She found herself alone, in a room shrouded in darkness. Unfamiliar, and desolate. She wandered along the walls, hoping to find a way out. Her fingers grazed over a light switch, and she released her breath. Finally, she would be able to see a way out, or at least know where she was. Ran quickly flipped the switch on without a second thought, her eyes focusing on the new light and unfamiliar surroundings. The blue eyes scanned the room, foreign to her, but one thing was recognizable.
The gaze of deep sapphires that would make her knees weak, he was on the other side of the room. Seeming so casual as he stood, eyes fixated on her. Kudo Shinichi, the man she hadn't seen consistently in close to 2 years. Her heart began to beat out of her chest, the tears being held back, but like a dam filling with too much water, eventually burst. She couldn't contain the emotions she had buried so deeply much longer, as they rushed out faster than she could think to stop it.
She bit her lip, and raced towards him. Her voice cracking, as the tears flooded her face. Every attempt at restraining herself had failed her as legs moved faster than her brain. The longing to finally be near him took over, and she was no longer in control.
"Yo, Ran." Grinning, Shinichi called to her. Like a magnet, she was drawn in.
"Shinichi!" The brunette cried as she treaded the room, her eyes never off him. His smirk suddenly dropped, as he fell to his knees. Clutching tightly at his shirt, Ran felt the panic in her own chest begin. She had noticed this every single time he was around. He would go from his normal, perfectly healthy, and overly arrogant self to pouring sweat, pale and in agony in moments. It finally hit her. Is it possible Shinichi could be sick? Is that why he wasn't ever around? Pieces seemed to all be fitting together in her mind as she made her way to him.
Immediately, she was at his side. Her hands on his shoulders, attempting to stare into his eyes. His forehead covered in sweat, as she heard him gasping for air. She shook him lightly, begging for him to open his eyes. Wiping his forehead dry with a cloth she had kept in her pocket, she brought her face closer to him.
"Shinichi...please!" She was choking out her words. Both of their breathing feeling labored as she wiped the sweat out of his eyes. His coughing continued, one arm covering his mouth as he did so. Blood now soaked all over the sleeve of his jacket, as he attempted to stand up.
"Ran…" He muttered, almost inaudibly. "Run."
Her heart pounding, she clutched his free hand. This had happened so many times before, and she wasn't allowing him to leave this time. He would be going to the hospital, no more excuses, no more running away. Ran knew she deserved answers, and in one way or another, she would finally be getting them.
"No, Shinichi! I'm not leaving your side." Her face soaked with tears, she gripped her hand around his tighter. She could feel his pulse through his finger tips, his heart had been beating faster than she would have believed. Something was wrong, something worse than she had ever imagined. With another fit of coughing, more blood had spattered to the floor. Terrified, she released his hand to retrieve her phone. She felt around her pockets, and realized she didn't have it. Which was very unlike her, Ran always had her phone.
Shinichi wiped his face with his clean sleeve, as his chest was heaving. He was back on his knees, clutching tightly at his shirt. His heart pounding, the agony of his body beginning to melt upon his face. He managed to muster one final word, one he hoped she'd oblige to.
"GO!" He shouted, before his knees had given out. His body had dropped straight to the floor, without an ounce of strength to break the fall.
Her breath caught in her throat, eyes widened, and moving in slow motion. She reached for him, an inaudible scream for him, everything she had been feeling, for him. He wouldn't be able to hear her. She put her hands to his back in an attempt to flip him over, before she noticed the warm red liquid covering her hands. Her eyes stared in terror at what she had now seen, her mouth ajar as she began to tremble. Now completely shaking, the tears let loose from her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. The warmth of his blood on her hands made her scream, one even she had never heard herself make.
"Shinichi!" She screamed, echoing in the silence of the empty room and an unresponsive partner.
She shot up from her bed, clutching her hands tightly to her chest. Gasping for air, she realized she had been in her room. Just a dream? She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and looked to her clock. Her pounding heart and sweat soaked clothes indicated it wasn't a dream, but a nightmare. She removed her grip on her shirt to reveal her clean hands, and with relief realized she was in her own bed. Still shaken, she removed herself from her bed.
7:30…. She sighed. She would be running late for school. She reached over to her phone and pulled it off the charger. No new messages. Pondering, she flipped the phone open. She had one thought on her mind, and she knew just who to call to talk about it.
