Disclaimer: I hate these. I wish I did own Detective Conan and no, I will NOT call it 'Cased Closed'. Okay, so DC and its characters don't belong to me, happy? *glare* The only character I own in this fanfic is Kudo Yui. *grin*

Leaving You

It was hard. I didn't want to leave. She was right there, looking so beautiful, that pretty smile that I fell for every since I met her the first time. It's not fair they had to take her away. She belongs to me. I married her. Everyone was crying, but I wasn't. Even Yui was crying. I'm not surprised. Which son wouldn't' cry when his mother died? I seemed like an outsider by not crying. Don't get me wrong, I loved her with all my heart and was very saddened by her death, but I couldn't cry. Ran wouldn't want me to cry. Let me start from the beginning.

Ran and I were united after I was able to return to my true form fifteen years ago. We were only twenty six then. Hattori and Ran found a way to drag me back to Japan and I'm thankful. About month upon returning to my homeland, Ran and I married. It was a small wedding, but we didn't care. Mom and Dad were very happy, and I've never seen Kogoro-san smile that gratefully. He knew that Ran loved me and was grateful that she could mend her broken heart. He hated to see her cry. Kogoro-san and Eri-san had gotten back together. How they made up, don't ask me, I thought it would take a miracle.

Hattori and Toyama-san left a few days later to go back to Osaka. Hattori had begged me to go with him to his agency, called Hattori's Detective Agency. (Lame name, but I can't think of anything. Sorry.) I refused. I said that I wanted to be with Ran for awhile and maybe we would move there after we got settled together. Ran and I moved into a small apartment near Kogoro-san agency. I got a job as a private investigator and became famous once again. Although Hattori and I still compete for cases, we're the friend-ish rivals. Ran has a job as a schoolteacher at Teitan Elementary School. That school brought back memories of when I was Conan, but let's not go there.

Ran and I lived fine together. Five years into our marriage, Ran found out she was pregnant. We were both so happy. About nine months later, Yui was born. He looked just like me. (Almost identical to what Shinichi looked like as Conan. ^^) After Yui was born, Ran and I moved into a house, which was much bigger and spacious. We felt that it would be better to raise Yui in an environment that wasn't so cramped.

We raised Yui well. He started kendo and karate at three and is quite good now, even if it's only been two years. (He learns quite fast, just like Shinichi did when he was young.) Still can't beat Hattori though. Now, Yui is almost five. I'm almost thirty six, so is Ran. But Ran....she had to leave us so soon....Damn that stupid driver.

I was walking home today to pick up Yui from school. Tomorrow was Ran's birthday so Yui wanted to get her something special. When I arrived home with Yui, I realized that our car wasn't in the garage, Ran was not home and something didn't feel right. Ran was never late home from work. That was when I got the call. The hospital called, saying that Ran's car had been hit by a drunken kid's car on her way home. She had been alive, but was in critical condition. They were doing all they could to stabilize her condition. I rushed to the hospital with Yui, phoning Mom and Dad, Kogoro and Eri, Hattori and Kazuha, their parents, and Hagase all at the same time. I don't know how I made it here without crashing into someone because I think I was driving 500km/hr with Yui screaming at me to know what happened.

When we did arrive at the hospital, I was directly taken to the room Ran was in. She was so pale. Yui started crying immediately and I put my arms around him, hoping to calm him down a bit, even when my heart was pounding at 100 beats/second. He buried his head in my sweater and didn't stop crying. After looking at Ran for a few minutes and praying for the best, I picked Yui up and walked to the waiting room, where the people I had phone was rushing into. We sat on the chairs in the waiting room and waiting. I knew right away that Ran hadn't survived when the nurse came out of the room. That expression on her face told everything. That was when I broke down crying. Eri took Yui into her arms and started crying too. Kogoro was trying his best to keep from letting those tears spill and to calm his wife and grandchild down. Mom and Dad were trying to keep me from flooding the hospital with my tears. Hattori was trying to keep himself from punching the wall down. Toyama-san was crying. Hattori and Toyama-san's parents were standing there, a sad expression on their faces for a while, before the women started their waterfall of tears. With husbands trying to keep wives from crying and grandparents trying to keep their children from crying, no one paid much attention to me. I sat there in the corner, crying my heart out.

Hattori finally came up to me, his expression pained. "I'm sorry, Kudo," was all he said. But I knew that meant much more. I looked up at him and then started crying again. He put a hand on my shoulder and sat down next to me. I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I loved her, Hattori, and I still do," I said through tears.

"I know, Kudo."

"I want her to come back, Hattori," I didn't know what I was saying, but it just came out.

"Kudo, I know it's hard, but don't cry. Neesan wouldn't want to see you cry like this." He looked at me intently.

I looked at him, wiping my tears away, "Okay."

He smiled, sort of, and nodded. He got out and walked over to Toyama-san his wife and gave her a shoulder to cry on, soothing her at the same time. I gazed at them and then turned my gaze to Yui, who had stopped sobbing, but was still crying in Eri's arms. I got up, walked over to them, nodded at Eri, and took Yui and my arms again. Yui looked at me with that sad look. "Daddy, why?" Then he burst out sobbing again. "Why, Daddy??"

I held Yui close to me, rocking him back and forth until his sobs faded to soft sniffing and whimpers.

I wanted to leave. I wanted to take Yui home. Ran was gone, and there was nothing I could do about it. I walked back into the room with Yui in my arms. When he saw Ran lying there, so pale and lifeless, he buried his head in my sweater and wouldn't let go off my neck. I held my son tight around me as I stopped at Ran's bedside. She looked so beautiful even when she was so pale. Her long chocolate brown hair swirled beneath her. She was wearing a hospital gown, that kind that looked boring and old. I leaned down with Yui still in my arms and kissed her, lightly, on the lips. Then I smiled. "Rest in peace, Ran," I said as I stood up straight again. Just as I was about to turn and leave, Yui said, "I'll be good, Mommy. You don't need to worry about me." He smiled lightly at me before looking back his mother, my wife. I nodded at Yui and exited through the door of the resting room. I walked over to my mother and said, "Can you make arrangements for Ran's funeral for me? I don't care how much it costs; I want the best of everything."

My mother nodded as she wiped away a tear. I nodded at her and continued my way out of the hospital. Everyone looked at me when I passed, but I paid them no heed. When Yui and I reached the dark blue car that I drove, I paused. Yui looked up at me.

"Daddy, you can cry now."

"Yui, I've been trying hard not to cry. Mommy wouldn't want me to cry." I unlocked the doors and set him down gently in his car seat.

As I buckled him in, he said, "But Daddy, when you cry, it makes you feel better. Mommy would want you to cry so that the hurtful feeling doesn't stay hidden forever and you can be happy again."

I froze. There he was, my 5 year old son, preaching to me like an adult. I looked at those blue eyes so much like mine. Then I smiled. As I got into the driver's seat I said, "You are smart, Yui. I will cry, but not until we get home, okay? Then, we can shed our tears together and be happy again."

Yui nodded and I started the engine of the car. I pulled out of the pulled out of the parking spot I had hurried parked in and slowly drove out onto the street. As we reached the house we lived in, I could hear someone yelling my name outside the car. I pulled into our driveway and then stopped the car. I took the key out of the ignition and opened the door to get out. As I closed the door of the car, someone barreled into me and almost knocked me down if I hadn't been leaning against the car. As I finally was able to see the person who had hugged me so tightly, I was astonished to find that it was Ayumi.

"Ayumi, what are doing here?" I asked as she released her hold on me and looked up into my eyes. Ayumi, being almost twenty six now, had engaged to this other boy from her high school. Genta and Mitsuhiko had each gotten their own girlfriends. They were either engaged or still going out.

"Shinichi-niichan, I'm so sorry. I just got home from work and I heard about Ran-neesan's death. I'm so very sorry." Ayumi looked down, but I could see the tears streaming down her face.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Its okay, Ayumi. I know you really liked Ran, and appreciate you coming here. I know it'll be hard for both me and Yui, but we'll be okay. Thank you for your support. You better get home soon or your husband will worry." I winked at her. Then I opened the door in the back and unbuckled Yui's seatbelt. Yui hopped down from his car seat and out of the car. He stood there next to me, looking up at me and Ayumi.

Ayumi stared at me for a second before throwing her arms around my waist again. "That's why I used to like you, Shinichi-niichan. You were always so mature and looking out for me and our gang. I'm glad Ran-neesan got you as her husband and I bet you she's real happy now, watching you from somewhere where you can't see her." Ayumi let go of me and patted Yui on the head. "You be good for your daddy, okay?"

Yui nodded and Ayumi smiled. "I'll be going now, see you later!" The brown-haired girl ran off in the direction she came and soon disappeared from sight.

I took Yui's hand and closed the car door. I made sure the doors were locked and then led Yui inside. Once in the living room, I could feel the emptiness of our house without Ran. I took Yui into the master bedroom and set him on the bed that I had shared with Ran. He looked up at me, his eyes filling with tears. I nodded at him. "Go ahead."

He smiled and then started crying. I hugged him as I let the tears I had been holding back fall. We cried ourselves to sleep that evening. I don't know when we fell asleep, but I only that I woke up with Yui snoring lightly next to me and feeling better. As I lay in bed for a few more minutes, I thought about Ran.

Why is leaving you so hard, Ran? I know that you don't want me to cry forever, but why does leaving you have to be so hard? I turned over to face Yui. He was still asleep. Of course, why would he be awake? It was only six in the morning. Ran, I love you. I'm so glad that you were willing to forgive me after I told you the truth. I want you to know, wherever you are right now, that I will ALWAYS love you. I'm glad we have Yui and I hope you'll be happy from wherever you are because I am happy. I wish you were here with us, but we can't always get what we want, ne? I want to you watch over Yui for me when I'm at work, okay? I'll see you later, honey. Shinichi slowly got out of bed. He made sure not wake the young boy sleeping next to him. He smiled. Ran, you make me feel like I'm in heaven everyday. Even when you can only remain in my heart, you still make my day wonderful. Shinichi got himself ready for work and called in the babysitter. And guess who that was? Correct, it was Yoshida Ayumi.

From the window, Ran watched as her son tugged on Ayumi's shirt and asked her to play cards with him. Ayumi playfully ruffled his hair and sat down with him. Ran smiled. Yui will be fine, Shinichi. She disappeared from the spot she was just standing at and then reappeared at Kudo Shinichi's office. She walked right through the door and was delighted to find her husband gazing at her picture, which was framed and sitting on his desk. He smiled as if he knew she was there with him at the moment and said, "Aisteru, Ran."

Ran giggled. She floated next to her husband. She gave him a light peck on the cheek, which he obviously couldn't feel but could sense, and then mouthed, "Have a nice day, dear." Shinichi looked surprised for a moment before breaking into a grin. He could sense Ran's presence next to him, even if she was a spirit.

"Wait for me at home, Ran." At just that moment, the bell on his door rang and he stood to go answer it. Ran nodded and then disappeared from the office. She reappeared back at her house and watched in amusement as Yui tugged on Ayumi's now long hair. She giggled. Ran disappeared. I'll be later, Yui.

THE END

Completed: April 12, 2004

Okay, I didn't plan on making Ran die, but it just sort of wrote itself. You have to read my other fanfic "We will meet again" to understand where this story came from. I hope you enjoyed this and please review!!!!!!! Thanks and does anyone know how to translate Chinese to Japanese? I have a few names that need translating. Please email me. First, press that review button and tell me what you think of this story!!! ^^

~mysteriousangelgirl~