Four points of the same star.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Detective Conan.
-...- transceiver talk
FOUR POINTS OF THE SAME STAR Chapter 27: Trust and Hope (A)
Trust: To rely on, to confide, or repose faith.
Hope: To trust with confident expectation of good..
-
It was nearly half past six when Matt, Kaito and Chris walked through the glass doors of Tokyo General Hospital, drawing the stares of the people standing by the lobby. It was quite natural since they were covered in dust, dirt, soot and blood in the boys' case.
Matt walked to the information table, showed his FBI badge to the nurse standing there and asked where the injured agents were.
"Fifth floor." the woman replied. Matt nodded and headed to the elevators followed by the others.
"They're looking at us as though we had sprouted another head." Chris muttered as they got inside the elevator with another couple of people. Kaito smirked.
"They would have stared at us even more if I had come without changing." he remarked silently. Matt and Chris shot him an amused look in reply.
They had come to the hospital after taking another agent's car since the one Matt had driven was damaged beyond repair. As they were heading to the hospital, Kid decided to change in a more un-formal attire: he realised that if he got into the hospital as Kaitou Kid, he would have been recognised by the crowd and would be surrounded by policemen before he had time to blink. So he removed his cloak, his top hat, his suit's jacket and his tie. He pulled his shirt over his white pants, put his monocle on his eye and put on the baseball cap Matt had found hidden somewhere in the car; at least, dressed like this, he didn't draw too much attention. But I suppose that being covered in dirt and ash and wearing a blood stained shirt, does attract attention nevertheless. A few people entered the elevator while another couple left: everyone looked at the three teens as though they were Martians. When they reached the fifth floor, the three nearly sighed in relief as they stepped out.
The fifth floor was chaotic.
Doctors with stethoscopes and carrying clipboards and nurses with armfuls of bandages bustled in and out of the many rooms of the floor. The waiting room was packed with men, mainly injured FBI agents and policemen who were waiting to be treated.
The three teens hardly had time to step closer to the waiting room that a few policemen blocked them; they probably thought that they were in the wrong place. Fortunately, Inspector Scott Knight was nearby and quickly came to retrieve them.
"Xanders, Evans." he said, approaching them.
"Sir." Matt and Chris greeted.
"I was wondering when you would show up, Matt." Knight stated, leading them towards the staircase where no one would have bothered them and where they wouldn't have bothered anyone. "I heard that you had to face a few problems down at the valley. Mind you, a fire, bombs and whatsoever."
"Well, yes but we've got through all of that all in one piece." Matt remarked, "Er.. nearly." He hastily added as Knight eyed his blood soaked trousers and Kaito's bloody arm. "There have been more problems at the Bay. Casualties, I've heard."
"Yes, unfortunately." Scott said with a sigh, "We used bullets with that hypodermic substance that your brother suggested but they, obviously, didn't do the same. It has been quite a fight and we have lost nearly sixty men." Chris gasped while Matt and Kaito's face showed shock. "And our Japanese colleagues' have lost just as many men. But if there's a bright side in all of this, we can say that there aren't any black operatives left: we've caught all of them. Many are going straight to jail where their injuries and wounds will be treated and where they'll wait till their trials. The most seriously wounded will be cured here." He pointed to a lone room at the very end of the left corridor with three FBI men standing in front of it's door.
"Sir, have you seen Ryu?" Matt asked, remembering the main reason he had hurried to the hospital.
"Yes, I think I caught a glimpse of him before. He hurried down that corridor." Scott pointed to his right. "Along with another boy. They were behind a couple of doctors and nurses who were pushing two beds. I don't know who were the ones lying on them but, by the way the doctors were behaving, they must be seriously wounded."
His words didn't lift the teens' spirits at all. They nodded and hurried down the corridor, avoiding to bump into other people. They got at the end of the corridor and found themselves in another waiting room but this one was empty. At the right, there was another door with glass panels.
"Intensive care." Matt muttered, "Damn it.."
He opened it and went in while Chris and Kaito waited outside. This section of the hospital was extremely quiet: the only sound that could be heard was the faint noise of the medical machineries and the low whispering of doctors and nurses. An elderly nurse shot him a rather nasty glare noticing the state of his clothes but before she could stop him, Matt had spotted Ryu and Shinichi and hurried to them.
"Ryu! Shinichi!" he said approaching them. The two boys were leaning against the wall in front of a closed room and looked up as they heard their names. The blonde stood straight as the other got closer to him.
"Matt." he said wearily, "You came."
"Yeah, sorry we're late but we had to sort a few things out at the valley." the dark haired boy replied, noticing that the other looked exhausted. Probably the adrenaline due to the events had made him completely numb to how tired he was before but now it was all coming back. "So, what's going on? How are Rei and Shiho?"
"Rei's in that room." Ryu said, pointing to a room on his left in the far corner, "I didn't get to hear much but I think she was close to die for intoxication; the doctors have taken her there to treat her. While Shiho.." Ryu glanced at Shinichi who hadn't moved to greet the other boy but was leaning on the wall, gazing at the closed doors in front of him with an empty, absent stare. The engineer sighed and turned back to Matt. "Shiho's serious. She's been bleeding the whole way to the hospital even with that paramedic trying to do his best to stop it; they've taken her to the operation theatre an hour ago but.. it's going to be a long operation. The bullet has hit her on the chest: I don't know what damage it may have caused. And no one's giving us any information at all!"
"You don't know what's going on out there, do you?" Matt asked. Ryu looked at him, puzzled, and shook his head. "I talked with Dad while I was getting here: he contacted the hospital as soon as he heard that you guys were heading here in helicopter; he told them that you're involved in a top-secret FBI operation and that they shouldn't ask any questions or inform any authority or whatsoever. Anyway, all the men that have been injured have been brought here." He paused. "Including the Organisation's operatives from the valley."
"The operatives are here?" Ryu asked in disbelief, "Why? I mean, they should be sent straight to jail: they would be treated there!"
"I know but they are too many." Matt replied, "And the most seriously wounded have been sent here: the jail's medical section isn't qualified to treat those types of injuries."
Ryu stared at him but didn't answer and turned away; Shinichi hadn't moved a muscle. Matt didn't bother them further, understanding that they were deeply concerned. And the thought that the men that were involved in their lovers' injury were in the same place where they were wasn't good news. Not at all.
"Excuse me?"
Matt and Ryu turned around.
A doctor and the elderly nurse the lawyer had seen as he entered Intensive Care were standing in front of them.
"Yes?" Ryu asked, hoping that they would give them some news. Shinichi snapped out of his trance and turned to them, too.
The man eyed the three boys in front of him carefully: they were all wounded and were bleeding; they were covered with dirt, dust and also soot. The blond boy also had a few burns.
"What are you three doing here?" he asked.
"We are here for the two girls in these rooms." Ryu replied, slightly disappointed that no news were given, "They are.. with us."
The doctor turned to the nurse who handed him a clipboard: he quickly flipped through the pages and read the reports regarding Rei and Shiho.
"I see... but their treating will take time." the man remarked, looking at them, "I must ask you to leave from here."
The boys couldn't believe their ears.
"What?"
Matt faced the man.
"Excuse me, doctor..." he read the name on his coat. Shimada. "Dr. Shimada, we're from FBI and the two girls in question are our colleagues." he explained, "We're concerned for their state."
"I know which is the situation." the man replied, "I was treating your others colleagues before but that's not the point. I'm sorry but you can't stay here."
"Why not?" Shinichi spoke out at last and his tone was sharp as a blade.
"Did you look at yourselves?" the nurse burst out, clearly annoyed by the boy's tone.
Dr. Shimada turned to the woman.
"Mrs. Inaho, you can go." he said, "I can take care of the situation myself."
The nurse looked at him with a disbelieved look but nevertheless, she walked away, entering in one of the rooms. As soon as she was gone, the doctor turned to the boys with a more sympathetic look.
"I apologize for her." he said, "She's the one in charge here and her duty is to look after the patients and be sure that nothing will harm them." He looked at them. "I can understand that you are concerned for your colleagues' health but we have to worry of our patients and your.. state is not suitable for this place. This is the section of Intensive Care: there are all a series of strict rules to follow for the patients treated here are very serious. I don't know if you have noticed by you are all injured, bleeding and covered with dirt. I'm asking you to leave because it's not hygienic for our patients if you stay here. I hope you understand."
Matt, Ryu and Shinichi looked at each with embarrassment and shame.
"Sorry.." they muttered at unison but the man shook his head.
"I understand." he remarked and as walked them to the door, "If there are news about the two girls' conditions, I'll come or send someone to inform you. Please, stay in the waiting room." He opened the sliding door and turned to them. "By the way, you three need to be treated."
Ryu and Shinichi shook their heads.
"We're not going anywhere till we're sure that Rei and Shiho are fine." Ryu said firmly and Shinichi nodded. "We don't want to take any of the doctors away from them just to treat us."
Dr. Shimada looked slightly taken aback.
'It seemed that the two girls weren't just colleagues, after all...' he thought.
"What about you?" he asked Matt.
"Ehm.. I'm not the only one injured." he said, "There's also another boy outside with a wounded arm. We'll wait till it's necessary: we're not serious. I know you're all busy at the moment."
The doctor nodded.
"I'll treat you in a few minutes. I'm free at the moment." he remarked and walked back to the principal waiting of the fifth floor.
Matt, Ryu and Shinichi turned and saw a group of people in the small waiting room: Kaito, Detective Fabian, Inspectors Knight and Xanders and Agase. The old scientist approached Ryu and Shinichi with badly hidden anxiety.
"Shinichi-kun! Ryu-kun!" he exclaimed, getting close to them, eyes widening as he took in their injuries, "What happened? You didn't tell me anything on the phone! Where's Ai.. Shiho-kun? And Rei-kun?"
Ryu and Shinichi had immediately called Agase once they got inside the hospital and the girls were taken inside Intensive Care. They told him to come the hospital with a change of clothes for each of them and nothing else. Explaining everything was still too hard for them..
The two boys looked at each other.
"I'll explain, Professor." Shinichi said slowly, "Come."
The boy and the man walked towards the staircases. The young detective knew how much the old man cared for Shiho and he wanted to be the one to tell him everything about her conditions. Ryu watched them leave and then turned around to see Matt talking with his father. A few moments later, Dr. Shimada appeared and Matt and Kaito followed him to another room.
Mark Xanders turned to the blond boy; without saying a word but with oddly bright eyes, he hugged him in a fatherly embrace.
"Ryu, my boy." he said, "You don't know how good it is to see you."
"Uncle Mark.." Ryu whispered, biting back a gasp for all the stabs of pain the physical contact caused him, "It's good to see you, too."
The man broke the embrace and held the boy gently by his shoulders and took a good look of him.
"They've really battered you up.." he said, eyes clouding as he took in his injuries, "How is Reila?"
"I don't know. She's been inside a room since we came here and no one came out to tell me anything." Ryu glanced at the man: he seemed slightly battle weary but otherwise he seemed fine. The boy thanked God that his adoptive father had not been harmed or hurt. He looked up, wanting to to talk to him again and ask about the raid but he felt slightly dizzy. Shaking away the feeling, he began to talk with Inspector Xanders, asking him what had happened at the Bay and what would have happened now.
Less than twenty minutes later, Matt and Kaito showed up again. The lawyer was walking on crutches while the magician had his arm on a sling: they both had bandages and band-aids on their face due to the burns and scratches but, on the whole, they looked fine. Mark walked towards Dr. Shimada who was behind the two boys and left Ryu on his own, by the window. He glanced outside and saw a few ambulances coming towards the building: it seemed that there were still many people that had to be treated.
'Rei..' he couldn't help but think of her. He had felt as though his heart had stopped beating when Chris had said that she wasn't breathing: it had been one of the worst moments of his life.
During the trip to the hospital, she was in sort of slumber and hadn't said a word or moved: the paramedic had put an oxygen mask on her to ease her breathing and had given another one to him. Since their arrival, Rei was closed in that room in Intensive Care and no one gave him news of her state. It was unnerving. He looked up and saw Matt talking with his father, Detective Fabian and Inspector Knight; Kaito was sitting on a chair, looking exhausted. The blonde was going to approach him when he felt dizzy again. But the feeling was stronger this time.
Ryu stepped back as the world began to slowly spin in front of him.
He felt tired and all of a sudden he felt his bruises, burns and wounds throbbing painfully. He had reached the wall and felt the cold surface on his blood stained shirt. Cold sweat moistened his face and his body became heavy, as though made of iron.
Without any warning, Ryu crumpled to the ground.
"Ryu!"
Shortly after, another shout was heard.
-
Hiroshi Agase was...
There wasn't a word to explain how he was feeling.
The girl that he cared for as much as a daughter was in critical conditions, fighting between life and death in an operation theatre. He couldn't believe that hardly two days ago, he had seen her safe and sound as she came back from school. He had been happy because she was finally... living.
Living the life she deserved: a happy, carefree life like any other teenager. Although he knew that being a student was only a cover he knew that Ai-kun (he still called her Ai for he was fond of the name that he had chosen for her) was taking in every single bit of this new life, enjoying it till it was possible. She had friends, true friends that she could trust and that trusted her in return. And she had also found more. Love.
Agase looked at Shinichi who didn't dare to meet his gaze. The man eyed his injuries: there was a deep cut on the side of his head and blood was seeping continuously from it going down his neck; his right sleeve was torn and blood was coming out from the gash on his arm; his clothes were tattered and dirty and showed that he had bruises all over his body. But he didn't seem to bother to them at all.
Agase knew Shinichi since he was a child. He still remembered with amusement when the hardly five year old boy appeared in his garden, after having escaped from his garden and nearly giving his mother a heart attack. He was looking for a soccer ball that he had kicked and that had bounced over the wall that divided their houses. The then forty year old man had smiled at the genuine curiosity that the child had shown when he saw the table full of wires and other mechanical accessories. From that day on, with his mother's permission, Shinichi had regularly visited Agase and the man had slowly become accustomed of his presence. He had seen him grow up. He was there when he turned from a sharp, brilliant child to a sharp, outstandingly brilliant detective. He was there to help when he needed aid, giving him his newest devices or just a word of advice if he wanted. Shinichi was like a grandson for Agase but in the past year, he had become like a son. And all because of Ai.
He loved Shiho and she loved him.
The old scientist had seen their relationship blossom under his eyes from cool acquaintances to sarcastic friends, from close work partners to lovers. He had known that it would have happened: he had seen the changes in their attitudes. Their initial mistrust had slowly turned into a mutual feeling of assurance, the witty remarks they often exchanged between themselves hid more than could meet the eye: respect, trust and.. friendship. But as the months went on, their relationship changed: the adventures they went through fortified and tested their unsaid friendship causing fights, tension but nevertheless, Ai and Shinichi remained close. With Rei and Ryu's arrival, they had opened out to them as well, knitting the special bond that characterised the four teens.
But it was afterwards that their relationship really deepened. When they took the antidote and finally returned themselves, Shinichi and A.. Shiho got over their doubts and declared their mutual feelings to each other. Agase had been so happy of that: the two persons he cared for most had found happiness in one another.
And now the boy.. the young man he considered part of his family wouldn't meet his gaze because too guilt-ridden. Shinichi thought it was his fault if Shiho was in this state.
"Shinichi-kun.." the scientist said softly, "Why don't you go and get treated? You are bleeding heavily and your wounds could infect."
The boy shook his head without meeting the man's stare.
"No." he said, "I told the doctors that I won't go anywhere till I'm sure that Shiho is safe... till she's out of danger."
The man couldn't help but feel moved by the boy's sincere concern: he truly loved the girl. But, nevertheless, he had to be treated. If he didn't do something to his injuries, he would take a bed in Intensive Care too. Agase approached Shinichi.
"Shinichi-kun." he said, "I am sure that when she will wake up, Ai-kun will want to see you well and not in this state. Get yourself treated: do it for her."
Shinichi turned to Agase and the man was startled to see the amount of pain and grief in his usually calm eyes. The boy was going to reply when a shout startled both of them.
"What was that?" Agase exclaimed and headed to the source of the shout. Shinichi was going to follow him when something happened, forcing him to grab the banisters of the nearby staircase.
He felt dizzy. His hand rose to his head, clutching it as a wave of pain coursed through his body. Shinichi felt as though his body was in fire: all his wounds and bruises were burning as though someone was pricking them repeatedly with a red-hot poker. He swayed as he felt his legs turn to jelly, too weak to sustain his heavy, lead-like body: he fell on his knees and a gasp of pain escaped his lips.
'No..' he thought desperately, 'No, I can't.. Shiho.. I have to be sure that she's..'
He couldn't finish.
As another wave of pain went through his body followed by a sharp stab at his head, Shinichi collapsed to the floor, face down, his body exhausted by the physical and emotional strain.
Agase turned around only when he heard a girl shout.
"SHINICHI!"
He whipped around and saw the boy on the ground. A girl, Ran, was by his side and he noticed Heiji running down the corridor followed by Kazuha. Without thinking anymore, Agase rushed to Shinichi's side, trying to make him wake up.
Less than five minutes later, a small group of doctors and nurses were rushing down a corridor, pushing two beds in front of them. Ryu and Shinichi were being taken to another ward because there wasn't space in the previous one and they both needed special treatments.
Agase waited near Intensive Care while Matt went to the boys' ward: they agreed to inform each other in case there was any news about the four's conditions.
They only had to wait and see what would happen.
And hope for the best.
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Ran was sitting on a wall bench in the main waiting room of the hospital with Kazuha, Heiji and Detectives Satou and Takagi. Kid was standing at the very corner of the room by the window.
It was nearly midnight but no one in the room seemed to realise it: they were all in silence, waiting. They had been sent there because there was no place in the room near Intensive Care: Agase, Detective Fabian and Inspectors Xanders and Knight were there.
The girl was sitting with her hands on her laps, completely lost in her thoughts and without bothering to the continuous stream of people that entered and exited the rooms nearby.
She was thinking of Shinichi.
She had reached the hospital hours after he had: she had been brought there by Detective Satou along with Takagi and the Osaka teens. She had hastily asked where he was and had rushed to see him but when she got to the fifth floor, she hardly had time to call him that he collapsed on the floor. She just rushed to his side, followed by Agase, and tried to reanimate him and they did wake him at a certain point but..
Ran tightened her fists.
'Even in that state..' she thought, 'Even then, while I was there, he.. he only thought of her..'
FLASHBACK
Ran was running beside Shinichi's bed as he was transported to another ward. She kept calling him continuously, trying to make him come back to senses.
"Shinichi. Shinichi wake up." she said, fear in her tone, "Don't leave... Wake up."
As she was saying this, the boy groaned slightly and feebly opened his eyes. Ran couldn't help but cry in delight but her smile vanished as she heard him mutter softly.
"Don't.. give up." Shinichi whispered, tears slowly leaking from his eyes, "Shiho.. don't.. Don't leave me. Please, don't leave me..."
She stopped, rooted on the spot and watched him being taken away.
END FLASHBACK
Ran was truly heartbroken. She had decided to follow Sonoko's advice and try to be friendly with Shinichi, try to get back their former relationship of childhood friends as though nothing had happened; in the meantime, she would have waited for the right time to come, hoping that Shinichi's interest for Miyano was just a infatuation or a small crush. She hoped that, at the end, he would come back to her. But now, she realised that it wasn't possible.
Shinichi truly loved Miyano: she had seen it during this incredible day she had lived. She saw his open concern for her when she accepted to meet the Organisation's member alone, how he dashed to save her from being killed. And how, unconsciously he cried for her. Shinichi never cried: she had never seen him cry. And now, instead..
'I still love him.' she thought, 'I'll keep loving him... But Shinichi loves her.'
And the only thought, shattered her heart once again.
"Ran-san?"
The girl looked up and saw Heiji standing in front of her.
"Yes?"
"The car is waiting for us."
More than an hour ago, a policeman had arrived asking for Kogoroh Mouri's daughter. As soon as Ran had stood up, he told her that her father was at the main police station with Inspectors Megure and Hattori and the other American Inspectors: he had asked him to tell her to go home and take Heiji and Kazuha with her. Inspector Hattori had told his son to do as he was told.
They all realised that arguing was useless. The Inspectors were all busy with the captives and the teens couldn't bother them. Ran got up and nodded at Heiji; Kazuha was next to them. The three walked down the corridor after having bid goodbye to Detectives Satou and Takagi. Kazuha glanced at Ran and saw her gloomy expression.
"We can come back in the morning." she said in an attempt to console her, "Kudo-san and the others should be fine by then."
Ran looked up at her.
"Yes." she said with a small smile.
Heiji who was walking in front of them and had heard their dialogue, lowered the cap on his eyes as a small frown creased his features.
He hoped they would be fine.
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The sun was shining and it was very warm. Lunch break had started from a bit.
He was sitting on the ground, leaning with his back on the trunk of a large tree. It was his favorite spot at the campus: silent and completely hidden from view. He had just had lunch and had come there to relax before attending his next class. He reached for his backpack and drew out his Mp3 reader and turned it on, selecting a random song.
He was tired. He had spent half of his sleeping hours to study and now he felt his eyes closing on their own will. He really wished to go home and sleep but the class was important and he didn't know anyone that could lend him the notes. He smirked mirthlessly and closed his eyes.
'That's the inconvenient of being the youngest..' he thought, 'Many people look at you as though you were an alien while others treat you as a child.'
The only people he had befriended were Christine and Lucas, two of Matt's friends. Nobody else. And many months had passed since he was at university. Maybe he had to get used of it.
Feeling drowsy every passing second, he yanked the earphones out of his ears and stuffed the Mp3 reader back in his backpack; with his eyes still closed, he got up, thinking of the water fountain that was nearby. Maybe washing his face with cold water would help...
He yawned picking up his backpack and stepped out of his 'hiding' and turned to his left. The next thing he knew was that someone collided into him. A gasp was heard and a few books and a note book fell on the ground.
Ryu stepped back in an attempt to keep his balance; the person he crashed into did the same.
"Gomen.." he said automatically and stiffened slightly realising that he had inadvertently spoken in his home language. "I mean.."
"Gomenasai."
His eyes widened slightly as he heard the other mutter an apology in Japanese as well. He looked up and saw that 'the other' was a girl.
"Sorry, I mean." she said apologetically, "I didn't see you."
"N.. no, don't worry." he stammered, "It's my fault. I... I just popped out of.. nowhere."
He always felt slightly uncomfortable when girls were around but with this girl, he felt extremely embarrassed. He had just realised that she was probably his age and was also particularly pretty. Very pretty. Realising that he had been staring her for a longer time than just a look, he shifted his gaze elsewhere and seeing her books on the ground, he bent down to pick them up followed suite by her. There was a notebook and a textbook on computer science but also a novel.
"Thank you." she replied with a small smile as he handed her the books. She looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, "Excuse me, but are you Japanese?"
He nodded.
"Yes." he said, "Well, half- Japanese. And you're Japanese too, right?"
"Yes, I moved here a few months ago from Tokyo."
He noticed that something flickered through her eyes, some emotion, but it disappeared so quickly that he wondered if it was just a trick of light.
"What are you studying?" she asked after a while.
"Engineering. Mechanical and Electronic Engineering." he replied, "What about you?"
"Computer Science." she said and a smile grazed her lips again, "I think we're attending a few classes together. I probably saw you during Computer Basis."
He thought of it for a few seconds and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I remember too." he remarked and absently passed his hand through his hair. All his sleepiness had definitely fled away. "Are you also taking Physics?"
"Yes, it's compulsory for my courses."
"Well, I'm attending it too." He gestured towards the building opposite them, "We can go together if you want: the class starts in another half an hour."
She nodded, shifting her books in her arms and walked by his side. After a few minutes of silence, she glanced at him.
"Do you mind a question?" she asked.
"No, not all." he said, "Go ahead."
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"Really?"
"Yes." He slanted a glance at her. "You don't look much older than me."
"No indeed. I'm fifteen too. I'm just a bit surprised: I thought that I was the youngest here and it made me feel a bit.."
"Out of place." he finished. Noticing the look on her face, he smiled, "I feel like that too."
"It's good to know that I'm not alone then."
"Yes."
"Are you here in New York with your family or are you an exchange student?"
He stiffened for the smallest of seconds as she made the question.
"No, I live here with my.. foster parents." he replied. It had to be a trick of his emotions, this sudden hesitation to refer to Matt's parents. He still felt a pang whenever he heard or said the word 'parents' or 'family'. The past was still to painful to recall and the wounds in his heart and soul were still too fresh.
"Oh.." she said and then added after a few seconds of silence, "Well, I'm here with my guardian."
He stole a glance at her as she said this. Her face was straight, calm, showing no sign of emotion or weakness but her eyes betrayed her: he saw a glint of some kind of feeling flash in her blue orbs again. But he didn't budge her.
Unlike other people, she didn't want to know more about this. Although he didn't know many people here at university and he didn't have many friends, he was well-known in the campus. Being one of the youngest students and, though he would never admit it, one of the most popular boys, many rumours about him circled around. The fact that he lived with Matt Xanders, another popular boy, and that both said to be brothers was common news. Matt and he were physically very different: one black haired with green eyes, the other blond with light blue eyes and their personalities were different too; so, many wondered why they said that they were brothers. The boys had always given vague answers on this subject but it seemed to satisfy the questioners. And this girl, unlike the others, had only accepted the news, stating indirectly that she was in similar situation.
He felt as there was a sort of silent understanding between them.
As they reached the front door of the main building, he pushed the door open, stepping aside to allow her to enter first. She flashed him an appreciative smile and stepped in. He found himself smiling like an idiot and mentally smacked himself.
'What the heck is wrong with me?' he wondered, surprised that she hadn't noticed his foolish behaviour, 'It's not like me to be like this!'
He closed the door and hurried to catch up with her since she was waiting near the staircase for him. As they walked, he remembered the novel.
"You like Sherlock Holmes." It was a statement more than a question.
She looked up at him.
"Yes. I see you noticed the book before." she replied and he nodded. "I've read the whole set of books about him but I like rereading them. I think that they are among the few novels that involves you the more you read them."
"Yes, you can always find a detail that you hadn't noticed before or see the story from another point of view."
She glanced at him with smile.
"Oh, we have an expert here." she stated, a teasing tone in her voice.
He blushed slightly and shrugged.
They entered their classroom, finding it half empty: many students were studying there. They walked to the front and took seat. As they sat down, he realised that he hadn't still introduced himself.
"Geez, my manners must have gone on a holiday.." he muttered under his breath and turned to his side, "Sorry, I forgot to do this before. I'm Ryu." He stretched out his hand, "Ryuji Xanders. Ryu for short. Pleased to meet you."
"I am Rei." she said shaking his hand with a smile, "Reila Ikeda. Rei for friends. Pleased to meet you, too."
He forcefully ignored the near-electric jolt that passed through his entire body as their hands made contact. This was strange. It wasn't like him to be like that. To feel like that.
And yet there he was with something that turned inside his stomach, a new, unknown fluttering of emotions tugging his heart, causing a blush to darken his usually cool and composed face.
"What… is going on with me?" he mused, sincerely confused.
She looked up and shot him a small smile before turning back to the book she was reading and he felt all these feelings redouble inside him.
He only knew one thing. She was special. There was something in her that changed him.
Yes. Rei was special.
Blue eyes opened slowly.
That was their first meeting..
Ryu sat up with a start.
"Ow.."
He clutched his head and then his hand slowly slid to his shoulders and to his back. Every single muscle of his body was aching. Honestly speaking, he felt as though all his bones were aching too. He looked around and saw that he was in a hospital room. Alone and with a few machineries around his bed. Only then, he noticed that he had a oxygen mask on his mouth.
'I passed out.' he thought, removing the mask and remembering what had happened, 'I wonder how long I've been in here.'
He felt strangely relaxed: maybe, a bit of sleep must have calmed his tensed nerves. Without thinking, he got out of bed, wincing in pain. He wasn't wearing his clothes anymore but the hospital large shirts, the ones that reached your knees. With a smirk, Ryu realised that his clothes must have been thrown away in the best of cases; in this unnaturally clean and sterile building, his blood stained, soaked and dirty clothes were certainly out of place. He still remembered the face of the nurse down at Intensive Care.
He looked around the room and his eyes lit up when he saw the backpack placed on a chair.
"Agase.." he muttered and walked to get it. As he did so, he passed next to the window and through the shutters' holes, he saw that it was pitch black outside. Remembering that it getting dark last time he looked out, he realised that many hours had passed: it must be past one in the morning for sure. Ryu also caught a glimpse of his reflection on the window and arched an eyebrow in amusement.
"Well, I've been patched up quite a bit." he muttered and unzipped the backpack to retrieve some clothes. He put on a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt: they were both a bit large so it didn't hurt him when he slipped them on. He also found a pair of socks and trainers inside: it seemed that his other shoes had 'mysteriously' disappeared too.
As soon as he was dressed, Ryu glanced at the bedside table and saw a black mass of thread on it along with a silver chain. Automatically, bringing his hand to his neck, Ryu felt nothing but the bandages and realised that it was his own thread chain. He took the thread in his hand and saw that it was burnt and ripped: the silver star was still on it. There was also a thin, coloured chain of thread: it was the lucky charm that he, Rei and Matt had made more than a year ago.
Without hesitation, Ryu unhooked the star and rolled the two different thread chains together till they became one; then, he hooked the star back on it and tied it around his wrist. He couldn't get rid of them: they were both symbols of friendship. He took the silver chain and stuffed it in his jeans' pocket.
And now, he wanted to know how Rei was.
-
Matt was standing in the middle of a hallway, leaning on the wall with his crutches by his side. He had been in that position for four hours, waiting that someone would give him news about Ryu or Shinichi but after having taken them to different rooms and treated them, the doctors had said that they had to wait. Period.
And Matt was waiting.
He tilted his head as he heard approaching footsteps and saw Chris walking towards him.
"Hey." she said with a small smile, leaning on the wall next to him.
"Hey." he greeted.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. The wound's not serious: a couple of weeks and I'll be able to run New York's marathon if I wish."
Chris smiled, glad to see that he still had his sense of humor.
"What about Ryu and Kudo?"
"I have no idea. The doctors said that they're not in life danger and that we just have to wait till they wake up. I heard that they said something similar about the girls too, though I don't the details."
"I see."
After a momentary silence, Matt turned to Chris.
"Where have you been?" he asked, "I lost sight of you since I went inside Intensive Care."
"I went to see how the others were." she replied, "Our colleagues and everyone else. But I also looked around for Lucas when I heard that he had been shot."
"What? When? How is he doing?"
"Well, during the raid but he's fine. Nothing serious: a stray bullet just went through his arm. I just went to check."
Matt nodded, ignoring the stab of annoyance he felt as he sensed Chris' attention towards Lucas. The two of them were very close: it had always been like since he met them more than four years ago.
"And then? You stayed there with him?" he asked absently.
"For a while." she replied, "Then I had to find a phone and call home to say I was safe and sound and then call my aunt to say that Lucas was fine too and.."
Matt who was listening carelessly to her, looked up as he registered something she had said.
"Your Aunt?" he interrupted.
"Yes, Lucas' mother."
"His mother is your aunt?"
"Well, I suppose so since we're cousins." she replied, looking slightly abashed by his reaction.
Matt looked at her in disbelief.
"You two are cousins?"
At this, Chris looked at him.
"Yes." she remarked in surprise, "Everyone knows that."
"I didn't."
"You can't be serious, Matt." But the look of disbelieved surprise on his face showed that he truly didn't know. "Oh, good Lord.. Didn't you ever wonder why we hang out together so often? Or why we know where the other lives and so on?"
"Well, yes but.." Matt was so surprised that he couldn't find the words, "But your surnames are different!"
Chris rolled her eyes, half-frustrated.
"Oh, come on, Matt!" she exclaimed, "You can't be so dense! Our mothers are sisters and that's why we have different surnames."
Matt felt as though he was the world's biggest idiot. Yet, a bubbling feeling rose inside his stomach.
Chris was still surprised.
"I can't believe it." she said, "I think everyone at FBI knows that we're related." Then after a moment of silence, she turned to him. "What did you think we were then?" she asked as an afterthought.
Matt didn't reply and turned to the other side: he was finding the wall quite interesting at the moment. Chris stared at him.
"Matt? Well?" she asked, "Come on, you surely couldn't be thinking that we were.. I don't know.. dating or something, did you?" He blushed slightly, scratching the side of his face in embarrassment and she finally realised what had gone through his mind, "No way.. You thought that Lucas and I were dating? As a couple?" She stared at him a moment and then broke down in silent laughter.
Matt frowned in annoyance.
"Well, I only made a mistake." he retorted, "What's so funny about that?"
Chris looked at him, still shaking with mirth.
"No.. it's just that.. I know Luc since I was in diapers. We have grown up together: he's like a brother for me more than a cousin. I can't even imagine him as a boy to... date. " Chris was trying hard not to laugh but the situation was just too absurd. "I can't wait to tell this to him: Luc will laugh his head off." Hilarity got over her again.
Matt watched her in amusement: it was rare to see her laugh like that.
"Finished over there?" he asked after a while, "Or are you going on for another round?"
Chris shook her head, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.
This finally explained a few of Matt's strange behaviours: she had noticed that a inexplicable frown would appear, and then disappear from his face in a flash, whenever she talked with Lucas. Or he wouldn't meet her eyes if Lucas was around. She glanced at him: he had a few band aids on his face to cover the scratches due to the explosions; she had some too and also on her arms.
"Why didn't you ask?" she asked after a bit, "It would have saved us this scene."
Matt shrugged, still face turned.
"It wasn't something about me." he replied, "It's not like your love life is my business.."
Chris felt a hint in his tone that seemed to imply the opposite. Matt could be brilliant in many fields but honestly, girls weren't included in them. As for all boys: they were all particularly dense when it came to feelings. Realising that she had do the first move, Chris turned to him.
"Matt."
He turned around, his jet-black hair falling magnificently into his brilliant green eyes. The next thing he knew was Chris' lips brush against his in a light kiss. It happened so quickly that the boy only had time to detect a sweet scent before she stepped back, just a few centimeters between them.
Chris smiled coyly at the flustered looking Matt.
"You fool..." she whispered, "It is your business."
Finally, the boy put two and two together and a smile crept on his face.
"It seems so." he replied softly.
She stepped back, feeling his embarrassment and happiness.
"I'll go and see the others." she said and turned to leave. However, Matt surprised her.
"Chris."
The girl hardly turned around that he had bent down, placing his lips on hers, his green eyes boring into her hazel ones. He reached for a cheek with his crutch-free hand, bringing her closer to him and deepening the kiss. Chris murmured softly against his lips as one thought went through her mind.
'He isn't so dense after all.'
When they parted, both flushed in face, they exchanged a smile.
"See you later." she said and walked away, leaving him smiling and feeling elated. He snapped out of his trance when he heard an amused voice behind him.
"About time, brother."
Matt whipped around despite his bandaged leg and saw Ryu standing by his room's door. The boy's eyes widened.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, walking towards him on his crutches, "When did you wake up?"
"A while ago." he replied, "I spent a bit of time to get dressed: you know with all these bruises, bumps, burns and whatsoever I've got the mobility of statue."
"Thank God that you can still move." The young lawyer looked at the blond suspiciously. "How long have you been there?"
Ryu smiled slyly.
"You wouldn't like to know." he stated, making the other blush.
"Whatever." Matt mumbled. Then, he looked up with a serious expression, "How are you feeling?"
"Better. I'm still wincing whenever I move but that's not a problem."
"I think we should call a doctor and have you checked."
Ryu shook his head.
"No, Matt." he said, "I know doctors: they'll say to stay in bed and rest but I'm not going to do it." Concern was reflected in his eyes. "How's Rei? And Shiho?"
"You forgot Shinichi."
"What? What happened to him?"
"He fainted, just like you; probably for the blood loss due to his injuries or maybe because he was exhausted. Mentally and physically."
"But he's fine, right?"
"Yes, he only has to rest a bit, just like you."
"And Rei and Shiho?"
"I don't know much of them since I've been here all the time but from what I've heard Shiho's operation is over and the bullet has been extracted but she's still in Intensive Care. As for Rei, they've moved her to another ward: she's out of danger." Matt smiled at the look of relief on Ryu's face. "They're waiting for both of them to wake up to be sure of their conditions."
"Where did they take her, Matt?" the blond asked, "I'm going there."
Knowing that stopping him would have been vain, Matt nodded.
"Room 203." he said.
Ryu smiled and walked past him. As he was going away, Matt remembered that he had something for him and put his hand in his trousers' pocket.
"Hey, Ryu!" he called out and the boy turned around. "Catch!"
The blond saw him throw something and caught the golden glimmer in midair; his eyes widened when he saw what it was and he looked at Matt questioningly.
"How did you get it?" he asked.
Matt smirked.
"I have my ways." he replied, "Come on, go to her."
Ryu nodded and walked off. As soon as he was out of sight, Matt sighed in relief: his brother was fine. He turned to the closed door on his right.
'Now it's your turn Shinichi..' he whispered, 'Wake up. And then you Rei. And you too, Shiho." He glanced down the corridor as he said this. "I want the four of you back with us. All four."
Matt was distracted by the sound of approaching footsteps. He turned to his side and saw his father walking towards him.
"Dad!" he said with a smile, "Ryu's all right. He got up and has.." He stopped abruptly and the smile on his face faded when he noticed his father's grim look. "What happened?"
Mark Xanders looked at his son.
"There's a problem." he said shortly.
Matt felt his heart sink.
What had happened now?
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Pitch black. Quietness.
It was the only thing she saw and heard when she finally came back to senses. Confusion filled her mind.
'Where..? Where am I?'
She didn't have a clue of where she was and she only vaguely remembered the past events. Her thoughts slowly began to clear out.
'The bombs... the fire... Ryu... Ryu?' She gasped. 'Ryu!'
She bolted up straight.
"Ow.."
Her head was aching and the pain seemed to extend to the rest of her body. She reached for her head with her left hand but felt it unusually heavy and hard. She felt something over a mouth and guessed that it was an oxygen mask. She then also realised that she still saw everything in black. A feeling of dread coursed through her.
"How are you feeling, my dear?"
Rei turned to her right towards the voice: it was a woman.
"Who are you?" she asked. Her voice sounded different through the mask. "And where am I?"
"Don't worry." the woman said soothingly, "I am a nurse and you're in a room of Tokyo General Hospital, Miss Ikeda."
Rei slowly recalled the trip in helicopter. She was on the floor and a paramedic had put an oxygen mask on her; she had caught a glimpse of Shiho, lying next to her covered in blood and suffering and also of Shinichi, looking utterly distraught. She vaguely remembered seeing Ryu, sitting at the front, breathing through an oxygen supply.
"What about my friends?" she asked, "I came with two boys and another girl. How are they?"
"Don't get tensed now." the nurse warned her, "I think you should think of yourself now."
Her tone left Rei in little doubt that arguing was fruitless. She heard the woman approach her bed and gently remove the mask from her mouth.
"What happened to my eyes?" she asked, a hint of worry in her tone.
"There were miniature fragments of dust and ash in your eyes. We cleaned them with an eyewash and put a bandage to cover them so that it would have made effect." the woman replied, "I'll remove it in a minute: you had it on for nearly six hours."
"Six hours? I slept for all that time?" Then as an afterthought, she asked, "What's the time now anyway?"
"Half past four."
"In the morning?"
"Yes. By the way, you didn't sleep only six hours but eight and if we also count the two hours when you were in a pained slumber before being sedated, they are ten."
Rei was surprised: time had run on fast forward without her knowledge.
"So, how are you feeling?" the nurse asked as she began to undo the bandages around Rei's eyes.
"Fine." she said truthfully, "I do feel a bit of pain from my hand and head but I feel very.. relaxed."
"Oh, that's a common effect. You've been sedated to allow you to recover."
'Sedated, huh?' Rei thought, 'Well, this explains my odd calm despite the situation.'
The nurse went on with her medical bulletin.
"Anyway, you have a bruise at the back of your head." Rei reached to touch the area above her nape with her right hand and found a lump the size of an egg and winced. "Your left wrist is not broken though a few fingers are badly twisted. All in all, after a week or two of rest, you should be back as new. As for your eyes..." The nurse freed her from the last layer of bandages and then removed the two cotton disks on her eyes. "Open them slowly and tell me if you see well."
Rei did as she was told and slowly peeled her eyelids apart.
Everything was black at first but then it started to brighten. She opened and closed her eyes repeatedly in an attempt to focus better; instantly, she watched the two blurry-looking floating chairs in front of her merge into one. The room had white walls and a light green tiled floor and her bed was in the center, headboard against the wall. There was a white metal wardrobe on her left, a steel table on her right with two chairs next to it; a chair was in front of her and it was probably where the nurse had been sitting till now. She was sitting on a typical hospital bed that had white sheets and covers and she noticed that she was wearing one of that horrid hospital shirts that went down to her knees. Her initial wonder vanished on the spot when she recalled the state of her clothing.
She saw a machine on her left side: it had been monitoring her respiratory system constantly and was connected to an oxygen bottle. Rei turned to look at her right hand and found it plastered up to her wrist leaving only the last two finger visible. Remembering how she had freed herself from the handcuff, she had to be glad that she hadn't broken her bones.
"Well?"
Rei turned to her left and saw a nurse in her early thirties with short black hair, hidden under the uniform's hat. She looked slightly concerned.
"I'm fine thanks." Rei said with a smile, "I see everything very well: all the colours, all the details.. Everything."
"Very good." the woman said with a smile.
"Can I get up?" Rei asked, "I want to know how my friends are doing."
"What? No! You have to rest, Miss Ikeda: you have gone through respiratory problems. The doctors have ordered bed rest for you."
Rei looked at her.
"I will be careful." she said, "I won't strain myself and if I feel tired I'll come here straightforward but, please let me go and see them."
The pleading note in her tone and the concern in her blue eyes made the nurse soften.
"Oh.. All right." she said at the end, making Rei smile widely, "But if you don't feel well.."
"I'll come straight here and rest." the girl finished, "Like a model patient."
The nurse smiled.
"There's a backpack with your clothes in the cupboard." she remarked. Seeing Rei's questioning gaze, she continued, "An old man, I think a relative of the other girl that came with you brought it here."
"An old man?" the girl asked, "With glasses?"
When the nurse nodded, Rei understood who it was.
'Agase..'
She slowly got out of bed, wincing slightly as she felt her muscles, bones and injuries ache. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the closed window's mirror.
She had a bandage around her head, due to the blow that had knocked her out in the forest hours ago, a few band aids on her face and other bandages on her arms. She realised that the nurses must have washed her when she was asleep because she wasn't covered in ash and blood anymore and even her hair wasn't mattered with blood or soot either. The nurse approached her, holding the backpack.
"I will wait outside." she said, "In case you need me." The woman had realised that Rei was a self-sufficient person. The girl smiled and slowly walked to the bathroom and opened the door. She unzipped the backpack and took out a pair of loose black trousers and a light blue blouse with short sleeves. As she bent down to slip on a pair of socks and the trainers, she smirked thinking that her other trainers had nearly melted in her attempt to start a fire, burning her jeans too. When she was ready, she pushed the door open and found the nurse by the door.
"You have a visit." she remarked with a smile, "Your friend knows where you have to go afterwards, so I will leave. Call me if you need anything."
"Yes. Thank you." Rei said gratefully but then wondered who was there to visit her. Agase?
The nurse left, leaving the door half closed. Rei walked towards it but stopped when it opened again. Her heartbeats doubled within seconds while a smile crossed her face.
He entered timidly, closing the door softly behind him as though she was asleep and he didn't want to make noise but when he caught sight of her standing in the middle of the room, he smiled and his eyes lit up. Rei didn't even have the chance to step forward that he had reached her with a few quick strides and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in a gentle embrace.
"Rei.." he whispered in her hair.
The girl felt a lump in her throat as she hugged him back.
"Ryu.." she murmured, "You're... you're fine."
He nodded, pulling her closer to him and ignoring the light stabs of pain coming from his injuries. They stayed like this for a few minutes, both unable to express themselves through words: happiness, relief and many other emotions were raging through their hearts. When they finally broke the embrace, they looked at each other; Rei gasped as she noticed Ryu's state: she hadn't caught it completely before.
A thin bandage was around his forehead, band aids on his face and a thick bandaging started from his neck to his shoulders and down his back and chest; she could see the white stripes of material through his shirt. Even his hands had a thin bandaging.
She laid her arm on his shoulder as her eyes scanned him from head to toe.
"What happened to you?" she asked, concern clear in her tone, "The last time I saw you, you didn't have all these injuries."
"Well, that was before I jumped down from a seven meter high window." Ryu remarked airily, "Oh, and before I smashed against a car's front."
Rei stared at him.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
Ryu took her hand, lead her to the bed and made her sit down; then he took a chair and sat down in front of her. He knew that she was still weak and didn't want her to get tired.
"How much do you remember?" he asked.
"Well, the fire was encircling us." Rei started, aware that he was still holding her hand, "You threw the chair against the window and then.. You covered my head with your jacket and told me that everything would have gone well... You smiled when you said this." She paused for a moment. "I don't remember everything afterwards: I just remember voices and a few flashes of the trip to come here." Rei looked at Ryu. "What happened after? We dived from the window and..?"
The boy told her everything. They were flying down while Matt and FBI were there ready to catch them when Kid showed up on his hang glider; he grabbed the magician's hand but as the last bomb set off, they couldn't hold the grip and were sent flying away because of the shock wave. He crashed against James Fabian's car with her, destroying it.
Rei's face showed that she was beyond being shocked or surprised; she finally understood why Ryu resembled to a mummy now. She was going to ask him something when she caught his stare and was startled to see his usually clear eyes shining with tears.
"Ryu?" she asked in concern, "What..?"
"You.." he whispered, "You were not breathing, Rei."
"What?" Confusion was in her tone, "What do you mean, Ryu?"
"After we crashed against the car, Matt rushed to help us. He lifted us from the car and laid us on the ground; I woke up but you... Chris was checking how you were and she told me that you weren't breathing." Ryu tightened the grip on her hand. "I felt..."
Suddenly Rei recalled something: she had heard something while she wavering from consciousness to unconsciousness..
"Don't you dare, Rei... Don't you dare leave me."
'That's...' she thought, recognising the soft whisper.
"My mind went blank…I didn't know what to do..." he said softly.
"..Not like my mother, my father and Françoise... I wouldn't bear to loose you."
'It's him..'
Rei looked at Ryu. The boy blinked back tears and reached for her cheek with his free hand, gently stroking it. Rei closed her eyes, savouring his touch and remembering something else.
"Rei, I love you. Don't give up... Stay with me.. Don't leave me."
She felt his pain: all his desperation. She vaguely recalled that she felt droplets of water fall on her face. Rei opened her eyes, staring at Ryu again.
'He was.. crying?' she thought, 'For me?'
She had seen cry him only once and it had been for his family. That day he had opened his heart to her, confiding her his hidden feelings and his guilt. And now, he had cried for her.
Without saying anything, Rei leaned forward and hugged him, leaving him quite taken aback; before he could say anything, she moved her lips to his ear.
"I heard you." she whispered.
"What?" he asked in confusion.
"I heard your voice after our dive from the window. I heard you calling me." Rei broke the embrace and looked at him, boring into his light blue eyes. "You were asking me to stay."
A faint line of blush crossed Ryu's face but he smiled nevertheless.
"I was pleading you to stay, Rei." he corrected, "To stay with me." He cupped her face with his hands. "I truly wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you."
The statement had come out of his mouth fluently, with hesitation. Rei blushed and unknowingly to her, a few tears streaked her face.
"I.. I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you either." she whispered and embarrassedly wiped the tears away with her plastered hand. She looked at him, smiling slightly. "I will never leave you. I.."
She couldn't continue for Ryu had leaned forward, hands still cupping her cheeks, and sealed her lips with his in a sweet kiss. Rei's right hand reached for his face and found it moist with tears just like hers. They were tears of joy and great relief.
Rei and Ryu were the kind of people that never allowed emotions to overflow or overcome them. Maybe it was due to their pasts, to the fact that they had lost their families at a young age; or maybe, it was because they had been forced to grow up fast. Perhaps too fast. They had both decided to wear a thin mask that never truly revealed what were their feelings: they would smile, be happy and laugh but deep inside, they wouldn't feel those emotions. It seemed as though their past unhappiness was repelling anything that could make them happy. They both had a guilt complex: guilt for being alive while the ones they loved weren't On the exterior it seemed that they had coped with the loss but inside they had emotions buried deep inside which were waiting for the minimum sign of weakness to explode.
They had removed the masks from their faces hardly a year ago, months after they had befriended. They had already started to work together and in their investigation, they had found out the truth behind their families death. It had been the final straw: Rei and Ryu had been forced to face their pain and, surprisingly, they had discovered that talking to each other was helpful. They soon found out that they could trust each other completely without needing to hide anything and shortly they became the other's confidant. This deepened their friendship.
In the past months, their circle of confidants had enlarged: Shinichi, Shiho, Agase and, of course Matt. But, yet, Ryu and Rei didn't tell them everything about themselves and preferred to talk about their deepest thoughts only with each other. And when they finally admitted their feelings for each other, this bond deepened more. They both knew that they could really be themselves only with one another: they didn't have to hide their emotions.
Slowing parting, Rei leaned her forehead against Ryu's one, her dark brown bangs mingling with his dark blond strands, her lips curving in a smile as she saw him smiling at her.
"I love you too, Ryu." she said softly, "I should have told you this last evening."
He didn't say anything but just reached for her, pulling her in a gentle and warm embrace again. Rei heard him whisper the same three words again in her hair. They didn't move for a few moments and forcefully parted when they recalled their friends.
"How are Shiho and Shinichi?" Rei asked, vaguely remembering their state in the helicopter.
Ryu shook his head.
"I don't know." he said, "Matt didn't know much either."
"We should go to see them."
"Yes."
They were getting up when Rei noticed the thick thread bracelet with the star on Ryu's wrist. As a cue, she reached for her neck and her eyes clouded when she found it bare.
"I found it." Ryu said, noticing her stare, "Don't worry."
Rei's eyes lit up again and she looked at him.
"Where is it?" she asked.
He put his hand in his jeans' pocket, drawing out a silver chain with a crucifix and a star on it. But when she held out her hand, he withdraw the chain out of her reach. He smirked slightly at her annoyed and surprised expression.
"I have something that you will surely appreciate more." he remarked, laying the chain on the bedside table near her bed. He put his hand in his other pocket and withdrew something, hiding it from her view since it was hidden in his fist. She looked at him curiously but he merely smiled, holding out his fist at her eyes' level; without any warning, he opened it and a golden glimmer hung down from it.
Rei's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widened in stunned surprise.
It was a thin golden chain with a golden crucifix.
Hands trembling slightly, she reached for it and took it her cast-free hand. She slowly took the crucifix and turned it around: there was an engraving on the back. Two words. Written in Japanese. Her eyes filled with tears as she read them.
Hope and Trust.
It was her mother's gift.
Rei couldn't find her voice anymore. She looked up at Ryu.
"Matt gave it to me." he said, understanding her state.
"How...?" she choked, "How did he get it?"
"Don't ask me. He just said -I have my ways."
Rei still couldn't believe it. Her chain: the one she had thought she had lost forever. It was in her hands now.
"Do you want me to put it on you?" Ryu asked, gesturing at the golden item.
Rei was going to nod when her eyes fell on the silver chain on the bedside table.
Ryu's chain. His gift to her. She couldn't...
All of a sudden she remembered what her mother had said when she had given her the chain.
"Whenever you will put this chain or even when you just look at it, you will remember me. And all my love for you, darling."
Rei stayed in silence, thinking. Then, a smile crossed her face, her eyes hidden by her bangs.
"I know you will understand, Mum." she whispered to herself and turned to Ryu. The boy just looked back at her in confusion. She took the silver chain and handed it to him.
"Put this one me." she said.
Ryu looked at her in surprise.
"Are you sure?" he asked, "What about..?"
"I know what I'm doing. Don't worry: just put this one on me, please."
Nodding in agreement, the boy did as he was told and put the chain around the girl's neck. Then, as he backed a few steps, she turned around and handed him the gold chain.
"You put this one." she said.
Ryu's eyes widened.
"What?" he asked, "Rei, it's your mother's gift... I don't think that.." He was stopped by the soft touch of her hand on his lips. She smiled at him in that particular way that made his heart melt.
"You gave me this." she said softly, touching the silver chain on her neck, "Your chain. And I want to give you mine. I know that you will keep it well." Ryu still looked stunned, so she continued. "It.. It's a sign.. a symbol of my love and my gratitude. Ryu, you saved my life. I don't think there are words that could express what I feel for you. I don't know how to thank you." Her blue eyes bore into his. She took his hand and put the golden chain in his palm. "Take it."
The boy slowly smiled back and nodded. Bangs shading his eyes, he put the chain on his neck, adjusting the crucifix on the front. He had understood what Rei meant: this wasn't only her way to thank him. She was right there weren't words to explain: their bond was so unique that it was inexplicable. He had saved her life today but she had saved his months ago.
Exchanging their chains was like accepting a piece of the other: Ryu felt as though he had a bit of Rei in him and he was sure that she felt the same. Moving down so that their foreheads touched again, he smiled again.
"You saved me too, Rei." he whispered, "I wouldn't have let anything happen to you."
"I saved you?" she asked, "When?"
"When you told me to open my heart." He took her face in his hands so that they were looking at each other, "I had shut my feelings deep inside, deleting myself in the process. I was acting as another person, trying to cancel who I was because it made me suffer. You brought Ryu Kazama back to life."
Rei couldn't say anything. She just looked at him, taking in his words and gasped slightly when he leaned to kiss her again. She slowly kissed him back as the usual, familiar feelings took over her. Heartbeats quickening, warmth spreading through her body, all rationality fleeing away from her mind, leaving space only for the emotions that he caused in her and, as they deepened the kiss, the feeling of being completed, of being part of something that was made by the two of them and no one else.
Only them.
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Blue eyes opened with a start. For a flash, fear and shock danced in them.
Shinichi sat up on his bed, sweat moistening his forehead and his breath heavy. He winced as a stab of pain came from his head and slowly reached for it: he felt a thick layer of bandages underneath his fingers and as he moved his hand, a sharp pain at his arm made him wince again.
Briefly recalling the past events and the reason of his injuries, he still couldn't understand why he was in one of the hospital's beds. The last thing he remembered was talking to Agase.
Thinking of Agase made him remember someone else.
He tossed the sheets over and got out of bed, ignoring the stabs of pain.
'Shiho..' he thought, getting to his feet, 'How are you now?'
He was walking to the door when he realised that he was bare foot and wearing a white knee-length shirt. Cursing under his breath, he looked around the room and saw the backpack Agase had prepared for all four of them; he pulled out a a white shirt and a blue trousers, slipped on a pair of sock along with his shoes and walked to the table next to his bed where was a jug of water with a glass. His mouth was dry and he needed to drink at least a gulp of water.
As he drank, his eyes flickered around the room, taking in the simpleness and the whiteness, typical of medical environments; his stare fell on the closed window and seeing the dark sky through the shutter's holes, his eyes narrowed. How long had he been asleep?
He saw his stun-gun watch on the bedside table along with his old glasses and the earring telephone; he stuffed everything but his watch in his trousers' pockets. He put the watch and checked the time: three o'clock. Shinichi cursed again and headed to the door.
As he left the room, not even bothering to close the door after him, he only had one thought in his mind. The conditions of a certain reddish-blonde girl.
He was desperately hoping that Shiho was fine.
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Ryu and Rei were walking down a corridor, heading to Intensive Care where Shiho should still be; in the meantime, Ryu was telling Rei all the events that had occurred down at the Bay and at the valley and that she didn't know.
"Shiho took the bullet instead of Shinichi?" Rei asked.
"Yes, near her heart." the boy replied grimly, "And he couldn't do anything but catch her in his arms." He shook his head. "I can imagine how he's feeling."
"But what about him? He was injured too, right?"
"A bullet got Shiho's and his arm. And don't forget the two blows he received on the head by Akai."
Rei sighed.
"I just hope that both are fine."
Ryu looked at her.
"I hope so."
They had identical looks of concern on their faces as they walked on. The hospital was quiet: it seemed that all the other injured policemen and FBI agents had been treated and dismissed. And so were the members of the Organisation because there were no guards in front of any room.
The couple walked down another corridor and got to the small waiting room in front of Intensive Care's ward. They stopped abruptly when they saw the crowd of people in the room.
"Rei!"
"Ryu!"
Chris, Lucas and Kaito got up to greet them. The American girl hugged Rei while the boy grabbed Ryu's hand. Kaito was smiling broadly.
"It's so good to see you." Chris said to Rei, broking the embrace.
"It would have been better if we were in another place though." Rei stated, shaking Lucas' hand.
"Yes."
Suddenly remembering a conversation with Matt, the Japanese girl looked at the American teens.
"Listen, I.. I'm sorry." she said.
"What for?" Lucas asked in bewilderment.
"I didn't tell anyone about our plan. Well, Matt told me about you at.. you know... my funeral."
Lucas and Chris looked at each other and then at Rei.
"Don't worry." the girl said, hugging her again, "It doesn't matter now."
"Next time tell us, though." Lucas remarked with a grin. He turned to Ryu. "And you too: inform us when you decide to vanish in thin air."
Rei and Ryu smiled.
Agase approached them too. Concern was etched on his features.
"Rei-kun, Ryu-kun!" he said, obviously relieved to see them, "How are you? Are you all right?"
"Yes, Agase." the girl said, hugging the old scientist while the boy nodded with a half smile, "What about Shiho? And Shinichi?"
Looking troubled and avoiding the teens' gaze for a second, Agase stayed in silence.
"Shinichi-kun is inside." he said after a few moments, "He woke up and came here more than a hour ago." The man looked at Ryu and Rei with great concern. "He's not himself: he didn't say a word. Just asked about Shiho-kun and then dashed inside."
"How's Shiho?" Ryu echoed Rei's question.
"The operation ended hours ago and the bullet has been extracted but.. they are still keeping her inside. We don't know why. The doctors said that she's under observation but won't give further reasons."
"Nothing at all?" Rei asked.
"Nothing."
A strange feeling of dread surged in Ryu and Rei as they exchanged a glance. The girl sighed slightly and looked around the room: Inspector Knight was sitting in a corner, looking thoughtful; near the window were a man and woman that she vaguely remembered seeing during Conan and Ai's departure.
"Where's Matt?" Ryu asked. He had looked around the room too and had noticed the absence of his brother. He looked at Chris questioningly but she just shrugged.
"The last time I saw him he was in front of your room." Kaito said, "Hours ago."
Arching an eyebrow wondering where Matt could be, Ryu turned to Rei.
"Let's go inside." he said, eyeing the doors in front of him. The girl nodded and the two went inside Intensive Care without hesitation.
They walked down the corridor and found Shinichi standing in front of a door. He didn't seem to hear them coming and looked up, startled, when Rei touched his shoulder.
The girl failed to repress a shudder when she met his stare: he merely looked up at her with blank eyes. Rei had seen him face many situations and couldn't recall to have ever seen him like this. His eyes that would shine excitedly when faced with a challenging case or would glow with determination when protecting others or would turn in that characteristic half-moon shape when annoyed or sarcastic, were now just... just…void. Empty. Ryu was just as shaken as Rei to see Shinichi's state; however, he knew that hidden under the voidness of emotions was a deep pain.
"Shinichi..." Rei said softly, finding her voice.
"Rei.." he replied, a ghost of his usual smile flickered on his face when he looked at her, "You're fine. I'm glad."
She knew he meant it though his eyes and his tone didn't show it. The girl forced a smile, standing next to him.
"Thanks." she whispered, "What about you?" Her eyes scanned him, noticing the bandages around his head; the left side, in particular, had been heavily bandaged and nearly covered his eye; she also saw the bandages around his arm and the plasters on his face.
The boy shrugged.
"I'm all right." he said, "But.." He turned to look at the door, fear flashing in his eyes.
"Any news?" Ryu asked, leaning on the wall opposite the two dark-haired teens.
Shinichi looked at him, surprised as though he had seen him only now. He shook his head.
"No. Nothing," he said, "I've been here for a while and no one has told me anything."
"But the operation's over, right?" the blonde asked, wanting to confirm Agase's words.
"Yes and the bullet's been taken out but.. they don't say how she is."
"Why?" Rei was exasperated.
"I don't know!" Shinichi burst out.
The three fell silent, unable to go on with the conversation. The only sound came from medical machineries used in the ward. After a while, Shinichi broke the trance.
"It's my fault." he blurted out.
"What?" Rei and Ryu turned to him in surprise.
"It's my fault if Shiho's in there." the detective went on, "She took the bullet in my place. I should be on that bed instead of her. I should be fighting for my life, not her."
Rei and Ryu exchanged a glance, knowing what was taking over Shinichi. Guilt. That so familiar feeling to them.
"Shinichi..." Rei started in a soothing tone, "That's not true."
The boy looked at her, desperation in his eyes.
"It is true, Rei." he said sharply, "I'm here, safe and sound while Shiho's in there for something that shouldn't have happened to her." He gritted his teeth and slammed a fist against the wall in frustration. "I promised to be there for her. To protect her.."
"You didn't do it purposely, Shinichi." Ryu stated, leaving the wall and approaching him, "It happened: you couldn't have changed it."
"I should have tried!" Shinichi's voice had turned to an angry whisper. "I shouldn't have let her pull me away or could have stepped to the front.."
"Could have…should have…" the blonde remarked, "But you didn't. There's no point to think of it now: you can't go back and change what happened."
Shinichi's eyes narrowed slightly as anger was slowly building up in him along with all his frustration. Rei and Ryu shot each other the smallest of looks: they had reached their purpose. They knew that Shinichi was bottling up all his feelings up and only making him vent all his anger and bitterness would have made him feel better. They both knew how guilt could make you feel.
"That's rich coming from you." Shinichi snapped, "You didn't seem to think so when you were involved." He looked at Ryu. "Your parents and your sister?" He turned to Rei. "And your family?"
Rei stiffened, Ryu's eyes hardened but neither said a word.
"That's different." the girl remarked coolly.
"Oh really? How?" Annoyance was clear in the detective's tone.
"You still have a chance. It was different for us: when we started to think of what we could have done, it was already too late."
Shinichi looked at her in mild confusion.
"Our families were already dead when we began to think of what could have been done." Ryu pointed out in a very cool tone, "Rei's right: your case is different. Shiho is still alive."
Shinichi paled and felt all his anger disappear, replaced by a burning feeling of shame.
"I...I'm.." he stuttered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.." He looked at his friends apologetically.
Ryu waved his hand, a small smile on his face. Rei smiled too and put a hand on his arm.
"You can still be there for her." she said, "She needs your help now more than ever." Shinichi nodded numbly, bangs hiding his eyes. Rei continued. "And, Shinichi, did you really think that Shiho would stay still while you were in danger?" He didn't answer. "I know that you made her that promise. But you can't honestly be surprised that she stepped in front to take the bullet in your place. You're the only one that can fully understand Shiho and you're the only one that knows how strong are her feelings." Sh paused a moment before going on. "Just think of your own feelings for her: hers are just as strong."
Shinichi didn't say a word but the tremor of his shoulders showed his feelings. Rei glanced at Ryu who nodded. She slowly put her arm around Shinichi and hugged him.
"She will be fine." she whispered, "And you have to be strong. For her. Think of what she would have done in your place. What if the bullet really got you? I'm sure she would have had faith in you: she would have been sure that you would be fine."
"When Shiho will get up, you will have to support her." Ryu remarked slowly, "She will need you. And we.." He gestured to himself and Rei. "We will help as much as we can."
Shinichi choked back tears as he leaned on Rei's shoulder. His inner turmoil had exploded: guilt, concern, anger and many other feelings.
After a few moments, he straightened and hastily wiped the tears away with his sleeve. His shot a look at Rei who smiled slightly and at Ryu who gave him a firm nod.
He wasn't alone. Shiho wasn't alone. There were many people that cared for her and they were all there for her and also for him. Rei was right: he had to be strong.
For Shiho.
No longer he had thought this, the door opposite him opened and a doctor came out. He looked weary but his expression turned to shock when he saw the three teenagers in front of him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, recognising them, "You should be in bed!" He stared at them with an expression torn between bewilderment and shock. He looked at Shinichi. "You had a concussion and heavy blood loss." He turned to Rei. "You nearly died for smoke intoxication." He looked at Ryu. "You had the worst case of exhaustion and physical strain I had ever seen. You three shouldn't be able to move! How did you get here?"
"You owe us an explanation, doctor." Ryu said, stepping in front, "What's going on with Shiho?"
"You just said that the operation is over but what about her conditions?" Rei asked.
"How is she?" Shinichi voiced out.
Unable to meet the three's gaze, the doctor first looked elsewhere and then ran a hand through his hair. It seemed that he was trying to find the right words to start. The three teens exchanged identical glances of concern.
"Yes, the operation has gone well and the bullet has been extracted." the doctor remarked slowly.
"And..?" Rei pressed on.
"Miss Miyano has been seriously wounded." he said seriously, "The bullet has grazed her vital organs: it was just a few inches away from her heart. We treated her and have removed the bullet, despite it's difficult position but she isn't out of danger. Her vital values are unstable."
"What did you do till now then?" Shinichi asked, "The operation ended hours ago: what have you been doing to her?"
The man looked uneasy. The three teens' eyes were fixed on him.
"We didn't notice.." He mumbled, "We didn't notice an inner bleeding."
There was a moment of silence.
"Excuse me?" Ryu asked in disbelief. Rei and Shinichi looked just as bewildered.
"We have been so concerned in removing the bullet and careful not to harm her heart that we didn't notice a small cut on her lung: it was probably made by the bullet and has been bleeding the whole time. Once the operation was over, we thought she would have improved instead her values were still instable. It took us a while to realise the bleeding."
I suppose that the word bewildered and incredule would be an understatement to describe the boys and Rei's inner feelings.
"But.. you are doctors!" Shinichi burst out, "How come you didn't realise it before?"
The man didn't answer.
"We didn't notice it." he said after a while. His tone showed that he was concerned just as them. It also showed an amount of hidden guilt and shame.
Rei put a hand on Shinichi's shoulder, squeezing it slightly.
"How is she now?" she asked.
"We drained the blood away but her conditions are still unstable. We had to sedate her to let her rest; then we will see.." He looked at the three. "It's all up to her, her strength and her desire to live." Ignoring the stunned looks on the their faces, the man nodded. "We will be moving her to a private room in a few minutes but visits will have to wait." he said, regaining a bit of his professional tone, "The patient must not be strained." With that, he left.
His words had worried Shinichi more than anything else. That sentence was whirling in his mind.
'Her desire to live...'
Hadn't Shiho voluntarily taken the APTX-4869 rather than allowing the Organisation to accomplish her death sentence? Hadn't she chosen to end her life with her own hands instead of being killed by the same people that had murdered her family? Fortunately, her creation had betrayed her, shrinking her to the size of a seven year old but even as Ai, hadn't she often thought that her life wasn't as worthy as the ones of the people next to her? Shinichi couldn't help but remember all the times when she chose to sacrifice herself for her friends' safety. For his safety as well.
Ryu was thinking on the same lines: hadn't Shiho accepted to meet Gin rather than risking the others to be hurt?
"Don't even think of it."
The two boys jumped. Rei looked at both with an oddly cool gaze.
"She has changed." she said, "Shiho doesn't value her life less now. We have to trust her." She turned to Shinichi. "You know it: she has more than a person caring for her. She has a family." Rei turned to Ryu. "She has us."
The boys nodded, looking guilty at the thought of having doubted of Shiho's inner strength.
"We should tell Agase." the detective said after a while, "He's worried about her too."
The three turned around and walked back to the main door.
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I had to do it again... Grrrr..
I had to split a chapter in two. And I'm hating myself. -Sigh- I wish I had more time to write..
Anyway, coming back to the point, I'm extremely sorry! I last updated in September!
I tried my best to write the story: whenever I had spare time I set down to write a few lines. I think many will notice that this chapter has been written in different moments. It's pretty obvious in the writing. There are romantic moments, then sad ones, then humorous ones and again romantic ones and so on..
I'll try my best to update soon, though I can't say when. Anyway, I'm NOT stopping the story: updates will come. Slowly but they will come.
I sincerely thank all reviewers and readers.
Oh, by the way, I'm reposting the older chapters, correcting mistakes and adding a few details here and there. If you have time check them out and tell me if there are still mistakes around.
Bye!
REVIEW!
A.N: I hope that there aren't any mistakes left in the chapter now. I reread it and corrected. If there are still mistakes please tell me.
Bye!
