File One Hundred and Twenty-Two: In a Locked Room
Contrary to what he had been fearing, Conan had yet to utter a single word. Gaze stuck on what little laid beyond his window and arms stubbornly crossed over his chest, he was just there, refusing to even glimpse over to their direction.
He said nothing as Kogoro loudly complained about being forced to rent a car in a hurry, instigated by his daughter. Not a word either when Ran fervently denied ─ then denied again ─ doing it for Shinichi, assuring everyone it was for the poor little girl that was caught in the middle of it.
"Professor Agasa is taking the kids home by train. Sonoko is with them too… She's going to get so mad at me…" Smiling lightly, she glanced over her shoulder to talk to the little boy. "She sounded mad before, didn't she?"
For the first time, he made a sound. A noncommittal hum, and then it was silent again.
Maybe it would have been better if he just had been yelled at.
A nervous smile crept up on Shinichi's face, finally daring a glance to the boy sitting at his side. No reaction so far ─ whether it was a good or a bad thing, he could not tell. If anything, he feared that saying anything would push Conan into committing fratricide.
"We're halfway through our way home." But Ai beat him to it, raising her voice from Shinichi's other side with a disinterested tone. "Do you plan on moping around for much longer?"
At least, that triggered a reaction. "Well, forgive me for ruining the mood," he said in a low growl. "Because I'm supposed to be overjoyed after you knocked me out."
Kogoro's head rose sharply. Shinichi had to consciously ignore the shocked look reflected in the rear mirror.
"Oh? That's what you're mad about?" Ai's lips curved as she leaned forward to glance at her friend across Shinichi. "If it makes you feel better, I guess we're even now."
The shocked gaze probed into the 'scandalized' territory. "It… has happened before?"
Nobody answered him.
Conan finally looked away from the window, if only to glare at her. "What was that, revenge?"
"You could say that."
The boy appeared as if he wanted to shoot something back. Her eyebrow rose.
Thus, he went back to his window; the annoyance multiplied by a factor of ten, and to his implacable silence from before.
He would remain like that for the rest of the way, stubborn to move a single muscle even when the car ultimately came to a stop, right in front of the Professor's house, and the sound of a door opening filled his ears ─ the girl had stepped out, eager to head back home after an exhausting day, Conan could imagine.
Closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead against the cool glass, allowing himself to sigh.
An unexpected knocking on the window made him feel as if his entire skull were rumbling. His eyes snapped back open with a startled jump, revealing her inexpressive teal blue orbs, drilling holes at his face from the other side of the window. She did not move, yet appeared to be expecting... something.
It took him a second longer to figure out that she wanted him to lower the window.
"You're not the only one capable of making promises, Conan."
And that seemed to be it. Just like that, she was gone, leaving the boy blinking stupidly at the now empty spot she had been occupying just a second ago. By the time he reacted, the scientist had already made her way all around the car again and stepped into the threshold of her home.
In a flash, Conan had climbed up his brother's legs to reach the other side of the car, frantically lowering the window. "What was all of that about?!" he shouted. "Hey, Ai!"
All she graced him with was a glimpse of her enigmatic smile before the door closed. Conan stayed still in place, his brain doing its absolute best to make sense of the situation, but failing horribly.
With a grumble, he slid back to his original position. "What's up with her?" He did not bother to stop the irritation from sipping on his tone.
Having seen everything, Kogoro raised an eyebrow, while his daughter giggled a little.
Meanwhile, Shinichi wondered if the boy ever noticed the teasing smirk that crawled up on his face, or if he had just opted to ignore it all.
When Conan saw his brother again, he was back in his Hirai Arthur persona.
Smile on his face and a backpack thrown over his shoulder ─ that was how Conan found him upon opening the door. And, while he was not entirely over yesterday's events and his own irritation after figuring out what he had done, Conan managed a little smile.
"Are you leaving?" He wondered if the disappointment had infected his tone.
"Well, I'm not dying anymore," replied Shinichi, chuckling as he did so. "And there isn't this sense of danger looming over you guys here in Beika."
"There's always danger. You just learn to live with it."
His grin faded away, seeing the slight drop on his brother's head, and how he had fallen silent, suddenly, before it went back up. "I might be leaving you again, but I'll be back." Conan lifted his head, eyes widening ever so slightly behind his glasses. "And hopefully by then, things will be different."
For a beat, he was quiet. "Then, I'm off," Shinichi said instead.
Lips twitched, forming a timid smile. "Take care," said Conan.
Thus, Conan watched him go. A lazy wave accompanied by a warm smile was all he saw before his brother finally broke eye contact, turning around to leave. He observed him, each step he took, descending the stairs, one by one.
It would seem like his own feet had acted by themselves, seeing that he was now at the top of those stairs, a few steps away from the doorway he had been rooted in. But he stopped himself from moving any further.
His brother was leaving again, yet this time it was different.
You'll be back. Conan nodded to himself. Let us both give our best to make it happen.
Just as he was about to head back inside, something whizzed right past him, so he looked back to the front, where the tips of Ran's long hair flickered with every step she took down the stairs. By the time she made it to ground level, she was panting lightly, yet she did not let it stop her.
Shinichi gazed at her through Arthur's eyes.
That much had done the trick, rendering her unable to do little else besides stand there, rooted in her spot, hindered by her own hesitation. "You…" she managed, much softer than intended. "Are you really leaving?"
The boy in front of her nodded. "I had a lot of fun here," he said. "But it's about time to head back."
"I see."
Her head dipped forward, biting her lip out of instinct. Shinichi eyed her for a beat, unsure if he was supposed to say anything, or if their short-lived conversation had seen its end.
"Before you leave, there's something I want to tell you," she said, averting her gaze. "Sonoko… The ring… I…" A huff escaped her lips. "It was a lie."
At her poor elaborated sentence, the sleuth found himself blinking, rather stupidly, he would say. Especially when her head shot back up, a fiery glint taking over her once timid gaze.
"There was never a friend," said Ran. "That friend that suddenly couldn't come… She never existed."
With every word, the confusion began to dispel, his facial expression gradually hardening. Whether or not Ran noticed it was a mystery, but had it been the case, she wasn't discouraged.
"Sonoko told me to give it to you." If anything, she sounded a lot more confident. "So that I could… I finally could-!"
"Ran. Please, stop."
Shinichi saw it all, how her newfound confidence crumbled down into pieces, and along came that look of utter bewilderment and shock that painted her entire facade.
"I'm aware of how you feel… How you feel about me." His eyes closed solemnly, all too conscious of the face she would settle on next. That one he absolutely despised seeing yet that he always wound up the culprit of. "But, I'm sorry. I'm not…" Hidden his pockets, his hands curled and clenched. "I'm not who you think I am."
She made a confused noise. He turned his head to the side, away from her.
"Besides, if I said yes to you…"
If I said yes to you, in this form…
"It wouldn't feel right."
There was silence following his words. He knew that what would be best would be to turn away, continuing his way with not a single glance behind. And that way, he could finally leave, without that certain face continuing to haunt him for the rest of his days.
But he couldn't.
"What…" Thus, it came. That certain inflection that denoted bitterness, her voice cracking ─ alongside his heart, drowned by the tears that were sure to come thereafter. "What's wrong with you?!"
He kept his head down, lips sealed shut.
"What was all of that about?!" Ran continued to shout out into the silence. "Saying all that… Looking cool as you did so…"
Shinichi's eyes opened on their own accord, and sure enough, he was met with her face, flushed by rage. The tears were not missing either, free to flow on either side of her face.
But, as much as the sight disturbed him beyond belief, he could not think straight. Ran… Was he hearing things, or was she talking in past tense?
"What was the point of it?!" She definitely was. "Were you just laughing at me?!"
"N-No! Of course not!" It came out squeaky with panic. Then, realizing he had no idea what he was defending himself from, added, "I mean…. What were we talking about again?"
"About London!" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "You stupid detective freak! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Despite the girl screaming at his face, Shinichi found his eyebrows knitting together. L-London?
"Shinichi, you jerk!"
And now, he felt the blood draining from his face. "W-What?" he choked out. Ran paused. "Just now, what did you call me?"
Ran's glare intensified, if possible. Her hands went to rest at her waist and answered, "Shinichi, what else?"
But then, it began to fade away, finally realizing how deeply genuine the clueless look on her childhood friend's face was, and slowly, she found herself mirroring it.
In silence, they remained, staring at each other.
Until there was a loud gasp, which did not come from any of them. Suddenly they were aware of the child standing close by, having walked down the stairs at some point, observing the scene with both hands covering his mouth.
"No way!" exclaimed Conan.
Shinichi felt a little glad he wasn't the only one surprised there.
"You mean you didn't know?!" Okay, maybe he was. "Wow, you're dumber than what I expected."
Maybe he was dumb. Or at least, that was the kind of expression he gave his little brother. Half-lidded eyes stared back at him through thick lenses, and a lengthy sigh was heard. "You said it before, right?" said Conan with a flat voice. "That Hakuba-niichan sent you some photographs of your heart-stopping confession in London."
Heart-stopping, repeated Shinichi in his mind, plucking his phone out of his pocket with an annoyed shake of his head, quickly tapping on the file in question. There, he found his face, looking at a stunned Ran with a gaze that brimmed with confidence.
At his side, the actual Ran peered over her screen. Her ears turned red.
"What about it?"
"Try to remember," said Conan. "That time in London, when you were running from Ran-neechan-"
When 'we' were running from Ran, you mean…
"-you hid inside a phone booth." The boy beamed. "Before stepping outside to face her, what did you do?"
He placed a hand under his chin, deep in thought. "I took my disguise off." Conan nodded, encouraging him to continue. "My wig, my contacts and makeup..."
A tug on his arm had him glancing back at the child, which he later lowered once he figured out what he wanted. Once it was within his reach, the small detective pointed at something on the screen.
He was pointing at the arm, tightly grasping Ran's wrist. At first, he did not quite get it, until he finally realized it ─ his skin tone. It was a much darker shade than he normally was. Which meant…
"You were in such a hurry that you didn't realize..." Conan's lips stretched into a bright smile. "That you had only wiped the makeup off your face."
Shinichi's eyes widened further, if possible.
"And that face you're making now tells me that Ran-neechan didn't look remotely surprised about it all." Conan turned to the girl, whose gaze was stuck on the floor. "That's because you already knew beforehand, right?"
She nodded timidly.
Shinichi was gawking, watching as the girl shifted on her feet anxiously, and slowly raised her head until their eyes connected. She saw his hand moving, as if having a life of its own, for reasons beyond her comprehension, fingers grazing his own cheek.
Blood rushed to her face. "I just tripped!" Ran blurted out, prompting her childhood friend to freeze in place. "B-Before you make any funny ideas… I-I didn't want to… to…"
His face gained a similar shade of crimson, the hand from before raising further to scratch the back of his head. "I see! Then it explains everything!" He laughed loudly ─ too loudly. "Ah, I'm so stupid! For a moment there, I really thought you were… you were…"
What was once an unbreakable silence had now been filled with nervous bouts of laughs and meaningless commentary. Conan put a hand to his head, massaging his temples.
I wonder which of those two events will happen first, thought the kid, wordlessly making his way up the stairs. A ridiculously powerful crime syndicate's downfall, or a pair of school sweethearts confessing to each other…
Though he guessed that, somewhere deep within himself, he already knew the answer. Which did not make it better, in fact.
Just as he was about to open the door to the agency, Conan felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. For a moment he paused, confused, since he could still hear his older brother's voice all the way from the street, meaning that it could not be him. Then who is it? he wondered. Genta and the others?
One look at his screen had his eyebrow twitching. It was none of those three.
He had a new text, and the name of the sender was displayed as 'Haibara Ai'.
"About the other day…" it said. She was still typing.
"Oh, don't tell me you're sorry," Conan quickly wrote back.
Her typing came to a pause, which he used to finally open the door and head back inside, welcomed by Okino Yoko's singing from the TV to which, weirdly enough, he had long been used to hearing. Wordlessly, he passed by the couch and the lazy detective sitting atop, mentally wondering how Ran would be able to drag him away from the spot to leave.
Because, yeah, as much as he would've preferred a quiet day at home, they were supposed to leave as soon as Ran finished bidding goodbye to his brother. And from what it looked like from the window behind Kogoro's desk, it wouldn't take much longer.
A ping in his hand had his attention back to the phone. "I can't apologize for things I'm not sorry for," she had written.
With Kogoro still gawking at his idol on the TV screen, his groan fell on deaf ears. Shaking his head, he started typing back his response.
Which never got to send.
"It's about Bourbon," had popped up. "It seemed like Ran-san knew him."
Conan's breath was caught at his throat.
"I'd tell you his name, but I can't remember it. I had… other things in mind at that time."
"Brat?" Kogoro's gruff voice startled him badly. Whirling around, he found him half-way about to stand up from his seat. Okino's show on the TV pushed away from his mind for once. "You okay?"
It took him a moment to reply. "W-Why do you ask?"
"It looks like you're gonna pass out."
"A-Ah, you think so?"
He let out a little laugh, averting his gaze from the man before him and to the glass. Ran and Shinichi were not down there any longer, meaning that the sound of the office's door would open in any second now. What should I do? He could already hear Kogoro rising from his seat, crossing the room to question him further. No choice but to tell him, I guess…
Taking a deep breath in, he turned to face the older man who, as expected, had moved right in front of him. A single nod from his part served as enough encouragement for the young boy to open his mouth.
When the door opened suddenly. "What? You two are not ready yet?" But it wasn't Ran's voice. "Hurry it up! We're gonna be late!"
There in the doorway stood Sonoko, barging in as if she owned the place, with Ran in tow.
So, Kogoro finally stepped away ─ not without sending him one last look that told him their conversation wasn't over. Conan knew that well, but unlike any other instance, he did not find that unmeasurable amount of aversion over speaking up that would have paralyzed him in the past. It was just that, with Sonoko hanging around, it did not seem to be the right moment.
One last time, he peered down at his phone, held by faintly shaking hands.
Ai's last text had him frowning profusely:
"Be careful. He could be around you."
"See? This is exactly why I didn't tell you."
Conan paused, long enough to double-check the text that had just popped up on the screen, when another one came.
"This anxiety, this fear you are feeling right now… It won't get you anywhere."
"What do you mean?" the boy typed back.
"Conan, you've been snapping photos of people at random and sending them to me for the past half an hour."
Had he? A quick check at the little numbers on the corner of his screen confirmed his brother's words.
"Ai said Ran-neechan knew Bourbon."
And, really, he did not think he needed anything else to justify his slightly paranoid behavior. The girl had just shoved the facts at his face, leaving him no time to process them before departing to a campsite in the middle of freaking nowhere.
Because Sonoko wanted to practice tennis. Tennis. A sport she already excelled in. So, why?
Actually, he knew that much. Her boyfriend, Makoto, had called her to say he would return, and had gone as far as to propose a tennis match as a date. But it seemed like, no matter how intense her love for her boyfriend was, her pride as a member of the tennis club at school would always win out. That, and she had been vocally annoyed at her friend for being ditched at the train and left alone with the Professor for the rest of the day.
Ran, like the compassionate, sweet girl she was, had approached him moments before leaving and asked him if he wanted to stay at home, worried that he would be exhausted after the ruckus of the day before. She certainly wasn't wrong ─ Conan was sure that, had the situation been different, he would have accepted.
But that one message from Ai had been a game changer. Suddenly, resting alone at home wasn't as comforting as it would have been.
Another text from Shinichi had popped up. It said, "And it seems to you that these people know Ran because…?"
"I don't know!" he had almost shouted out, but quietly wrote it down instead. "Like, the last guy winked at her and smiled. That has to mean anything, right?"
A pause. "Wait, he did what?"
"What are you getting so worked up about?"
"Conan-kun, you can't do that!" Conan's gaze tore away from the screen just in time to see Ran rushing towards him. "If you don't pay attention, you might get hurt."
The reason being, obviously, the stray tennis balls that were bouncing all over the field. Obediently, he put it down, knowing that she was right. It wouldn't be good if one of them concussed him because he wasn't paying enough attention ─ seriously, he did not need it.
Speaking of 'not needing it', Conan pondered, head tilting slightly. Does Sonoko-neechan actually need a 'special coach'? As much as he wouldn't openly praise her for it, she was pretty good at the game, allowing the ball to bounce back and forth without seeming to break a sweat.
Not enough, apparently. Thanks to him paying attention to anything but the phone, he narrowly dodged a ball that had escaped Sonoko's reach, leaving it to hit the fence inches from his head. He found himself staring at it, as it finally dropped to the floor and rolled away, for a little more than necessary.
Granted, Sonoko was an outstanding player. Her 'special coach' was terrifying. In every sense of the word.
"Amuro-san, you're amazing!" praised Ran, clapping her hands.
Despite being so utterly defeated, Sonoko grinned. "Just like Nadal!" she added.
The man in question smiled awkwardly. "I haven't picked up a racket since I was in middle school," he said. "It's kinda embarrassing."
Yeah, Amuro Tooru ─ that one had become her coach after Kogoro had learned from Poirot's manager about his outstanding tennis skills, taking him as far as to the championship title at middle school.
"Well, straight after that, I injured my shoulder," Amuro said between laughs. "I can't serve quite as well as before."
Conan sent a look at the ball on the floor that they had yet to recollect. He can't?
He was about to turn away from it and pay attention to the conversation at hand when a thought made him freeze. Wait, Ai said that Bourbon knew… Slowly, wide eyes slid to where the man was standing, talking amicably to Ran and the others. He knew… Ran-neechan…
He wondered if any of them noted him shaking his head vigorously. There's no way. I'm probably just overreacting…But his hands moved on their own, gripping his phone tightly. Right?
Before he knew it, a photo of Amuro's face had popped up on the chat he shared with his older brother.
A reply came so quickly that Conan wondered if Shinichi had actually seen it. "Conan, for the last time," it said. "Bourbon won't show up."
Yeah, he had figured that much.
"He has no reason to," Shinichi continued. "His objective was Sherry, and he thinks she's dead."
It seemed like he was still typing. Conan sighed, and was about to tell him to forget it ─ because he had already gotten the point long ago, no matter how much his paranoid tendencies were telling him otherwise ─ when his brother stopped writing.
Shinichi's name popped up suddenly with a call. The boy almost dropped it in surprise, but managed somehow.
"You need to get away from there!" was loud and clear in his ear, a slight sense of urgency that did not settle well with Conan.
"Wha-?"
"He's Bourbon!" Conan felt the air freezing solid inside his lungs. "I'm not joking, he is-!"
There was probably a lot that had been said, but that he failed to register, words rendered into nothing but a buzz of static when his eyes suddenly made contact with Amuro's ─ no, Bourbon's. Something differed from the friendly disposition from before ─ his eyes. They were wide open in alarm, causing the boy to flinch.
Was it the phone? Had his brother's voice been overheard from all the way there?
Bourbon had taken a step towards him, hand stretching forward. Conan knew he had to run ─ he knew. But his legs… They wouldn't move.
"Watch out!"
He did not feel the pain at first, just the mere sensation of his skull rattling and his body knocked into the ground by the force of it, until it finally struck. Eyes closed shut and hand clutching his head, he curled into himself, willing it to fade away.
But rather than the pain, his surroundings were the ones fading ─ Ran's face had come up to him, yet his brain barely could catch up with it, her factions sliding in and out of focus, her mouth moving uselessly as her words, lacking any coherency, blended into the background.
Just before darkness started to creep up into the edges of his vision, another face materialized beside hers, his hand over her shoulder as he spoke to her ─ only snippets of random words and dismembered voices filtering on Conan's ears that refused to make sense.
Get away from him… As the girl stepped aside, he focused on him again. He's not… who he says he is…
The last thing he saw before darkness finally won over was his sharp gaze drawing closer.
He's one of them! One of… the men… in black…
Ran's face was there by the time he opened his eyes again.
Concern was evident in her eyes, hovering over him as she presumably looked for any sign of discomfort, Conan could only stare blankly, blinking twice as he slowly came to terms with what had just occurred. He was lying down, and he seemed to be sporting a dull headache that appeared to be more prominent on the back of his head. Eventually, the confusion receded, and a sigh escaped his lips.
"What was it this time?" he mumbled, a tint of annoyance sipping on his tone.
Her lips curved in a faint smile. She was clearly pitying him.
Kogoro's bored face came into view beside his daughter's. "A tennis racket," he said.
Conan sighed again, pressing a hand to his face.
"'This time'?" But took it away immediately at the unfamiliar voice. "Does this happen regularly?"
Sitting up, he got a clearer view of the situation. That being, mostly, the doctor sitting on the other side of the couch he had been resting on.
"Kind of," said Ran, a nervous laugh later. "Conan-kun likes to play a lot, so he often gets hurt…"
Who would have thought that sweet, kind Ran could be such a quick liar, mused Conan.
"Please, be careful, then," he said. "If he gets injured like this so often, it could be dangerous."
Ran nodded. "I'll keep a better watch on him," she said. "So, how is he?"
The doctor gave the boy one last look before offering him a friendly smile. "Well, he's conscious now, and seems to be fine," he answered. "It's probably just a concussion. But if he starts feeling dizzy or nauseous, get him to the hospital for a more thorough check-up."
Having said that, the doctor promptly got up to leave, with Ran thanking him for his hard work. That was probably the sensible thing, which he should have done, too, yet he was too busy examining his unfamiliar surroundings for such trivial things.
Ran did not force him to. Oh, the perks of being a poor, concussed little boy.
"Good thing it wasn't serious," said Kogoro.
Conan hummed, still not facing him. "Where are we?" he asked instead. "This isn't Sonoko-neechan's villa, is it?"
"This is the house of the lady who threw her racket at you," Sonoko answered.
"It's my house!" A young woman came forward, palms pressed together as she apologized, "I'm so sorry, little boy. My hands were sweaty, the racket just slipped…"
Conan stared, unblinking. You could've killed me.
"I told you to wrap the grip tape properly onto the racket handle!" yet another woman said. "Especially since your hands get sweaty."
"But what a shame," came the voice all the way from the kitchen, from where a man with a large complexion and a nasty grin surfaced. "If the battery on my phone wasn't dead, I would've had a video of that impact to upload to the net." Then, sneering, added, "'Killer Racket Assaults Little Boy in a Failure Killer Serve'!"
Conan was not amused.
"How can you say that when the kid was hurt?!" At least the fourth of the group, the blonde guy, seemed like he would agree ─ even if his pounding head did not agree with the boisterous nature of his words.
"It's just a joke, man. I'm trying to lighten the mood."
Oh. Good job there.
"It was probably your joking that made Uriu die!"
The comment that had followed had Conan freezing, suddenly interested at the argument in hand. It lasted a surprising amount of ten seconds, however, before it dimmed. Today, apparently, was the aforementioned Uriu's death, reason for which they had gotten together to celebrate. Nothing wrong there, but Conan found it annoying that, every time they stumbled across a group of friends like that one, there always was a story going around of one of them passing away previously, without fail.
And he did not want to begin to think that it was always the fault of one of the group, who often ended up dead by the end of the day. Today will be different, right? His lip was twitching at the thought, however. Right?!
A loud growl jerked him off his thoughts, and wasn't surprised to notice an embarrassed Sonoko patting her stomach.
"We've got some cold noodle salad for lunch if you'd like to join us?" suggested the woman who had thrown the racket at him ─ Conan decided he definitely needed to ask Ran for their names at some point…
Wait, joining them…? The kid cringed at the thought. He was fine now ─ were they planning on staying any longer?
"For sure, for sure!" Kogoro accepted before he could get a word out.
"Are you sure it's okay?" asked Amuro, surprised.
No, it's not okay.
"Yeah, think of it as making up for the accident earlier!"
"On a second thought, no need to prepare mine," said the mean guy. "I'm going to go finish that ice cream cake I started last night."
He supposed that had cemented it ─ everybody was heading to the kitchen, none of them taking a single moment of their lives to ask him if he was alright with it. In fact, I'm not okay with staying away from home. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sent a look towards where Amuro was talking to Kogoro. Now that I know he's a Black Organization member…
There's no way I can relax with him around!
Ran went up to him before joining the rest. "We're going to help with the preparations," she told him. "So wait here, Conan-kun."
"Say, Ran-neechan…" He stopped just before she could leave. "The person who carried me here…"
"It was Amuro-san!" She smiled. "He was very competent, you know. He carried out procedures efficiently before the doctor came."
In response, Conan found himself staring at the person in question in utter silence. Eventually, his lips pressed against each other. He was all the way on the other side of the room, but he couldn't call it spacious ─ not enough. Even if Conan were to whisper to the girl, would he hear, regardless? Or was it better to wait and endanger the others by keeping it in the dark for longer?
"Don't worry." Conan blinked stupidly back at the girl, who had leaned forward to whisper at him, "I know."
He blinked some more. She does?
"Make sure to call your brother when you can, okay?" she added. "He was worried."
And just like that, she left him, confused and lost in the middle of the living room, to join Sonoko. That was, until it finally clicked ─ his phone. He had been on a call with his brother before the incident, so it made sense he was still on the line after he had passed out.
I must have freaked him out. It was hard not to sigh at the mental image. In such conditions, it's hard to imagine him hanging up. Which would have been the most logical thing to do ─ what would have happened if Bourbon took a glimpse of the name on the screen?
Ran must have picked it up, avoiding such a disastrous outcome that way. That being the case, his brother owed her a lot ─ more than he already did, anyway.
With everyone officially gone from the room, Conan took the opportunity to let himself plop down onto the couch, his fingers sliding up through his hair ─ soaked wet by the sweat of an insufferable hot day Conan was decidedly not fond of ─ when they were stopped by the notion of an unexpected surface. Quickly he realized there was a bandage wrapped around his head, and held back yet another sigh. Of course, he had one.
Nevermind that. He quickly plucked out his phone ─ had Ran slipped it back inside his pocket? ─ to stare back at the reflection of his yet unlit screen. I should just call him and get over it.
Even though he knew what was coming. He was not in the mood for it today.
A bead of perspiration rolled down his temple, which Conan wiped away with a groan. Not only his clothes were sticking to his skin, the leather of the couch was starting to do the same ─ that, alongside the stuffy air that made it hard to breathe comfortably, made that wish Conan was trying to repress grow even stronger.
He did not want to be here anymore.
"Why is it so hot in here, anyway?" he grumbled.
"Oh, the air conditioning isn't working properly here."
Conan shot back to a sitting position, instantly zeroing his eyes on the head that had popped up back into the living room. It was the blonde guy ─ not Bourbon, thank God, but the one from the group he had unwillingly joined.
By the looks of it, he never quite noticed he had almost given a healthy elementary school student a fright strong enough to trigger a heart attack.
"Why don't you use Ishiguri's room instead?" he suggested. "It's on the second floor. If you ask him, I'm sure he'll have no trouble taking you there."
Conan hesitated before finally nodding. Hopping off the futon, he started on his journey to find the man in question.
"A p-paternity test?!"
Unfazed by the overreaction her request had received, Sato placed a paper bag over the counter. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." Checking inside for some more, she added, "I brought a cup and a coffee can for samples. Will these be enough?"
"Yeah… I mean, yes. Of course. But… uh…"
At this point, it was too much to ignore, so Sato raised her head, giving the woman a weird look as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"I'm just shocked, you know," the woman said. "I did not think that you…"
Sato's head tilted to one side.
"I didn't think you had a kid."
Her mind stuttered before it could put together the meaning of that sentence. "Ah, no," she said, an awkward smile painting her features. "He's not mine."
But the woman stared for a second, and her surprised gaze morphed into one of compassion. Sato sighed, pressing a hand against her forehead.
"Listen, I'm aware that the father's permission is needed in these procedures," Sato said. "But it's… a complicated case, so I was hoping you could help me."
And that expression remained, even as the woman's eyebrows scrunched up in something akin to determination. "Rest assured, Detective Sato!" In a flash, she had gathered the bag, hugging it against her chest as she nodded vehemently. "Count on me!"
Sato's mouth opened to thank her.
"No matter what the results are, my lips will always be sealed!"
And just like that, the woman disappeared behind the door behind her. Sato stood there, still at the counter as she reflected over what had just happened, before a sigh escaped her lips.
As long as the work is done, it's fine, I guess…
"Alright, then. I'll leave you alone, kid," said the man, stopping by the door before leaving. "In exchange, don't mess anything up, okay?"
Sitting cross-legged in a bed he did not own, Conan beamed. "Yes~!" he said, his pitch excessively cute and high. "Thank you so much, Ishiguri-san!"
A slight wave of hand later, the man was gone, finally allowing Conan's shoulders to drop as he deflated with a weary sigh. It took another second or so of him making sure nobody was walking in again, before he rushed to gather his phone once more.
Alone for good, he made the call.
Predictably, it barely rang once before he got a reply. "Oh, Conan." What he had not expected was the carefree tone that greeted his ears. "Welcome back."
Thus, it took him a second longer to form a proper response. "This is new," he said finally, blinking owlishly at space. "Aren't you… freaking out or something?"
"I definitely was." Oh, that made sense, Conan guessed. "Since I heard you screaming, and stopped responding." There was a sigh on the other side. "I was kind of expecting Bourbon to pick up the phone instead of Ran."
Even if he wanted, there was no way he could be blamed for it. He would have certainly freaked out too, had he been in his place.
"Well, she explained briefly what was happening. Obviously I was still worried, but kind of relieved, you know." That much, Conan could understand perfectly ─ now, he did not know what the exact mortality rate of flying tennis rackets was, but he would bet it was significantly lower than a casual encounter with one of those people. "I told her as much as I could before she had to put the phone down."
So he had been right. His brother had told Ran about Amuro's true identity. That by itself might not mean much, but Conan still felt a tremendous weight lifted off his shoulders ─ knowledge of the situation usually improved one's chances of survival.
"To think that Amuro-san was Bourbon all this time," muttered Conan, fingers absently sliding to cup his chin. "Turns up you weren't the only one who knew him beforehand…"
"Amuro?" Shinichi repeated. "Is that the name he's using?"
"Amuro Tooru-san. A private detective working as a waiter at Poirot." He frowned at the thought that followed, "And Occhan's apprentice."
Shinichi halted. "What did you say?"
"He's Occhan's apprentice. Paying up a high tuition fee, too," said Conan. "I first thought about Amuro-san as a poor scam victim, but all things considered…"
Eventually, his little brother's voice trailed down until there was nothing else but silence, which the older detective did not even try to break. What would he say, anyway? Besides the obvious truth, that had surfaced yet again.
I should have known.
He really should have known better. Bourbon was a terrifying person, the kind that changed masks so swiftly that nobody would notice the change. With the right words and another smile, it was not beyond his capabilities to sneak his way anywhere and with outstanding ease.
Including the Mouri family. And Conan. To this day, he could still remember what Akai had once told him ─ that Bourbon was aware, to some degree, about Conan's uncanny friendship with the FBI. Damn, why did I not realize this would happen?!
Needless to say, it pained him to say that it had occurred to him, as a mere passing thought he had waved off. And somehow, he had convinced himself that Bourbon would not do it.
Why, though? He had no idea.
… Or maybe he did know, only that the answer made Shinichi hate himself even more.
On the other side, his brother had broken into a loud yawn, startling Shinichi out of his thoughts. "Hm? You're tired?" he asked, surprised.
Conan made an affirmative sound. "It's probably just the concussion," he said, then added as an afterthought, "And literally everything else."
"You should rest a little." Though it was soft, there was an audible tint of concern in his tone Conan could not ignore. "We can talk again when you're feeling better."
Yet, did not respond.
"Or… is there something else bothering you?" Again, nothing. "Where are you now?"
Finally, he made a sound. "Like I'm telling you," he said, scoffing. "It was a pain convincing Bourbon you are dead."
Now, it was Shinichi's turn to remain silent. "But, really, to think that Bourbon is here…" Conan said, then paused, as if realizing something. "Ah, but I'm not worried. Everyone is downstairs right now…"
Shinichi did not fail to notice that he had trailed down into silence, momentarily before weakened words surfaced again, "They're probably safe."
Had Conan been able to see, he would have easily spotted the frown that crept up his brother's face.
"As long as they stick together…" And Shinichi would have seen, too, little hands clenching around the phone. "They will…"
"Conan." Shinichi's eyes slid closed. "You're not going to be kidnapped again."
And Conan's shot open. For the slightest of moments, however, before they narrowed. "How do you know?" he asked, voice much louder than before. "As it is now, Ran-neechan is the only one who knows."
"It's fine," replied Shinichi right away. "She won't let it happen."
"Yeah, but she's just one person!" Conan exclaimed. "Is one person enough to keep watch on someone so dangerous?"
He did not need that answer, since he already knew.
That's why I can't lower my guard…
Though his free hand was still resting against the soft mattress of a borrowed bed, Conan could feel that rough, wrinkled texture caressing his fingers ─ that of an old bullet scar, not present at the moment, but deeply burned into his senses.
I can't let that happen again. Not to him.
For as long as he could still see that frail warm smile and the blood. Along with those weak words that, to this day, he could hear clear as day,
"I'm… sorry…"
"She's not the only one keeping watch."
Startled out of his musings, Conan's head jerked back up, unsure of what his brother had just said.
"I can keep watch on you-" Shinichi said, only interrupted by his own realization. "Well, not exactly 'watch' but…"
Conan said nothing about it, merely sat there, eyes wide in surprise as he waited for his older brother to explain everything. Little fingers were still clutched against the blankets, eager to hear the next words to be uttered.
"You don't have to hang up."
He wondered if Shinichi actually could see him somehow, given the chuckle that reached his ears ─ no doubt, triggered by the expression of utter surprise that the older detective had probably painted on his own mind, with astounding attention to detail.
"Leave the call on and the phone close to you. I'll keep an ear out for anything suspicious," said Shinichi. "If at some point I stop hearing you over there, I'll call Ran so that she can help you out. Sounds good?"
It was tempting to say it did, yet the words latched onto his throat ─ hanging onto his insides like dear life, grip stronger than iron. Probably it was that sense of safety he had been longing for so long, added to all that pent-up tension and fear that had been feasting on his very soul for the past few weeks, finally leeching away. He did not know.
But, though carefully hidden until now, exhaustion had risen to taunt him by weighing down his eyelids.
"It's okay." Conan could picture his smile perfectly. It felt warm. "Get some sleep."
Though the hesitance was still there, nagging at him not to close his eyes and lose control over his surroundings, he found that his head was moving on its own, nodding timidly despite knowing he wasn't being watched. Next thing he knew, he was crawling inside the bed.
He pulled the covers above his head, not unlike that of a young child shielding himself from the monsters that were bound to attack at night. Perhaps, some part of Conan's mind supposed, that idea wasn't as far from reality as he would have supposed.
Amid the darkness, his phone screen remained bright as ever ─ and that certain contact, a reminder that it was okay to sigh contentedly, and allow his eyes to slip closed…
Only to have them snap open again an indeterminate amount of time later, startled awake by a loud thumping sound.
"Conan?" Since he had left the phone close to his head, it was easy to hear his brother's anxious calling. "Is everything alright?"
A sleepy groan was enough for him, it seemed. "What was that?" he grumbled, clumsily grabbing the phone again to put it to his ear. "Sounded like something falling…"
He threw the covers away from his form, irritated at his rude awakening. "This room is hot," he mumbled. "I'd be grateful if they didn't turn off the AC while I'm sleeping…"
It kind of beat the purpose of being there, anyway.
"Conan, be careful." Conan blinked, confused at his brother's words. "Just now, I heard-"
"Someone being murdered?"
Shinichi halted. "Say that again?"
But, rather than his older brother, the little boy's attention was entirely on what his eyes had just spotted lying in front of the door in a pool of his own blood.
His own dry blood, he confirmed, after rushing closer for further inspection. No way. Did all of this happen while I was sleeping? Eyes parted away from his slightly red fingers, traveling all over to the culprit of his sudden awakening. "There's a vase beside his head," he pointed out. Mostly to himself than the older detective listening to it all. "A tennis racket, too, under his butt…"
His brother had gone silent, probably deep in thought. Conan stood back up. "Someone in this villa murdered Ishiguri-san," declared the little boy. "Surprisingly, it's yet another locked-room case."
That somehow had occurred while he was inside. Conan was not sure about how to feel about it.
"A murder, huh?" He heard Shinichi sigh. "I was fearing so."
He blinked dumbly. "You were?"
Just as he was about to hear his answer, a faint clicking sound reached his ears, followed by a strange scratching that directed Conan's gaze to the source, just in time to see the knob turning slightly. "Someone's lock-picking the door," realized Conan, out loud ─ startled, he jumped back, phone gripped tightly with both hands, pressed against his head.
"That has to be Bourbon," explained Shinichi, strangely calm. Yet Conan still felt his lungs freezing at the notion. "They must have heard the vase falling and-"
Click ─ just like that, the voice had been cut short, leaving Conan all alone, still gazing down at the phone with a slightly panicked expression, finger hovering over the screen after forcefully finishing the call. Quickly, he shoved back into his pocket, just in time for the door to open.
Just a sliver before it bumped against the body.
"Don't open the door!"
Amuro's surprised face peeked from behind the gap, but at least he had ceased his break-in attempt.
"The body's blocking the door."
A/N:
CherryGirl 21-6: I checked it out after you told me about it and, wow! There are so many talented artists out there :)
F.C. Meyer: Yeah, I don't have access to it either, so I just read those few chapters that are out there online. I'm not planning to cover them in this fic, but I might borrow a character or two from there…