Chapter 6: The Daylight We Can't Face
Disclaimer: I don't own any DC characters.
Warning: More smutting contents below. Stop reading if you don't feel comfortable.
The two teenagers cuddled together on the liquor-drenched floor in the wine cellar.
Kazuha already passed out. The climax was too strong and the sensation too new for her body to handle. Not to mention she was still under the double influence of aphrodisiac and liquor.
Shinichi, though still sweating heavily, was awake. Sitting against the wall, he gently rubbed the back of Kazuha, who was still sitting on his lap, her chest against his.
And he … was still inside her, unwilling to withdraw from the warmness and wetness.
What a terrible thing he had done to Kazuha!
The scent of sherry, the wine that accidently gushed out, somehow didn't fade out but only got stronger in the air.
He couldn't believe his first time was in a wine cellar.
But most importantly, he couldn't believe his first time was … not with Ran.
Reflecting on what happened last night, one adversity after another that finally led to the mess that they were in now, he felt more hopeless and helpless than ever.
What a terrible night ...
But … he also felt immensely happy ...
What does it mean?
Looking down, he couldn't help to plant another gentle, affectionate kiss on the still flushed cheek of the sleeping beauty in his arms. He thought he wouldn't mind to stare at this innocent face forever.
Does it mean … I am in love with … with Kazuha?
"No, no, no …" Shinichi shook his head heavily, trying to convince himself otherwise. He had loved Ran since he was four, and they already started dating. How could he could betray Ran and fall in love with somebody else?
But the immense pleasure he's experiencing now … Yes, it was just sex. It must be that. No man could physically resist her in such unusual circumstances.
Well, such unusual circumstances …
At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed Shinichi's mind.
We were being set up.
Scratching his head, the detective boy tried to use his currently limited reasoning capacity to go through the chain of events las night. There were so many fishy things, thinking about it. For example, how did the eighteen-year-old Kazuha ended up in a club? The ID requirement was very strict in Kyoto, as far as he knew. And how come there just "happened" to be a pervert dropping an aphrodisiac in her drink?
Well, the paparazzi-like crowd that cornered them was sort of unavoidable, given what already transpired up till that point.
And, the accident with alcohol … how come the bung just "happened" to pop open?
He suddenly had a theory. But he needed to check something online to confirm his theory. So he tried to reach out for his cell phone that he dropped earlier.
However, the phone was not as close to him as he hoped it could be, and the movement of stretching out somehow … somehow made Kazuha to slightly twist and the peak of her softness seductively rubbed against Shinichi's chest. The movement also made her to slightly swung her hips. With that, a soft moan escaped her lips.
"Oh no …" Shinichi felt desperate as he realized what he still left in Kazuha's body got instantly hard again …
Now all his blood flew to the lower abdomen again and his brain spaced out again. As much as he could blame it all on physical instinct, at this very moment, he could not suppress the acute, overwhelming desire to do what they just did again.
His suddenly intensified movement woke up the exhausted Kazuha.
"Shin … ichi?"
Her soft voice was like music to Shinichi's ears. If there was still some slight possibility to stop a moment ago, now all was too late.
3 A.M.
Round two was finally over. Kazuha, as expected, passed out again. Shinichi, also exhausted, let out a long sigh.
His head was spinning. There were so many things he had to worry about. But first things first, they couldn't stay in the wine cellar like that.
It was quite embarrassing to pick up their wine-drenched clothes. It was even more embarrassing, and took tremendous self-control, to put the still wet underwear and dress back on Kazuha.
Finally able to check what he was wondering on his phone, Shinichi confirmed that the club that Kazuha was in earlier was a Ōoka corporation property. Also, the Suzuki Hotel, although still retained the golden "Suzuki" name branding, was actually bought by the Ōoka corporation just a month ago.
Well, thinking about it, the entire drama actually started with Ōoka Momiji and Hattori kissing.
Although he didn't exactly know what happened between the time when he saw Kazuha leaving the Kyoto Station and when he found her in the club, it was not crazy to assume that it also had something to do with the Ōoka girl.
Alright, they had to leave the hotel as soon as possible. Any further lingering at this now Ōoka property might set something even worse in motion.
He cursed himself for his terrible self-control. If not for the prolonged round two, they could have had already left this place a while ago.
Making sure nobody was following, Shinichi exited the side door that they entered earlier, and ran into a small nearby ryokan[1].
The okami[2] of the ryokan was a kind-looking obasan. Looking up and down the two soaking wet teenagers, one of them still in the knocked-out state, she made a common-sense guess of their relationship. She quickly prepared room and bath for them, and offered them some fresh clothes for changing.
"Okami-san, do you mind …" Shinichi scratched his head and blushed, "do you mind to help her taking a bath?"
"Girlfriend?"[3]The okami chuckled.
"Ano ..." Shinichi's face became even redder.
Chuckling, the okami did not want to further embarrass the shy high-schooler, "I will take care of her."
The okami was very experienced with handling situations like that. She was quite gentle when bathing Kazuha. She knew very well not to probe too much into the privacy of her guests, but the tiny red kiss-marks all over this pretty girl's body said everything.
Kazuha must be really, really exhausted. She didn't wake up at all when the okami bathed her.
The poor girl really deserved a good night sleep.
Well, after all, she needed energy to deal with the unknown tomorrow.
The daylight she had to face.
Or rather, the daylight THEY had to face.
It's already day time. Although Shinichi was not sure of the exact time.
Unlike the sunny Saturday, today was a cloudy day. Dark clouds even suggested high chance of storm.
As exhausted as he had been, both physically and mentally, Shinichi didn't sleep much last night.
That was in sharp contrast with the still sound asleep girl next to him.
They were sleeping on different futons. The okami only took out one in the beginning –– she assumed that's what the young lovebirds wanted –– but Shinichi insisted to use a separate futon and for that he earned a fair share of skeptical glances from the okami.
Well, he just didn't trust his self-control anymore.
However, when he saw Kazuha's right hand inadvertently slipping out of the comforter, he couldn't help to hold it.
It might be the last time that he could hold her hand.
He couldn't sleep at all. On the one hand, the thought of Kazuha's body, her eyes, her lips, her ponytail, her smile, and her voice simply refused to fade in his mind. On the hand, he was also haunted by the fear of explaining to his family and friends, and maybe even to the media, about what happened last night.
Kami-sama, what shall I do …
While Shinichi's left hand was still holding Kazuha's, his other hand reached out for his phone. Last night he set it to airplane mode so that they could at least have a few more disturbance-free hours.
Now, as much as he wanted to keep the phone in airplane mode, he knew playing ostrich wouldn't do anybody any good. They had to face the daylight.
As soon as he turned off the airplane mode, the cell started ringing loudly.
"Oh no ... " Shinichi murmured in frustration. He knew the phone will ring like crazy today. But that soon? Weren't people supposed to sleep in on Sunday?
Afraid to wake up Kazuha, he tried to press the "decline" button in a flurry, but accidently pressed "answer."
With that, a high-pitched, loud female voice almost broke his eardrum:
"Kudo Shinichi! What do you think you are doing! It is all over the social media!"
Shinichi stretched his arm as much as he could to protect his right ear from deafening. He didn't have to look at the caller ID to tell this was Suzuki Sonoko. A.k.a., Queen S.
"Sono …" Before Shinichi could actually say anything, Sonoko's piercing voice cut him right in:
"Now everyone is talking about the awesome Detective of the East screwing your best friend's girlfriend and breaking the heart of your girlfriend aka my best friend!
Sonoko couldn't control her anger. Too bad her boyfriend Makoto, the undefeatable karate champion, was in America now, otherwise she would definitely ask him to punch Shinichi in the face with all his might.
"Sonoko! Kazuha is not Heiji's girlfriend!"
Oh no … Shinichi regretted right away after he blurted it out.
Damn it, that is totally not the point! What am I thinking!
"Regardless!" The anger of Queen S kept rising, "How could you declare in public that Kazuha-chan is your woman while you are still dating Ran!"
"Sonoko, please calm down …" Shinichi was almost begging the all righteous Suzuki Ojo-sama.
"Calm down? How can I come down!" Shinichi's begging tone did not soothe Sonoko's fury at all. "Kudo Shinichi, you owe me – No, you owe Ran an explanation! Let me tell you, if you break Ran's heart I will ask Makoto to kill you!"
"Sonoko, please … I will talk to you later." With that he hung up the phone and set it to vibration mode as fast as he could.
However, hanging up Sonoko's call was not the end, but rather the beginning of the never ending calls and messages that followed. Staring at the notifications of unread messages and missed calls that flooded the phone's screen, Shinichi felt like bumping his head into the wall.
Sera-san, Kuroba, Hakuba, Aoko-chan, Haibara, Mom, Dr. Agasa, Jodie-Sensei… And even Amuro-san and Akai-san!
Oh, you people… Shinichi felt more frustrated than ever. He didn't realize even Amuro-san and Akai-san were interested in teenage gossips ...
But, wait …
He realized that something, something really important, was missing.
Ran never called.
Neither did Hattori.
Suddenly feeling his left hand being gently squeezed, Shinichi turned his head to the left and met Kazuha's big emerald eyes.
"Ka … Kazuha?"
"Kudo-kun …" Kazuha blinked, her eyes a little bit out of focus, "did we …did we …?"
Too embarrassed, she couldn't finish the sentence. But Shinichi knew what she wanted to ask and both of them knew the answer to her question.
Last night, though under strong influence, for a good amount of time Kazuha was not completely unconscious. After a long night of sleep, the memory became a little vague, but the soreness in her lower body reminded her that she was not entirely dreaming.
"Ano …" Shinichi opened his mouth and tried to say something, but couldn't find the appropriate words. After a long stare at her, he uttered: "I am sorry …"
Tears already filled Kazuha's green eyes.
"It's all my fault …" She turned her head away to face the ceiling so her tears would not roll out, "I was such an idiot …"
"Kazuha, it's not your fault ..." Shinichi gently rubbed the back of Kazuha's hand. The sight of her sad look made his heart ache. "It's all me …"
Kazuha shook her head slowly, "No, Kudo-kun … I know you were trying to help me … if not for you, I would be …I would be …" Biting her lips, the poor girl couldn't continue.
Both of them knew: if Shinichi didn't show up, Kazuha would have been raped by the guy who drugged her.
"I can't forgive myself …" Kazuha's voice became more and more whimpering, "I … Ran-chan … I am sorry …"
Shinichi's entire body quivered when he heard Ran's name.
Ran … Oh, I can't be forgiven …
With his utmost apologetic thought about Ran, however, he subconsciously tightened his grip of Kazuha's now cold right hand.
"Kazuha, you know …" After a long silence, Shinichi cleared his throat and said, "It was actually a set up. If my deduction is not wrong, it must be that Ōoka woman that's behind everything, from her kissing Hattori …"
"Oh, Heiji …" Now Kazuha could not hold her tears any longer. Like Ran's name made Shinichi shiver, Heiji's name sent overwhelming feeling of sadness and desperation to all her nerve endings.
"Kazuha! Don't …" Shinichi panicked when he saw tears flooding out from Kazuha's eyes and wetting her pillow instantly. He jumped out from his futon and knelt beside Kazuha's futon, using his right hand to help Kazuha wiping her tears while his left hand was still holding her tightly.
Sobbing and whimpering uncontrollably, Kazuha couldn't think any lower of herself. What an idiot she had been! Why didn't she just take the Shinkansen back to Osaka earlier last night? Why did she even want to find out who Heiji's first love was when he clearly didn't love her? It was always curiosity that killed the cat!
Oh, Heiji …
Knowing Heiji as who he was, Kazuha knew her hot-blooded childhood friend would do everything possible to avenge her, had she been really drug-raped.
But what would he do, if he found out that she and his best friend Kudo Shinichi had sex? She would never accuse Shinichi of raping her. She knew very well she bore 100% of the responsibility for getting herself into such an irredeemable situation and Shinichi did everything he could to help her getting out of her own mess.
Well, in this case …
Kazuha could imagine how Heiji would yell at her for being such a super ahou, who lost her virginity in such a careless and idiotic manner. He would probably even hate her for involving his best buddy Kudo and endangering Kudo's relationship with Nee-chan.
Ran-chan …
Ran's angelic face haunted Kazuha's mind.
Frames after frames of their fun, sweet, and heart-to-heart moments flashed back:
When Ran changed her top immediately just because Kazuha thought she and Heiji were wearing couple's matching clothes …
When Ran cleared the scene for her to confess to Heiji, although that ahou messed it up in the end …
When Ran confronted Heiji, on her behalf, about the "what are you doing to my Kazuha" incident at the Ebisu Bridge …
When Ran imitated Heiji's voice to "confess" to her while watching Tokyo's illumination fest …
When Ran practiced Karuta cards with her overnight before her "love showdown" with Momiji …
…
Ran-chan had given her nothing but kindness.
Kazuha bit her lips, too hard that her lips started bleeding.
Ran-chan, I would never, never forgive myself for hurting you …
If I didn't go to Kudo-kun's house for help in the first place …
Now, I am irredeemable …
How long did Kazuha-chan cry? Thirty minutes? One hour? Two hours?
Shinichi didn't know. When he saw Kazuha bit her lips to bleeding, he grind his teeth to hold back the urge to bent down to suck up the blood from her lips with a kiss.
He was out of words of comforting her. Silently, he just faithfully knelt by her side and helped her wiping her tears.
Until Kazuha's sobbing finally tapered off.
Struggled to sit up, Kazuha tried her best not to groan while the soreness in her lower body did not subside much.
"Kudo-kun, I am so sorry …" she lowered her head, evading Shinichi's eyes, "It was a mistake, a terrible mistake … please, please forget about it …"
Shinichi skipped a heartbeat.
She wants to forget about it? It was a terrible mistake?
Well, rationally, he knew what Kazuha said was right. It was just a one-night. It was a mistake, and they should both forget about it …
But … do I really want to forget about … her?
"And … and, you know …" Kazuha continued after a short pause, "You know … let's don't tell anyone else …" her voice became even lower.
"Talking about that …" Shinichi took a deep breath and his desperation deepened, "We actually have a big problem …"
Sighing, he showed Kazuha the video that Kuroba Kaito, a.k.a. Kaito Kid-sama, just forwarded to him. Well, according to Kaito, that was only one of the dozens of similar videos that already went viral on social media.
"She is my woman and don't you dare touch her again!"
"So … you see … the question is not … is not whether we should tell anyone," Shinichi scratched his head nervously when he heard himself in the video, "but rather … how could we explain to everyone …"
Kazuha's eyes widened in shock. It didn't take a genius to figure out that there must have been some commotions when Shinichi got her out of the club, even though she was already half-unconscious at that time. But … She looked at Shinichi in disbelief: why did he say that she was his woman?
Shinichi turned his head away to evade her shocked look. It was not hard, especially for a great detective, to read the question in her eyes. But frankly speaking, he himself was still thinking why the hell he said that …
"Don't worry, Kudo-kun," Kazuha let out a long sigh, "I will go to Tokyo with you today and explain to Ran-chan …I know you said it just … just to get this stupid woman out of that mess …"
She lowered her eyelids, "What's important is that … that your heart never betrayed Ran-chan, and that's all she needs to know …, right?"
"You and I …" Kazuha's face blushed like a tomato, "it was just … just …" She bit her lips again, still unable to utter that word. "You know what I am talking about … it's just one time, in extraordinary circumstance …, right?"
Her questions were not entirely questions, but rather, the assurance that she needed to convince herself and ease her own conscience.
"Kazuha …" Shinichi didn't answer her questions. He only squeezed her hand even tighter.
So, as Kazuha insisted, instead of going back to Osaka, she went to Tokyo with Shinichi first and explained to Ran in person.
In the Mouri Detective Agency, Kazuha told Ran what happened, from what triggered to her to go to Shinichi for help in the first place, to how she spent a day in Kyoto with Shinichi just to get over Heiji, why she turned back to Sannon Temple and got emotionally crushed, and how she, so carelessly, was almost taken advantage of by a pervert in the club until Shinichi saved the scene. She skipped the aphrodisiac part, as well as the sex part that ensued.
All Ran-chan needs to know is that Kudo-kun's heart never betrayed her.
It was all my fault that he and I …
"Poor Kazuha-chan!" Ran cried and hugged Kazuha as tight as she could. She could only imagine what a rollercoaster experience it was for her poor, lovelorn friend.
"Shinichi," She wiped her tears and turned to her boyfriend with her angelic smile, "Thank you for taking care of Kazuha-chan."
"Sure …" Shinichi found himself unable to look into Ran's eyes. He never, never intended to betray Ran, whether his heart or his body. All he could do now was to think over and over again as Kazuha told him earlier, that what happened between he and Kazuha was an unfortunate mistake and that his heart didn't betray Ran.
"Ran-chan, again I am sorry …" Kazuha forced a smile at Ran, "and I need to head back to Osaka now. Tomorrow is Monday, you know."
"But Kazuha-chan, you look exhausted!" Ran said worriedly, "Why don't you take a day off school and stay with me tonight?"
"Thank you, Ran-chan. But I have to go home." Kazuha immediately shook her head at the offer.
She couldn't look into Ran's angelic eyes any more.
The more Ran looked at her with her signature gentle look, the more she felt herself an ugly, unworthy woman, inside and out.
Shinichi, looking at Kazuha standing up and leaving, felt some indescribable emptiness in his heart. Seeing the firmness in her eyes, he suddenly had the fear that he would never see her again. Terrified, he stood up and caught her by arm, "I will accompany you to Osaka."
Kazuha froze at the already familiar touch of his skin. But she soon came to her senses and withdrew her arm.
"Thank you Kudo-kun." She shook her head without looking at him, "But I think you must be tired yourself. I am ok to go back by myself."
"Kazuha-chan!" Ran cut in, "I think Shinichi is right! It's getting dark and what if something like last night happen again?"
Kazuha wanted to further protest but Ran already started pushing both of them out of the office. "I would like to go to see you off at the station myself, but I also have a lot to do myself …" She smiled, "you know, such as stopping Sonoko and Sera-san from killing Shinichi." She gave them a naughty wink.
"Wait, Ran-chan …" Kazuha felt even more guilty. Frankly speaking, she couldn't allow herself to be close to Shinichi anymore. She already dragged this innocent boy into so much of her own messes. But …
Well, there was another person that she had to face.
To be continued ...
Hello everyone, I am working hard these days to write more chapters, however the story is not going to be short at this point and the end is not near. If you like it, please read and review. The more you review, the more I am motivated to write!
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ありがどうございます！
[1] 旅館: Japanese-style inn
[2] 女将: Hostess/owner of a ryokan or restaurant
[3] In Japanese, "she/her" and "girlfriend" are the same word "kanojo" 彼女. So the conversation was: Shinichi:「彼女に風呂へ入るのを手伝って欲しい。」, and the okami asked: 「彼女？」