KudoEdogawa presents...
Feelings

Of Eri

The bells hung on the door clattered and rung as I pushed the door open, and the sweet scent of coffee greeted me along with the warmth of the restaurant. I took a seat and removed my scarf; it was freezing indeed. I called the waitress and ordered a cup of cappuccino--just what I needed on this cold, cold day. I retrieved from my bag a notebook; my diary as I begun to write these thoughts.

I shouldn't be here, considering it's right below his office, but I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him... maybe staring out the window or something. After all, it is our anniversary, surely he'll be doing something...or so I hope.

I removed the ring from my finger and stared at it blankly, it has already been twenty-something years since this was first placed on my finger, how I wished to return to that day.

"I'll be back later!" Cried a familiar voice outside the cafe. I stared out the window and sure enough, there was Conan, holding his skateboard and waving goodbye to whoever stood on the stairs next to this wall which I am facing. This farewell reminded me of Officer Megure's anniversary couple of days ago... I had turned from him yet again.

I still remember brushing past him, expression stern but my heart thankful for that one miniscule moment which he was next to me. I remember Ran coming after me. "Mom, just go talk to Dad!" He had said, face full of sorrow and hope for a perfect family.

"I'm sorry Ran," I said, trying to hold back my tears. "I'm sorry I couldn't offer you a better life, but he doesn't need me, and I wouldn't need him either." I left the feast and went back to my miserably lonely office. I cried for hours, this past twelve or so years has been painful, couldn't he see? Couldn't he tell? I need love, I need family, I need a daughter and a husband who would comfort me when I'm sad, I need a daughter to talk through when she's going through puberty, I need a daughter to hug and a husband to laugh with when Ran graduates, I need...

Tears stained my paper as I wrote down the rest of the words.

I need him.

I replaced my wedding ring and closed the diary, paid for my drink and put my scarf back on, picked up my bag and left, staring sorrowfully at the window upstairs. I sighed and turned towards the park nearby; the park that I'd always go through when going home... home, how lonely that word sounds now.

Epilogue

Eri walked miserably down the paths of the park, holding her documents. A gust of wind picked up and the documents flew from her hands. She let out a gasp and chased after them; they had landed in front of a man who had bent down to pick the papers up.

"Sorry, can you get those for me?"

The man stood back up and handed the papers back to her, she noticed a ring on his finger, it looked familiar. She looked up and their eyes met, eyes of sadness.

"Eri..."

"Kogoro..."

They had taken a seat on a nearby bench, neither of them speaking, each of them holding a warm, canned coffee. The street lamps above them were lit, signaling nightfall. At long last Kogoro broke the silence.

"Can you come home now?" He said. Eri looked unexpectedly at him. "I need you back at my side."

Eri looked back down at her coffee, and she took a sip. "I can't deny that I miss Ran..., and that I'd like to spend some time with Conan.... And I can't deny that...," she looked at him again, and he at her. "That I am ready to go home."

She hesitated. "I missed you."

Kogoro offered his hand, "Let's go, shall we? Ran would be back from Kyoto by now, she'd love a surprise."

Eri took the hand and the got up and made to leave, "Let's go home. Our home."

Snow began to fall and the reunited couple strode on the carpeted paths, enjoying each other's presence.

Ran was staring out the office window as her parents returned. She smiled. "Happy anniversary, Mom! Dad!" She shouted down at her parents who were walking up the stairs. Ran dashed out to the stairway to greet them, a tear of joy fell at the sight of her mother, hand-in-hand with her father.

"Ran-chan," Eri said to her in the warm way that she used to speak in back when Ran was a child. "I'm home."

-End-

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Lynn: Sure, it'd be fun to write about kids' feelings, I think I'll write about the Detective boys next.

Meitantei Lili: I might have to do a bit of study on Kaito Kid first, as I'm not extremely familiar with the Kaito Kid series. Heiji, being sort of a major character, will come later.