Agasa picked him up and smiled at the other three who had started to amble their way over to them, viewing the pair in surprise.
"Ouch!" Agasa yelped when Conan managed to struggle enough to get a grip on his hand and bit down hard. Crude, yet effective, he was thankful for the air that filled his lungs. Agasa dropped Conan on his feet to nurse his new injury, blowing on it lightly.
"I couldn't breathe!" Conan hissed as he took in another deep breath, his chest heaving noticeably.
"Hey, what's with you two?" Mitsuhiko questioned as he and the other two made it the rest of the way from the posters. "Everyone's looking at you."
"Yeah, it's almost as if they know," Genta told them, his voice lowering to a whisper as he glanced around nervously.
Conan perked up at this, his breathing more controlled and looked over at Genta quickly, "Know what?"
"That we're going to see an R rated movie!" Genta hissed, a little too loudly. More stares were thrown their way as Ayumi and Mitsuhiko shushed Genta angrily.
"Oh." Conan blinked, but was not deterred. "Hey, why don't you tell me about why Professor Aga--"
"Here!" Agasa suddenly interrupted, holding out some money to the elementary school children. They all blinked with wide eyes at the amount of money offered to them in disbelief. He quickly added in, "For the snacks. Go ahead and buy them for us while we get the tickets."
"... Professor?" Ayumi questioned unsurely as she stared at the money carefully, looking up at him with her usual wide-eyed stare.
"Go ahead, it's my treat isn't?" He told them, beaming. All three exchanged looks as Conan sighed impatiently.
"No, it's not that Professor," Mitsuhiko told him. The Professor blinked in confusion, so he continued, "We can't get in unless we have the tickets."
There was a moment of silence as the Professor took the time to realize his mistake. Covering it up with a laugh, he pocketed the money and turned to the ticket booth, "Oh right, right. I'll do just that."
Shaking their heads, they followed the Professor as he bought their tickets. Once bought, he ushered them toward the entrance and gave the tickets to the woman standing at the double doors. She smiled at them in welcome as she returned the stubs back to the Professor. Despite having an adult with them, the Detective Boys couldn't help but feel a little jumpy as they walked passed her stiffly, breaking out into a full out run to the snack bar once they were out of her line of vision.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Conan questioned, hands in his pocket as he raised an eyebrow at their antics.
They skidded to a stop and turned on Conan together, shouting out in defense, "Nothing!"
"All right..." Conan replied, blinking in surprise at such a strong response. They continued to glare at him, but as the smell of popcorn reached their senses they quickly forgot their uncertainties and focused on other matters.
"Let's get that! No that! Oh, we have to have popcorn!" Ayumi bounced out eagerly as she pressed herself against the display case full of well-known candy brands. Mitsuhiko and Genta were at her side, mimicking her actions as they too fought over what to buy.
"Not too much." Professor Agasa spoke up from behind them, inspecting the choices himself. "You don't want to make yourself sick."
"We won't!" They chirped simultaneously.
"Conan-kun!" Ayumi called out when she found Conan at Agasa's side, merely watching them from a distance. He blinked at her in response and she giggled. She waved one arm out to him and called him over, "What are you doing over there? Come look at what you want!"
"Ah, that's okay." Conan replied, glancing over at Agasa. "You guys pick what you want. There's a long line so Professor Agasa and I will wait and call you over when it's time for us to order."
Professor Agasa nodded, taking his place at the back of the line with Conan at his side as the other three shouted their appreciation and continued with their painstaking decisions. Conan looked up at Agasa, eyes narrowed, "All right. Now tell me."
"I told you, it's not important--"
"You're taking them to a horror film that their parents wouldn't approve of and covering for all the expenses. If that's not blackmail, then you're being awfully generous today, but I hardly think that's the case." Conan said as he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and fixed the Professor with an expectant gaze, "So talk."
The Professor sighed, raising his hand to rub at his temples tiredly. "It was an accident." The Professor started off, keeping his voice low enough so that the chatter of the other people standing in line covered their conversation, "I had finished another invention. It was quite genius, really. A few bugs to work out, but I felt it was ready for a test run."
Hah... Conan thought as the Professor brightened at mentioning his invention and started to go into detail of the mechanics, Bad decision on his part to let the 'bugs' go...
"I had created a fan[1] that would be powered by the heat around you. No batteries needed, just a heat source over normal body temperature and you have an effective cooling source. It was portable and I decided to try it out on a walk late in the afternoon. It was still quite hot out so I was sure I had plenty enough energy to rely on. I decided to head to the park, where I met Ayumi-kun--"
"When was this?" Conan cut in, frowning as he thought on a time that he had not been with the Detective Boys. Usually he would always accompany them to the park, so it was strange that he had not been present when Agasa had come by. It had happened recently (This past week?) and he hadn't been sick. They didn't have any cases during that time either, which, in itself, was strange.
"A few days ago. I saw Ayumi-kun and I asked why she was in the park by herself. She told me that she had gone after a kitten she saw earlier when she was with you boys and Ai-kun. But I guess you weren't there at the time."
"Obviously." Conan remarked dryly, and then paused as a thought struck him. Wait a minute.
"Oh, that..." Conan mumbled as he remembered that they did go to the park a few days ago and there was a kitten involved. And an explosion. How could he have forgotten?
Why didn't I make the connection sooner? Conan thought to himself as he resisted the urge to slap hit himself for the key details he missed. At Professor Agasa's questioning, he decided to go over the details quickly so he could get the answers he wanted.
He told the older man of how he remembered how an orange tabby had crossed their paths and shown them how affectionate it could be. But it hadn't stayed long before it quickly lost interest in them and bounded off towards the park, narrowly escaping traffic as it darted across the street. It did, however, stay long enough to find a place in Ayumi's heart and she had started after it in concern. He and the others had to grab her to keep her from putting herself in danger, but she managed to wriggle free. Luckily, she ran towards the nearest crosswalk instead of running into the street like she would have earlier. They had no choice but to follow.
Conan had believed it a useless effort once they entered the park and began calling out for the orange tabby. Not only was visibility low as it grew later in the day, but by judging of the swiftness the cat possessed as it had crossed the street and the vastness of the park, there would be a slim chance of finding it. But these facts did not matter to a seven year old girl who believed she had found her new pet and thus began to long arduous search for the orange tabby.
Conan had grown tired of the search and tried his best to reason with them. Haibara was no help to him as she merely followed the rest of the group. Haibara was merely going along with them because she knew it was frustrating him. Ayumi refused to leave the park without locating the kitten. That almost guaranteed that Genta and Mitsuhiko would not leave Ayumi alone to search in vain.
"Ayumi-chan," Conan began tiredly while the rest of them sat on a bench looking just as exhausted as he was. "We've been at it for an hour and it's getting late. Maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow?" Hopefully you'll forget about it by then...
"But... Conan-kun..." Ayumi sniffled; tears collecting at the corner of her eyes as she laced her fingers together in her lap and cast her gaze down to the ground. The hopelessness of the situation began to sink in and her shoulders began to shake.
"Conan!" Genta and Mitsuhiko yelled out at the unsuspecting boy together. Conan jumped back, arms raised up defensively as the other two closed in on him.
"What are you saying, Conan-kun? We can't give up; we barely covered even a fraction of the area!" Mitsuhiko informed him harshly, his normally calm and amiable expression twisted into anger, for Ayumi's sake.
Genta was in a similar state, his hands clenching into fists as he raised them up to Conan threateningly, "Yeah, what's the big idea? Making Ayumi cry like that!"
"I didn't mean to..." Conan tried to explain, shrinking back as Genta started to advance on him. Mitsuhiko cut in, luckily for him, as he took a pose that radiated determination.
"Don't worry, Ayumi-chan!" Mitsuhiko assured her, his eyes bright and hopeful. "We'll find that cat no matter what!"
"Y-yeah!" Genta stumbled over his words as he agreed with Mitsuhiko, not to be outdone. He gave Conan a glare as he stood before Ayumi, arms crossed and then bowed his head slightly as he turned to give her a look that spoke of his resolve, "We don't need Conan's help. We can find that cat without him!"
"Really?" Ayumi perked up, giving them an uncertain smile through her tears in response to their actions.
"Of course!" Genta and Mitsuhiko assured her in unison. Ayumi's smile widened and her tears began to dry as she hopped to her feet with renewed vigor.
"All right then, let's go!" She shouted and charged into every bush, nook and cranny, up every tree and under every bench in renewed hope. Conan watched them with exasperation, but decided it was better to let them go until they used up their energy than start another argument. Haibara pushed off from her spot on the bench and took her place next to him as they watched the other three wander farther and farther away.
"You could learn something from them." Haibara commented as she viewed them with an indifferent gaze, but the small quirk of her lips told otherwise.
"Ha?" It sounded more like a breath leaving him nosily than a questioning grunt. Her smirk was unmistakable now as she took a few steps forward, hands clasped behind her back as she continued to watch them search on, frantically using what light they could from the sun that was slowly descending in the west.
"Not just you." She spoke in a bare whisper, flexing her fingers together as she continued on rather cryptically. "I could learn something too."
Ha?" He repeated himself as he stared at her back with an askew glance, trying to depict her meaning. He almost gave in the urge to sigh aloud and complain about women being such a mystery. Then again, he wasn't sure if he could classify Haibara with average women...
Haibara refused to acknowledge him any further as she continued to watch the other children with a careful gaze. It might have been his imagination, but he thought he could detect a softening in her eyes as the Detective Boys continued with their fruitless search. She seemed to be far away now and wouldn't be able to hear him.
So it was either stand there and watch the others tire themselves out or go home. Well, considering that they were upset at him and would probably refuse his help... "I'm going to head home. Good luck guys!"
No one acknowledged his farewell as he turned, walking away (he missed the faces being made at his back) with his hands shoved in his pockets. He just managed to find the entrance of the park that they had come through a couple of hours earlier and had only taken one step when guilt started to settle in.
Great... Already has all the boys wrapped around her little finger, Conan thought, partially amused as he glanced over his shoulder into the entrance of the darkening park. She's only seven... I hate to think of what she could make you do in high school. His thoughts were only half-hearted as he turned around and re-entered the park, shuffling his feet against the ground. The sound of his sneakers leaving the concrete pavement and onto the gravel and dirt covered path of the park echoed around him and only served to damper his spirit.
All right, let's make this quick, he thought irritably as he stopped in his tracks and took in his surroundings. Considering the circumstances of the little light he had and the time that had passed since they had last seen the cat... the chances of finding it were very slim. But to tell a child, especially a very persistent little girl, that finding a common orange tabby in a park with such a great capacity, the span of time that had passed and distance the cat could have possibly gone (if it was still in the park at all) were about, maybe a hundred thousand to one... You might as well try talking to the nearest tree if you want someone (or thing) to reason with. As long as the cat existed and there was energy left in their bodies, they would search for that cat and they would find it. No matter what.
He wasn't going to get anywhere if he just stood there and contemplated the matter. He picked up his right foot and began to take a step to bring him deeper into the park when a sudden noise, most like an explosion, sounded through the area sharply and clearly.
Bang. Boom.
Conan jumped at the noise grating at his ears, stumbling and nearly tripping over his own two feet. He managed to catch himself as he waved his arms to balance himself, looking around wildly for the source of the noise.
Screech. Screech.
Many sounds of the like followed and blended together. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could see smoke in the distance. He tried to step forward, but was once again impeded as an orange-brown ball of fur was launched at his chest and had him crashing onto his bottom.
His arms had reflexively wrapped around what had pounced on him and found himself holding the orange (actually, now that he had a closer look, it was more of a dark brown) tabby that they had been searching for, shaking against his chest. Various curses formed in his mind, but never made it to pass his mouth. He merely winced as he waited for the pain to stop shooting up his spine and for the cat to stop digging its claws into his skin. The latter refused to do so, even after a few minutes of sitting there so stilly and rigidly.
Afraid that any move to stand up or shift his position would cause the cat to break free or bloody him up, he carefully moved his arm to allow his hand access to his pocket as he searched for the communicator badge. Fishing it out and putting it up to his mouth as he spoke quietly above the shaking animal, "Ayumi-chan?"
There was no answer. He waited, wincing as the cat dug its claws even deeper into his skin at the sound of his voice. Was the badge even on...?
"Ayumi--"
"Conan-kun?" A voice chirped out suddenly. The cat tensed in his arms even more. He could feel the muscles tightening and the claws flexing (painfully into his chest and arms) as it seemed to prepare to break free.
"Ayumi-chan. I found your cat." Conan told her quickly and as quietly as possible as he tried to keep his firm hold on the cat. He didn't want to suffer through this pain for nothing--
"Oh, really? That's okay Conan-kun! I'm kind of busy right now, but thanks anyway! Maybe you can keep it?"
His mouth dropped open, his eyes widening as he stared down at the badge in disbelief, "What?! No! I don't want it--"
"You can't just leave it all alone! I'm sorry Conan-kun; we're kind of busy right now. Just take care of Mikan-chan[2] for now, okay? Thanks! Bye!"
You already named it... "O-oi! Wait!" Conan began calling to her through the badge, but there was no answer. After a few more futile moments later, he realized that she had turned it off and pocketed the badge once more.
Staring out ahead blankly, he pondered just how he got himself into situations like this. It wasn't for a long moment that he finally came to his senses and began to move. He was surprised to find the cat still in his arms, no longer clawing at his skin, but resting somewhat awkwardly in his lap, its tail whipping back and forth in a slow rhythm to express its annoyance. He considered letting it go, but the thought of seeing Ayumi's tearful expression and the wrath of the other two boys made him think better of it.
Maybe Ran would like it... He thought. He could only hope that she would take this burden off his hands. He got back on his feet and shifted the cat so that it was now cradled in his arms. Luckily, it wasn't full grown yet, or it could have done a lot more serious damage to him. (Not to say kittens aren't vicious, sometimes)
A new pet in his arms, injuries to take care of and dinner, pushed the earlier noises from his mind as he started back home.
"What happened?" Conan asked as he pulled himself out of his reverie. The Professor thinned his lips, looking from side to side as discreetly as possible before he leaned closer to Conan and give his explanation.
"My invention wasn't as... safe as I believed."
Conan fought back the urge to retort. So what else is new?
"It was extremely hot and humid that day, ensuring abundant energy for my invention, but as I was talking to Ayumi-kun and the others on the sidewalk, a car parked right at the curb I had been standing at. Ah... the heat from the car, added to the atmosphere around the fan must have overloaded it..."
"Of course..." Conan mumbled, laughing humorlessly as he imagined the damage that had been inflicted. His eyes widened as a thought suddenly occurred to him, "The driver--"
"Oh no... No. The owner of the car wasn't hurt. My invention started to overload after they left and... Well, for their car, I can't say made it out so lucky."
He stayed quiet for a moment. "You destroyed the car and ran away..." It was more of a statement than a question.
The Professor shifted from foot to foot nervously as they neared the counter. "I dropped it when it began to heat up and it burned my hand. I didn't really know how much energy it could handle at once, my miscalculation. But it fell and bounced under the car and... Well, you guessed the rest from there."
"Ayumi-chan and the others saw you..." Conan snorted as he glanced over at the other three, catching their eye and waving them over as they were next in line. "Some role-model. How is this different from those kids who would put cherry bombs in mailboxes? I hope the car wasn't totaled."
"Not completely. It was a small miscalculation, I could fix it." The Professor defending, flushing as he stepped toward the cashier and began to make the orders just as the others arrived at their sides.
"Hey Conan-kun." Ayumi whispered to him as she finished picking out the treats to last her through the movie and turned to him with a wide smile. "Professor is great, isn't he? This movie will be great!"
"Yeah, great." He nodded, looking up at the Professor with a reprimanding look. The older man turned away, embarrassed to be lectured by someone not even one third his size.
"Thank you Professor!" All of them cried together, smiling with exaggerated innocence. Bystanders cooed and awed over the beaming children as the Professor pulled his coat's collar higher about his burning face.
Once they gathered their boxes of snacks and drinks that would last them through the movie, they headed towards their theater.
"Let's sit in the front!" Genta told them as he led the way through the swinging door and marched down one of the aisles to the open rows of seats.
"Wait Genta-kun!" Mitsuhiko called out, frowning at Genta's lack of consideration for the others, "I think it would be better to sit in the middle--"
"The front! We'll have a good view and won't miss a thing--"
"But the speakers are right there. Your ears will be ringing if someone in the movie screams--"
"The louder the better!"
"Conan-kun, where do you want to sit?" Ayumi asked as she watched the other two boys bicker. A faint blush rose on her cheeks as she imagined sitting next to Conan and holding him tightly as the movie would go on and how she was sure he would protect her. Even if it was just from a movie.
"Conan-kun?" Ayumi blinked as she shifted her gaze from the other two and glanced around, frowning when she was given no response. She looked around the dimly lit room and only found the familiar faces of Mitsuhiko, Genta, and the Professor around her. "Professor?"
"Hm?" He acknowledged as he watched more people enter from the door and the availability of seats diminishing with every minute the two argued.
"Where's Conan-kun?"
"Hm? Oh, he went to the bathroom." He covered quickly as he looked down at her, and then glanced around. He hadn't even noticed that Conan had left.
"Bathroom?" Ayumi repeated in surprise. "But the movie's about to start isn't it?"
As if on cue, the lights dimmed even further and the projection began on the screen. Ayumi squinted her eyes as she adjusted to the new lighting. It took her a while to discern the Professor as she reached out for his coat, holding on to keep from getting separated.
"Hey you two," Agasa rumbled as he grasped their shoulders and ushered them towards one of the more empty rows, "the movie is starting." They tried to argue as the Professor pushed them forward, but at the slight squeeze given to their shoulders, they submitted to his authority and sulked quietly down in their seats. Ayumi followed, seating herself besides Mitsuhiko, but cried out at the Professor in a keen whisper before he could sit down next to her.
"Wait Professor! That's saved for Conan-kun!" Agasa laughed quietly, apologizing as he shuffled over to the seat besides that one, causing Ayumi to smile at him in gratitude. Needless to say, this had Genta and Mitsuhiko simmering quietly long after the movie began.
Once the others had been too engrossed in finding a place to sit, Conan had slipped away found his way back into the lobby. He placed himself in a discreet hiding place as he watched the theater doors of which he came from to see if anyone had followed him.
A few moments passed, no one had come out. He sighed in relief as reached into his pocket and pulled out his voice changing bow tie and headed over to the row of pay phones that stood in the corner of the lobby, adjusting the tie to fit Shinichi's voice all the while. He picked the phone set right at the corner and added in a few coins before dialing the number. It had been a while since he last called.
The phone rang once, twice, three times.
He tapped the toe of his sneakers against the carpet as the phone continued to ring. Surely she would have gotten home by now? The ringing persisted for a few minutes as he watched the seconds tick by on his wrist watch. Just as he was about to hang up, she finally answered the phone.
"Hello," Mouri Ran finally answered, "Mouri Detective Agency--"
"Hey Ran, sorry for--" He started to reply. He jumped back when the there was a loud click to announce their disconnection. Ran had just hung up (actually, slammed the phone down) on him. That had never happened before, no matter how upset Ran would be at him, she always managed to hang on and wait for an explanation, even if she would yell and cry all her pent up frustration at him first.
As much as it hurt him to know Ran in such a miserable state, he could handle it. He could hold on if she could, he could listen and tell her the words that would be the closest to what she wanted to hear, but he couldn't do anything unless she would give him a chance.
Conan placed the phone back on its cradle as he pocketed the bow tie and ran a hand through his bangs. He must have really screwed up this time. He hesitated, looking up at the phone with his hand still tangled in his bangs, before lowering his gaze and dropping his hand to his side. No, calling her again while she was still upset wouldn't help matters.
He wondered if news of his supposed status of living in America had reached her. He realized this was probably a stupid question since the answer was obvious by her reaction to his voice. It was strange, but as despairing as the situation seemed to be, he was a little happy. She was upset that he had truly left her, so she really did care. For Ran to react so strongly, but this also brought on some guilt.
Damn, Conan thought in frustration as he shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at some point on the carpet beneath his feet. What do I do now? Just wait?
He slowly placed one foot, then the other in the direction of the theater the others were in. The previews were running and were heard clearly across the lobby with the door slightly open. He wasn't keen on watching a movie while he knew Ran was probably miserable at the same moment. He turned around and started for the exit.
But she doesn't want you, A voice in his head whispered softly. He paused. No, Ran wouldn't feel better if Conan suddenly appeared in her doorway with his innocent grin and cheerful eyes, magnified by his spectacles as he peered up at her. But he wasn't sure if Ran would feel any better even if Shinichi would be there to darken her doorway.
You can't do anything for her as Conan, the voice continued on spitefully. You may never be able to do anything for her. You've been Conan for over a year and probably will be for many more to come.
His heart clenched and the bottom of his stomach dropped out. He shouldn't think that way, he couldn't think that way. But he did. There is always one truth that will prevail and the facts given to him were leading up to the one truth that he never wanted to acknowledge. As long as he was alive, he'd find a cure. He'd return to his life. Kudou Shinichi will return.
But how long would that take?
With that final thought, he broke into a run and nearly bruised himself as he rammed open the glass doors of the lobby's entrance and sprinted down the sidewalks in his desperation to get back.
I will get my life back. Until then, I'll make do with what I can. Even if Ran needed Shinichi the most to pull her back up on her feet, Conan would have to do for now and lend whatever strength he could offer. At least, until that day...
Haibara's fingers glided over the keyboard with skill, sentences appearing in succession. The words were reflected in her darkened eyes as she continued to work in what little light was given in the partially lit room. It was hard to tell if the passages were sinking into her mind as the screen continuously scrolled down at a steady pace, the words becoming mere grayish-black blurs.
She had not stop for an hour now, pushed closer to the screen as she sat on the edge of her seat. She was still contemplating the meaning of the e-mail Jodie had sent her.
Kudou-kun was right to worry, Haibara thought without even pausing in her work, despite how her mind seemed to detract from the actions of her body. Why would Jodie be contacting me instead of Kudou-kun? Was this for my eyes only? But she never said to keep it a secret, Haibara's mind continued to run in circles, centered on the e-mail she had received earlier.
Even if Jodie did tell Haibara to keep a secret, how likely was it for her to actually listen? It was true that Haibara wasn't the most readable person you could meet, or very predictable, but she would never do something stupid. At least, in her eyes, whatever choice she would be making wouldn't be wrong. She was a genius, a scientist, after all. She should be able to weight all the pros and cons before making a decision that was best suited to her situation. But sometimes, someone else's opinion can help to effect that decision, it was better to have another view on things before deciding anything.
Her thoughts were drifting to him. That's right, Kudou-kun, Haibara paused in her work, causing the abrupt stop of words flowing on the screen. I'd probably dead long before if I've never met you. Though, she was still trying to figure out if that was a good or bad thing. Either way, she was going to do work to the best of her ability to search for a cure of the APTX 4869. There was also uncertainty here, not of ever finding a cure, she was sure she would one day. But the uncertainty came from if she would reclaim her life as Miyano Shiho along with the antidote.
Only time could tell.
But her research had been pushed back due to the message sent to her. It bothered her to no end that she could not figure out the implications of the message. She was no detective, maybe, but her intelligence could give Kudou a run for his money.
The message had been clear and simple; at least it was the first time she read it. But as she had contemplated informing Kudou-kun about its contents, she discovered a hidden message had been placed in the letter. It was similar to the form of the hidden message found in the disc that Kudou had brought back after solving a case that possibly could have involved a member of the Black Organization. But that had led to nothing more than confusion and frustration.
This message seemed exactly like that incident. Her cursor had crossed over the seemingly large blank space that stood out between Jodie's message and her mark at the end of the e-mail. White out-lined letters stood out starkly on the black highlights. Haibara's eyes narrowed as she remembered the strange implications that was mentioned, but made no sense. The clues were too vague... but she knew their scent. She could sense them, no matter what disguise they bore or what ever form they took. This undoubtedly held their scent.
Haibara pushed her research aside, her thoughts now focused on the message at hand. What was Jodie trying to tell her? Why the secrecy? Had they sent Jodie that message in order to deliver it to her and possibly Kudou-kun? There were better ways to contact them, without the aide of Jodie. Why would they use someone who was part of the FBI and risk possible capture and exposure? These questions and many more began to flood her head and create a torrid of conflicting emotions and thoughts to start crashing through her mind. She opened up the e-mail and re-read the message over again carefully, trying to find anything she could have miss, any important detail or clue. Anything--
The sound of swift, yet slightly clumsy steps was sounded through the room above. Haibara stiffened at the intrusion, her eyes slipping down to the clock that was placed out of the way, in the corner of her computer screen. It had barely been over an hour since they left, there was no possible way that they could have seen the movie and have come back by now.
Her heart rose to her throat and began to pound in her ears. It wasn't them. It can't be them. She knew deep down, it wasn't them. She was over-reacting. But the foot steps continued, becoming distant, then closer. Almost as if the intruder was looking for something.
She carefully slipped out of her seat and stepped cautiously over to the door that stood ajar. A sliver of light could be seen from the small opening from the hallway. Her small hand reached up and enclosed around the knob, slowly pulling it open and stuck her head out as she glanced up the staircase. The sounds continued, accompanied by the flickering of shadows and light that played against the walls near the entrance of the staircase and stretched down as far as the light would reach.
Haibara thinned her lips in worry, but her expression betrayed nothing as she completely stepped out of the room and started up the steps without hesitation.
What she found once she reached the top did not surprise her, but her muscles loosened a bit at her discovery. "Kudou-kun."
"Haibara?" Conan questioned as he paused in his search through the mess of papers and parts on the Professor's desk. He was placed precariously on a stool with his palms placed flat on the surface of the desk before him to keep his balance, peering over his shoulder through his large spectacles. "Did you see my phone?"
"Phone?" She repeated, raising a brow as she took a step closer and bent over to pick up the papers and other miscellaneous objects he had dropped in his earlier searching. "Kudou-kun's or Edogawa-kun's phone[4]?"
"My phone." Was his tart answer. She merely let it roll off her as she stood at the desk next to him, tapping the papers on it gently. She assumed that his answer meant his phone as Kudou Shinichi as she lined the pile of papers up with the corner of the desk very neatly, all the while Conan was watching at her impatiently, before she gave him answer.
"No."
"You could have told me that sooner." Conan snapped as he jumped off the chair and headed off to search the rest of Professor Agasa's home.
Despite herself, she was curious as to what he was planning to do. But instead of questioning his current actions, she decided to start from the beginning, "Why are you here? What happened to the movie?"
"Ditched." He simply replied as he continued to rip apart the Professor's living room and work his way from there, in search of his phone.
It seemed his mind was somewhere else now. "What are you planning to do?"
"Send Ran a message."
"Oh." This time Haibara answered with a short reply as well. The way she seemed to say that simple two-letter word stopped him in his search as he turned around slowly. He blinked to find himself under one of her scrutinizing gazes and took an involuntary step back. She seemed to think he had some sort of furtive gesture in contacting Ran with such urgency and silently demanded him to reveal his true intentions.
"What? I just want to talk to her. Well, send her a message at least. She won't delete it, (at least I hope) if she finds the message from me." He explained himself to the young scientist as he pulled apart the chairs and couches to find his phone. "I guess I can understand her feelings, a little. If I found out someone close to me had left the country without so much as a good-bye, then I'd be pretty upset too."
"You were still communicating with her."
He paused, examining a few coin pieces he seemed to find instead of his phone before tossing them to the side and heading into the next room. "Yeah, but I was keeping it a secret. For her, she's just found out I've been in America for over a year and out of all the conversations we've had, I've never mentioned it once. Even if I didn't know about it until recently and it's technically not my fault... But she thinks I knew and I've been keeping secrets so she's supposed believe that story and..." He stopped, realizing he was babbling on, almost senselessly (to Haibara, of all people) and decided it was best to leave it at that.
As amused as Haibara was, her facial expression remained unmoved, "How is that different from any other day since you've changed?"
He stumbled, but did nothing more to acknowledge her words.
"Isn't that so? From the moment you became Edogawa Conan all you've done is given her one lie after the other." Haibara smiled somewhat mockingly as she slid her small hands into the pockets of her lab coat, staring intently at his tensing back. "It can't be helped, but a lie is a lie. One day they will pile much too high for you to carry on your shoulders and it will all come crashing down--"
"Enough." The caustic command was barely above a whisper, but it stopped her just as effectively as if he would have placed a hand over her mouth to cease the flow of words. She could see his side profile now. His eyes were slanted and burning fiercely. She almost took a step back from the rage of emotions that were just boiling beneath the surface of his seven year old exterior. Sometimes Haibara would go too far, but it was the truth that had to be faced everyday of his life. He just didn't need to hear it from someone else, what he knew deep inside his heart that carried the heavy burden.
He didn't have to say it, at least, not in words. Despite that, Haibara matched his glare with her own cold gaze. Neither of them moved as the tension between them began to grow. They both knew a year could be a long or short time for someone. It was long for them, when they thought about the truths that they hid. The APTX 4869 that was the start of their problems. The cure that was yet to be found. The Black Organization that still strikes fear and frustration into their very being. The past that they wished to return to and run away from. But then, when you didn't have to do it alone... When you knew that there would be someone there waiting for you or by your side, every step of the way.
"Here." Haibara said a split second before she tossed something to him. He caught it thanks to his fast reflexes from his years of training in soccer, but it took his mind a little longer to recognize the object in his hands.
"You did have it!" He cried it outrage, eyes widening. In his hands was Kudou Shinichi's, his phone. The very thing he had been turning the house upside down for-- "Haibara, you--"
"You have a message." Had Conan been looking at her, he would have seen the way her eyes seemed to darken as she spoke those words.
"Oh. I see... You broke my lock?!" Once again side-tracked as he stared down at his cell in disbelief.
"No." She replied tartly, her expression finally gave to one of annoyance. "You left it unlocked. You really should be careful Kudou-kun," Haibara continued as she set about replacing the cushions and picking up the miscellaneous items he had tossed to the ground so carelessly, "you're much too relaxed here. Leaving your phone out in the open where anyone could just pick it up and you wouldn't know until it was too late. You should be glad that I was the one who found it."
"Glad, she says..." Conan grumbled as he keyed into his inbox and opened up the new message. "Yeah, I feel really safe around you--What?"
"I received the same message. Now you know what her e-mail said." She murmured quietly as she finished replacing the rest of the items. Her eyes strayed off to the side as she waited for him to finish reading the entire message.
"You got the same... Wait." Conan paused, looking up at Haibara warily, "How do you know they're the same?"
He was met with a flat look as his answer.
"You've been reading my mail too? What else have you been doing with my phone?!"
Idiot.
"He didn't call back." Ran told the empty room as she sat on the couch of the agency, staring at the still object that sat on her father's cluttered desk. Her eyes were dry, upholding a calm exterior with her book bag lay neatly on the coffee table and her hands folded primly in her lap. She continued to stare at the phone with her heart sinking into her stomach. "He won't call back."
Ran raised one hand slowly to her face, her entire body shuddering at the heavy sigh that was emitted from her parted lips as she stroked her fingers through her hair. She shouldn't have hung up like that. She should have listened to what he had to say. It could have just been one big misunderstanding, right? He could have been telling her that he was coming home right now. He could of...
But he won't.
That idiot, Ran thought with no real heat as she stared at her bag without actually seeing the item in front of her. If he calls back, I'll answer. If he has an excuse, I'll listen. If he asks for forgiveness...Ran clenched her hands in her lap tightly, her eye twitching. She'd practice a few katas[3] on him first, but she'd forgive him if he would come back.
She shook her head slightly. No, she couldn't ask him to come back now. That would be selfish on her part, if Shinichi had really wanted to live in America. She would still forgive him for not telling her.
It still hurt. That wouldn't change. How could she trust him now? To hide such a drastic change from her. Did he just like hearing her voice cracking as she berated him and worried over his absence over the phone?
Sadist.
Anger gripped her heart again as rationality started to flee from her mind. She clenched her hands tightly into the folds of her skirt, the pressure of her nails cutting in through the material and making impressions on the palms of her hands. She was supposed to be his best friend, wasn't she? Best friends would tell each other important things like that. Things like moving to another country.
It was then that her anger began to be overridden by the pain that was spreading through her heart. It was stupid, to get so worked up over something that had long been decided and with little to do but accept the facts. But it still hurt for her. If Shinichi couldn't... wouldn't tell her about something so mundane, then what other things could he be with holding from her? Actually, it wouldn't be that surprising. For a while now, ever since he 'left,' Ran could sense it there was something more to what he wanted to say whenever they spoke on the phone. It would hang between them like an evanescent mist, fading to the back of their minds as they covered it with dulcet conversations that would barely scratch the surface of the true worries and concerns.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder... Was that true? Ran wondered as she flexed her hands that were beginning to ache. She recounted the events in her life that dealt with Shinichi and her feelings. Sometimes, she did feel that she could have done without him. Most times, in fact, she could function without worrying. Thoughts of Shinichi would float to the back of her mind and stay there to stop from interfering with her daily activities. But when someone brought him up, her eyes would soften. When she saw his pictures, her eyes would turn glassy and a sad smile would curve at the corners of her mouth. When he called her, her heart would flutter and start to rise to her throat at the sound of his voice that she use to hear everyday. So maybe, that saying was true for her.
What of Shinichi? Did he feel the same way? Or was it the other way around? Maybe he was forgetting her. If she were to ask anyone else who had passed experiences with long distance relationships (including friendships) it was said that they never work out too well. His calls were infrequent, becoming less and less. Their conversations short and cordial, almost as if they were talking to acquaintances rather than someone they knew since grade school. Probably, if Ran were to relay her situation to anyone else, they'd probably tell her that they were growing apart. It was best to forget about him in that way.
Then again, Ran wasn't about to tell anyone her situation so openly. She didn't want to hear such negative responses to crush her already diminishing hopes and she also didn't want to hear any praise for her patience or loyalty. In truth, she didn't feel like she was much different than any other girl. And maybe she wasn't. But to some she seemed to be quite determined as she waited for her best friend to return to her, no matter how long she would have to wait.
That's what it always resulted to, didn't it? No matter how upset or how tired she was, she wouldn't throw in the towel and collapse in defeat. She would just take the disappointment like another hit to her heart and wait. It wasn't patience that she had a lot of, nor was it forgiveness. She was getting more exhausted with each passing day and with each excuse he gave her, but she still had something to hold on to.
She had hope. As fragile as it was, she had a lot of hope that one day things will return to normal and they could just pick up where they left off.
That's right. Ran thought as she flexed her hands and stared down at her upturned palms, the half-moon impressions left by her nails starting to fade from her skin. She smiled, despite how confused and lost she truly felt at the moment, and reached for her cell phone. Hope was a fragile thing, but sometimes it was the only thing you could hold on to.
Ran began to type a message into her phone. Once she finished, she picked up her book bag and headed to her room. She placed the phone and bag on her desk once she stepped through her door and collapsed on her bad, face first into her pillow. She curled up on her side and stared blankly at the wall her bed was propped against. It wasn't long before she drifted off, despite the chores and work she had waiting to be done for the day.
On the desk, the screen of her mobile phone flashed with the icon of an envelope being sent before stilling into silence.
"Is this an invitation?" He asked as he glanced from the message on his phone to the print out copy Haibara had made of her own letter. He set his phone aside as he switched to the next print out, re-reading the strange message.
"The message given to me was less obvious. It seemed they wanted me to find out, but not right away. I'm guessing that you were supposed to read it first." Haibara said as she picked up his phone and glanced at the time it had been sent, "Your message came a few hours before mine."
"Strange." Conan mumbled to himself as he frowned.
"A little." Haibara agreed, placing the phone down to her side. "It's possible that they wanted you to read the message first and give you time to decipher it yourself before I would get involved. I must play a part in this, but it's too early for me to step into the light." She smiled humorlessly at the implications.
"Whatever the case may be, we'll have to figure out this message first, before we can do anything else." He said quietly. His eyes scanned over the paper several times before he glanced up at Haibara.
"Does it mean they're involved?"
"Most likely." She replied carelessly fixed her gaze on the wall behind him. "How else would we be involved?"
Conan stared at her and lack of response, scowling. Some help she was. Wouldn't have mattered if they had sent the message to her either.
"Hm." He thought, back-tracking to the message and tried to read it aloud and see if that would help, "The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. To start on the path, one must face the demons within the darkness. They wait in the black of night. Do you think they purposely used the color black?" He ventured when the thought occurred to him.
"Possibly. Jodie knows of our current situation. She says it came from an unknown source, but it sounds suspiciously like them, doesn't it?"
"So this could be the start of their 'grand' plan," He offered somewhat sarcastically as an eyebrow rose at the possible implications of the message, "and they're inviting us to take a part of it?"
"A plan in stored for us. Maybe a trap, maybe for something that's a far greater threat than we are. There are many possibilities, but this message only has one, isn't that right?" Haibara smirked as she referred to his usual saying.
There is always one truth.
"Haha, funny." Conan laughed without finding any humor in their current situation. He returned his gaze to the message and started to break it down, "The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. Are we really talking about art here?"
"It depends. They could be referring to anything and the perfection of it. Say, for instance, the art of assassination." Haibara smiled at the look Conan sent her, "Just kidding."
Your sense of humor is always appreciated, Conan thought in exaggeration as he moved onto the next part of the message, "To start on the path, one must face the demons within the darkness. They wait in the black of night. Demons meaning, the members of the Black Organization? An invitation for something that will happen in the darkness. A night operation?"
"It wouldn't be uncommon for them, of course. It's only natural for the predator to hunt in the cover of the shadows."
"There must be more clues in here... unless," Conan frowned as his eyes reread the sentence. "Unless this is just the start of clues to come."
Before Haibara could reply, a soft, short ringing began to fill the room. Conan broke out of his concentration as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his other phone, Edogawa Conan's phone. He paused when he realized it was not a call, but instead--"Mail?"
"Maybe you were right." Haibara commented as she walked over to his side to look over his shoulder at the tiny lighted screen.
"Yeah, but..." He trailed off as he keyed into his inbox and opened up the new message, "Why send a message to Kudou Shinichi, then the second one to Edogawa Conan?"
"An address and date?" Conan blinked, trying to scroll up and down only to find there was nothing more to it. "Jodie? Again?"
"It's at a harbor warehouse, Kudou-kun. It's an invitation to them." Haibara told him as the address reflected into her darkening eyes. "It's tonight Kudou-kun."
Haibara blinked, glancing over at the young detective when he gave no response. He was deep in thought now. Was he actually considering the possibility of accepting this invitation? Her eyes widened as she snatched the phone from his hands, pocketing it at once.
"Hey!" He cried out, snapping out of his thoughts the moment the device had left his fingers. "Haibara--"
"You can't go. You'll be walking straight into their trap, are you a fool?" She hissed, her usually cool countenance was twisted in anger and increasing concern as she recognized that look in his eyes. The look of someone ready and determined to go, no matter what anyone said.
Why are you so god damn stubborn? She cursed in her mind at a momentary loss of her calm exterior and took a step back for every step he pushed forward in order to retrieve his phone. "Well?!"
Conan stopped in his tracks as he heard the hint of desperation in her voice and the way she stiffened and tensed as an array of emotions coursed throughout her tiny body. He forgot about the phone at once and tried to console her, "Relax, Haibara. I was just thinking of what could be going on down there. Of course I know it's stupid to go down there by myself so late at night."
Haibara was not comforted by the levity in his voice, nor the grin he forced onto his lips. Her own lips began to thin as she watched his actions carefully. He merely smiled in response, glancing down at his watch momentarily, all traces of his smile fading once he saw the time. But before she could get a good look at his expression, he was looking back up at her with a more comforting smile.
"It's getting late." He informed her and turned towards the main entrance. "The Professor will be back soon and I should be getting back home. We'll talk about this tomorrow, see ya!" With that he jetted off without a backwards glance and left Haibara alone in the main room of the house.
She winced at the sound of the entrance door slamming shut. Knowing he was gone, for now, she pulled out Conan's phone and stared at the address in growing anxiety. Tonight they were going to be doing something. They were going to be there, continuing with whatever plans they had. She shivered at the mere thought of the times she had been apart of their plans. The people that had been killed, the things sacrificed just for their organization.
She hadn't been lost in her thoughts for long before a similar ringing to that of Conan's phone could be heard within the room, startling her back to reality. She looked down at Conan's phone, but found it to be still. Her eyes roved around the rest of the room as the sound persisted and finally rested on the place she had been seated at moments before.
Haibara placed Conan's phone onto the coffee table before the couch as she walked over to the other mobile phone. She blinked to find another message had been sent to Shinichi. She frowned at the quickness and irregularity of the messages at being sent, but her fears and worries were for nothing as she found the message to be from Mouri Ran.
Quite forgiving, Haibara thought dully as she closed the message without much thought. She placed it down next to the other phone as she started to head back to the lab, her eyes managing to catch the time on the screen of the mobile phone before she had set it down. A few more hours before the stated time of the 'invitation.' She would be making sure of Conan's whereabouts by then.
It wasn't that she didn't trust him out of her own instincts. He had left too many obvious clues and she knew him well enough by now to know that he wouldn't let such a rare opportunity to slip away. He had relented to her much too easily and most of all, he had left the Professor's home without the one thing he had been searching for loud enough to interrupt her research. For the second time that day, he made her opinion ever stronger of him.
Idiot.
[Notes] Sorry, I made a slight mistake in my notes from the first chapter. I said Hakase meant Professor, but it literally is a person with a doctoral degree, so I guess it would be more correct to refer to Agasa as Dr. Agasa, but since he is an inventor more than anything, I'll stick to Professor. Sorry to people who noticed this.
[1] Fan- Not sure if this is possible (Well sure, anything is possible right?) or if it's been created already, but assume it hasn't and it's possible. If it seems a little off, sorry, I was tired and I rather have more simple explanations. Layman's terms if you will =P
[2] Mikan- well... the cat WAS orange and Mikan means tangerine/orange. I believe Ayumi would pick something cute and obvious=)
[3] Kata- (form) Series (or set) of movements that specializes in certain techniques/moves. Sort of like when you choreograph a dance.
[4] Kudou-kun's and Edogawa's phone- Okay, this is a major spoiler for one particular chapter, but I understood MOST of it, so sorry if I'm somewhat wrong on this, but Ran had once taken Conan's phone when he left it in the car. (It even had a soccer key chain on it!) She suspected Conan was Shinichi, so she tried to unlock the code for Conan's phone. LoL, it was pretty cute since Ran thought Conan (or in this case, thinking it was Shinichi) used her birthday as his password, because it was four keys long, but it turned out to be Sherlock. Ran was kinda upset when she found out she was wrong, but excited when she cracked Shinichi/Conan's phone lock. (After all, Shinichi a genius detective, so it must be an accomplishment to break a genius's code... then again, Sherlock is probably too easy to figure for Shinichi, lol) She tried to find her own mail on Conan's phone, but never did, and then she tried to send an e-mail to Shinichi and waited for it to appear on Conan's phone to prove that he was Shinichi, but it never came! Shock for Ran when she suddenly gets a call from Shinichi, shortly after she sends her mail. Then also gets caught playing with Conan's phone by Conan himself. Turns out that Conan had two phones, his phone as Shinichi and one as Conan. He had recorded some lecture/rant using his voice as Shinichi to call Ran and through her off his tracks and Ran buys it, so Conan is safe with his true identity once again. I saw two cell phones so I guess Agasa, someone, or even Conan thought that he should get another cell phone since Ran might eventually try and sneak into it. After all, cell phones are practically someone's life nowadays, huh? Not for me, I can barely dial someone's number on that thing... lol I'm not very technological. Okay, so now you know Conan has two phones, supposedly. I might have got the translation mixed up/wrong. Sorry, if I did, then I'll just pretend he it happened the way I thought so my fic can work Okay, that took a while...
[Omake]
(Meaning like a bonus... or as my friend describes it, the toy in your kid's meal!)
"Now to add to our latest chapter, we will get to have a short, informative 'interview' type of thing with random members of the cast. Let's start with..." Kaku picks up a stylish hat and riffles through the folded, white slips of paper. She finally selects one near the bottom and pulls it out with much added tension.
A few moments pass as she places the hat on the table and neatly unfolds the slip of paper as the seconds pass in agonizing silence.
"Give me that." Kogorou appears out of nowhere and snatches the paper out of Kaku's hand before she can read the name, "I might as well read it, since it's obvious that the Great Detective, Mouri Kogorou, would be the first to star in this omake!" Kogorou proceeded to strike a pose with his hands fisted against his hips and giving his usual laugh of triumph.
Kaku stares at her empty hands and her eyes begin to water, "But... I wanted to announce it. I'm the author after all!" TT!!
"Dad!" Ran scolds with her hands on her own hips in a motherly fashion, "Give her the paper."
"Why?" Kogorou frowned, started to unfold the paper to read the name himself, "You all know it's going to be me right--What the hell?!"
The entire cast that's present looks over at Kogorou with piqued curiosity.
"Well? Who is it?" Shinichi prods when Kogorou did not answer their questioning glances.
If looks could kill, Shinichi would have been six feet under as he flinched back from Kogorou's fiery gaze, "It's not me!"
A sigh is heard throughout the cast in a wave of exasperation, "What a surprise." -x-;;
"Wha--!? Argh! It's--" Kogorou tries to growl out through his clenched jaw, ripping the little slip of paper into miniscule pieces. "It's--"
"All right!" Kaku shouts at the entire cast, making everyone, including Kogorou, jump in surprise. "There's no way anyone but me is going to announce the first person to star in this omake, so settle down and let me--"
"Hey Kudou! Your name was on there."
Silence.
"My name or you mean Conan?"
Silence.
"No, no, it's your real name."
Silence.
"So..."
"You did it now Heiji!"
"What?! Why is it my fault?!"
"You idiot!"
"You're the idiot, idiot!" Heiji and Kazuha proceed to argue.
"You didn't help matters either, Shinichi." Ran reprimands.
"What? What did I do?" Shinichi questioned with a frown.
"You had to ask him!"
"Well he said something and I was just curious..."
"He wasn't supposed to say it! You only encouraged him by asking questions!"
"You're just mad that you weren't the first!"
"What?! How can you be so childish--" Ran and Shinichi continue to argue.
Kaku is frozen in her spot, surrounded by arguing couples and cast members, her eye twitching from time to time.
"Seeing as everyone's fighting and the author's frozen in shock, I can safely say that this omake is over." Kaito pops up and gives a proper bow. "I hope you enjoyed the show!"
"PUNISHMENT! Kogorou and Heiji will not get their omake until everyone else has done one. That includes everyone from every case ever covered in Detective Conan, dead or alive! So we might never get to you two. As for Shinichi, he will get his ass kicked in the next chapter as Conan!"
Kaito grins in delight, "Oops, guess it wasn't over."
"What?!" Three males cry out in outrage at the (unfair) sentence given to them.
"We're done." Kaku concludes with a finality in her tone, pretending that she didn't hear them.
"What about my omake--" Shinichi begins to question, risking his life in doing so.
"Would you like me to change it that you are maimed, beaten and bloodied within the last inch of breath you would have left in your body?" Kaku is met with silence. She smiles and bows to the readers. "I hope you enjoyed the omake and thank you for reading! Until next time! Again, I'm sorry for the grammar and spelling errors, but I'm just way too tired and I've went over this three or four times myself. I hate beta reading..."
"I could always--" Kaito starts to offer, a devious grin starting to form on his face.
"No."
"But I--"
"No."
Pout. "You're no fun."
[Owari]