Camping Out I
(ShinxRan)
Disclaimer: Detective Conan belongs to the great Gosho Aoyama-sensei –I am not worthy!- Places that will be mentioned do not belong to me. They were researched by me and all credits to MOTZ1412: A pleasant day to all the passengers! This is your locomotive engineer, Aikamotz and I will be with you for today's trip. Soooooo, today's story is entitled, "Camping Out"!!! –spins her chair like an idiot- and thanks for boarding to Love Express, where every story has it's own fantasy!!
"Shin-chan! We're going camping with Eri overnight!" Yukiko, Shinichi's mom, came into his room, stumbling in excitement.
"Ugn," he nodded without looking at his mom, his book covering his face. He was busy reading another detective story which he borrowed from the library.
Yukiko frowned but, but then again, knowing her…
"I'm getting divorced,"
"Ugn"
"I decided to be an actress again,"
"Ugn"
"You're dad's taking you with him to the States,"
"Ugn"
"Ran's coming with us in the camping," Yukiko smiled with half-moon eyes.
Suddenly, Shinichi lowered his book, exposing only his deep, blue eyes; "really?" his eyes twinkled in interest. Yukiko could almost hear him smile. She nodded excitedly and sat beside Shinichi, "and since Ran's coming, I decided to bring you along too," she grinned, secretly pleading. Shinichi, whose book is still covering half of his face, looked at his mom with one eyebrow raised, "and? What's the catch this time?" he asked, remembering the 'beach incident'…
(FLASHBACK) Shinichi's POV
"Let's go to the beach, Shin-chan! Ran's coming, you know"
And when I finally came along…
"I'm sorry, Shin-chan. Eri and I need to go somewhere so you and Ran can have our room, okay?"
And then, they left us alone… ALONE! We even slept in the same bed!!
(END OF FLASHBACK) END OF Shinichi's POV… and misery
"Well?" Shinichi asked, remembering the smile Yukiko shot at him when she and Eri left him and Ran alone. His eyebrow still raise up, waiting for a reply. Yukiko pouted like a little girl, "I just wanted us to spend a little time together. Ever since your father and I went to States, we never spent time together anymore," she said, forming tears in her eyes.
Obviously, she was acting. That's where she was good at since Shinichi bought it. As he looked at his teary-eyed mother, his eyebrows turmoiled. Finally, he gave in, lowering his book which exposed his whole face, "alright already! Just give me some peace!" he shot his book up again, covering his face. Yukiko stood up wiped her tears but as she left the room, she grinned. (Scary!)
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THE NEXT DAY…
Ding dong!
"I wonder who that could be. Shin-chan, can you please see who it is?" Yukiko asked. Shinichi, who was eating his toast, yawned as he stood up. He went out the front door slamming it behind him. Yukiko, who was cooking, chuckled cheerfully.
Shinichi, nibbling his toast, was greeted by two lovely ladies, standing behind the gates. "Ohayo," he greeted sleepily. "Yes, good morning to you too," Eri smiled, her eyeglasses twinkled as Shinichi opened the gate for them. As the two ladies walked in, Eri walked ahead.
"I'm so excited. Our second time to camp out!" Ran smiled. "Second?" Shinichi asked, finishing his toast. "Eh? You don't remember?" Ran chuckled and stopped walking, "when we were about 8 in age, we went to Camp Zama," she put her index finger on her lips, "it was the time where a fish jumped into your back, inside your shirt and you were jumping around like an idiot," she smiled, remembering the look on Shinichi's face after that incident. Shinichi looked at her with half-moon eyes, "ah, yes.. that stupid carp...," Ran smiled and continued to walked.
Eri entered the kitchen while Ran sat across Shinichi in the dinning room. Shinichi leaned closer, "and?" his eyes still half-moon, "do you know what their catch is this time?" he asked. Ran stared at him in uncertainty, "what do you mean?" raising her right eyebrow. Shinichi leaned back, crossing his arms on his chest, "do you remember the 'beach incident'?" he asked, forming a little blush on his cheeks.
"Oh, THAT one..," Ran's voice trailed off, her cheeks flushing in red.
There was an awkward silence.
Shinichi, who was determined to break the silence, nodded, "yeah. You think they're up to something?" he asked. Ran shook her head, "I don't think so. I told my mom that I'll be coming along to spend some quality time with her. Well, since she doesn't want to stay in dad's office, she agreed to let me come with her," she reasoned out.
Before Shinichi could open his mouth, Yukiko and Eri burst into the dinning room, giggling. Shinichi and Ran just stared at them but they just smiled, "what're you waiting for, you two? C'mon! We need to put some stuff in my car," Yukiko grinned.
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AFTER 30 MINUTES OF WADDING THEIR THINGS INTO YUKIKO'S CAR… (Took them a while... sigh)
"I guess this is it," Yukiko sighed, wiping her sweat from her forehead, as she placed one hand on her waist. "Picnic tables, chairs can be rented there, right?" Eri asked. Yukiko nodded happily to her friend and turned her attention to the two teenagers who were sitting, tired, on the lawn, "good job, you guys!" she smiled. Ran gave Yukiko a 'thumbs up' with a smile while Shinichi, instead of sitting, collapsed tiredly on the lawn, "and to think we're not yet in the camp site," he thought.
"Oh no, I forgot to put the snacks in!" Yukiko pointed at the basket that was beside the tired Shinichi. "Aw. So I guess we have to open the trunk of the car again," Eri thought, imagining how their things would be messy again.
"NO!" Ran and Shinichi, who immediately sat up, exclaimed at the same time. Yukiko looked at the trunk of her car, "well, the trunk's gonna explode if we put in the basket," she shrugged. "Why don't I just put in beside me in the car?" Ran smiled with a sweat drop, her eyebrow twitching. Eri and Yukiko nodded happily. It was part of their plan anyway.
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It was past 1 hour since they left the Kudo residence. Yukiko was driving while listening to music; Eri, who sat on the passenger's seat, was sleeping; Shinichi, who sat behind Eri, had his earphones on, listening to the news. He cupped his cheeks, looking out the window. Ran, who sat next to Shinichi (since the snacks was on her left), was sleeping too. Yukiko smiled as she glanced at the rearview mirror.
As time passed, Ran's head slowly leaned to her right. Suddenly, the road became bumpy, by that, Ran's head leaned on Shinichi's shoulder. He was about to get some sleep when he felt someone leaning on him. He took one glance at Ran and he secretly smiled. He leaned back to get some rest. "Mission accomplished," Yukiko mumbled. Eri sat up and looked back as she nodded, "they think we're sneaky on them but they're the ones who are actually falling for our plans," she whispered with a smile. Yukiko chuckled, "you can't beat the classics," she smiled.
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Ran slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Shinichi's opened book. She sat up, looking at her watch. It was 9 a.m. in the morning.. 2 hours after they left the Beika City. She looked out the window and noticed Shinichi's reflection; he was leaning against the window, sleeping. She smiled as she saw him, so helpless and innocent. It was infrequent to see the Great Detective of the East to be sleeping. His hearing is astonishingly sharp for a person. But now, seeing him, made her realize that he wasn't that 'great'. She giggled to herself and looked out the window.
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It was a hot day but beautiful enough to have a camping. The peaceful sound of the flowing river; the almost inaudible sound of the distant waterfalls, the lovely sound of the birds' chirping were the only source of sound heard in that private campsite. Yep, nothing can compare the exquisite day that they were having. Oh yeah, there's also a sound that I haven't mention, that is, the sound of sobbing.
No, no one's crying in this story. The sobbing sound of Eri Kisaki was the most perceptible in that campsite. "Eri, do you want me to do that for you?" Yukiko smiled with a sweat drop. "I'm perfectly fine," she tried smiling as she sliced the onion in half. Yukiko chuckled and went back to assembling the tents.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps. Their attentions were caught by the yawning girl, who sat of the lying log. "How was your sleep, Ran?" Eri smiled, still sniffing and brushing off a tear on her eye. "It was okay, I guess," Ran stretched. Yukiko chuckled, "it was getting hot inside the car, ne, Eri?" Yukiko said sarcastically, smiling at Eri. She nodded in reply but Ran just yawned. Suddenly, Shinichi appeared out of nowhere, sitting beside Ran, yawning, "still getting use to 'camping', I see," he mumbled to Ran. Ran just nodded lazily.
There was an awkward silence between them, not knowing what to say, since, they were sleepy.
Ran finally stood up, "I think I'll take a walk in the woods," she smiled. Yukiko, feeling the accomplishment that she had managed to assemble the tent, stood up from the ground, "Might as well take Shin-chan with you," she smiled, "or else he would be complaining how bored he's getting," her attention was switched from Ran to Shinichi, who was reading his book by the river.
"I don't know…," Ran put her index finger below her chin, thinking. "That way he could relax a little," Yukiko smiled at Ran and looked at Shinichi with half-moon eyes. "Oi, oi," he thought with half-moon eyes.
"He HAS been reading a lot lately. Maybe he should relax a little," Eri smiled, walking towards Shinichi and gripping his shoulder. "Ouch…," Shinichi thought, still in half-moon eyes.
But then, Ran realized something; something about her mother. 'Relax?!" Ran chuckled, "the only way that you can use the words 'Shinichi' and 'relax' in a sentence is when you put 'doesn't' in the middle," Ran said aloud, loud enough for him to hear, "I bet he doesn't even know how to distinguish a 'tree' from a 'bush'" she smiled, taunting him.
"Hey! I'm a detective. I'm not that dumb, you--" he pointed out.
"Then, prove it, Great Meitantei," Ran looked at him, challenging him. Shinichi looked at her with half-moon eyes, his eyebrow raised, as he closed his book. He stood up, pointing to Ran, "you're on, Karate maniac!"
"Mystery otaku!"
"Head-chopper!"
"Detective freak!"
"Crybaby!"
Ran held a deep breath in surprise, "oh no, you just didn't! Tell me you just didn't say that!" she exclaimed.
"C-R-Y-B-A-B-Y!" Shinichi teased.
Ran held his collar, while Shinichi smiled in victory, "take that back, you…you…" Shinichi looked at her with half moon eyes, smiling, "what?" he asked, his collar being held.
"You…Holmes-freak!!!"
They argued as they walk to the woods, "Gather some twigs for us, will you?" Eri called out before she heard the words "Holmes-freak" from her daughter. Eri sighed, "I wonder if they will be okay..?" she mumbled. Yukiko put her hand on her waist, "They will," she smiled, "get the camera."
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It has been 30 minutes since they left the campsite. Shinichi bent down and pick up some twigs and Ran did the same. There was silence between the childhood friends until, "I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Shinichi looked at the beautiful figure beside him. Ran looked at him and chuckled, "I only taunted you so you could be less freaky," she smiled cheerfully. "I'm acting freaky?" he asked, leaning against the tree. Ran stood straight, "uh-huh. You've been reading since we left and you're freaking out my mom. Mom's not into detectives that loves reading," she coughed a little, remembering her father reading newspapers and listening to the radio. Suddenly, Shinichi laughed. His laughter brought a smile to Ran's face and she couldn't help but laugh with him.
As their laugh faded, Shinichi sat on a large rock as Ran sat beside him. "Though, I didn't expect you to come along in this trip," Ran smiled.
"Yeah, well, I thought it would be fun being with you," he looked up in the sky, not realizing what h had just said. Ran's eyes widened, "what?" she mumbled, her cheeks getting red. Shinichi finally realized what he just said aloud and nervously stood up, "w-well, y-you know.. Since we ARE childhood FRIENDS. I thought we should hang-out in a while. I've been into cases and boy, I sure miss the nature!" he nervously spoke, sweat dropping and blushing. He spoke fast, his heart pounding, "h-hey, I guess we sh-should start gather some woods before i-it gets dark!" he finally finished his sentence.
"You're right," Ran smiled, blushing. She bent down and picked up twigs, trying to hide her blush. Her heart was pounding really fast by now, "did Shinichi j-just…No, he didn't! Snap out of it, Ran! You're loosing it!" she scolded herself, "just tell him that you didn't mean to question what he just told you. Yeah, th-that's cool," she thought, sighing. She gathered all her strength and stood straight, "Shinichi, I….," but he wasn't there anymore. "Shinichi?"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!"
Shinichi hit himself with his free hand while the other hand was holding the twigs he had gathered. "Why in this freakishly-violent-world did I say that to her?" he sighed as he collapsed on the floor. He reached for a twig beside him and began to examine it, "she must've thought I was being an idiot," he put the twig down, "I said too much!" he exclaimed as he massaged his temples.
Suddenly, he had this weird feeling that he was being watched. His eyes widened as he looked around and finally, his stare landed on the bush nearby. "Ran?" he mumbled as he stood up, "it can't be. But I thought mom reserved this site for us only?" he thought as his eyes scanned the surroundings, "is it possible that someone--" his thoughts were cut when he heard a scream.
"Darn it!" he cursed under his breath, "Ran!" he ran towards her direction.
Engineer MOTZ1412:
Attention all passengers of Love Express. We have a slight problem in our engine. Please submit your tickets (reviews) to me. Thank you and have a great day.