WFY Chapter 3

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"Shinichi Kudo is dead."

The four words rung in his head all day long. Why did he have to die? What did he ever do? He only solved a couple of cases . . . didn't that count as a good deed?

"Heiji . . . I know it's hard, but you have to eat."

He was shaken back to the real world by Kazuha, who was looking worriedly at him.

"Huh?" Heiji asked dumbly.

Kazuha shoved a konbini bento* into his hands. "Eat." she ordered.

He stared at it. A rice and fish set with some vegetable side.

"I don't want to eat."

She stared back at him with her hands on her hips. "I said EAT!"

"No."

"Eat."

"No."

"Eat!"

"You can't make me!"

Kazuha sighed and dug in her bag and took out a slightly squished sugar doughnut.

"Then at least eat this." Kazuha said, handing it to him.

Heiji groaned. "Fine."

He peeled off the wrappers and took a bite. Hmm . . . Maybe he WAS hungry . . .

As he thoughtfully munched on his doughnut, the door opened slightly as Ai entered looking as cold as ever.

She walked towards the FARTHEST chair from Heiji's and sat down, crossing her legs expertly. She took out a magazine and began reading.

Kazuha studied Ai curiously. The teenager girl who didn't quite act like a teenager. She was so . . . adult. When Kudo-kun had died, Ai had been the most calm and seemed like she was older and maturer then everyone. Even more maturer then Kazuha. As if she had experienced all this a long time ago . . .

She edged closer to see what magazine Ai was reading. Fortunently, Ai didn't notice.

Or so Kazuha thought.

Kazuha had -completely- missed Ai flickering her eyes at her direction, but you couldn't blame her. It disappeared so fast that only the closest observers could have noticed it.

As Kazuha studied her curiously, the things Mitsuhiko and Ayumi had told her came to mind.

'Ai's kind of strange, you know. After Conan-kun left, she stopped coming to school for awhile. We worried she would have to start the grade all over again. . . but she managed, y'know? And in middle school, she was the prettiest girl in the school, but she didn't seem to care. The boys began calling her 'ice queen'. But we'll always be her friend. I think she was fond of Conan-kun. Then she stopped coming to school again, but she came back again. She is a little grown-up, but she will forever be our friend!'

Why was she so grown-up, as they called it? Why had she stopped coming to school?

"Ai-chan?" Kazuha said.

"Mmm?" Ai replied, not bothering to look up from the magazine.

"What are you reading?" Kazuha asked curiously.

Ai flipped through the pages. "Nothing of your interests."

"Oh." Kazuha said meekly.

Then, with all the courage she could muster, Kazuha asked, "Ai-chan, why are you so mature?"

Now -that- brought Ai's attention. "What?" she asked sharply, her voice trembling slightly.

Kazuha gulped. This wasn't an expected reply. . . "Uh. . . nothing. Nothing at all. Sorry to bother you."

She quickly siddled back to her seat next to Heiji, picked up a magazine, and pretended to read.

What was that about? Why was she so. . . nervous?

Pretending to read didn't go too well. She was so deep in thought, that she didn't notice she was reading it backwards.

"Yoo hoo. . . Earth to Kazuha! Why in the world are you reading a magazine upside down?" came in Heiji's voice.

Kazuha jumped as she knocked over her bag laying next to her chair. The contents, including the konbini bento, spilled out.

"Oh no!" Kazuha exclaimed as she scrambled down to pick them up. She quickly stuffed them back into her bag with Heiji's help.

"Here," Heiji said, shoving in the other contents into her hands. "Your stuff. But can I have the konbini bento?"

Kazuha raised an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't hungry?"

Heiji shrugged, a tint of red appearing on his cheek. "Well, I'm hungry now."

She snickered. "What if I say no?"

"It doesn't matter, because you'll give it to me anyway." Heiji said with a teasing grin and settled into eating the bento.

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Shiho's POV---

I couldn't believe Mouri-chan would just forgive me like that. But then again, maybe I am glad that I made the APTX. Otherwise, I wouldn't be alive right now, and I would have never met any of these people.

I admit, they did make me soften a bit. A BIT.

Who would have thought that the black girl who lived with the black people forever would have changed so much?

Kudo-kun died yesterday night. And I just can't wash the guilt away. I should have made Kudo-kun stay in America longer. Or make him stay there forever. It was because I miscalculated the number of the Organization... How could I forget the most vicious members, Whiskey and Vermouth?

Kudo-kun never deserved this. Neither does Mouri-chan. I shouldn't be forgiven... I don't deserve it.

I wish the damn Black Organization never existed.

I flipped through a copy of the Science english magazine. I flipped through and stared at the pages, but I wasn't really reading. Why wouldn't the guilt just go away? I hate my life. What did I ever do wrong?

Sure, I made the APTX, betrayed the Organization, but wasn't that all good deeds?

I noticed Toyama-chan staring at me. She was trying to get a closer look at the traitor, I guess.

I wish she would stop staring at me.

"What are you reading?" Her voice startled me. It was full of curiousity, and I couldn't blame her. No one really knows me. I mean REALLY know me. Only my sister knew, but she's gone forever.

"Nothing of your interests." I said cooly.

"Oh." she said meekly. She didn't say anything for awhile.

I flipped through the pages idly. My palms were sweaty, but I had to keep cool. Keep the mask on. Get a grip.

"Ai-chan, why are you so mature?" I nearly dropped my magazine. Could she. . . know? Maybe not going to school wasn't such a good idea. Well, she DID have to complete the antidote that time.

"What?" I asked sharply, my voice trembling slightly. Trembling? Shiho Miyano's voice didn't tremble. My mask was cracking. This wasn't good.

Toyama-chan looked startled, though, and I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She opened her mouth to speak.

I panicked. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Would she. . . ask? Oh, this was NOT good.

"Uh. . . nothing. Nothing at all. Sorry to bother you." I sighed a relief in my mind. Phew. Close call.

Toyama-chan quickly left to take a seat next to Hattori-kun.

Wow. I nearly had a heart attack. I needed to act a bit more kiddy from now on. And stop reading magazine's written in english, I guess.

But wait. What was the need to pretend now? The Black Organization was gone, nothing to hide from from now on.

I would be found soon, anyway. And hated from everyone from now on too, probably. So I might as well enjoy my last minutes of peace.

I remembered what Ayumi asked me once.

'Do you like Conan-kun?'

Maybe I did. Maybe I was a little fond of him. (a/n: no, this is not a Shinichi/Shiho) A -little-. He had, after all, been in the same state as I had been. But we had come from opposite worlds.

Well, I would think about this all later. Right now, the important thing was how to find Kudo-kun's body. Or maybe I should say Edogawa-kun's?

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Normal POV ---

The night was clear as Ran gazed at the stars. She was again at the place Shinichi had fallen from. She had somehow grown fond of the place.

Why should she when this was where the person she loved most had died?

Well, she just couldn't keep out of the place. Looking at the stars in such a clear night was such comfort. It felt like she was the only person in the world right now, floating above the cities enjoying the wonderful view.

She just wished Shinichi was with her now, looking at the stars with her.

'You told me, Shinichi, that when were all grown-up, we'll go see the stars together. . . But you're gone. Why did you have to leave?'

No, she thought, she cried enough times. But this place always brought tears. Maybe she should avoid this place from now on. But the stars are so beautiful.

"Shinichi. . . Are you watching me right now? Are you sad like I am? I don't get it. . . I'm such a crybaby. I wish you were here with me now." she whispered.

Suddenly, she felt someone wrap their arms around her waist.

Her heart skipped a beat. Oh no. She was hallucinating. Feeling things because of all this stress.

"I -am- here with you, Ran." the person whispered.

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HELP! I need your help, people. I am reall stuck on what to do after this. . . So I'm asking for votes. Please review and pick choice A or B.

A: Shinichi asks Ran to marry him, Ran breaks up with Masahiro, the end. (maybe more)

B: Ran admits she loves Shinichi, and Shinichi tells her he loves her too, but tells her he can't be with her because it's still dangerous. Then - - - well, that we'll have to find out.

A or B peoplez!!! A or B!!! Drop in a review and pick!!! Help out the poor guys!