THE USUAL DISCLAIMER APPLIES.
FOREWARNING: If you are a hardcore canon fan then this fanfic may not be for you… but with an open mind everyone is welcome to read through!
Conan followed the thinning crowd out of the aircraft to the baggage claim area. His observant eyes easily spotted his luggage from one of the turning baggage carousels. He went over and tried to yank his belongings out of the slow-turning wheel albeit unsuccessful. He grimaced.
This time, fully annoyed at his meagerness, he gathered all his strength and extended his arms again but stopped midway through when a pair of large hands took the handle of his suitcase, pulled it out and set it down.
Conan managed a small thank you in English, still visibly annoyed. The man replied by raising his baseball cap and shortly squandering away. Conan on the other hand dragged his blasted suitcase to the arrival area.
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"Shinichi! Shinichi!" Her mom waved as she spotted him in the thin crowd of foreigners and citizens alike.
Conan scowled, "I'm still Conan, Mom."
"Oh yes. Right. Then I can do this."
Her swift movement took Conan off guard as she swept him off his feet and into her arms, successfully locking him in a tight embrace. When she released him, he was ten shades redder both from embarrassment and from lack of breathing space.
This is one of the reasons why I didn't want to stay with my parents, Ran...
At the sudden remembrance of her, he sobered, his chest suddenly tightening. His parents noticed the sudden change in him. He filled them in vaguely about the talk he had with Ran but the details he kept to himself.
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Her head throbbed like mad, that was Ran's first thought as she opened her eyes.
And as she did so, her eyes met unfamiliar territory. She carefully surveyed her surroundings and from the aching in her lower back she concluded that she was in some cheap motel room.
A scene from a movie she watched with Sonoko suddenly played in her mind. Panicked, she felt herself and tried to look at what she was wearing...if she was indeed wearing anything.
Look down.
But instead she looked up, wanting to build enough courage. When she finally had enough strength in her to look down, she sighed in relief. She was still wearing the same clothes she wore last night.
Or was it last night? her active mind probed.
She tried to recall anything that happened after that night but nothing came, the last thing
she remembered was firing the gun then everything went black.
She was in deep contemplation when the door barged open. She almost jumped from her stiff bed.
The same long silver haired man emerged from the door.
Alarmed, she stood up and readied her fighting stance with aching back and all. She tried to soothe the rapid beating of her heart. "Where am I?"
He simply looked at her, invited himself in and set the black suitcase down by small table at the corner of the room.
"Where am I?" she repeated, her gaze not wavering.
Irritated at her squawking in the wee hours of the morning when he clearly lacked sleep was unforgivable, he pulled out his gun and pointed it at her.
She shivered when a chilly voice rose from her back.
"Silver Tequilla."
"Gin." his tone was disapproving but lowered his gun just the same.
She looked back in apprehension and saw another man with the same long silver hair who was leaning smugly on the bathroom door. Now she had goosebumps all over her as she realized he was there in the room, all the while waiting for her next move.
These guys are dangerous.
You just figured that out now.
She looked from one man to the other. They looked almost alike, from their smart nose to their pointed chin and their tall lanky bodies. Except that the one who pointed a gun at her had azure green eyes and the other man who seemingly looked familiar despite seeing him for the first time had raven blue eyes.
Feeling backed in the corner with no means of escape, she demanded again, giving emphasis on each word, "Where am I? What do you want from me?"
They regarded her as though it was the most idiotic thing to ask.
One name registered in their minds, Shinichi.
"I don't understand where you're going here..." she said deadpanly.
Gin smiled darkly, "We know you know that that kid and Kudo Shinichi are one and the same…"
She just stared blankly into Gin, not giving anything away. Her instinct wanting nothing more than to protect.
"Did you let her inhale too much drug Silver?" Gin inquired.
In which Silver replied with a detached shrug.
Gin slowly neared her and held his gun towards her forehead. "We don't have any need for you then."
Her vision never lost focus, challenging him to pull the trigger. This wasn't the first time
a gun faced her but this might probably be the last time there would be.
She was scared alright, terrified even. But death being her everyday buddy, with much gratitude to her dad and to her childhood bestfriend, made her swallow all her worries away and let logic do the thinking while adrenaline fueled her courage.
She could take them on.
She was about to raise her hand and spat the gun out of his hand when he lowered it. Confusion overtook her at his unwarranted action.
Gin bizzarely laughed, confusing her all the more.
What were they planning?
Silver quietly studied her, inwardly acknowledging how she would really fit her new role once
everything was done.
Gin opened the black attaché case to expose several injections.
Thoroughly stunned as to what she saw, her heart stopped, making her lose her breath. She shivered, her mind flooded with thoughts of needles and her.
She must escape NOW.
From the corner of her eyes, she looked at the window - closed.
The front door - blocked by Silver. She inwardly sighed, the bathroom was her only choice.
She crossed the little distance in a flash, not minding to look back, and locked the door
behind her. She spotted a window. She hopped to the toilet seat and tried to open the window
but it wouldn't budge. Panicked she regarded her knuckles... No she couldn't smash it with her hands, the glass won't shatter completely.
She looked at the door...
Why weren't they pursuing her?
Think later, escape first.
She hurriedly looked for anything solid and saw a wooden toilet plunger. She hit the glass thrice
with all her might and climbed the window sill. She looked down, she was probably 12 feet up the ground.
The door suddenly burst open.
She did not dare look at the intruder but she dared jump. Once in the air she bent her legs and successfully landed on her toes, allowing her bent legs to absorb some of the energy. Now in the absolute mercy of the ground, she rolled forward with her weight as her arms braced the impact.
Safely sprawled on the ground she breathed heavily, her body lax. She rested for a second then gathered her last ounce of strength to stand.
As she stood her eyes came in level with something black.
"That was quite a stunt."
She tried to move but two men from each of her side firmly strapped her in place.
She stubbornly jerked away but their hold on her just tightened.
"Stop moving." a voice from her left firmly ordered.
Her head automatically bobbed left, she locked eyes with intense challenging green eyes.
"Then why don't you just shoot me? You were itching to just awhile back" she countered. She did not know where her blunt courage was coming from but she chose to just go with it.
"Stubborn woman. Don't tempt me."
"Relax Silver." Gin smoothly ordered which the latter acknowledged.
"You prove to be more than what we expected." Gin scratched his pointy chin as he surveyed her.
"Aren't you afraid?"
She was afraid. But curse her if she'll let them notice. "I'll die either way so why be afraid." she answered boldly.
His laughter exploded, disturbing the silence of the night.
"Perhaps it hasn't occurred to you yet... the persons you're leaving when you die. Wouldn't you care what will happen to them now that we know their relationship with Kudo Shinichi?" he caressed his gun in slow vertical movement.
Her brain entirely shut down, her emotions taking the better of her. "You wouldn't dare! Shin-Kudo will never allow that to happen."
"Yes indeed. He will protect them just like how he was protecting you all this time. Hiding the truth from you just so he can keep you from harm... but aren't you mad? Well it's a given that his parents knew but why does that old Dr know?"
She balled her hands, angry.
He knew the right cord to pluck.
"And the only girl aside from his mom that was supposed to know was you wasn't it, but funny how you were never included in their little circle. So you go on wondering where Kudo was when he was with you all along. Sucks doesn't it?"
He looked at her sidewardly, his black hat leaning to the left, his eyes glinting of mockery.
"Don't you just feel betrayed?" He continuously added wood to the fire.
But she refused to be engulfed by it. She moved her head to the side, "Whatever I feel is none of your business."
"Still acting tough are we..."
He pulled out an injection.
She squirmed again." I'd rather die being shot than by getting the shot..." her eyes pointed to the needle. Silver held her arm in place as Gin injected the fluid inside her.
Horrified eyes zeroed in on the intrusive object that clipped her skin. It was slowly releasing unwanted fluid through her system.
They released her from their hold.
Cold.
She suddenly felt cold.
She instantly hugged herself but it did not seem to soothe her.
Suddenly all was still.
She could not hear a single sound from her captors and even from hers.
She opened her mouth but no sound came.
Or was there... but she wasn't hearing it?
She looked around her and saw blurry figures.
She blinked to clear the fogginess of her vision but it remained clouded.
She tightly closed her eyes.
Her head was as heavy as a rock, forcing her to slowly slide to the ground.
Two streams of hot liquid journeyed down her face, slightly warming her pale face.
They were probably laughing at the pathetic sight of hers.
Where was her strength when she needed it?
Where was he...
Where was he when she needed him?
Her lips formed a bitter smile.
It was her fault.
If only she did not let her emotions get the better of her...
If only she tried to listen to him and gave him time to explain...
Then maybe things would have been different...
Maybe then they would have been together now laughing the whole thing out after she gave him a punch here and there.
If only...
But it was too late now.
She did not have the power to turn back time, her mind cryptically reminded her.
As if I did not knew that.
With her last breath, she serenely smiled as she pictured an image of Shinichi.
You stupid idiot.
He would say that for sure.
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Conan tossed and turned, wrinkling his sheets in the process. His body shook as he slept, his rigid muscles acutely aching. He glistened with sweet, the air-conditioning disturbingly unhelpful.
He saw a vision of Ran in his dreams... no one else but her... only her. She was walking away from him.
It sent daggers to his heart.
Ran! Ran! he tried to call out but he was mute. So he tried to reach out to her... for her... but his feet remained unmoving. He sorrowfully watched as the distance between them grew larger and larger.
He felt the sting in his eyes.
Stop, idiot!
Hope filled his eyes as she stopped and an aching minute passed before she turned and faced him.
She smiled at him, her eyes soaring with emotions.
Goodbye.
Nooooooo!
He awoke with a start, violently clutching his chest as he sat upright from his bed, his laboured breathing disturbing the silence.
Was Ran alright? Could she be in any form of danger?
His hands itched to call her or anyone from Japan but it would be idiotic on his part to do so.
He couldn't risk being tracked by the black organization or worst endangering the life of anyone who is connected to him. He couldn't and wouldn't risk that.
Be alright Ran. Be alright.
"Shinihi! Shinichi!", his mother annoyingly chirped while banging the door.
Annoyance replaced the worry he felt but strangely his heart had yet to stop palpitating.
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His active brain was already forming a plan on how to know of Ran's condition
as his motor parts guided him down the stairs.
One step down and he felt the odd sensation of being watched. He swiftly turned to the outrageously large window adjacent the stairwell and almost gaped at what he saw.
"Still as jumpy as ever, Kudo."
"Haibara."
She walked out of the corner she so comfortably leaned on and shrugged.
Conan noted that she was back to her original form, hope swelled from inside him but he
tried to quench it just in case Haibara was only testing a new antidote.
Haibara unable to read him but able to comprehend him a little, buried his doubts away.
"This time it's permanent."
Conan could not believe his ears so he paused then repeated the only word that clung to him, "Permanent?"
Haibara was not a woman of patience but nodded and repeated the word despite it.
With weakened knees, Conan leaned on the wall opposite hers and stared at the ceiling.
Finally... the waiting's over.
A/N: Sorry for the long update. It took me awhile to actually sit in front of my laptop and write away.
Kudos to the people who kept this on alert:
arxas
koyuninjagirl
Tiffy44
And also to the people who favorite-d:
arxas
Tiffy44
You guys are the coolest, thanks!
I can't promise a short update though but will definitely update this fic from time to time so
please bear with me :D
Reviews are most welcome at all times, positive or negative, I accept everything!