Kiss #14: Last Goodbye
Conan touched his thumb to the phone’s screen as Ran ended the call. This time, he knew in his bones that he would never hear her voice again. There was too much risk otherwise. He dropped the phone and bowtie. Not even her voice….
From now on, he would keep those sound waves, the unique pitch of Ran’s voice, in his memory. A pair of tears found their way to the rug below him; it took a moment to realize they had fallen from his face.
“Kudou-kun, are you alright?”
Conan started at hearing the name, but kept his back to Ai. “You’re calling me that now?” he said, with a dark laugh. “Kudou Shin’ichi’s long dead.”
“Yes, I am,” she said, maintaining a respectful distance. Conan did not need to look to know Agasa hovered at her side. “Because he’s the one in pain.”
You two came along just for that, huh? Conan thought, grinning.
“…Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay,” Conan said, discreetly wiping his eyes on his sleeve and slipping back on his glasses. “At least now I know Ran will be alright. Are Mom and Dad on their way?”
“They’ll be here in a minute, once Ran-kun’s left,” Agasa said. His worry had aged him more in the past few years than ever before, but it was clear that what overcame the inventor now was pity. “Our flight leaves first, but we still need to be careful.”
“Don’t worry,” Conan said, giving Agasa a sardonic glare while shoving his hands in his pockets. “I won’t try to chase down Ran on the way to her honeymoon. Besides, they’re going to Okinawa, not Los Angeles.”
“Is it really alright, though?” Ai said. She tugged the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and tucked in her hair. Soon enough, Yuusaku and Yukiko would burst through the door and shuttle them to a waiting car. “Things are still touch-and-go for us.”
Conan paused. As endless as the war with the syndicate seemed, there was only one thing that mattered now. Though his dreams, his future, and his identity had all died, though his last tie to the dearest person in his life was forever severed, from behind his glasses a new fire flared to life. If Ran could be that strong, he had no right to be any less.
“If it’s not alright, it will be,” he said, smirking. “I’m determined.”
From now on, he would keep those sound waves, the unique pitch of Ran’s voice, in his memory. A pair of tears found their way to the rug below him; it took a moment to realize they had fallen from his face.
“Kudou-kun, are you alright?”
Conan started at hearing the name, but kept his back to Ai. “You’re calling me that now?” he said, with a dark laugh. “Kudou Shin’ichi’s long dead.”
“Yes, I am,” she said, maintaining a respectful distance. Conan did not need to look to know Agasa hovered at her side. “Because he’s the one in pain.”
You two came along just for that, huh? Conan thought, grinning.
“…Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay,” Conan said, discreetly wiping his eyes on his sleeve and slipping back on his glasses. “At least now I know Ran will be alright. Are Mom and Dad on their way?”
“They’ll be here in a minute, once Ran-kun’s left,” Agasa said. His worry had aged him more in the past few years than ever before, but it was clear that what overcame the inventor now was pity. “Our flight leaves first, but we still need to be careful.”
“Don’t worry,” Conan said, giving Agasa a sardonic glare while shoving his hands in his pockets. “I won’t try to chase down Ran on the way to her honeymoon. Besides, they’re going to Okinawa, not Los Angeles.”
“Is it really alright, though?” Ai said. She tugged the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and tucked in her hair. Soon enough, Yuusaku and Yukiko would burst through the door and shuttle them to a waiting car. “Things are still touch-and-go for us.”
Conan paused. As endless as the war with the syndicate seemed, there was only one thing that mattered now. Though his dreams, his future, and his identity had all died, though his last tie to the dearest person in his life was forever severed, from behind his glasses a new fire flared to life. If Ran could be that strong, he had no right to be any less.
“If it’s not alright, it will be,” he said, smirking. “I’m determined.”