Chapter 3

By Crystal

Author's Notes: Gomen nasai, I didn't notice how long I haven't updated this fic until someone told me.  Ugh, it's getting stressful here with all the war and stuff going around...  Not to mention my mom bitching at me, but anyways, here's the next chapter.  Hope you enjoy it!

*We all know who this belongs to ^^;;*

She smiled, taking a breath of fresh air, Welcome to Vancouver...  Shizuma Mika.

Two years later...

Shizuma Mika looked out the window of a coffee shop while she sighed quietly and looked down at the book she was writing in again.  Sighing once again, she took a sip of her coffee and started writing.

It's been two years, Kudo, since I've last met you...  But even now, I can't get my mind off you.  How can I forget you?  How can I forget the only one I have ever loved and the only one that has ever understood how I felt?  If I had the choice, I wished I didn't find the antidote for APTX4869.  Then I would've still be with you, but then, maybe...  Maybe you would've still chosen her.  Definitely.  After all, I was just a sister to you...  And she was like a lover to you.  Anyways, Tetsu should be here at any moment...  I'll see you later.

-Mika

Sometimes, I wonder how you're doing, Kudo.  She thought to herself, and turned around and looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  "Ohayo, Tetsu."  She greeted, smiling.

"Ohayo to you too, Mika."  Tetsu greeted.  He sat down across her with his own coffee and doughnut, and smelled it, "Smells good."  Then he looked up, "So what are you writing again?  More of your stories?"

She shook her head, "Naw.  I'm just writing in my journal.  I think I'm going to rest a while before I start my next book."  She replied quietly, sipping her coffee again.

"Well, what are you going to write next?  So far, you've written three detective stories.  I'm guessing you're writing another detective story?"  He asked.

Mika smiled sadly, which went unnoticed by Tetsu, "I think so...  But this time, I might add a little romance to it, what do you think?  The detective solves a case and falls in love with a suspect in the case...  Little does he know that the person that's been helping him likes him too...  Although it's probably going to be a very sad piece."

He nodded, munching on his doughnut, "Hmm...  I think it's a good idea for a book.  But it's going to be pretty long since it's two books in one, or you can make it a prequel and a sequel.  But like what you said, it's going to be a sad piece."  He took a sip of his coffee, "Have you thought about the ending?  Is the detective going to end up with the suspect or the helper?"

"I don't know yet...  But you'll see when I'm done, won't you now?"  Mika asked, standing up and looked at her watch, "Anyways, I told Kuri that I was going to go shopping with her, so I better get to her house and wake her up or she'll sleep in again.  I'll see you later, Tetsu."

"Hey!  Wait!"  He cried, and Mika turned around, "I thought you hated shopping?"

Mika chuckled, "I hated shopping, I still do...  But it's Kuri with me, so it'll be fun.  She also rented the DVD for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.  So I'm going to watch it with her."

He stood up too, "Hey, can I go shopping with you two?  I have nothing to do today, so might as well."

Mika nodded while looking at her watch, "I guess so...  Kuri won't mind at all."

"Have you watched both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers yet?"  He asked.  Mika's steps flattered slightly, and this time, it was noticed by Tetsu.  "What's wrong, Mika?"

She shook her head, "Nothing much...  Just made me think of some...  stuff."

"Let me guess,"  Tetsu said, looking thoughtful, "You watched either one with your ex-boyfriend."

She sighed quietly, "He was never my boyfriend, Tetsu.  Just a really, really close friend, I guess...  He likes someone else anyways, so it's okay."

"Close friend?  Have you contacted him?"

Mika shook her head, "I haven't talked to him since I moved to Canada...  I cut off my cell phone and all the connections I had with him...  It was just too painful for me to think about him, I guess."

While walking to Kuri's house, Tetsu insisted that she use his phone card to phone Japan and see how they're doing.  Tetsu even said that the guy might've liked her.  She doubted it though, after all, Ran was everything she was not.

She unlocked the door to Kuri's house and went to her bedroom.  Not to her surprise, she was still curled up in her bed, sleeping soundly.  Sighing, she went over to her and shook her awake.  "Oh my god!  Mika!  You're here already!  I thought...  Oh god, I overslept again, didn't I?  And Tetsu, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I didn't have much to do today, so I decided to come shopping with you guys." Tetsu said coolly.

Kuri rolled her eyes, "Anyways, it'll take me half an hour to get ready.  Take a seat on the couch and serve yourselves...  You know the drill."  Yawning, she headed to the washroom and instantly, the sounds of water hitting the shower was heard.

Tetsu dragged Mika out to the couch and sat her down beside the phone, "Phone him."

"Nah uh."  Mika replied, shaking her head.

"Fine."  Tetsu said, taking his phone card out, "What's his phone number?  And what's his name, I'll call him and talk to him."

"Are you insane, Tetsu?"  Mika said.  Oh dear, Mika...  You're not acting like yourself at all...  You used to be so cool about everything...  But then again, you're not Ai or Shiho any longer...  You're Shizuma Mika.

"The last time I checked, I wasn't insane.  Hurry up and give me his phone."

Mika sighed, "Fine."  She repeated the phone to him two times without blinking a single time and waited for him to talk on the phone.  Tetsu pressed the speaker button, allowing her to listen to it too.  "His name is Kudo Shinichi by the way...  But it's most likely that Professor Agasa is going to pick it up.  It's not Shinichi's house, but he hangs out there more than he hangs out at his own house."  She explain, then shut up.

"Hello?"  Mika held her breath.  It was Professor Agasa's voice.

Tetsu winked at Mika, "Hello...  Er, I was hoping if Kudo-san was here?"

"May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Takagami Tetsu...  I just have something to speak with Kudo-san...  May I know what time he will be home?"

Mika heard Professor Agasa clear his throat the way he always did and felt a pang in her heart, "Shinichi doesn't live here, he lives next door...  If you want his phone number-"

"No, no...  It's all right.  I heard he isn't always home, but he's always hanging around here."

There was a pause and Mika could picture Professor Agasa's thoughtful face, "Well, you're right...  He should be home at about five o'clock.  He's with his girlfriend right now."  Mika's face fell at the mention of Ran's name.

Tetsu saw her frown and lifted the corner of her lips with his fingers, "Thank you, I'll phone back some time at that time."  Tetsu hanged up, then counted mentally in his head what time it was in Vancouver when it's five o'clock there.  "It's midnight here."

Mika nodded her head quietly, "He's with Ran..." She said, her happiness draining.

Tetsu smiled again, trying to cheer her up, "Hey, cheer up, Mika...  You can always steal him back, right?"

Mika forced a smile, "I guess..."

It was then that Kuri came out of the shower and looked at the two of them, "What's wrong, Mika?  You look so down right now..."  She went in her room, then shouted out, "Wait!  I'll be out in fifteen minutes!  Then I'll ask you what's wrong!"

Mika sighed, "It was a mistake, Tetsu.  I told you, a mistake."

Tetsu shrugged, "If you really don't want to call him, then don't..."

"If I know Professor Agasa and Kudo well, and I think I know them well, they have a caller I.D."  She replied, sighing again.  "Whatever...  I just want to have some fun.  It's eight o'clock right now...  I have sixteen hours until I have to worry about that, so whatever."

For the rest of the day, the three of them went to eat breakfast yet again because Kuri hadn't eaten yet.  Then they went shopping for a while before they had lunch and went to shop once again.  They even went to Playdium in Metrotown to play a few shooting games.  Mika won them once again and they whined about her being a good shot, but deep inside, she knew why she was so good...

Once a killer, always a killer.

She had heard that from Gin once, and she knew it was right.  No matter how much she wanted to forget her past, it would always catch up to her...  No matter how much she wanted to forget the gun skills and drug making skills she had, she could never truly do that.  And no matter how much she wanted to forget Kudo...  She could never do that either, for that was the only thing in the world that was keeping her sane, with the exception of her two best friends, Tetsu and Kuri.

Finally, they got home at about eight after having sushi for dinner and Kuri turned on her DVD machine, placing Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King inside.  She remembered that day she watched The Two Towers with Shinichi two years ago...  She could remember it well...  All too well...

Even though she was watching the movie the whole time, her mind was not on the movie, but on a certain person in Japan.  She made a mental note to herself to ask Kuri for the DVD later on.  After the movie, Kuri went to sleep while the two of them stayed on the couch until the clock stuck twelve.

They sat in silence until Tetsu decided to break it, "Phone him..."

"I...  I don't want to."

"Phone him," he insisted.

Mika sighed, "Fine...  Just...  Private talk, okay?  You go in her study room and play with her computer or something."

Tetsu sighed, "Fine, fine...  Pfft...  And I let you listen to that old guy and me talk."  He stood up and headed towards the study room.

"I know them, Tetsu...  I know them both..."  She reminded him, he made some protesting sounds, but other than that, she heard nothing else.

She punched in the number, then the card number, then Professor Agasa's house number.  For a few moments, she listened to it ring...  Then she heard his voice...  "Hello?"

She felt her heart stop and her blood freeze, her eyes widen and her throat dry up.  She heard silence...  The only sound she heard was his voice.  Suddenly remember to talk, she licked her lips and cleared her throat silently while she covered the mouth piece.  Taking a deep breath, she spoke up, "Hey Kudo...  What's up?"

* * * * *

Author's Notes: A cliffie! Ah!  Anyways...  Hope you enjoyed that.  ^^

Kasuga-sempai – Or not...  Me thinks =\  Thanks!

...Sherry..* - Thanks!  I dunno about happy endings...  But anyways...  Thanks a lot ^^

abcdefghijklmnopqrstu – lol, nice name.  Anyways, yeah, Shinichi should've realized, but if he did, then I'd have nothing to write about, now would I?  Anyways, hope you enjoy ^^

firstsilvera – Thanks a lot ^^

yue – Yeah really?  I've had lots of promises broken, but I try my best to not break promises...  Anyways, see ya!

a fan – Thanks a lot ^^  S/S is good ^^  Me loves alternate pairings.

Hell's Hauntress – How the organization fell?  I'll think about that, and as for Ran being OOC, it's just that one chapter, don't worry.  Thanks a lot ^^

Kiru-sama – Thanks a lot!

Alicia – I think it's going to stay S/S...  But I dunno if it's fair or unfair for Ran, but I would like to point out something...  Life is never fair...  I don't mean to say that to offend you, but it's reality.  Anyways, I don't think I'll make Ran too sad =\

1122 – Thanks ^^

Mai – Sorry I didn't update sooner =\

alexia_liu – Thanks a bunch!

................... – Gomen, I haven't updated...  But I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^