Challenge #13: Lending a Helping Hand
Title: Taking It Up
Author: ran_mouri82
Word Count: 1220
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Aoyama Gosho would roll over in his futon if he thought some American girl drew Detective Conan instead of him. And we wouldn’t want that to happen.
Characters: Mouri Ran and Miyano Shiho
Notes: Neither one could leave his work unfinished.
Taking It Up
Pockmarks pitted the old headstones beside the one bearing the chiseled name of Kudou Shin’ichi. Even so, scattered showers had dampened the newest stone’s surface, promising that it would one day resemble its neighbors. Ran stood there in the shirt and jeans she had thrown on that morning, down to a pair of mismatched socks, watching her week-old flowers flop in the damp breeze. Her umbrella dangled from a wrist that was thinner than usual from the skimpy meals she had taken recently; the string dug into her wrist and made it itch, but she ignored it.
"Mouri-san."
Ran’s breath caught, and she whirled on her heel, wondering for a split second if she would have to fight the newcomer. But the person’s voice struck her as familiar, even if the person in front of her was a complete stranger.
As the hot afternoon sun peeked through a break in the clouds, a young woman walked toward Ran with a steady pace, her navy heels clicking on the pavement. She wore a tailored jacket and a wide-brimmed hat of the same color that concealed her face in its shade. The glasses she wore obscured it even more. Still, despite the aching grief that had made many details meaningless, Ran noticed that the woman’s long, midnight black hair was brushed into her face instead of away from it; when she came closer, it was clear the hair must’ve been dyed, since her eyebrows were a much lighter brown, almost blond.
Trembling, Ran controlled her voice and said, "I don’t think we’ve met before. Do I know you?"
The woman nodded and said softly, "Yes. I wouldn’t have come, Mouri-san, if you hadn’t gone to the police yesterday and asked about me. The professor told me about it."
Slowly, comprehension dawned and Ran gasped. "Ai-chan?"
This time, the woman shook her head. Glancing to her left and right, she moved close enough to bend toward Ran’s ear. If Ran wasn’t mistaken, she was trembling, too. "My name is Miyano Shiho, but please don’t call me that in case any of them are around. They’re the ones Kudou told you about."
It wasn’t a question.
So this is-? Ran stepped back, eying Shiho in a new light. It was all there: the high cheekbones, the sharp, blue eyes, and the straight shoulders that must have been trained to stand tall or else. As an adult, Ai-or as it was, Shiho-would look like this. It only stood to reason that she would come in a disguise, considering her situation with the syndicate. What would Shin’ichi do? Ran cleared her throat and asked, "So you’re okay, um, Keiko-san?"
"Yes, I’m sorry I couldn’t make the funeral. I was sick in bed all week, so please forgive me," Shiho said. Catching Ran’s drift, she greeted her and bowed as if she were some distant relative. "I’m leaving soon, but I wanted to pay just one visit." Shiho peered at Ran over the rims of her glasses. "It was good to catch you. I already saw the Kudous earlier."
In other words, ‘I’m alive, so don’t investigate’, Ran thought. She toyed with her umbrella string, trying not to get caught up in wondering how long the Kudous had known about Ai, the apotoxin and its antidote, and the fatal attempt Shin’ichi had made to uncover the syndicate. The hardest part was pushing away the memories of him bleeding endlessly in her arms, but that was in the past. Shiho was still alive. The men in black want to kill her, don’t they? "There’s no need to apologize," she said, with as cheerful a smile as she could muster. "But do you really need to go so soon? It would be great to have you over, since it’s been awhile."
Shiho frowned. Stepping forward to press Ran’s hand as if offering lame condolences, she whispered, "No, Mouri-san. It’s too risky to stay here-" she paused, glancing sidelong at the lengthening shadows of the rows upon rows of headstones, and said, "but I have a plan. That’s why I took the antidote. Either way, you’ll never see me again."
Ran murmured, "Miyano-san . . . ."
"Thank you for doing me this favor," Shiho said, moving away and bowing again. "I’m the one who owes you, but thank you." Though her acting until that moment had been expert, she choked as she said, "And I’m very sorry-for your loss."
With that, Shiho turned and started to walk away. Ran stared after her, torn between her wandering form and Shin’ichi, who lay cold in the ground beneath her feet. If the syndicate could wrench Shin’ichi from this life, Shiho's chances of survival were slim to none. Shin’ichi, Ran begged, what should I do?
The clouds rolled in and sealed the remaining blue patch in the sky, covering the world with a blanket of gray. Ran clenched a fist at her side. "Wait!"
Shiho paused and turned around.
Ran took off at a run, then halted in front of Shiho before throwing her arms around her neck. She felt Shiho stiffen beneath her grasp, but she didn’t move, wanting it to appear like an emotional parting-which wasn’t far from the truth. Ran leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Shin’ichi promised to protect you, was that it?"
Shiho let out a shuddering breath and answered, "Yes. And that’s why he died."
"Then," Ran said, feeling a chasm widen between her and the grave she had just left, "I want to protect you, too."
"What are you saying?" Shiho said, her arms frozen at her sides.
Ran shifted to face her. "I’m coming with you."
A gust of wind blew through the cemetery, raising a low cry as it whipped through the scattered trees. "That’s stupid," Shiho said, with a bitter smile, easing away from Ran’s awkward embrace. "Even now, we shouldn’t be speaking. It was stupid to come here at all. Kudou would never forgive me if I let you-"
Ran shook her head, staring hard at her as the first crack of thunder sounded through the air. The grounds and surrounding blocks were quickly becoming deserted as the inhabitants of Beika dashed for cover or drove away. In a low, but determined voice, Ran replied, "I don’t need a reason to save your life."
The sky above them broke then, sending a shower that quickly grew in intensity. Without waiting for an answer, Ran opened her umbrella and lifted it over both their heads.
Shiho began, "Mouri-san-"
"Shin’ichi made you that promise because he knew you needed it," Ran said, offering her a gentle smile. "If I let you go alone now, he would never forgive me."
"I’m sure he would easily forgive you," Shiho snapped, facing the path again, but not straying from beneath the weak shelter Ran held over her. With an irritated clack of her heels, she gave Ran the distinct impression that she cursed the fact she hadn’t brought her own umbrella. "You know I can’t let you do this."
"I’m not asking you. I’m coming with you," Ran said, glancing behind her at the gravestone as it faded behind thick sheets of falling rain. I’ll be back someday with Shiho. I promise.
Shiho walked beside Ran for awhile in silence. Then, with the faintest smile, she said, "Fine. It’s your blood, not mine."
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Odd fic for Lurker Day, yes? It’s part of a larger idea I’ve had for awhile, which is a DC version of Noir. I suppose this can also be considered a contribution to Challenge #58, the 1000+ word/non-MK/non-yaoi/non-HeiKaz fic, but there’s no Conan. Not alive, anyway. ^^* Hope you enjoyed it!