Kiss #2: To Tell the Truth
Title: To Tell the Truth
Author: ran_mouri82
Pairing: Kudou Shin'ichi and Mouri Ran
Fandom: Detective Conan
Theme: #14 - radio-cassette player
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Detective Conan is pwned by Aoyama Gosho. I only admire his l33t skillz.
To Tell the Truth
Toyama Kazuha drew her legs together and giggled, snuggling her stocking feet into the comforter and leaning closer to Ran’s hairbrush. The day had been a long one with the requisite murder case, given the company both of them kept; though it was late and the Osakan girl felt guilty for inconveniencing her host, Ran had decided that they should let themselves be a little girlish and brush each other’s hair.
"Well, since we’ve gone this far to make it like a slumber party," Kazuha chirped, sighing with contentment as the brush smoothed her formerly upswept hair onto her shoulders, "all that’s left is girl talk, right?"
"Ah, so you’re saying you want to talk about Heiji?" Ran giggled, just a hint of mischief creeping into her laughter as she nudged Kazuha before gathering her hair in a low ponytail.
"D-don’t be silly! Why would I want to talk about that idiot?" Kazuha screeched, springing forward so Ran could not see her blushing face. She immediately jerked back when Ran caught the brush in a tangle of her hair. Wincing with pain, she added, "Besides, you haven’t said anything about Shin’ichi lately."
Ran relaxed her hands a little, murmuring an apology for the injury, but kept brushing; she pushed up the sleeves of her pink, cotton pajamas insofar as they interfered with her detangling-which suddenly had become more important than talking. She soon paused, though, and said, "Well, there’s not that much to say."
"What do you mean by that?" Kazuha asked, blinking. She almost dared to turn, but decided she did not want Ran’s brush to catch another tangle in the process. "He still calls you, right?"
In the soft, golden glow of her bedside lamp, Ran’s smile faltered. "Of course he does. We talk a lot, so . . . it’s fine, really."
A dark shadow cast itself before Kazuha’s eyes; she lifted a hand and caught Ran’s brush, stopping it mid-stroke. Turning around so their pairs of knees formed a little circle, Kazuha took Ran’s hands in hers, cocked her head to the side, and gave her a kind smile. "You miss him, right?"
"Um, a little," Ran said, looking away as a delicate shade of pink kissed her cheeks. "He’s just a stupid detective geek, that’s all. He’s been gone so long, and," she continued, poking her toe at a loose corner of the blanket, "he probably has . . . no idea."
"Ran . . ." Kazuha murmured. Then, beaming, she shot upright so fast she shook the bedframe and shouted, "That’s it! The next time Shin’ichi calls, why don’t you tell him how you feel? He’s got to feel the same way, so maybe he’ll-"
"W-what? That’s crazy!" Ran gasped, recoiling and pulling her hands free. Flattening herself against the wall, she took a pillow, slid it in front of her and hugged it, her shy blush returning. "I couldn’t possibly tell Shin’ichi that I-that I miss him or anything. Not over the phone. It’s so . . . impersonal, like a cassette recording. I want to be able to tell him face to face."
Kazuha’s jaw dropped. "So you do plan on telling him someday?"
"M-maybe. I’ve thought about it." Sinking into the pillow, Ran’s cheeks caught fire; her eyes peeked over the pillowcase, but she kept them turned away. "You see, when he finally comes back and we can spend time together like we used to, I’ll be so . . . I don’t know if I can keep everything to myself anymore. Really, Kazuha," she said, dropping her voice to a whisper and tucking her chin beneath the puffed cushion, "I’m hopeless."
Fighting the urge to burst, Kazuha bit her lip and grinned. "Then, what would you say?"
Blinking her eyes wide, Ran stared at Kazuha for a full minute, opening her mouth and then closing it again. But Kazuha’s gentle smile was infectious; Ran sat up, planted her hands at her sides, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. As Kazuha watched, Ran gazed into the distance, calmness overtaking her features as she laid down her pillow and stared at the bedroom door.
"I-I’d say . . . Shin’ichi, there are many things I’ve been wanting to talk about," Ran began, her wavering voice slowly gaining courage as she planted both feet squarely on the floor. "I’ve waited because it’s something . . . special, and you should hear it in person. We’ve been friends for so long, and you’ve been such a good friend, and-oh, Kazuha, I can’t-"
"No, Ran!" Kazuha squealed, tugging Ran’s outstretched arm. "Keep going! Keep going!"
Ran nodded and set her jaw like a soldier-a beet red soldier-completing an important mission. "Shin’ichi, even though I keep saying you’re a mystery geek, the truth is that you’re also cool and brave, and you have a good heart. You’ve always been there for me, and you’re . . . special to me."
Kazuha gripped the covers and stared, transfixed and trembling, missing the soft knock at the door.
"Shin’ichi, I . . . I love-"
"Ran-neechan!" Conan called, swinging the door open at that instant, "Uncle wanted me to ask if you needed-"
"Conan!" Ran yelped, leaping to her feet and nearly whacking Kazuha in the face. Thrusting a finger at the boy who gazed up at her with tired eyes, she stammered, "You s-should knock before entering!"
"I did," Conan replied with a groan, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses. Adjusting the large spectacles and yawning, he muttered, "Are you okay?"
It took a moment before Ran registered his response. Then, she glanced from Kazuha to Conan and scratched behind her head. "Yes, of course we’re fine," Ran said, trailing off in a nervous giggle. "Um, you can go on to bed now."
"Okay," Conan said, flashing an obedient smile. As he ambled from the room and grasped above his head at the doorknob, however, Kazuha could have sworn she saw the boy linger a moment, peering through the darkened crack before he closed the door.
But before Kazuha could mention it, Ran dove beneath the covers and said, her voice dripping with saccharin sweetness, "We should probably get to sleep, too. You’re traveling back to Osaka tomorrow, right? You’ll need your rest."
"Mmm hmm!" Kazuha agreed, shaking the weird feeling from her head and flopping onto her futon on the floor below. In a twinkling, Ran switched off the lamp, and the room was plunged into darkness. Burrowing beneath her blanket, however, a question gnawed at Kazuha’s stomach; she tossed and turned, trying to accomplish the impossible task of finding a comfortable sleeping position. Finally, she could stand it no longer. "Ran?"
Shifting beneath her own blankets, Ran said, "Yes?"
Kazuha opened one eye. "What would you do then?"
"W-wha . . . what do you mean?"
"About Shin’ichi: if he felt the same way, would you . . . ."
A small whine, like a creak, sounded in the floorboards, but Kazuha ignored it and finished the question anyway. "Would you kiss him? Like, really kiss him?"
"K-Kazuha!" Ran cried, bolting upright. Faint moonlight caught her silhouette as she collapsed back on the bed and grumbled, "I would expect that kind of question from Sonoko, not you." A moment passed, and the only audible sound was their breathing. "But . . . ."
"Yes?" Kazuha chirped, a grin pricking the corners of her mouth.
"But . . . only if he kissed me first, which he wouldn’t-good night!" And Ran threw the sheets, comforter, and pillows over her head, burying herself beneath them all.
Curling up by the door and giggling with satisfaction, Kazuha spied the quick movement of feet-but brushed it off as her imagination. If she had seen the owner of those feet, however, she would have been presented with a much greater puzzle than the tangled truths of her dear friend’s romance. She would have blinked, perplexed, at the petrified figure of one Edogawa Conan, his back pressed against the wall.
"Really?" Conan mumbled to himself, his eyes beaded in shock. His glasses slid down his nose, the entire bridge of which now flushed bright red. "T-that is good . . . to know."