Angel
Chapter 2
They had returned home in Kogoro's rented car, maintaining that awkward tense silence which had never been present before, in the air. Kogoro was in the driver's seat, his hands clutched tightly around the rim of the wheel, the color of the knuckles coming close to a bone white that stood in sharp contrast against his skin. His eyes were seemingly trained on the view of the road that stood right before him, yet who could deny the multitude of emotions that swirled within him as reflected in his eyes? He had not spoke since they had left the hospital and it didn't seemed as if he was going to speak any too soon, from the tight grim line his lips were set into.
Ran sat next to him. Her face remained expressionless as she continued her dreamy stare out of the window. Her eyes seemed hollow, as if unwilling to reveal anything that she should have been feeling inside. Her hands were folded neatly across her lap. There was no clue or indication regarding the internal turmoil that should have been wrecking her emotions. The sunlight that poured through the panes seemed to highlight her fragility, her being as delicate as glass. She sat there, serene and calm, as if with quiet acceptance over the news she had just received.
In the back seat, all alone, was the little Conan. Usually active and full of chatter if not alert and watchful, he now sat there on the middle seat at the back, with an utter look of lost on his face. He sat with his back hunched and his legs, dangling in the midair over the floor of the car. His arms hung uselessly by his side as they hit the cushioned seat that provided him no comfort. Lost….and helpless… He seemed to be drifting in his own world of thoughts, unable to grasp onto anything concrete… The sense of uncertainty that he was not used to feeling in his world of confidence, logic and sureness, threw him off balance.
The vehicle suddenly veered off course sharply, crashing into the curb as Kogoro started swearing under his breath while he unbuckled his seat belt and approached the other driver.
His figure seemed oddly large today as he stood towering over the man, emitting an aura of authority and menacing air. "What is wrong with you? Why did you suddenly turn like that? Look at the damage you've done! This isn't even my car! How should I fix this now? I demand compensation!" He went on and on, his tone, abnormally colored with an anger and frustration that appeared to have been locked up within for ages. The other man could get not a word in edgewise, and his already small figure seemed to diminish further under Kogoro's overpowering rage.
The door of the car clicked open as Ran stepped out. Surveying the damage, she pulled her father gently away from the man as she said calmly, "Dad, the damage isn't severe… We can fix it… It is not this man's fault…" The man then seized the opportunity. Apologizing to them furiously with an expression not quite matching the words he was repeating, the man flew back to his car and drove away in a flash.
Shaking his daughter away gruffly with a clenched expression upon his face, the famed detective punched his fist into the trunk of a tree growing alongside the road. For a moment everything froze. Kogoro, with his fist connected to the tree, Ran, watching quietly with an expression hard to decipher as her hair danced to the teasing of the wind. And Conan…he remained in the car, seeing all these, and yet not seeing it all…
They got home not long after.
Ran murmured inaudibly before she retreated into her room. A soft click that followed indicated that the door was locked.
Kogoro stationed himself by the phone, his fingers jabbing at the keys in a certain pattern over and over again and eventually after three tries to reach his ex-wife, he hung the receiver violently as he stared at the closed door to Ran's room with a look of utter resignation. And then it was as if something snapped within him. His shoulders suddenly slumped as his entire body slouched forward, his face buried in his hands while tears fell helplessly.
The little child had been the last to enter and still he sat, dazed upon the edge of the couch as he stared blankly at the floor. He was not a child at all. A famous teen detective trapped in the body of a child. Never had he looked so vulnerable and powerless before…
He raised his head slowly, the usual glint of knowing in his eyes snuffed out for once as they appeared dull and lifeless. A closed door – a painful reminder to him of the even greater barrier that separated him from Ran; and Kogoro – he was usually either flippant or over brimming with confidence, be it in his speech or actions…yet now, the grown man sat there in a slump, evidently unable to do anything…
It all seemed so wrong. So wrong. The house remained the same. The furnishings…the usual noises and creaks…the mess… The streets outside still retained their regular busy flow of people and bustle… The sun still shone as brightly as ever while the clouds hung prettily beside it. Why? Why was it that everything had to change in a single instant?
Something within the boy stirred as a spark of the spirit of the teen detective Shinichi Kudo ignited, propelling the young boy to suddenly dash out of the apartment and down the streets, following a familiar route that he took often…
Her frosty blue eyes seemed clouded as she stared at some non-existent object behind him. For a moment she didn't speak and it did seem as though she had no intent to respond.
"Ai?" he probed her gently, the urgency in his voice thick.
Her eyes focused, changing their target of observation to him instead. Quietly she studied for a minute or so and then she closed her eyes, laying a hand on his shoulder as if in an attempt to comfort him. When she opened her eyes, the usual layer of ice in her cold blue eyes that kept her emotions within well shielded, was gone. Bare and harsh was the intensity of the inability to help him, as her eyes told him. He did not even have to hear her words of confirmation but still…
"I'm sorry Conan… There's nothing I can do…" came her words, in a voice cracked and filled with sorrow.
She wanted to say more - to perhaps comfort him and soothe him. He had never lost a loved one before and now… But she knew his character well and besides, there was nothing that she could say that would offer him comfort except for her confirmation of her ability to cure Ran.
Instead, she watched him leave. Wordlessly turning around and leaving, with a grim line of determination set to his lips and the flame in his eyes, still refusing to extinguish. Ai Haibara then took hesitant steps towards the window, where the rays of golden sunlight bounced off the surface into her eyes, blinding her, causing her to see images of her late sister in the reflections on the pane…
And for the first time in a long while, tears fell freely from her eyes as the emotions long locked in her escaped with a numbing effect.
As he traced his route back to the apartment he now called home, Conan whipped out his cellular phone, as he dialed a number that was wasn't listed locally.
"Dad?"
"Shinichi!" with a loud exclamation and then a deep chuckle, "What can I do for you? How's life there?"
"Dad I need your help! You are in America aren't you? Surely you know some skilled neurologists?" frantically he rambled on and on over the phone to his father, explaining the events that had passed amidst the tears that filled his eyes.
By the phone booth just meters away from the building in which the Mouris' apartment was, Conan dialed a number he had long memorized.
A hesitant voice sounded, "Hello?"
"Ran. It's me," the young boy spoke, his voice coming out instead as that of a mature youth, much deeper than his present childish tone, with the help of the bowtie that distorted his voice.
"Shinichi… It's been awhile hasn't it?" she questioned, a seemingly dreamy feel to her soft voice. He was acutely aware of the silence around him and the quietness of the background from over the receiver. There were so many things he wanted to tell her and yet, all of a sudden, he found himself lost for words…
"Ran, I… I…" he paused midway, feeling the sudden rush of emotions that brought the tears out. Taking a deep breath he continued, doing his best to suppress his emotions, "How have you been?"
I see you sitting there calm when you heard the news, as if with quiet acceptance… Had you had suspicions of your health? Why didn't you tell anyone about it? Your father? Your mother? Sonoko? Or even…me?
Surely you will tell me now?
"I'm fine… as ever I am fine…It's been so long since I've heard from you Shinichi… When are you coming back? Are you done with the handling of the case? I… I would like to see you…"
Why won't you tell me the truth?
"I…" his voice caught in his throat which suddenly constricted. "I cannot come back yet… Ran…? Are you sure you are fine?"
"Hmm… yes…" her voice growing fainter, seemingly fading into the rising silence of her room.
"I… promise me something will you?"
"If I can… what is it?"
"Promise me that you will wait for my return… will you?" It was becoming increasingly difficult to speak as his choking grew more frequent while he spoke.
There was a brief stretch of silence that met his ears.
And then came her answer which tore his world to pieces.
"I'll try…"
"Ran…? I… You…" again he found himself incapable of speech, as he stuttered while his mind attempted to string words together to make his scrambled thoughts clear.
"Shinichi… I… We'll talk another day… Goodbye…"
A quiet click ended the conversation.
And like startled birds, his various thoughts flew away. The bowtie fell from his grasp and as he stooped to pick it, he found himself unable to stand again. So there he remained, in the telephone booth where he had made so many calls to her in the past. There he remained, a small lone crouched figure, trembling as tears wrecked him…
All his wit, intelligence and knowledge abandoned him leaving him truly helpless and vulnerable as he realised the full impact of everything.
He was against an enemy he could not fight...
A/N: I know it's probably still short to a reader but it took me a long time to get this out… This is probably my last post until October when my exams end. Wish me luck please I loads of it. Urgh. Just had news that a woman's head was found in the train station. Gosh. Once again I am reminded of life's unpredictability and its fragility. Cherish all that you have before you lose it. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter and didn't find it boring. Feel free to point out any areas that can be improved on or any flaws. Thanks for the reviews! And please review once again thanks!
To
Lutsen: Thank you!
Southpaw: Haha… Firstly, thanks! And about being Yoda-ish, well I am a star wars fanatic and especially love Yoda… Often imitate him in school in fact… Oops, looks like he's growing on me… Hehe… Perhaps I was trying to introduce some sentence variation… Did it really sound awkward? I'll try to change it… Thanks for pointing that out! I never did notice .
Fyliwion: Thank you! I realize I haven't really focused on Ran's emotions yet… More on her next chapter…
Hrtofdrkns: Thanks! Hope that there is a bittersweet element to this.
Koru-chan: Hey thanks!
Fireblazie: This chapter is longer… There is more on Conan… and I guess I haven't really focused on him yet… .
Greatkid4869: Thank you!
Detective Girl 2005: Thanks!
Star: I have no idea what your review meant o.o but thanks!
Gapz: heh thanks… three months… more or less perhaps? What memories? Glad you like it…