Chapter 18

Yukiko, now realizing that something had gone terribly wrong, relied on her acting skills to control the situation, although that didn't seem to work well either.

"That was amazing you two! I didn't think you guys were going to start working on practice script I gave you so soon!"

Yukiko was trying to cover up the misunderstanding, and she could tell it had something to do with them talking separate from the whole cast, but she just wasn't exactly sure what happened so she needed to be as indirect as possible.

"Anyways you three continue practice later at home ok?" she asked with a smile.

Shiho, noticing Yukiko and how she was trying to change everything around, went along with it quickly.

"Thank you Kudo-kun, Mouri-san. You both were a great help in my practice. I can't wait to finish up practice later. We can all go to Yukiko-san's hotel room to finish alright?" she had a light smile on, as if nothing had happened.

Ran and Shinichi hesitantly went along with it. They wanted the whole thing to be over with so as not to have to fret until they finished talking it out, but they knew that then and there was not the right place to discuss all of this.

When things had cooled down, and the shooting was over, as they had decided earlier, they gathered in Yukiko and Yuusaku's hotel room.

"Now then, please, please, talk it out amongst yourselves, and if you need us, we'll be outside the room ok?" asked Yukiko worriedly.

"We understand," said Shiho curtly, "and thank you for the help."

The two adults left the three young adults to set everything straight.

"Now then, Kudo-kun, it's time we sorted this all out," said Shiho.

He nodded his head slowly, and Ran prepared herself. She felt that something would go horribly wrong for her.

"Shinichi, let's start with your feelings towards Ran."

He nodded again but didn't speak.

"You said you were going to propose to her soon, but that was before you knew who I was. After you found out who I was, you faltered. You say you love me, but I'm not sure that is your true feelings."

He jolted slightly. He was hoping that maybe she was right, and that she would have an explanation for this mayhem.

"You might only have these feelings because I disappeared on you. Now that you've seen me again, after believing I was dead for such a long time… you mistook those feelings of joy and relief, for feelings of love," she explained. "That is possibility one."

Ran's stomach lurched when Shiho said it was only a possibility, and that the way she said it seemed like there was more.

Shinichi only sat silently, soaking in the words.

"Possibility number two, is that you really do love me, but also love Ran. You have feelings for both of us and are torn between the two. You don't know who you love more. Since you were able to talk more freely with me when we were… children, you were able to say your feelings to me easier than saying them to Ran."

When no one said anything, she continued with the third possibility. "And lastly, you might not love Ran like you thought you did, and have truly fallen for me. You might love Ran as your childhood friend, or like a sister or something, but you couldn't fallen for me for real. Now, I don't know which is true, but it is one of these options. You need to think hard and sort out your own feelings. During this time, Ran and I will wait in a separate room. You must think it over and come to us when you have sorted yourself out. Understand?"

He nodded his head. He was still wrapping his mind around the three possibilities, and it seemed like it would take him a long while to figure everything out.

Shiho headed towards the door with Ran. "We'll be in Ran's hotel room."

He nodded his head.

When the door clicked shut, Shinichi fell back onto the bed.

Everything was mind boggling, and he had no clue what to do about it. It was driving him insane. He had thought he had a grasp on his emotions, but this whole thing was just driving him insane. He didn't know black from white, love from hate. He couldn't do it. His mind was turning completely blank just trying to figure it out.

Inside Ran's room, Shiho, Ran, Yukiko, and Yuusaku sat in silence.

After two hours passed, the door suddenly clicked open as Shinichi walked in.

Everyone stood up, and waited for him to speak.

Slowly, Shinichi walked over to Ran and hugged her.

As they hugged, her eyes widened, and slowly Shinichi released her.

Shiho had a smile on her face. "I'm glad you chose Ran. You two should be together."

Ran turned to Shiho with a sad and heartbroken smile on her face as a few tears streamed down her cheeks. "You're wrong. He chose you after whispering in my ear, 'I'm Sorry.'"

Shiho's eyes widened.

Shinichi then turned to her and said, "It took me a long time. I… I wasn't sure exactly what my feelings were. I thought back to a long time ago, before you faked your death. I thought about how I felt then when different events occurred. I noticed how the way I acted towards Ran had changed, and how the way I acted towards you changed as well. Possibility three. That's what my feelings are. I love you, Shiho. To me, Ran is only my friend, but you've become a much bigger part of my life than I would ever have expected. You're the one I want beside me."

Ran nodded with a sad smile. She seemed to have known it from long before, and had always hoped it wasn't true. She had already come to terms with herself. She had prepared for the time when Shinichi would truly leave her.

Shinichi wasn't hers, and she didn't want him to be her possession. She wanted his love, but knew it was hers to have. He was Shiho's.

Hesitantly, Shinichi walked towards her, and tilted her chin up to look her in the eyes.

"Shiho," he started slowly, "I love you."

"I love you too, Shinichi," she whispered.

A warm feeling shot through both of them as they brought their lips together gently, the soft electricity becoming an unforgettable memory.