The Kudou Files, File Thirteen: Hide and Seek
Title: The Kudou Files, File Thirteen: Hide and Seek
Author: ran_mouri82
Word Count: 960
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Aoyama created this enormous cast of characters. I just mess with them.
Notes: First Kudou Files update in five years! Formerly classified scenes from the married life of Kudou Ran and Shin'ichi. manycases1truth: #13 - Lending a Helping Hand
File Thirteen: Hide and Seek
The minute Miyano Shiho set foot on her basement's landing, turned on the light, and grabbed her lab coat, she halted, knowing something was off. She sensed a presence.
Without bothering to ask who was there, she listened. To this day, ten years after betraying the syndicate, when confronted with the unknown her muscles tensed and the hairs prickled on the back of her neck like that of a hunted hare. Soon, her patience was rewarded when she heard the sound of shallow breathing.
Shiho relaxed at the sound. Whatever hid here was frightened.
She walked along the narrow aisles outfitted with sinks and centrifuges, moving as slowly and softly as possible. The sounds came from a low cabinet in the farthest corner. Whether the intruder was a neighbor's pet or a stray, she did not want to spook the poor animal or risk rabies. Besides, she could have sworn the whimper she heard was human.
Reaching the last cabinet, Shiho opened the door and found-"Conan-kun."
Turning his wide eyes to hers, Conan murmured, "I'm s-sorry, Shiho-neesan."
Though her first instinct was to snap at the disobedient boy, the way he curled into a tight ball in his button-down shirt, slacks, and stocking feet thawed her solid heart. She must have missed his shoes at the door. Regardless, a reprimand was in order, and she knew Ran would be grateful for it. Slipping on her lab coat, she put her hands on her hips and said, "You know you're not allowed here by yourself because this room is filled with glass and dangerous chemicals. Your parents will hear about this. Now, come with me-"
"No! Please, not yet!" Conan said, shivering and wriggling his wrist free of Shiho's grasp. He scooted further into the cabinet between two large bottles of distilled water. "She's gonna find me!"
Ah, now we're getting to the heart of the trouble.Trying her best not to indulge Conan by grinning, Shiho asked, "What do you mean by that? Who is she?"
"G-Grandma!" Conan squeaked, looking for all the world like a cross between a miniature Shin'ichi and a deer in headlights. "She's scary!"
Shiho could suppress her smile no more. Kisaki Eri could make even Shin'ichi's teeth chatter if her temper raged hot enough. Though Eri was always affectionate with her grandson, anything could set her on the war path, especially if it involved Mouri Kogorou. Shiho knelt on the tiled floor, sat on her heels, and turned a softer gaze to Conan. "You know your grandmother loves you, right? Besides, if you're not careful, you can waste a lifetime of energy running away and hiding."
"Really?" Conan blinked, and then shifted onto his hands and knees.
"Yes. Sometimes it's much better to step outside. After all," she said, holding out her open hand to Conan, "that's where the world's waiting."
Just as Conan reached a hesitant hand to Shiho, heavier footfalls bounded down the stairs and into the room, soon proving their owner to be, as Shiho predicted, Shin'ichi.
"You're getting harder to find, you know that?" Shin'ichi groused, though he crouched beside the pair and patted his son's head with a widening smirk. "Still, got to say this spot was creative."
"And you're encouraging him," Shiho said, straightening up and helping Conan to his feet. "Weren't you the one who once told me not to run away from fate?"
Shin'ichi glared at Shiho, but bit back whatever sarcastic remark leaped to his tongue. Instead, with a sigh, he looked into Conan's trembling face and said, "Hate to say it, but she's right. Your grandma's like a Chinese finger trap: the more you struggle, the tighter it gets."
Conan gaped in horror. "You mean I should let her do that?"
Shin'ichi nodded, but grinned with complete understanding. "Don't worry. From years of experience, I can tell you that it blows over quickly. And I'll be right here."
Still holding the boy's hand, Shiho hid her puzzlement and said, "So will I."
"Daddy…Shiho-neesan…." Looking from one to the other, Conan slipped his hand away from Shiho and stepped forward with as fiery a look of determination as the child could muster. "Then, I'm ready."
Suddenly, a door slammed upstairs, followed by the loudest, cheeriest voice known to all Beika, if not Japan. "CO-CHAAAAN!"
Shiho frowned. "Wait a minute, that's-"
Sweeping downstairs through the open basement door, Kudou Yukiko burst into the lab, the very picture of ecstasy. Her light curls bounced upon her shoulders, permitting no strand of gray to dampen its dance of sheer joy. Yukiko scooped Conan into her arms and swung him to and fro, peppering him with a thousand kisses while he hung limp in her arms like a rag doll. "There you are, my sweet-little-boy!"
"Sheesh, Mom, this is a laboratory, not a petting zoo!" As Yukiko spun Conan at odd angles, Shin'ichi dove for Conan and caught him like a goalie.
"My thoughts exactly, Kudou-kun," Shiho said. She had just about enough of this family for one day. Pointing Yukiko to the door, she added, "With all due respect, Kudou-san, you don't want me to resort to drastic measures."
As Shin'ichi drove his mother upstairs and reclaimed his son, Shiho watched them tumble out of sight with a satisfied sigh-and then took off her lab coat. Her work could wait. The latest issues of her favorite fashion magazines had just hit the shelves of the local bookstore, she remembered, and one of them contained a special feature on the new line of Fusae handbags. Light reading at a sundrenched café seemed like a nice way to spend the morning.
Flicking the lab's fluorescent light switch off, Shiho smiled. "Sorry to keep you waiting."