Dead

A brown-haired girl, with her head down walking around the busy park, was thinking intently about a conversation a week ago on the phone. Many children played their regular games of tag, Frisbee, hide-and-seek, while their parents were busy trying to get their children to stand still for pictures, and seniors chitchatting with other seniors. But she had no heart to notice the bright lovely weather. How could she? How could anyone who has gone through the same as her notice the bright day?

"I'm waiting for someone I am hardly close to, just waiting here, while he's out there living his own life…I don't know how much longer I can hold on, waiting for him…Maybe I'll fall in love again, to a different person, and live a happy life…"

"He said that he will be back, but he isn't back. Not for six years, and maybe not forever."

Ran tried to shake these thoughts out of her head. "No, I did not wait these years for nothing." But no matter how hard she tried, her mind dwelled on the thought that Shinichi might never come back, that after a few more years, Shinichi will be far out of her mind, that she will forget him, and move on to her life, with a caring husband, with adorable children. She sighed, and told herself sighing would help her. That even made it worse, knowing that she cannot do the things she should do and the things that she can do would not do anything. She could not help but feel useless, hopeless, carrying memories that she should have dropped many years ago. She could not help but cry as she walked on, biting her lips, saying to herself that she should stop crying for him.

Not so far away as Araide watched his grandmother talk to her friends, he thought about his life as well. No one would call him an orphan, considering that most orphans are people such as Oliver Twist and Pip, who can barely support themselves while he was an adult, old enough to get married and have children, who has a job and many certificates of this achievement and this graduation. But deep inside, he cannot deny that he was an orphan. His father "murdered" his mother and his mother's friend, or his stepmother murdered his father. And now, what family member was not dead or in jail except his grandmother? But like Pip, who has hope to become a gentleman, he himself did have a hope for something. Of course, many years ago he had wanted to become a great doctor who helps many people in need, but after achieving his dream, what else could he have hoped to do but really having a great family? And who else would substitute for Mouri Ran, who he has waited for six years? But how could he ever hope to gain her love? He sighed, knowing that sighing would not do him any good. "Oh well! At least the sun is shining." he thought as he looked up. "Just last week, there's all that rain and fog. At least the weather is getting clearer. Maybe everything will be okay for me."

Araide got up from the green bench and walked on the park trail, going around the park as he cheered himself up, like many times over the last six years. And because neither of them were really paying attention to where they were walking, they surprised each other by colliding straight into each other. Araide quickly stopped Ran by falling by taking her by the waist and hand to support her. Ran was too dazzled to say anything. First, she was thinking about Shinichi, and not looking where she was going. Second, the collision was so surprising that she could not react. And third, when someone caught her, she really wished that he was Shinichi, but looked up to see someone else. Ran was too dazzled to even blush like her regular self, and just stared into her holder's eyes, trying to see someone else. But Araide quickly was out of his thought and reacted quickly to everything. He knew that he should let go quickly, but two reasons stopped him from letting go. He knew that Ran was going to fall if he lets go since she was still blank and that he was never this close to her.

And finally after Ran firmly realized that this is Araide, not Shinichi, she quickly stood up and said sorry. "I'm so sorry. I was just thinking about something and not really paying attention so I bumped into you. Next time I will be careful."

"No, really, it is my fault that I also wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Sorry, Miss. Ran."

"No, just call me Ran. We're pretty good friends, aren't we?" said Ran with a smile, even more beautiful than usual, brightened in the sun. But Araide also knew that sad part about that beautiful smile: it was fake.

"Long time no see, Ran. So, in these years, what are you up to?"

"I really don't know. Just being a professional karate fighter, I guess. So what are you doing, great doctor?" said Ran in a teasing kind of way.

"Well, just trying to save people, like I have always wanted."

"I remember that you said that while you said that detectives solve who is the murderer, you try to stop the murders from happening. I wonder what my detective friend would say to that."

"Who is your detective friend?"

"Kudo, you know, the person who became the Black Knight instead of you in the school play."

"Oh yes! That Kudo! You know, I was really angry that Kudo for taking my place. And I tried really hard to become the Black Knight. But I guess just was one step before me." Yes, Kudo Shinichi did steal Araide's position in the play, but both Ran and Araide knew what he was hinting at. Kudo Shinichi stole her.

"Anyway, I never knew how he stopped you from going on stage. Can you tell me now?" asked Ran.

Araide's face started to blush. "No, that is too embarrassing for me to say."

"Oh please?" asked Ran as she put on a cute sad face that would make anyone tell his secret.

"Oh all right! You see, I got a phone call backstage. It is in the voice of my grandmother. She said that I should come home quickly because our house caught on fire, and many firefighters were hurt putting out our fire, and want me to help them. So I ran home, to see our home safely standing there. My grandmother said that she made no phone calls at all that day. And when I hurried back to school, I see Kudo standing on stage." Ran could not hide her laughter. She giggled openly. Araide's displeased face made her giggle more. Who else could have helped Shinichi but Conan, with his voice-changing bowtie? She told him that, and he laughed with her.

"Ran, I have so much to tell you about these years. Want to go to dinner with me?" asked Araide. Ran, hearing this, quickly realized what was happening and quickly objected. The letdown Araide sat back on his bench as he saw Ran walk home, deeper in thought as he went back into his thoughts himself.

A blond woman put a package into the mailbox. "Ran, forgive me. This is for your own good. You have waited to long. It is time to stop waiting."

And a month later, Kudo Shinichi received mail from Japan. Neither from Ran nor any of his kiddy friends, but from Ran's mother. "What does that lawyer want with me now?" It was titled to Kudo Shinichi, not Edogawa Conan. Like she would write to a kid! He opened the mail to see two photos and a letter. As he looked at the first photo, his eyes widened like seeing evidence of a murder, or even seeing the carcass of the victim itself. It is Araide holding Ran by the hand and waist as they stared into each other's eyes. "No, I am not seeing what I think I am." He quickly looked at the other picture to see Ran and Araide giggling together, closer than seeing them when he was Conan. He quickly opened the letter, which said:

Dear Mr. Kudo,

I hope you are well solving your mysteries. I know that Ran is very well waiting for you, never even thinking about going out with any other man and putting only the thoughts of you coming back into her head.

But that has changed, you see. She no longer belongs to you. She has forgotten about you, and if you don't want yourself to be heartbroken, forget her. I hope that you will do what is best for yourself and her.

Sincerely,

Ran's mother.

And just so easily, Kudo Shinichi's heart is dead.

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Well, so much for action! Well, like I have said, criticizing is welcomed, and so is praises. Just tell me why and how.