Well, it's good to know that people are actually reading what I'm writing, and I'm not thoroughly wasting my time. I'd like to thank anyone who has been reviewing, and anyone who reviews in the future. I'm honestly putting more effort into this fic than most of mine, so I hope it doesn't die too badly. I'm hoping to actually FINISH this one. I have bad luck when it comes to finishing chapter fics... So, don't kill me if I end up procrastinating, ne?
The disclaimer remains the same from the beginning to the end of this and all my other fics. Though I sincerely wish that it was possible, the fact is that I don't own Meitantei Conan and I never will. I can always dream, though, can't I?
Another brief translation ahead of time-
Nanda- What?!
Itai- The equivalent of the English 'Ow..' Related to pain.
Gomen nasai- A formal 'I'm sorry.'
Minna- Everyone
Ohayou- Good morning
Carpe Diem
Sometime during the night, the ferocity of the storm had managed to dwindle down into nothingness by sunrise; this much was made obvious by the thin streams of light falling through every unguarded window that they touched, spreading their glorious golden fingers to inevitably envelope the world in a layer of light.
Gone were the dark clouds and loud blasts of thunder and shafts of lightning, and aside from the obvious evidence of a layer of moisture which still resided apon the ground, one would have had a hard time believing that any such storm had existed during the night.
Living in an apartment had both its ups and its downs. The living space was conveniently small and fit for a small number of occupants; the living costs were minimal, and above all it provided a more or less comfortable life for those unconcerned with the pride which was often attached to owning one's own home
Unfortunately, though, few large apartment buildings resided within the quiet suburbs of various places. In order to attract a wide range of people, the buildings were located nearest to busy streets, as well as the hustle and bustle of society in general. It was a Saturday, and already in the early morning hours the honking of horns and occasional shouting of an individual could be easily heard by one who took the time to listen.
Perhaps it was the force of sound that caused Haibara Ai to stir quietly, but whatever it was, it wasn't the most welcome sensation. On those rare occasions that a restful night's sleep could finally be found, waking didn't seem to be the first thing on the young girl's agenda. Why couldn't they just be quiet and let her rest...?
Along with waking came the bitter reality of the world in general. No longer could one be allowed to seek solace in a world of darkness and solitude, untouched by the heavy burdens of life. Without the constant plague of nightmares, sleep seemed much more welcoming than being forced to wake and face reality--the reality that existed without her sister, with the constant fear of being discovered and killed; just plain FEAR..
But.. Who was touching her?
It was difficult to distinguish at first, but as the information was finally allowed to process, there was no doubt about it. There was the unmistakable presence of another body resting right beside her, so close that she could practically feel his breath apon her face, a pair of arms encircling her middle...
Why was it that children always had this unconscious need to seek any sort of warmth and comfort that there was to offer? It was almost instinctive to find the nearest source of warmth and instantly find comfort against it. It was simply pride and embarassment that supressed that very same impulse in a more conscious state.
It went without saying that Haibara was instantly snapped into a more alert state with this sudden realization, feeling her entire body grow unnervingly tense. How long had she been stuck in such a position? Why hadn't the sudden shift aroused her conscious mind into waking her? When during the night had such an action taken place, and for what reason? The questions were piling up, each one settling a more unnerving feeling in the pit of her stomach.
What struck her as most eccentric was the fact that her own arm had somehow found a position around him.
What humanly impulse had driven her to do THAT, of all things? It had to have been simple unconscious instinct, for there was no other explanation to define her actions. Trying to shove this thought to the back of her mind, she finally got around to easing her eyes open enough to take into full view the one that she had felt beside her this whole time.
As frustrating and completely unamusing as children could be at times, she had to give them something--they certainly were peaceful sleepers.
It was strange to think that anyone in this hell-infested world could look so completely calm and innocent. Even after the many traumas and trials that each of the children had been put through while they were still very young, somehow they managed to sleep soundly at night. They were far too young to allow such desolate thoughts to weigh apon their conscience, and silently Haibara Ai was thankful for this.
Even if these children did prove to be hinderances at times, they had been some of the first to actually open up and accept her for who she was--or who she tried to be.
"Five more minutes, mama.." The drowsy plea was spoken quietly, for the small boy finally seemed to be entering reality once more. Whether it was the fact that his human teddy bear was beginning to shift positions ever so slightly or some other unseen force, something had managed to arouse traces of consciousness within his mind. Slowly his eyes managed to ease their way open, and for a brief moment he appeared as if he was about to give in to the gentle pulls of sleep once more--well, until he took full notice of what position they were in.
"NANDA?"
Reality seemed to come crashing down with the force of a sack of bricks as the realization of the situation as a whole set in. It was morning, and somehow during the night he'd managed to move--or been moved--completely from his own futon to this one. This was the thing that he just couldn't figure out... He couldn't have been sleepwalking without stepping on any of the others, and no amount of sleepwalking would land him so accurately beside the very girl that he harbored the most feelings for.
Of course, none of this seemed to matter at first.
Making record time as far as motion was concerned, Mitsuhiko wasted absolutely no time on idle thoughts. The only thing that mattered was that he was stuck in an embarassing position, and his only goal at the time was to get OUT of it.
Hastily withdrawing his arms, he more or less rolled to the side--off the futon as a whole--before scrambling to his feet and stumbling backward a bit. Had this been any other situation, perhaps he would have gotten away then and there, but already the day was looking down for the poor boy. It's certainly difficult to move blindly in a small room full of sleeping children, as he soon learned.
The hard way.
"Itai...! Mitsuhiko-kun!"
Ayumi was snapped rather forcefully into consciousness as the flustered boy stumbled back, managing to trip over her in the process. Groggily she pushed herself into a sitting position, a single hand raising up to drowsily wipe the sleep from her tired eyes. It was one thing to be awoken so early in the morning, but did he really have to STEP on her? It didn't put her in the best initial mood, but it couldn't exactly be helped for the time being.
"G-Gomen nasai..!" The quick apology was stuttered as a sense of balance was once more acquired, and again the poor, confused boy found himself apon his feet. Briefly he allowed his gaze to sweep downward to the ground as an embarassed bow was offered to the two young girls, the red tint that had touched his cheeks telling everything, before hastily he turned to rush to the nearest room exit.
Only to run rather forcefully into Mouri Ran.
"Mou, Mitsuhiko-kun!" The teenager proceeded to laugh, reaching her hands out to steady the young boy before he had a chance to meet with the ground another time. A warm smile was flashed downward at him, and yet behind that very same smile resided a glint of mischief that none of the children were capable of seeing very clearly--luckily.
"You're in quite the hurry," She spoke innocently, moving to block his path as he attempted to get around her. It was certainly amusing to watch someone so innocent become so flustered over what she considered to be 'adorable.' Phase one of their little plan had been pulled off easily enough, but how were they to proceed? "So, what's the rush?"
"N-Nothing," He mumbled, keeping his gaze locked apon the ground as he made several more failed attempts to get around the taller female. It seemed as if he'd slipped into a stuttering fit each time he made an attempt at decent speech, which only added to his obvious embarassment. "I h-have to use the bathroom..!" It seemed a plausible enough excuse; at least then he'd be able to escape the deadly gaze of the others.
Finally allowing him to pass with another smile, Mouri Ran finally stepped further into the room to regard the rest of the slowly awakening children. They still had the whole day ahead of them, and thus there was no real reason to press things further. "Ne, minna, Ohayou!" She greeted to the expanse of tired faces, the smile she herself wore seeming to hint at no such drowsiness.
After all, she was having far too much fun to be tired.
"I thought you might be up soon, so I already have breakfast ready. We can go down to the park later after everyone eats and gets ready."
The chaos had only BEGUN to unfold.
It's not that long or eventful, but.. I would have written more, but I was struck with a bad case of writer's block, so I decided to give you this much so you didn't have to wait so long.. Anyways, sorry for the inconvenience.
And again, I get writer's block a lot. Any suggestions would be wonderful at any point.
