Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ Kore o kudasai ❯ Ch III: Last School Bells and Worry Spells ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3

“You…You bastard” Ran spat whirling on the small boy and bearing down on him furiously. Conan backed away in horror and surprise. “Ran-nee-chan…I” he began, trying to calm her down “don't you `nee-chan' me you…you…” she almost screamed as she turned from him, her hands curled into fists. The next time she spoke her voice was quiet but unmistakably dangerous. “was this funny for you Kudo, did you get a kick out of living under my fathers roof, watching me worry, watching me fret, wondering if you were alright…horrified that any of the hundreds of rumors were true...is it your idea of a joke, you sick perverted bastard…” her hands shook as her body trembled with tears she refused to show. Her words came in short bursts as if forced through clenched teeth. “Ran…it's not like that…let me explain”

“Explain…explain what…” she erupted, whirling around and glaring at him. “I hope you got a real kick out of your sick little joke. And here I was terrified that you had…you would…and all this time you were here, laughing your ass off just like you always do…cause its all just one big gag isn't it” tears now ran freely down her cheeks and the sight seemed to burn into him, ripping him apart. Reaching out he tried to grab her, only to feel the sharp sting of her wrist as she backhanded him, sending him to the floor. “Don't… touch me…” her voice was low and dangerous. Not once could he remember her voice like that, so unbearably stern and cold. But the moment was fleeting, replaced quickly with an uncontrollable sob. “For all I care you can rot in hell.”

Crying openly now, Ran spun around to hide her face as she made her way quietly towards the door. “Ran…” he managed, stumbling to his feet “Ran...please, you can't go out there…I told you…”

She didn't pause, didn't stop; simply slammed the door hard behind her. Conan dashed towards the door and flung it open, looking out desperately into the night. “Ran!” he called, into the pitch black staggering out into the long line of light that was cast from his own front door. This wasn't supposed to happen…not like this. Footsteps echoed through the night and the boy stared franticly, unable to determine the source of the sound. There was a scream, the sound of a confrontation, a struggle, and a loud unmistakable bang. “Ran!!”

A second loud bang sent Conan shooting up at his desk, followed by a round of suppressed giggles from his fellow classmates. “Mr. Edogawa” the teacher snapped, whacking his desk with her ruler once more as if for emphases. “Would you care to join us long enough to answer the question” all eyes now on him. “I…ah, ha?” the boy muttered, looking about at those around him as if for a clue. To his left he could see Genta and Mitsuhiko, two of his fellow `detective boy' members trying desperately to suppress another bout of giggles as he tried to make sense of the situation.

To his right he caught a quick glimpse of the third member of his little crime fighting squad, Ayumi, her worried eyes trying to search him for answers. This was not the first time he had drifted off in class, and she had made a point to ask him about it numerous times, each of which he had shrugged off and simply said that he was tired, pure and simple.

“The question Mr. Edogawa…I'm waiting for the answer” another bout of giggles from those around him as Conan finally caught sight of the question on the board. “Forty-two, the answer is Forty-two” he said, doing the simple math assignment effortlessly. The teacher raised an eyebrow, her frown darkening “correct Mr. Edogawa” she said, seemingly disappointed that she could not use the boy as an example of ill behavior.

The Teacher moved on and Conan had a moment to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. He was surprised to find that he was shaking slightly and his breath was slightly rushed and uneven. As a rule he was not that jumpy and skittish of a person, at least he always liked to think so. So why were these dreams having such an effect on him in the first place; hell why was he even having them, it simply made no sense.

After a moment he felt a light touch on his hands as they gripped his desk. Looking up, surprised he found a small hand lying lightly atop his. Ayumi had taken advantage of the teachers' preoccupation with the chalkboard to scoot over in her chair and place a bold but reassuring hand on Conan's. “Are you alright” she whispered, her face beginning to blush as he looked back at her in surprise. “y-yha” Conan managed, risking a quick look up at the teacher before forcing a smile and giving the girls hand a quick squeeze. “I'm fine, don't worry about me…” the little girls face turned bright red with the attention and she bit back a giggle before she pulled her hand away.

 

…o0O0o…

 

Finally the bell rang and over a dozen screaming children burst out of the elementary school classroom, ecstatic for the upcoming weekend and the promise of freedom it provided. Conan lagged behind the rest, remaining at his desk a moment longer to shove his remaining books into his pack and using the small moment of peace to try and clear his mind. “If I'm not mistaken Kudo…” came a small but cold voice from behind him. “You're quite literally falling apart.”

Conan turned to face the speaker, sarcasm dripping from each word of his reply. “Well Ai, I hate to say it, but elementary school is somehow less enjoyable when you're doing it again for the second time after more almost a ten year interim.” The small blond girl with the ice blue stare simply smiled and shook her head. “How do you think I feel, I have my doctorate” repositioning her own backpack she tipped her head sideways as if examining to small detective. “But that's not all there is to it, is it”

Conan grimaced but managed to shake his own head. “It's nothing Ai, I'm just tired; that's all.” Ai raised an eyebrow in that inquisitive manor of hers that seemed to suggest that she was not buying any of what he was offering. “What?” Conan retorted to her unspoken inquiry. He hoisted his own backpack onto one shoulder before looking at her once more. “Don't look at me that way, I'm tired, I have had a lot on my mind” he pushed passed her, making his way towards the door. All things being equal it wasn't actually a lie, but he also knew it wasn't the answer she was looking for. Ai shrugged and followed silently behind him, and he could sense that she wasn't quite ready to let the topic go, though she was making quite an effort to do just that. “Just don't do anything stupid, got it” she murmured under her breath as they made it to the door. “We are very close to stabilizing a cure for this thing, the doctor and I, and I need you around for testing.”

Conan managed a small smile at that. He knew it was her wired way of showing affection and concern. Despite her cold hearted manor and mature presence, she could be quite a kindhearted woman when she cared to be. “yha” he muttered as they approached the waiting figures of Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi. “We wouldn't want that, now would we.”

The five of them set off down the busy street, Genta and Mitsuhiko talking excitedly to Ai about there plans for the upcoming weekend, and Ayumi trailing behind with Conan, risking a nervous glance now and then at the other boy in her worried way. “And then, if the whether holds out my mom says shell take me to the park after the movie.”

“Riveting” remarked Ai glancing over to Mitsuhiko with the same icy nonchalant glare that seemed to define her entire existence. Conan remained silent for most of the walk, allowing the two to chatter away with Ai's random one word comments scattered throughout the conversation. For his part he was looking forward to meeting up with Ran, getting the rest of the way home and finding a quiet corner where he could clear his mind from the chaos of the day. So enthralled in his thoughts was he that he completely ignored the goings on around him till a cry from Genta snapped him out of his reflective state.

“Look, look, a fire truck, it has its lights on and everything” he pointed as the said truck raced around the corner, the siren screaming all the while. “I wonder where it's going?” Added Ayumi, standing on her tip toes in order to get a better view. “Probably just a small house fire or a cat in a tree” Conan replied unimpressed, continuing on without stopping. “But what if it's something worse” Mitsuhiko countered “it could be a case of air-a-sonic.”

“Arson” Conan corrected him not pausing for a moment. “Yha, that. If it is, the detective boys have a responsibility to be there to solve the case.” Conan simply shook his head. “Come on…do you really think there would be a single fire truck if…HAY” his words were cut short as both Genta and Mitsuhiko grabbed him by the arms and dashed off, Ayumi following close behind “Never fear, the Detective boys are here” she proclaimed, echoed by a hurrah from the fellow members of the group.

Ai was left alone, watching the four disappear into the crowed and trying desperately to stifle a remarkably uncharacteristic bout of giggle.

 

…o0O0o…

 

Ran sighed as she slowly tromped up a brief flight of steps to her fathers' office and the chores and duties that awaited her there. She had waited for Conan for almost an hour and the boy had never shown up. As it stood she could only assume he was out and about with his little detective friends, and as irritating and unlike it of him as it was to stand her up at least he was out and not brooding quietly in his room. Still she couldn't help feeling slightly hurt that he had not even given her the courtesy of a phone call. She sighed once again as she took out her keys, her mind abuzz with chores and the like. Sonoko was right, maybe she needed a bit of a break…perhaps a warm bath, a delivery diner, and a movie…after all it was a Friday and her father would most likely not be home till late.

She paused, surprised to find that the door was already unlocked…that was odd, it seemed far to quiet for anyone to be home. “Hello…?” she called, walking in and casually letting her school pack fall to the floor beside her. Ran could not help but grimace at the mess in the room that seemed to radiate from her fathers' desk. It seemed like no matter what she did the place never stayed clean. Alright then, first the cleaning, then some time to herself...

Taking off her school jacket she tossed it over the back of the couch and was in the process of removing her shoes when something caught her eye. Her father's file cabinet that lived behind his desk had been moved and left wide open, papers flung and crumpled about the floor. That was very odd. Those filing cabinets were one of the few things her father did keep tidy, containing personal and privet case files dating back from his earliest works. More then once he had snapped at her for even attempting to clean directly around it.

Frowning, Ran approached the mess, not sure if it was best left alone or at least compiled together and not scattered across the floor. Opting for the latter she set to work, carefully picking up the papers and staking them neatly together. Had her father been in a hurry and simply left it that way? no, that was unlikely, she had hardly ever even seen it opened. Maybe he was sorting through it and was called away. It was far more likely, but still uncharacteristic of him.

So preoccupied was she with her own thoughts that she never herd the soft sound of footsteps, or register the slight sweet stench as the bottle of Trichloroethylene was emptied onto a small cloth. Ran never imagined that she was not alone in the small detective office…until it was too late.