Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

Sky Colored Eyes

15: Closing In

Hasagawa Ren stood on the landing outside her stepmother's room (well, technically she supposed it was her parents' room, but her father was gone on business so often lately that she just didn't tend to associate him with the place). Her hand hovered over the knob. She could hear the sound of crying. It was muffled but still distinct enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

"No, it's not true," the older woman's voice was sobbing. "Don't say that. Please, Kosuke…"

Biting her lip, Ren withdrew her hand. She couldn't bring herself to barge in on—whatever was going on in there. Maybe another time.

X

"Good morning!"

Shinichi yelped and stumbled back a step, nearly dropping his thermos. When he had opened his front door that morning to head to school, he had not expected to walk straight into Kaito—almost literally—right outside. It was enough of a shock to snap his mind out of its usual early morning haze.

"Kaito? What are you doing here?" he stammered.

"I'm here to walk you to school, of course," the magician said like Shinichi should have known (indeed, he said it with so much assurance that the detective found himself trying to remember when Kaito might have mentioned the matter). "Come on. I want to pick up a breakfast croissant on the way. Have you eaten yet? I can get you one too."

"Oh, no, you really don't have to. I already had some toast."

"That doesn't count. And I know I don't have to. I want to. Come on, it's no big deal."

Before he could fully register what was happening let alone argue, Shinichi found himself being ushered down the street. A few minutes later he was blinking at a breakfast sandwich, wondering how—or rather why—it had appeared in his hands.

"If you don't start eating, it's going to get cold," Kaito advised, munching away at his own croissant sandwich like it was any other day. To him, maybe it was, but Shinichi still felt vaguely like he'd been run over by a train—or rather more like he was in the process of being run over by said train.

"Is there something going on?" he asked, taking a small bite out of his sandwich. As he'd come to expect from food pressed unto him by Kaito, it tasted good. He just wasn't used to eating such a full breakfast.

"Nope. Not that I'm aware of anyway. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I mean…" Shinichi waved his sandwich then looked up into the magician's expectant face. "This is a bit…sudden. It's the first time you've come by my house so early. It's only natural that I wonder why, right?"

"That's true," Kaito conceded with a wry grin. "But really, it's not a special occasion, and there haven't been any accidents. Nor, I assure you, do I have any designs upon your day as yet. I just thought it might be nice to walk to school together."

"Would you answer me if I asked you why?" The detective was beginning to wonder if Kaito had scented trouble coming.

"I'd consider it. Wanna give it a try?"

Shinichi blinked then cracked a smile. "All right then. Why?"

Instead of answering, Kaito asked a question of his own. "Don't you get lonely living all by yourself all the time?"

Shinichi blinked again then looked away. There was a time not long ago when he would have shrugged off such a suggestion and said that it was no big deal. He liked the peace and quiet that could only be found when you were by yourself. The answer didn't roll so easily off his tongue anymore though.

"It's okay," he said finally. "I don't mind the quiet. It's peaceful. It can feel a bit…empty sometimes, I guess. Though I don't think I really want to have lots of people crammed in my apartment either. It's just not me."

"But you don't mind spending time with the rest of us, do you?"

"No, no, of course not. I…I've enjoyed spending time with you guys." Shinichi blushed faintly. He always felt awkward saying this sort of thing out loud. "It was fun."

"Good. 'Cause you see, I was wondering if you'd like to come have dinner at my house sometime."

"At your house?" Shinichi repeated, surprised.

"That's right. It's just my mom and me most of the time, though Jii-chan sometimes drops by too. Oh, and the Nakamoris visit a lot too, but that's not really the issue here. My mom is planning a small family dinner this Saturday. I was hoping you'd agree to come."

"If it's supposed to be a family dinner, won't your mom mind?"

"Mind?" Kaito laughed. "Why would she mind? Nah, she's always excited to meet my friends. I told her about you the other day, and she said I absolutely had to bring you over for dinner soon. So will you come?"

"I…okay. This Saturday, right?"

"Right. Don't worry. I'll come pick you up after lunch. We can spend some time around town, give Mom time to do her cooking, then get to the house in time to eat."

"Shouldn't we help her?"

"Heavens no! Mom's a real tyrant in the kitchen. It's best just to stay waaaaay out of her way until she's done. Unless, of course, she summons you to be a taste tester, but that's usually only for big projects."

"Should I bring anything? I could get a cake or something."

Indigo eyes grew bright with sudden interest. "You bake cakes?"

"Er, I guess I could, but I think it would taste better if I bought one."

The magician chuckled. "Well~, I'm not going to stop you if you want to bring me cake, though Mom likes to make her own desserts. Less chance that there'll be too much sugar, or so I've been told. When Dad was still around, he and I used to sneak out once every few weeks for a little expedition of the local sweets. Not that Mom doesn't make great stuff," he added hastily. "She's an excellent cook, but she's one of those people who compliment desserts by saying they're not too sweet."

"I think I might be that kind of person too," Shinichi admitted, scratching at his cheek as he offered Kaito a sheepish smile.

"It's not a bad thing, but I shall never understand it. So I can tell her for sure that you're coming, right?"

Shinichi nodded.

"Good. It's a date then. I'll pick you up at two on Saturday."

Before them, the gates to Ekoda High stood open and welcoming to all its students with their varying degrees of enthusiasm. Kaito hooked an arm through Shinichi's and steered them through the milling masses. The detective let himself be led as his thoughts buzzed. Date? How had agreeing to go to Kaito's house for dinner turned into a date?

Memories of that conversation they'd had over dinner in Chiba flashed across his mind and he sighed. Kaito must be teasing him about that little incident again. It just figured he'd still remember it. If there was something you didn't want Kuroba Kaito to remember about you, you could be sure that he most certainly remembered—possibly even better than you did.

But, well, it wasn't really that bad. Shinichi blinked at his own thought then blushed. He hadn't just thought that.

X

"You guys can sit in the family room," Hasagawa offered, leading the way through the entrance hall and turning into a spacious room dressed for comfort. Plush chairs and couches stood around a polished mahogany table. The upholstery on everything was heavily embroidered and spotless. A single orchid stood tall at the center of the table, its stem forming a graceful arch.

"Wow," Keiko exclaimed, looking around the room. "Do you guys even use this room? Everything looks new!"

"We don't use it very often," Ren admitted. "It's mostly for meeting with guests, but we haven't had many of those recently."

"I call dibs on the armchair!" Keiko announced and immediately slung her backpack over the arm of said chair. She followed after it, landing with a soft flump on the thickly padded cushion. "This is so soft."

Ren laughed at her friend's amazement. "You guys can start. I'll go get us some drinks. Do you both want tea?"

"Tea's fine," Keiko agreed.

"I like tea too," Aoko added, moving to set her own backpack down beside the coffee table. She unzipped the main pouch and began to pull out her math and science textbooks. There were major tests coming up soon for both those subjects, and she was feeling a bit nervous.

"I wish Kaito had been able to come study with us," she lamented, opening her chemistry book to the correct chapter. "He's always so good with these chemicals. He never gets their names or properties mixed up at all! And he always seems to know how and what to mix to get the right results. Or the results he wants anyway," she added, grimacing slightly.

Keiko snorted. "Well, if our school has to have a mad scientist, it would definitely be Kuroba. Personally, I think Hakuba-kun would be the safer tutor. I really need someone to explain that last set of math problems to me."

"Oh, Saguru taught me how to do those yesterday during lunch. Here, let me show you."

The two girls were bent over Aoko's math notebook when a willowy woman with dark circles under her eyes and a rather waxy complexion stepped into the room. She looked at them askance. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

Caught by surprise, the two could only stare back at her like they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't. There was a thud and a clang from the kitchen followed by hurried footsteps. A moment later Ren reappeared.

"Mom!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know you were home."

"Who are these people?"

"They're my friends. We're studying for our upcoming exams."

"How long will they be here?"

Ren flushed slightly, her lips pressing together into a thin line. "They'll be here however long it takes us to finish studying. Is that a problem?"

"You didn't tell me you were inviting people over today."

"I told you this morning."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did. I told you right before I left for school while I was putting away the breakfast dishes."

A look of uncertainty flittered over the older woman's face before it smoothed back into the detached aloofness from before. "It doesn't matter. I'll be in my room. Let me know when they're gone." With that, she turned and drifted from the room.

Ren's breath left her in a huff, and she turned an apologetic look to Aoko and Keiko. "I'm really sorry about that. I don't know why she was so rude."

"It's okay," Keiko said, recovering from the rather awkward encounter. "Everyone has their bad days."

"Every day's a bad day for her lately," she sighed. A shrill whistle rang out from the kitchen and she started. "The kettle!" Pivoting quickly, she dashed back out of the room. A few minutes later she returned with the tea.

"We thought we'd start with math," Keiko told her, gesturing at the notebook. "Aoko's boyfriend gave her some good tips yesterday that she's willing to share with the rest of us."

"Keiko!"

"Sounds good to me," Ren replied, laughing. "Hold on, I made a study guide for us. It's in my room. I'll go get it."

Peace returned for all of five minutes.

"What are you doing in my room?!"

Aoko and Keiko straightened and looked around in unison at the sound of Hasagawa Ren's raised voice. They couldn't make out the following conversation, but they could hear the angry tones.

Keiko fiddled with her pen. "Maybe we should leave…"

Aoko frowned. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but she didn't want to just leave either. It would feel too much like running away and abandoning Ren. On the other hand, if this was her house and her family that was arguing, she wouldn't want her friends exposed to it. She could only imagine how embarrassing it would be. Maybe it would be better if they left after all then. They could always arrange another study session somewhere else.

"We should let them know though," she said, thinking out loud.

"Yeah…"

Sighing, Aoko stood up. "I'll do it."

Bracing herself, she followed the quarreling voices out of the family room. They led her to the entrance hall where a flight of stairs led up to the second floor. From there, she could hear the argument much more clearly than she wanted to. Ren and her stepmother were standing at the top of the steps.

"—is wrong with you?!" Ren was demanding.

"How dare you raise your voice to me! I'm your mother."

"Um, excuse me," Aoko called out, trying not to hear more.

Neither mother or daughter paid her any attention.

"You are not my mother!"

A sudden, dead silence fell.

"I—I didn't mean to say that," Ren stammered, her voice gone from angry to anxious in the blink of an eye.

"No." Her stepmother's voice was hollow. "It's true. You're right. I am not your mother, am I?"

"It—it's not…"

The older woman turned away. "I'm going to my room."

Ren took a step towards her. "Mom, wait, I—"

"Just leave me alone!" Whirling around, the woman lashed out, her face contorted with sudden anguish. Startled, Ren leapt back to avoid being struck, but she leapt too far. She had forgotten that she was still standing at the top of the stairs. Her foot came down on the very edge of the top step. Her arms pin-wheeled as she fought for balance, but it was a short and futile battle. In the next instant, she was pitching backwards.

"No!" Aoko screamed, leaping forward though she knew she would never reach the stairs in time. Instead, all she could do was watch, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent protest, as her friend fell. It was like she was watching in slow motion. Hasagawa Ren's body arched almost gracefully as it sailed over the stairs, falling down, down, down until it hit the bottom floor landing with a sickeningly loud thud. Aoko reached her side an instant later, skidding down onto her knees and getting carpet burns in the process. Not that she noticed them.

"Hasagawa!" she shouted as though she could just make everything work by being loud. "Ren! Ren, get up! Are you okay? Say something! Ren!"

There was no response. The other girl's face was milk white. Snatching her hand off the ground—struggling not to notice how limp it was—Aoko pressed the tips of her fingers against her wrist. She held her breath, heart pounding in her throat. The relief that swept through her when she felt a pulse was so strong that it was almost a physical shock. It was followed shortly by a second surge of anger.

"What is wrong with you?" she shouted at the woman frozen at the top of the stairs. "How could you do that?! Ren's hurt! You might have gotten her killed! You should never raise your hand to family!"

The woman stepped back, her hands raised before her and trembling. "No—no, it wasn't—I didn't… It was an accident. It was…was Kosuke… He—he needed to know—" The woman's voice cracked and she crumpled onto her knees, hands covering her face as though they could shield her from the entire world. "No, this isn't what…I don't want… Kosuke, please, tell me what to do. I love you. I've always loved you. I always will. So please, don't leave me again…" She broke out into great, heaving sobs. They were the kind that shook the whole body and caused faces to contort and noses to start running. It was pitiful and grotesque and—to Aoko, kneeling beside Ren at the bottom of the stairs—a complete conundrum. Had the woman gone mad?

The inspector's daughter drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was still angry, but anger wasn't going to fix anything. And the way the woman was just sobbing and muttering to herself was too pitiable to be mad at. So instead she fished out her phone and started dialing. First she called an ambulance, then she called the police. Finally she called Saguru, and that was when her own voice cracked and she couldn't hang on to her composure any longer.

Hasagawa Ren hadn't moved even once since the fall. She hadn't opened her eyes.

Keiko chose that moment to peek into the hall, her own eyes wide and face pale. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth when she saw her classmates on the floor. "A—Aoko? What…what's going on? Is she…she looks—she's not—"

"No," Aoko said quickly. Pulling herself together with sheer willpower, she moved to rearrange Ren into a more comfortable position. "I've already called for an ambulance and the police. Can you go stand outside and make sure they know where we are?"

"I—yes, of course."

The next few hours passed by in a blur for Aoko. She remembered the sound of sirens and the tramping of feet. There was an ambulance and a team of paramedics who lifted Hasagawa Ren onto a stretcher then all the way into the waiting ambulance. They said something to her, but she couldn't remember a word of it. There were police too. They were more insistent about talking. They asked her about what had happened and about the people in the household: about their dispositions and relationships, their circumstances and their quirks. Other officers were speaking to Keiko and Hasagawa elder, who was still sobbing on the stairs. She was deemed too distraught to make sense at the moment. So then all three of them were being herded gently into the police cars that would carry them to the nearest hospital where they could find out how Ren was doing.

That was the important thing. Everything else could wait.

Staring out of the police car window at the street all gray with eventide, Aoko couldn't help but wonder why.

TBC

A.N: I'll be going away for the holidays, but I'll try to get one more chapter up before I do. In case I don't, I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. ^_^