To Hold A Hand

Well this section is depressingly bare, so I thought I would add a story to it, since it is my favorite anime.
I'm not a very good writer, so you'll have to work with me, and use your imagination at times, but I promise to try my best to give you a good story.
Ok?
Ok then, on with the show!!!

~~~~~~

“I STILL can’t believe you let go Shinichi!” She had been rambling on and on for 15 minutes now. Shinichi was wondering how much more his ears could take. “I mean really, was it that hard for you to wait for me to wake up?” The voice quieted, down to a whisper, and Shinichi could feel his heart beginning to break. He wanted to tell her the truth that he hadn’t REALLY let go, but he couldn’t… He just couldn’t. “Why couldn’t you wait for me? I really wanted to hear your deduction.” The voice was barely audible now; Shinichi could practically hear her tears. It was obvious the poor girl was crying, and there was nothing he could do about it. It broke his heart so. “Is this case really that important? That you won’t even stay…” The voice faded off, the sobs now audible through the phone.

“Ran… I…” What do you say to something like that? She was right, well she was wrong, he hadn’t let go of her, he stayed with her the whole time, he had just turned back into Conan, but that wasn’t the point. He had chosen the case over her, yet again. For the second time now, he screwed it up. “I really want to tell you…” He trailed off. He wanted to do this in person. With HIS voice, and not some machine’s. “Ran I just…”

“Shinichi, why can’t you just stay?” It was as if she read his mind. “I want you here… I miss you… Why can’t you just come home Shinichi? Am I… am I…”

He cut her off; he didn’t want her to finish that sentence. “Ran I promise… I’ll tell you everything when I get back. Just please… Please wait for me till then.”

“Shinichi I…”

“It’s a promise Ran. I’ll come home as soon as I can, and I’ll tell you my deduction. Ran… Please just wait for me Ran.”

“Ok you deduction freak. But you better not screw it up, or you’ll get a karate kick.”

‘Yikes! Good thing I already know I’m right…’ “Deal.” He said with a laugh, he was glad to see her mood had brightened up a little. At least enough that she could joke.

“I had better go; I still haven’t cooked anything for Conan and dad…” She paused. “Be safe Shinichi and come home soon ok?” She hung up. She had to, or she would have started crying again. Shinichi knew it as he looked into her room from the hallway. He was Conan now, but he could see the fresh tears on her face, and his heart still broke.

“Shinichi nii-chan is mean to make you cry.” Sometimes being a kid has its perks. He got to come into Ran’s room, and try to make her smile after he screws it up as Shinichi.

Ran just shook her head though and smiled at the small boy. “Shinichi isn’t mean…” Tears welling up in her eyes, she just wiped them away again; the smile had faded from her face. “He’s just too busy… too busy for me…”

“I always make time for you Ran nii-chan.” He pulled himself up onto the bed, and wrapped his arms around her. Looking up at her, she was smiling again.

She ran her fingers through his hair, looking down into his familiar eyes. “I know Conan kun.” The smile stayed this time, and Shinichi knew he dodged a bullet. He couldn’t bear to see her cry, it hurt too much. “Now what should we eat? How about a little curry?”

Conan smiled, and nodded. “Sounds good Ran nii-chan.”

~~~

“WHAT, why should I come to America?”

“Oh come on Shin-chan, you can bring Ran chan and Hattori kun. Besides, it’ll be good for you to spend some time with your mother and it’s been a while since I’ve seen my little Shin-chan.” The smug attitude was so distinctively his mother’s.

“Yeah, but how will I explain you buying tickets for us? It’s not like your Conan’s mom after all, and you have nothing to do with Hattori.”

“Oh you worry too much Shin-chan. I’ll just tell Hattori kun, and he’ll come a long. If it wasn’t for that Kazuha girl, I’d almost think he has a crush on you Shinichi.” She giggles at her own joke, and Shinichi just sighs. “Oh come on now, we can bring her along as well. It should be fun. I’ll just use the excuse of wanting to meet my son’s friends. Pweeeeazeee my little Shin-chan…”

Shinichi just sighed. There was obviously no reasoning with his mother when she got like this. “Fine I’ll call them, but you’re explaining this to Ran. She’s upset enough with Shinichi as it is.”

“Nope, she’s your girlfriend; YOU’RE telling her you’re not coming.”

“Why should I tell her anything? This was all your idea. AND SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!”

“Oh that’s right… of course not my little Shin-chan…” The sarcasm practically dripped off that last statement. Then there was a long sigh of defeat. “Fine, I’ll call Ran. BUT I’m only telling her that I’m flying out the four of you. YOU have to come up with the excuse Shin-chan.”

“Hrmph. Fine. There’s obviously no reasoning with you. If she cries about Shinichi not showing up I’ll never forgive you, you know that right mom?”

“She’s always crying on the inside Shinichi. Except when Shinichi is there.” And then the phone went dead. And Shinichi was left with the echoes of truth that his mother had left him with. She was right, and he hated himself because of it.

~~~

“Oi!! Ran chan, Conan kun, over here!” Called the waving Kazuha. They were all at Tokyo Airport, and Kazuha and Hattori were already at the gate as Conan and Ran were walking up.

“Hey Kazuha chan, hi Hattori kun.” Ran was cheerful as always. She took the news of Shinichi’s absence on this trip surprisingly well, at least to Conan’s knowledge. She just smiled and said that was fine, when Shinichi’s mother called her. She just said that’d it be a good use of fall break, and that there was no helping the detective freak once he was on a case.

“So why is he coming again?” Kazuha asked pointing at Conan. “And actually why are we invited, I mean really?” Kazuha asked redirecting her pointing at herself, staring at her finger awkwardly.

Because she’s MY mom, Conan thought to himself. He just put on a fake smile, and laughed though. “Shinichi’s mom likes him. Or at least that’s what she told me, something about reminding her of when Shinichi was younger.” Ran chirped. “She said she just wanted to meet some of Shinichi’s friends, since she never gets to host them.” Ran smiled remembering all the fun times at Shinichi’s house growing up.

“Oh… did Shinichi really look that dorky growing up?” Kazuha asked poking Conan on the bridge of his glasses. Hattori found this hilarious, and began laughing hysterically in the background as Conan glared at both of them.

Ran just smiled and blushed. “I guess so, but I think it’s mostly that she had an extra ticket after Shinichi canceled.” Ran said with a smile, bending down and hugging Conan from behind. “You do look just like him you know.” She whispered in his ear with a wink and a smile. As Ran pulled him in even tighter, Conan tensed up and blushed, and the grin on Hattori’s face just seemed to get wider.

“Still, it is pretty nice of her to invite us all out to America.” Hattori finally chimed in after he finally got over Conan’s predicament. Ran had let go of Conan, and was standing behind him, with Hattori and Kazuha their opposite. “Why’s she doing this?” Hattori asked, looking down at Conan, asking him, or rather Shinichi.

“Shinichi’s mom said that she wanted to see Shinichi and his friends, since it’s been so long.” Ran replied again.

“Hey Heiji why were you asking the runt?” Kazuha asked, and Ran perked up. She had assumed the question was directed at her, but it was peculiar that Hattori was looking at Conan. Conan just gave a ‘You gotta be kidding me’ look to Hattori.

Hattori look flustered for a moment turning away, while trying to think up a suitable answer. “Ah. Ah…” Hattori stuttered, it was obvious to Conan that he was having trouble coming up with a good lie, but Shinichi thought he’d let him suffer for a bit for being so careless. “Ah… Because this kid always acts like Kudo and he says he talks to him, so I figured that he might know…” Hattori rambled. And for some strange reason, Ran and Kazuha seemed to buy it and turned to each other and began talking about what they wanted to do in America, and all the things that they could see.

Conan just strolled casually over after the girls were deep in their conversation and Hattori crouched down so he could talk to him without the girls over hearing. “So what’s the REAL reason your mom’s bringing us all out to America?” Hattori asked in a voice slightly above a whisper.

“As far as I know, Ran said it.” Conan responded coolly with a shrug. “I do get the feeling that she’s up to something though, but who knows with her.”

Hattori whacked Conan upside the head, and Conan shrieked. The girls looked over for a second, but really didn’t pay them any mind. “Fool shouldn’t you of all people know?” Hattori’s voice was as stern as the bonk he just gave Conan.

“Really, so do YOU understand EVERYTHING your parents do?” Conan said with a smirk and a skeptical look at his peer.

“NOW BOARDING FLIGHT 524 FOR LOS ANGELES.”

Hattori smirked picking up his bag and grabbing Kazuha by the arm running towards the line. “Of course.” He shouted back, but even he didn’t even believe his lie, so he knew Shinichi wouldn’t, but it was dropped as they went to the line boarding the plane.

~~~

Ran and Conan sat next to each other in their cushy first class seats across the aisle, Hattori and Kazuha sat in theirs. “Wow first class sure is nice.” Hattori said stretching out his legs, getting comfortable.

“Yeah this sure is great.” Kazuha added, admiring the space and comfort. They had always traveled coach whenever they got on planes, so this first class situation, was really nice.

‘My mother is such a showoff. She never bought Ran or me first class tickets before…’ Conan thought to himself, with a look of disbelief on his face.

“Hey Ran, do the in-laws always fly you over first class?” Kazuha asked with a teasing grin. Hattori cracked up and Conan had a look of terror flush across his face.

Ran didn’t seem to notice, she was too busy staring out the window, watching the runway. Ran seemed to get snapped out of her daydream but instead of being angry she blushed. “No, usually we fly coach together...” The sadness in her voice, as she trailed off. Everyone knew what she was thinking about before Kazuha had asked the question. ‘Where are you Shinichi?…’

~~~

Two hours into the flight, somewhere over the pacific, Ran sat sleeping in her cushy first class chair. With his head in her lap, Conan lay sleeping as well. Across the aisle Hattori snickered and took pictures with his camera phone, while Kazuha silently scolded him for being so cruel. After all what was wrong with that?

A rush of noise came from the first class section, near the bathrooms and the first class galley. A scream rudely awakened Ran and Conan, and before anybody knew what was going on, Conan and Hattori were off to determine the source.

“You move awful quickly for a kid who was just snoozing in his girlfriend’s lap.” Hattori said with a smirk as soon as they left. Conan didn’t have time to respond, because as soon as they got to the bathroom, they saw why the flight attendant had screamed.

Inside the bathroom laid a woman bleeding heavily from many stab wounds across her chest and torso. Blood was splattered across the walls of the tiny room. Hattori rushed in and checked her pulse.

“She’s dead.”

~~~~~~

Well I hoped you liked it. I know, I know. No smut. There will be some, just later, I'm working up to it.

~Till next time ass holes,
~Crumbobulus