[March 16, 2008] [Detective Conan/Case Closed] Of Over-analysis and Phone calls

[ayaia-moon.livejournal.com]

Title: Of Over-analysis and Phone calls

Day/Theme: March 16: Running late for an appointment with Death

Series: Detective Conan/Case Closed

Character/Pairing: Shinichi/Ran

Rating: PG-13/T

 

 

The house seemed…emptier.

Ran smiled at her stupidity. Well, the house is emptier, she chided herself. Conan is off with his friends. When he gets back, the house will be full again.

She absently went through the motions of making dinner, unable to shake that odd feeling though. It was like before…

RING! RING!

She was being silly. Ensuring that the food on the stove was simmering pleasantly, she hurried to answer the phone.

“Mouri detect –”

“Ran!”

“Shinichi?”

“I have good news!”

“Shinichi, I’m kind of –”

“I’m wrapping up the big case!”

Ran rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard that one. Spare me.”

“I’m serious this time!”

“How serious? Give me a probability in numbers.”

“Well…I’m definitely forty-five…no…fifty percent sure that I’ll be home soon.”

“And there we go.”

“What?”

“Why do you do this, Shinichi?”

“I don’t know what you mean…”

Ran knew she should just hang up. She was just feeling edgy, and Shinichi happened to call at the wrong time. “Shinichi…just…never mind.”

“But…I don’t know what you mean. What do I do?”

And Ran’s anger flared. “Fine. You know what you do? You call me. And you make these empty promises that I believe because I’m an idiot, and then you never come through on them.”

“…”

“And you find pleasure in telling me, once again, that you ‘might be’ coming home soon, that you’re ‘almost certain’ that your big case is finally over…I’m sick of it, Shinichi!”

“…Ran…I’m sorry…”

“No! You can be sorry in person. Apologies through the phone won’t work anymore, Shinichi. When it comes to you and your promises, I’m evoking a new rule.”

“…but Ran –”

“I’ll believe it when I see it!”

“Ran…I know you’re mad. But…I promise it will make sense when I come back.”

He said this last very quickly; like he was afraid she’d hang up on him before he had a chance to get it out. I should hang up on him, Ran decided, but she detained a little longer, saying nothing, waiting for his attempted explanations to defend himself.

“I just have this one thing I have to do…call it an ultimatum. If I get this right…then it will all be over.”

“Shinichi…why can’t you just come home now?”

“I can come home as soon as –”

And she slammed the receiver down. She had no sooner turned around, though,  than the phone rang again. She scowled. He hasn’t had enough? I’ll give him more! She thought savagely, whirling around and picking up the phone with a ferocity it didn’t deserve.

“Shinichi, so help me –”

“Hello, this is Fumiyo Edogawa.”

Ran flushed in embarrassment. “Oh…Conan’s mother, right? I’m afraid he’s not here right now.”

“Oh, I know. He’s with me. We surprised him when he was coming home from his friend’s house, and we’ve decided to take a trip.”

“Oh?”

“It’s been a long time coming…but if we’re going to make our flight, then…”

“Oh, I understand…tell Conan goodbye for me, and I’ll make sure his things stay safe while he’s gone.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you again for taking care of him for so long…”

“It was our pleasure.”

They said their goodbyes, and Ran felt again that strange feeling…For some reason, Shinichi’s words came to the forefront of her thoughts. I just have this one thing I have to do…call it an ultimatum. If I get this right…then it will all be over.

It was almost like he was trying to say something else…Like his very well-being hinged on this ‘ultimatum.’

Her thoughts chased each other in circles through the night, as she absently finished dinner, ordering her father to get something in his stomach besides alcohol. The chilling thought occurred to her that this ultimatum could be a life-or-death situation. Which would explain his fifty-percent probability of arriving home.

She drifted into an uneasy sleep at that thought, her dreams haunted with the remnants of the thoughts she had tried to push away. And then the phone rang again. It was difficult to discern between her dream and reality at first, but she did manage to tell the difference in the end, and she hurried to the receiver before her father picked up the phone.

“Mouri detect –”

“Ran…”

“Conan?” Ran immediately woke up from whatever half-asleep state she’d been in.

There was the weakest sound of laughter. “Kind of…” came the reply.

“What do you mean ‘kind of?’ Where are you? Are you hurt? Where’s your mother?”

She heard coughing then, and an urgent, muffled voice that came on the phone an instant later.

“Neechan?”

Ran blinked tiredly. “Heiji? What are you doing with Conan?”

“It’s a long story. Kudo is Conan. And he has to go. Meet us later.”

“What? Where? What’s going on?”

“Beika Hospital.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I think Kudo was shot.”

“What?”

“We have to call the hospital now.”

CLICK

Ran listened in disbelief as the dial tone sounded in her ear. Inexplicably, Shinichi’s comment from earlier looped itself in her mind as she hastened to wake up her father and force him to drive her to the hospital.

I just have this one thing I have to do…call it an ultimatum. If I get this right…then it will all be over.

She was finally able to almost decipher the hidden message that had been there all along.

I just have this one thing I have to do…call it an ultimatum. If I get this right…then it will all be over

She must have looked a fright as she burst into her father’s room, throwing clothes at him and demanding that he get up. His initial protests died when he saw her face.

I just have this one thing I have to do…call it an ultimatum. If I get this right…then it will all be over

Shinichi’s ultimatum had been simple: do his deed…or die trying.

His message had been a code with dual meanings. One interpretation was saying goodbye to her… I just have this one thing I have to do…then it will all be over

The other interpretation though…was asking her to wait a little longer for his return. If I get this right…then it will all be over

Ran only hoped that he’d be okay…so she could tell him that she understood.

 

A U T H O R S   N O T E

 

*dies*

It wouldn’t end! It prodded me and prodded me until I was almost too late in posting it! *kills it dead*

 

~Ayaia