Title: Sunlight Through The Trees
Series: Detective Conan
Characters/Pairings: Mouri Ran, Kudo Shinichi, a pairing and yet not
Warnings: Strange, a bit creepy, a bit angtsy...
Disclaimer: Not my toys, don't sue. I obviously don't own them, as Kid is not making out with Conan on-screen.
She hadn't had karate practice that day, so she had been home at a decent time. She entered the -not surprisingly - empty office of the agency, tossing her school bag carelessly onto one of the couches.
It was hard to be cheerful anymore, with Conan gone and Shinichi still not back.
Just as soon as she was about to head upstairs and see if her father was even home, the agency's phone rang. She groaned and rolled her eyes - pretending to be a bright and cheerful detective assistant over the phone was the last thing she wanted to do right now, but she had no choice. Crossing the room to her father's desk, she picked up the phone and launched into her bright greeting.
"Hello, Mouri Detective Agency--"
"Hey, Ran!"
Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't heard this voice in weeks, it seemed...
"...Shinichi...?"
"Yeah, it's me...sorry, I haven't been able to call, so you're probably gonna be mad and yell and stuff, but...I really couldn't. Before you yell, though, Ran...I have something to ask you..."
His voice suddenly went soft and hesitant, and the angry tirade she had been building up - he was right about her yelling at him, she had been about to let him have it for not calling in so long and making her worry - faded from her mind.
"Shinichi...? What is it? And why are you calling the agency, anyways? You should know my cellphone number by now!"
"Sorry, old habits...anyways, listen, uh...can you come to Beika Park? Like right now? I want to see you."
The uncharacteristic directness of his statement had her blushing brightly, even just when it was his voice over the phone. He normally wasn't so bold - he was usually as embarrassed over any hint of their non-relationship as she was.
"U-um, well, it's a little sudden, but...sure. I...want to see you too..." Her own voice went soft and sad. It had been months...
She could almost hear his smile over the phone. "Thanks, Ran...I just...really need to talk to you. In person, to apologize...and to tell you something I should have said long ago. About you...and...how I..." He trailed off, then picked back up again. "Anyways, Beika Park, that one bench in that grove. You remember? Around the edge of the park...be there as soon as you can, okay? I'll be waiting."
It was strange to hear him say he'd be the one waiting, instead of herself. But she couldn't help but smile. "Okay, Shinichi...I'll be there in five. Don't you dare run off on me!"
He laughed, said he'd never run off again, after this, and after a mutual goodbye, the receiver went dead in her hand. She placed it down, trying to calm her racing heart.
Could it really be what she thought it was going to be...? Was Shinichi finally going to say that he had feelings for her too...?
Was he finally going to come home and fulfill her dream...?
Not even bothering to leave a note about her whereabouts, she turned and ran out the door. She wasn't going to keep Shinichi waiting, not after how long he'd made her wait...
She wouldn't inflict that pain on him, or anyone else.
She trotted through the park, breath coming in fast pants as she headed for their meeting spot. It was just a simple, nondescript bench near the edge of the park that they'd found about a year ago, and it had become their stationary meeting spot in the park. She just had to follow this path, turn that corner, and once she cleared the trees she should see...
A clearing, full of sunlight and softly-falling leaves, and absolutely empty save herself.
For a moment, she didn't believe it. She looked around, frantically, trying to think that she had only just missed him, or that he hadn't arrived yet, or that she just hadn't seen him in so long that her eyes had passed right over him...
But no, no one was there. And certainly not the boy who had told her not to be late to this meeting.
In a daze, she had wandered over to the bench, and had just sat there for several minutes, in a sort of disbelieving hope that maybe he was just late. Shinichi was usually punctual to a fault, but he'd been known to be late before.
But, somehow, she knew. It was in the stillness of the chill air, in the steady sunlight filtering through the leaves, in just the pure quiet of the world. It was as if it was telling her that she was alone, and shouldn't bother wasting time - he wouldn't be coming.
It wouldn't be the first time...but, hopeless as it was, it wouldn't be the last either. He'd call, and apologize for letting her down, and she'd yell and scream and cry at him, and then she'd forgive him later and they'd do it all over again.
She hadn't seen him in person for months.
With a quiet, defeated sigh, she stood, and headed home. It was useless waiting, but it was all she could do. She would wait in general for him to come back. Always.
But she wouldn't wait for him to attend a meeting that he'd never show up for. She'd wait for him to come back, but she wouldn't wait to meet him.
There was only so much waiting she could take, after all.
She knew something was wrong when there were patrol cars parked in front of the agency.
At first, she thought something had happened to her father. Maybe helath-related - his bad habits catching up with his body - or work-related - someone with a grudge against the famous detective, who was becoming decidely less famous after Conan left. She tried to never think about what that meant.
But her father was fine - grim-faced, but fine, and talking quietly with Inspector Megure. When they saw her, somehow she knew, by the looks on their faces, that this couldn't be anything good for her.
The soorow and pity in their eyes when they looked at her was enough.
"Ran-kun, I have to ask you...when was the last time you heard from Kudo-kun?" Megure asked.
She blinked. "Just...fifteen or so minutes ago, Inspector. He called me, asked to meet with me, but when I went out to see him, he wasn't there. I waited a few minutes and then came home...why?" Her voice faded off into confusion when Megure had begun shaking his head early on in her reply.
"I'm afraid that's impossible, Ran-kun..."
She frowned. "No, it's not! I know it was Shinichi, I was just talking to him! There's no way I would mistake him!"
The inspector sighed. And his next words caused her heart to stop cold.
"It's impossible because his body was found murdered, approximately two hours ago."
In the park, in that one glade, the sunlight shining down through the completely still trees and air wavered.
::...Do you believe in ghosts?...::