Sooooo new chapter. Sorry for the long wait - I'm a bit more active on A03 so I didn't realize that I need to update the story here. So sorry guys...
Anyways, feel free to check out this story on A03: /works/13441419/chapters/30807468
The update there is faster. But I'll try to get the story here up to date as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for being so patient :)
Shiho cursed under her breath as she exited the taxi. Between working at the lab and treating herself to a few luxurious hours of sleep, she had almost forgotten about the date she had with her sister. As it was, she was awfully late, and while she knew Akemi wouldn't mind, Shiho still felt bad.
Close as they were, the two sisters didn't meet each other much. It was what the Organization wanted. Outwardly, she and Akemi were only supposed to be passing acquaintances, Akemi being Hirota Masami. Seeing each other a few times a year was already pushing it a bit, and Shiho knew better than anyone what could (would) happen if they were to cross the line.
Akemi was one of the few precious things she had left; she just had to be content with the way things were now. Because the depressing thing about life was that, it could always get a lot worse.
Her sister was sitting in a booth by the corner with a man next to her. Shiho recognized him right away - she had been the one to introduce him into the Organization, after all.
"Nee-chan, Moroboshi-san," she nodded at the two of them as she sat down on the opposite side, "Sorry I'm late."
"It's fine. We didn't wait long," Akemi said, smiling. Her sister always seemed gentle and happy - but today, she was glowing. Shiho had a sneaking suspicion as to why.
If that wasn't clue enough, then their joined hands certainly were.
"I was caught up in work," Shiho explained.
Akemi made a disapproving noise. "You work too much, Shiho. That's not healthy."
"So you always say," Shiho muttered, though she was smiling. It felt nice to have someone fuss over her every once in a while. It made her feel like any other teenagers…and not genius scientist serving one of the most dangerous crime organizations in the world.
"You said you had something to tell me, right?" she prompted, looking expectantly at her sister and Moroboshi.
He hadn't said a word since she arrived, but Shiho wasn't surprised. He seemed the type to keep quiet most of the time.
"Ah, yes," Akemi laughed, a blush rising to her face. Her sister looked at the man next to her, then back at Shiho. "Well, I just want to introduce you to my new boyfriend, that's all. I figure you should know."
Suspicion confirmed. Shiho knew she ought to congratulate them, and she did, because her sister seemed happy.
But even then, Shiho couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something unsettling about Moroboshi Dai - like eventually, he would bring pain to Akemi.
And Shiho didn't like that one bit.
"Ai-kun? Ai-kun!"
Shiho blinked, snapped out of her thought. The professor was standing in front of her, a concerned look on his face. In his hands was the last box of her belongings. Not that she had many possessions in the first place, and even then, most of which were books, data and other documents related to her research.
She really needed to get a life.
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? You look a little dazed."
"I'm fine. Just remembered something, that's all," she brushed it off with a light comment, taking the box from him. "Thanks for helping me move, Professor."
"You know, you could stay at my house. You don't have to live on your own."
Shiho smiled. He and Kudo had been repeating the same thing ever since she told them a week ago that she would move back into her parents' old house. She had come to view Agasa's house as her home, but she didn't want to intrude on him any longer. The place was never hers in the first place, and the longer she stayed there, the harder it was to leave. She had only agreed to go back after she was discharged because the doctors insisted that she needed someone to watch over her. Now that she was fully healed, there was no longer any reason to.
She had considered living on her own ever since she was in the hospital. Her old apartment was not an option, though, not when she knew that the Organization had stripped the place clean or even destroyed it (she wouldn't put it past them). In all honesty, she didn't want to return there even if it had remained. The place was riddled with bad memories. It symbolized everything that had gone wrong in her life.
Akemi's will stated that she left everything to Shiho, including her apartment. But Shiho didn't want to live there, either. Her sister's touch was in everything in that flat - from the rug on the wall, the light curtains on the window, to the little pots of flowers outside the window. She hadn't been back there once since Akemi's death, and even now, she was not ready.
Her parents' house was the only place untouched by any painful past. It was a modest two stories with a garden out front and a backyard where a sakura tree was planted. The house was a too big for one person, but Shiho didn't mind. Neither she nor Akemi had ever lived there - it would be like a fresh start.
"I want to," she said, voice honest. She felt good about this decision. "This place is not too far from school, either. And I can always visit so that you wouldn't be too lonely."
"More like you want to make sure he doesn't eat junk all the time," came another voice from the stairs. Moments later, Kudo poked his head into the living room, smiling at the two occupants, "I like this house. It has a good feeling. The sakura tree is especially fitting."
"Your parents used to live here, right, Ai-kun?"
"I'm not sure. All I know is that the will states that this property belongs to them. It's mine now, I guess."
"Are you sure you can live by yourself?"
"Professor, I'm not a kid. I don't need someone to watch over me," she smirked, "Unlike you."
She would miss it, though, the life she had with the professor in that house. The occasional explosions coming from his room. Making curry together with Ayumi. Working on the antidote for the APTX in the basement. Dinners with Agasa and the kids. Even Subaru (Akai, she reminded herself) stopping by to give them food.
Every good thing came to an end, she knew, and she mourned for that life she no longer had. But if she had learned anything from the past two months, it was that when one good thing ended, it might just be that it was making space for the next good thing to come.
"Professor, thank you. For everything you have done," Shiho said sincerely.
That day when he found her in front of his house and made the decision to let her stay had changed her life. He had saved her in more ways than one, whether he knew it or not.
"You're welcome, Ai-kun. I'm happy if you are happy."
"Oi, what about me?!"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Kudo."
Shiho surveyed herself in the mirror. The blazer and skirt fit perfectly, yet she couldn't help but feel a little out of place. This was the first time she had ever worn an uniform and it was nothing short of strange.
Today was her first day of school at Teitan high. While she had been to countless schools before, and had been the new student more time than she could count, Shiho felt nervous still. What would her classmates be like? Would they like her? Or would they be able to tell right away that she didn't belong there?
No use fussing over that, she told herself.
Pushing away the unnecessary thought, she looked at the mirror once more. The scar on her face was now a raised red line, a stark contrast against her pale skin. Every time she looked at it, she was reminded of the man who had used his knife to carve pain into her flesh. He was long gone now, but the scars that he left behind in this world would never heal.
Not for her, not for many other people.
"There's nothing to worry about that scar."
Shiho jumped slightly. She hadn't noticed Ran standing in the doorway.
"Ran-san."
"Sorry for barging in. I just thought you needed some help, since you were taking a bit long to come down," Ran said apologetically, still smiling.
The girl and Kudo had come by Shiho's place this morning, insisting that they would walk her to school. She had asked them to wait downstairs while she got ready.
"It's fine. I was just…uhm, that is, I've never had an uniform before."
"You look very nice, Shiho-san."
"Thank you."
"And that scar…to me, it just proves that you are a very brave person. Not many can go through what you did and continue to live life the way you are."
Even though it was Ran's face and Ran's voice, all Shiho could see was her sister. Akemi would have said the same thing, would have smiled kindly the way Ran was now.
It was no good, she was getting choked up.
"We should go, or we would be late," she said, picking up her bag. Her phone buzzed just then, signaling a new incoming message.
The number did not belong to any of her contacts. Good luck, it said, and nothing else. Yet, the corners of her lips curled up slightly. It was typical of that person to do something like this.
High school, as it turned out, was nothing short of intimidating.
Shiho was perfectly aware of the irony of that statement. After all, she had been through murder attempts, torture, terrorist attacks and just about every other horrible thing that one could think of. She had survived and had the scars to prove it; and yet, she still found being in a class full of teenagers to study algebra and kanjis unnerving.
That spoke volumes about who I am as a person, she thought.
It wasn't that her classmates had been awful. All of them had been nice, if a bit too enthusiastic about having a new student. Each of them had stared at the scar on her face at least once, but they were polite enough to quickly divert their eyes away and make no mention of it. Which was fortunate, seeing as Shiho didn't feel like making up an excuse as to why she got that in the first place.
Kudo and Ran hovered around her the entire day like protective mother hens, pointing out places that she should know and asking her if she was alright every hour. If Shiho didn't know better, she would say they were on an undercover mission by the FBI to stick to her like their lives depended on it.
As it was, she did know better. While she was touched that they cared about her enough to worry, she also found their antics quite annoying, to say the least.
"If you two carry on like this tomorrow, I will drug you in your sleep," Shiho threatened menacingly once school was over.
"Eh, sorry, Shiho-san," Ran said, smiling, "It's just that it's your first day…"
"Yeah, and you can be quite lost sometimes," Kudo quipped, "But things turn out to be fine in the end."
"Say, did you guys know each other from before?" Suzuki questioned, looking between the three of them, "You seem quite familiar with one another."
Ran sent Kudo a panicked look and Shiho had to restrain herself from sighing. That girl couldn't keep up an act if her life depended on it.
"I'm professor Agasa's niece. I've met Kudo-kun a couple of times before and he has introduced me to Ran-san," Shiho explained, in her best casual voice.
"No wonder you look kinda familiar. I was thinking you look like that kid…that Ai-chan."
Shiho stiffened. Surprisingly enough, it was Sera who came to her rescue.
"I think she's the older sister," the girl said, sending Shiho a knowing look. Shiho gave her a small nod in gratitude.
It seemed that even now, her life was shrouded with lies and secrets. There were things that should never be made known, at least by those who were not directly involved in it. Shiho had been naïve to think that she could stop living with secrets just because the Organization was taken down.
Yet, she found that she wasn't as bothered by that as she should. Keeping secrets was an integral part of her life and it was something that she was good at.
How strange, to think that such a thing could serve as a small source of comfort in this new life that she led.
"Shuu-nii!" Sera called out, running towards the gate where a lone figure clad in black was waiting.
"Is it just me, or does Masumi-chan's older brother look sort of creepy?"
Ran swatted her best friend's arm. "Sonoko, don't be mean!"
Shiho sent Kudo a questioning look, but it seemed that even he didn't know what Akai was up to.
"What are you doing here, nii-chan?" they heard Sera's question as they neared the pair.
"Akai-san, hey!" Kudo smiled. Out of all the people she knew, Kudo was probably the most at ease around this person (minus, of course, the FBI agents he worked with). Even Sera was a little careful around her brother, treating him with a mix of happiness, awe and caution.
As for her…
Akai nodded at all of them in greeting, then said, "Shiho-san, can I have a word?"
"Eh? Okay, I guess."
"We'll wait for you over there," Ran said tactfully, dragging Sera and Kudo along with her, Sonoko close by. Shiho could feel the others' confusion burning holes into the back of her head, especially Sera's.
"What do you want?" she asked bluntly, which elicit a chuckle from Akai.
"Straight-forward as always, eh? Maybe I just want to say hi to my favorite neighbor."
"Yeah, and fishes can fly," Shiho returned flatly. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, "Well, what is it, Akai-san? Wait, before that, how did you find my number? The text this morning, that was you, wasn't it?"
"I have my ways."
"So Kudo-kun told you."
He merely smiled.
"I'm going back to America tonight, so I thought I should give you this," he said, pulling out a white envelope from his pocket. On the front was her name, written in the slender, careful strokes that she knew all too well.
Even though she knew it was not medically possible, her heart skipped a beat.
"Your sister entrusted this to me the last time that…well, she said it was just in case," he let out a small, humorless sound. "I should have given you this a long time ago, but you know…how much of a coward I am."
Numbly, Shiho reached out and took the letter in her hands, holding onto it like a life line. When Akemi was killed, the organization had destroyed all of her personal possessions. The only memento she had had of her sister had been the lone picture the two of them had taken together, along with several birthday gifts and small knick-knacks Akemi had given her throughout the year.
Then, when Shiho had ran away, those had perished with everything that she had ever owned. For a long time, she had thought that the only thing she had left of her sister now would be eighteen years of far and few-in-between memories.
But she was wrong. She was wrong.
Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, and before they could fall down, Shiho hurriedly wiped them away, lest they ruin the envelop in her hand. Slender fingers traced the kanjis of her name, black ink stark against the white paper.
Akemi had written this, Akemi had touched this.
This was Akemi's.
"Thank you," she whispered, looking up at the man standing in front of her. His eyes were so full of sorrow, that for one moment, Shiho thought he desperately needed a hug.
But her body remained frozen where she was, cradling the envelop in her hands like the most precious thing in the world, and the moment passed.
"You don't have to. I didn't-"
"But you did! This…this is…I thought I didn't have anything left of her. Thank you…for keeping it safe and delivering it to me."
"You know she's still with you, right? Always," Akai said, voice soft, "You're the one she loves most in the world."
"Same as you."
A small smile blossomed on her lips, as she looked at the envelop in her hands, bearing the name of "Miyano Shiho".
"So what was that about?" Kudo asked.
Sera had followed her brother and Sonoko had gone home as well. Ran had walked with them half-way before leaving for an errand, instructing Kudo under no uncertain term to walk Shiho home. He didn't protest, probably because he had intended to do so himself.
Not that she needed it - she wasn't a child anymore, after all. But she appreciated the gesture all the same.
"He wanted to deliver a letter from my sister. He's leaving for America tonight, apparently."
"Oh, that's good! I'm glad he gave it to you," Kudo said, face lit up with a smile. Even now, Shiho could see Conan bleeding through his every gesture. It was a wonder that Kudo had managed to keep his identity a secret for so long.
As they neared her house, something struck her as odd. The front gate was ajar, though Shiho clearly remembered closing it this morning. The lock was broken as well, looking as though someone had forced their way into the house.
A cold feeling washed down her spine.
Kudo's hand shot out to stop her. He shifted his body so that he was shielding her, almost instinctually.
Old habits die hard, she thought, pushing his arm away and stood side by side with him. The time for her to be protected by Kudo had passed. She refused to hide behind his back any longer.
"Wait, what if-"
"I don't think so," Shiho said, with the barest hint of uncertainty in her voice. "They would never be this careless. It's probably just a common thief."
"It's still not wise to just charge in like this. The thief could still be inside the house. If only I still kept the watch with me…"
"I know something that works better," she muttered, "I have a gun hidden in the shoes closet."
"What?!"
Shiho raised an eyebrow at him. "Who do you think I am?"
"Not someone who keeps a gun in her shoes closet, obviously," he retorted, pinching the bridge of his nose in an exasperated manner. "Alright, fine, we'll go in to check. I have Megure-san on speed-dial. The gun's a last resort, got it? I don't want you going around shooting at random thieves."
"Yes, sir!" Shiho said, voice dripping with sarcasm. It figured that this guy would have Megure on speed-dial.
It seemed that their worry had been for naught, however. Whoever had trespassed into her house, he or she was long gone, leaving behind a mess of broken furniture, yet stealing nothing. All of her belongings remained, even her TV and laptop. It was most peculiar.
"I'll call the police," Kudo said, pulling out his phone. His eyes drifted towards the gun in her hand. "You better put that thing away before they came."
Rolling her eyes at his retreating back, Shiho placed the gun back into its original place inside her shoes closet before going into the living room. This place was the most messy, with books scattered on the floor, the couch overturned, the curtains tore down and the flower vase broken, spewing water everywhere. The girl sighed, already dreading having to clean this up.
Whoever had done this better hope that she wouldn't run into them any time soon.
Then, something caught her eyes. Amidst the ruined furniture, the glass of water that Kudo had drunk from this morning remained in its original place on the table, untouched. She would have thought that something that small and fragile would have not survived under the hands of the thief.
"Strange," Shiho mumbled to herself, picking it up. As soon as she did, she saw what was inside and her hand went slack. The glass fell to the floor, shattered into many pieces, the water inside forming a dark patch on the carpet.
"Miyano, what's wrong?" came Kudo's voice from the kitchen, but it was merely white noise to her ears.
Crouching down, she shifted through the broken content, looking for that one thing that she knew she had saw. Shards of glass cut into her skin, drawing blood, but she paid it no mind. She had to find it.
"Miyano? What are you doing?"
And there it was, the thing that she had been looking for. With trembling fingers, she picked it up.
A single strand of fine silver hair, stained with her blood.
Tbc.