DISCLAIMER: Again, I tell you, Meitantei Conan does not belong to me.
Okay. Another repost. I plan to get all four chapters reposted today, then I'll start typing up chapter five. Like I mentioned, I plan to have chapter five up before I go back to school on the seventh of september. shudders ...ew, school. Do I really have to go back? sigh Oh well, only this year and next year left. Then I am DONE!! cheers! Anyway!
Recap-y thingie.
"2:13?! Sonna!" she turned quickly to Conan, who'd taken to staring out the window from his place perched on the bed. "Conan-kun, we need to go to bed! Look at how late it is!!" she picked him up and hoisted him into her arms, holding him close to her as she walked toward the door, planning to take him back to his room to sleep.
"...huh? Oh!" He'd been spacing out, and only understood what was happening when Ran padded out into the hallway.
"I'm sorry for keeping you for so long, Conan-kun, you must be tired."
He was tired now. He wanted to just curl up on his futon and stay under the thick blanket forever and never have to hear her call him Conan-kun again.
He vaguely remembered her walking into his room and setting him onto the futon and pulling the blanket to his neck. She smiled and waved from the doorway.
"Oyasumi-nasai, Conan-kun." She shut the door and disappeared from his sight.
He rolled onto his side and coiled into a tight ball, burying his face in his pillow.
Namida wa Shitte'ru
Chapter Two: Breakfast and a Misunderstanding
Ran leaned against the wall outside Conan's bedroom, thinking.
What is it about Conan-kun that makes me feel so at ease? It's the same feeling I used to get whenever I was around Shinichi.... She shook her head. No, that's not even possible! I already suspected Conan-kun of that, and Shinichi called me when he was sitting right in front of me!
She sighed and slumped against the wall a little.
But then... what is the cause for this? Why is Conan-kun... so much like Shinichi?
"Ran? What are you doing?"
Ran jumped and stood up straight to face her father.
"O... Otou-san!?" She said, alarmed. "...Wh... what are you doing out in the hall so late at night?" She made a face, placing her hands on hips and looking skeptical.
Kogorou flattened his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"Mouuu, can a man not get up to use the toilet at night, without getting scolded by his own daughter?" He placed his own hands on his hips, also looking skeptical. "And what are you doing outside Conan's room at such an ungodly hour of the night?"
Ran sighed, letting her arms drop back to her sides.
"Conan-kun couldn't sleep, he came into my room to talk to me for a bit. I just put him back to bed." She lied through her teeth. She couldn't very well tell her father that Conan had come into her room worried, because he'd heard her crying. Kogorou may not be the best detective, but Ran was important to him, and hearing news of her crying would get him worried. She already had her 'brother' worried about her, she didn't need her father worried, too.
Kogorou squinted.
"...Oh. Well, go back to bed. You've got school in the morning, don't you?" He scratched the back of his neck, letting his other arm fall to his side again.
Ran made another face.
Ahh.... shimatta...
"Yeah... I do." She pushed off the wall and headed back toward her room. "Oyasumi, otou-san."
Kogorou nodded, heading for the restroom.
"Oyasumi, Ran."
Ran shut the door to her room hastily, and threw herself into her bed, burrowing into her pillow, hiding under the covers. And though she did not sleep immediately, she lay still, her eyes closed. Thoughts swam through her head at a mile a minute, and they eventually carried her off into a light sleep.
Approximately four hours later, Ran awoke to the sound of her alarm going off. She lifted her head to stare groggily at the clock.
6:30 Already...? Mouuu....
She sat up, swining her legs over the side of her bed, clicked the alarm off, and stared at her window for a few seconds. Through her drowsy stupor, she remembered what had happened, and smiled
I'll have to stop by the candy shop and pick something up for Conan-kun. He's such a sweet kid.
She stretched, and stood up. Inhaling, she smelled something unusual.
...Rice? She thought absently, squinting. Why's it smell like rice, of all things...?
She dressed herself in her school uniform and picked up her bag off the chair in front of her desk before heading out of the room.
Upon entering the kitchen, she came across something she would have never expected.
There, standing three large phonebooks resting on top of a stool, was Conan, tending to a pot on the stove.
Ran's eyes went large.
"Conan-kun!!" She yelped, and dropped her back in the doorway. She walked briskly over to him, past her father, who was reading the newspaper whilst gnawing on a piece of toast. "Conan-kun, what on earth are you doing?"
He blinked and looked up at her innocently.
"...Making breakfast?"
He said it as if it explained everything, Ran mused.
She stared at him.
"...Demo... Conan-kun..."
He smiled and went back to tending the rice he was cooking.
That explains why it smelled like rice...
"I know you usually make breakfast... and I'm sure you must get tired of it. So I thought I'd do it for a change!" He hopped off his stack of phonebooks, pot in hand, and walked over to the table. Setting the pot on a magazine, as not to scald the table, he climbed onto a chair and scooped some of the rice into a small plastic bowl resting next to a plate. After doing so, he turned to face Ran and gestured to the table. "I don't know how to use your rice cooker, so I just made the rice in a pan on the stove. I hope it's okay."
Ran balked. Along with the bowl of rice, was a small, sushi-sized plate with a piece of fish on it, as well as some boiled tamago.
She stared, her jaw dropping slightly. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen something that looked quite this well-prepared, outside of a restaurant.
...He is so unbelievably selfless! And he's just a kid!
"Conan-kun..." She smiled at him. "Thank you, Conan-kun."
He hopped off the chair and took the pot off the magazine, walking back over to his stack of phonebooks and setting the pot back on the stove. He clambered back onto his stack of phonebooks and put the top onto the pot, to keep the rice from drying out for the time being. He then walked back over to the table and climbed into another chair, where he had made himself a plate of food as well.
Ran stared at the plate awkwardly for a moment before picking up the pair of chopsticks Conan had laid out for her.
He smiled at her from his place at the table, picking up his own chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu!" He said in a rather sing-song voice as he picked up a chopstickful of rice and popped it in his mouth.
Ran couldn't help but smile.
How did we come across him? I may have seemingly lost Shinichi... She eyed Conan, still smiling. ...But Conan-kun here... it's almost like he came here to keep me company while Shinichi was gone. Almost like he knew I would need someone...
She glanced down at her plate of food, her smile only widening slightly.
Let's test how good of a cook you are, Conan-kun.
"Itadakimasu!"
Ran walked hurriedly toward the landing and sat down to put on her shoes. Conan had been cleaning up after breakfast and was nearly finished.
"Ittekimasu, Otou-san, Conan-kun!"
"Itterashai, Ran!" Her father called back.
"Ah, matte, Ran-'nee-chan!" Conan called from the kitchen.
Ran paused, her hand poised over the doorknob. There were some hurried scrubbing sounds, a strangled yelp, a crash, a nervous laugh, and pattering of quick footsteps as Conan ran down the hallway.
He hurled himself at his shoes, sitting on the landing and putting them on hurriedly. His hair was toussled. Had he fallen in his rush to meet her?
Ran moved her hand away from the doorknob and blinked.
"...Nani, Conan-kun?"
He panted for half a second, then grinned up at her, standing up once his shoes were on.
"I'll walk with you." He said quite cheerily. Ran doubleblinked.
I guess it's not... that strange... I mean, he's come with me and Sonoko before... and Sonoko had to go to school early this morning, she's on cleaning duty...
Ran blinked again, then nodded slowly.
"All right... thanks, Conan-kun. Sonoko isn't coming this morning, so I could use the company." She smiled and turned to open the door, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Conan smiled at her back.
"Ittekimasu, Occhan!" He called, and walked out the door after Ran, pushing it closed after Ran shouted "Ittekimasu!" At her father again.
Ran stood a few feet away, her hands on her hips. When Conan turned around, he was startled. Why did she seem to be angry?
"...Ran...'nee-chan?" he asked timidly, almost cowering from the skeptical look on her girlish features.
"What's up, Conan-kun? It's like you're stalking me. You're following me around everywhere." She didn't sound annoyed, she was only making a statement. Conan sighed.
Oh good, she isn't angry. Scared me! I thought she was gonna pull some kind of super karate move on me! [Silly Conan, Ran would never, and you know it!]
He blinked as innocently as he could manage despite the sudden wave of relief that had overcome him.
"What are you talking about, Ran-'nee-chan? How can I stalk you? I live with you!" He argued simply, throwing his voice so he sounded more confused than his nervous attempt to cover his tracks. He wasn't stalking her... not exactly... It wasn't his choice to come live with her...
I'm not stalking you, Ran. I wouldn't even be living with you if Agasa-hakase hadn't voiced the opinion to you. I rather wish he hadn't... sure, it gets me closer than I would have been on my own to catching those two men... but the strain it must put on you...
"...I know that. But you don't usually walk me to school, because Sonoko always gives you a hard time. And I never mentioned that she wasn't coming today until now, so why would you risk being picked on, just to walk me to school?" She sounded miffed, and slightly apprehensive.
She was starting to figure him out again.
Think, Shinichi!! Think of something juvenile to say! Think of something a primary school student would say in response to that! Think of what Edogawa Conan would say in this situation!!
He looked rather sheepishly up at her and sweatdropped, placing a hand behind his head. That action only seemed to tick on Ran's nerves, so he let his hand drop back to his side. The last thing he needed was to piss her off. He was trying to help, not get his ass kicked.
"Anou..." He fumbled. Damnit, Shinichi, think!! You're a highschool meitantei for God's sake, think of something!
"Ehh tou..." A thought sprang to his mind. He grinned inwardly.
Bring on the childish charm, baby!
"Y'see, Ran-'nee-chan... I don't just call you 'nee-chan for sport, nor do I because it's the right thing to say. I really do see you as my older sister." He stared at his feet, as if to hide an embarrassed blush, but he was actually doing it so she wouldn't see the grin on his face. It would surely give away that he was lying if she saw it. "I've never had an older sister before, you know. I'm an only child. And so... I thought..." In all this mess, he'd choked himself up trying not to laugh, and made a soft, almost snort-like sound in the back of his throat. He was lying through his teeth, but doing a damn good job of it. ...All right, so he was an only child He hadn't ever had an older sister. But God knows that he saw Ran as more than just a sister!!
Ran started.
?!She quickly stepped forward and dropped to her knees in front of him, hearing the sound as somewhat of a choked back sob.
"Ahh, Conan-kun, gomen nasai! I never meant that it was a bad thing... I just wanted to know what was going on...!! I'm not scolding you..."
Oh my God! I'm so awful!! Here I am, thoughts all focused on that runaway Shinichi, and I'm yelling at Conan-kun!! He probably thinks I'm a horrible person now!!
Ran hesitantly put her hands onto Conan's shoulders. He flinched.
...What the, what is she doing?
"Conan-kun... I really am sorry, I didn't mean to upset you..."
Conan almost laughed, and in doing so, made the same noise again that Ran had mistaken for a sob.
Does she think I'm crying?! Man, I really am good at this!!
He sniffed, exaggerating. He put one arm up to his face and pressed his glasses up out of the way to rub at his eyes.
"Demo... Ran-'nee-chan, I must be bothering you! I mean, you have friends at school, you could walk to school with them! Why would you want to walk to school with a primary school student?"
Okay, now he was laying it on a little too thick.
Lay off, Shinichi. Calm down, before you say something that she'll see through.
Ran smiled.
"No, no, Conan-kun." she said, and tapped his chin, forcing him to look at her. He pulled his arm away from his face and his glasses fell down, laying askew across his face. She gripped the corners of them where they connected to the earpieces and straightened them in a maternal sort of manner. "I'd be more than happy to walk to school with you. I just didn't understand..."
Conan, having been startled by her sudden change in attitude, felt a faint blush creep onto his temporarily childish face. He blinked, feeling a little guilty about having fooled her like that.
Apparently the blush only made his actions seem more realistic.
Ran stood up and took his hand in hers and started walking.
"Come on, then, Conan-kun. We'll both be late if we stay here for too much longer." She gripped his hand lightly, not enough to be painful, but just enough to cause another involuntary blush to cross his face.
"Ah, hai..."
Conan remained silent for the rest of the walk to school.
"Then, I'll come pick you up after school, Conan-kun." Ran said gently when they reached the gates to the highschool building. Conan lifted his head and stared at her for a moment. He didn't quite understand what she meant.
He made a soft wordless sound of confusion.
"I'm gonna take you out for ice cream after school. I can't very well scold you for no reason and get you all worked up and expect you to just ignore it!" She smiled brightly. "So, I'll pick you up after school. Wait for me by the statue out in front of the school building." She pointed. And with that, she pat him lightly on the head and turned to walk with a right genki bounce to her step into the schoolyard.
"Ahh, h-hai!" Conan replied, rather flustered by now.
"Ran-'nee-chan?" he called after a minute of letting her walk away.
Ran tilted her head to the side.
"Hmm?"
"...Thank you!!" He shouted before running off. Ran raised an eyebrow.
"...What's he thanking me for?" She stood there for a moment, pondering what had gotten into him. When a girl in her class called out to her from the doorway, she turned and ran into the school building.
"Who was that adorable kid you were talking to, Mouri-san?" The girl asked offhandedly.
Ran blinked.
"Oh, him?"
She paused for a moment, then smiled warmly.
"He's my otoutou, Conan-kun."
Author's Notes : Hmm... sap. Yummeh. XDD Okay, chapter two, reposted. Again, I may change it further once I have my sister beta it, if she's willing to. Let me know if you guys find anything else I need to fix. I think I fixed the whole thing with their school's okay... they both go to Teitan, just different buildings, I would imagine. shrug Not sure.
Anyway, glossary and such.
Glossary of Japanese Terms
Otou-san : a polite way to refer to one's father. it's not entirely informal, but it's not really formal, either. just to show that Ran recognizes that her father is authority.
mou : the closest thing that 'mou' can be translated to, is something along the lines of "jeez".
shimatta : although this word is often translated as "damn", 'shimatta' is a much milder term. it would basically translate to saying "crap" or something of the sort.
demo : no, this is not a trial version of something. 'demo' translates to 'but' or 'however'. very similar, depending on the context, to 'kedo'
itadakimasu : there is no true literal translation for this word. it is simply something that japanese people say before beginning to eat a meal. if chosen to be translated, it could be translated as one of many; "let's eat", "thank you for the meal" "I will have some", etc.
ittekimasu : translated to "I'll be going now", 'ittekimasu' is the common saying japanese people use when leaving a room, going out, etc.
iterasshai : this word -- like 'itadakimasu' does not have a set translation. it can be translated as "have a safe trip" or something of the sort. it is the common reply to 'ittekimasu'.
matte : "wait", "hold on". adding 'kudasai' to the end of this makes it more polite, and almost imperative. as if to say "Please, wait."
nani : "what"
Occhan: this is what Conan has taken to calling Kogorou. It's like... calling him "uncle". Kind of. shrug Just understand that it's what Conan calls Kogorou.
hakase : "Professor". This is the title given to the inventor that lives next door to Shinichi -- Professor Agasa, or Agasa hakase.
Eh tou : similar in meaning to 'anou' 'eh tou' would essentially translate to "um" usually said when one is at a loss for words, or trying to find something.
otoutou : "younger brother" Although Conan is actually of no blood relation to Ran, she is calling him this for cuteness's sake. Also, he had claimed himself to be her younger brother the previous evening.
Again, not sure if people who've already reviewed can review again. But thanks loads to those of you who did, who will, and who just read it. Reviews mean a lot to me, but even if you just read it, I still feel loved. ...even though if you read it without a review I really don't KNOW that you read it... oo; Anyway! Next, chapters three and four to be reposted! Look forward to it! Thanks, guys!
Sakura