Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ Vindicated ❯ Regression ( Chapter 4 )

Vindicated

Disclaimers: I do not nor ever will own Conan or Jimmy and co. It's a cruel sad world, isn't it?

La de da! I am here again folks! Next on my update list- wouldn't you know it- it's this story. Yay to that!

To tell you guys the truth- of the two DC stories I have up- I like this one better. Just because the angst will get incredibly heavy and- yes! An actual loving relationship that I can play with. If you read my other stories you will know that I usually write stories around brother to brother, father to son, or best friend to mentor. I hardly ever write things touching romance cause- well quite frankly, I'm not sappy enough to be a romance writer on a regular basis.

But hopefully this was satisfy both the thrillers and romancers. And on with Vindicated!

-LAST TIME ON VINDICATED-

"That's a nasty bruise."

Damn this child body.

"I'll meet you after school, alright? By the court?"

Amy's face vanished in a glare of white.

You,It said. And then he knew.

"I need to go to Teitan High. To Rachel… Rachel-oneesan."

Tetra was smiling at his forehead.

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Chapter 4: Regression

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"And it will fall out as in a complication of diseases, that by applying a remedy to one sore, you will provoke another, and that which removes the one ill symptom produces others."

-Sir Thomas More

-

The school bell rang its inborn call providing stimulosus to those children deadened by the long day of robotic politeness and stressful intelligence quotas to meet. The grumpy high scholars left, wishing to have the holiday they were deprived from by age.

Conan watched each of them pass him with little or no interest. He knew their faces but they had long since forgotten his. It made the boy somewhat nostalgic for the days long since gone. No longer famous. Forgotten and forsaken in the face of a invisible child.

People nearly trampled the invisible boy in their rush to get home. Conan knew they would- he had been one of them not so long ago. Those teenagers were selfish because they had to be. It was part of growing up. Something he'd never get the chance to do- least not as Jimmy Kudo.

Conan took shelter beneath what little the basketball hoop and pole could provide. No one gave him a second glance.

Bowing his head and allowing him mind to roll- Conan quickly found how tired he really was. But it wasn't a weariness from a long day and night. Not of limb or eyelids. But a weariness of soul. He was tired of this game that he had to play.

First it was funny, spying, prying, finding out what people never wanted him, Jimmy, to know. Things he wasn't ever supposed to hear. It stopped being funny ten minutes in, when Rachel relayed her feelings to him- to Conan. And since then, he found nothing about this shrinking business funny at all.

This story could only have a couple of endings. One- Conan would grow up and Rachel would be left not knowing a thing. She'd leave and he'd stay alone. And Jimmy would be hated forever. Two- Conan could get killed or worse, discovered by the organization. Bringing the untimely end to not only his, but also everyone else he knew's lives. Or three- Rachel could find out.

And of all these endings, the one of him becoming Jimmy again seemed the least likely. Jimmy wouldn't come back. The bastard didn't want to.

If he could tell her- just let her find out, he'd forgive himself. Leave her clues or just explain it all, that would be bliss. But then again, no. The BO would just hunt her down and kill her- and him along with. That he'd never be able to forgive.

He hated being thought of as a bastard.

           ;"Conan-chan?"

Conan looked up; his eyes dulled over with restless thoughts. He blinked and straitened as soon as he found it was Rachel before him.

She flashed her pearly whites- her aqua school uniform illuminating her face and hair in a sort of heavenly aurora. His heart beat faster as he returned the smile.

          " That's so sweet of you coming to pick me up, Conan-chan," Rachel smiled sweetly while taking the blushing brunettes' hand. "How was your day?"

He fell into step beside her, looking around for traces of Serena coming to pester them. He saw none and breathed a small sigh of relief. Annoying little twit, that one was. Any day without her hanging around- was about as good as a day when Richard knocks himself unconscious beneficed by excessive amounts of alcohol.

"Alright, I guess," Conan casually replied.

"You guess?" said Rachel, "Well, mine was boring."

"Mine too," Conan retorted without thinking.

"Aw. I'm sorry to hear that Conan."

She kept talking but strangely Conan could just not hear her words. He watched her lips move. Her hair dance. Her eyes sparkle. Her voice fall over and around him. All of these things were just far too distracting to concentrate on something like words.

Why did he suddenly feel so distant from her? Like he was replaying a dream?

"Conan? Conan, are you alright?"

He snapped back, just for the moment, and lowered his gaze. When he didn't respond, Rachel grew more concerned.

"Conan? What's a matter? You look upset."

I am. Cause you call me that name.

Conan closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. They stopped on the corner, just a block from home. When he looked up at her, all Rachel could see was the white glare from the sun and glass harshly hiding his eyes.

His voice was shaking. He was upset. Rachel needn't see tears to realize that.

"R-rach...Rachel-neesan. If- may I ask you something?"

"Eh. Sure, Conan," Rachel then frowned. "Did you and the Detective Boys get in a fight or something."

Conan shook his head roughly. Rachel had a feeling that wouldn't be it anyhow. She had a hunch that this, whatever it was, had something to do with Jimmy. She didn't know why, but she could just feel it. Rachel knew his name would be spoken.

"Rachel... What if- what if Jimmy never came back?"

"Nani ka?"

"What if," Conan said, with much more force. "Jimmy never came back? What if he left you?"

"Jimmy wouldn't do that, silly. He promised me..." Rachel began with a chuckle.

Conan cut her off. "What if he lied?"

She could definitely sensed the stress in his voice now. Even a passerby could feel the tension- thick enough to be cut.

"If he never came back, Rachel, what would you do? Would you- would you still wait?"

Rachel was silent, her face filled with a sort of desperate longing. A longing Conan felt every day when he debated whether or not to wear his fake glasses.  

This topic was certainly not a new one for Rachel, but she took so long... so long to respond.

Has time stopped?

Just when Conan felt his legs were surely to buckle before her answer, she responded in a soft milky sort of confidence. One that he had heard himself speak- when he still believed he could break the impossible.

"I'd wait forever."

Conan's heart stopped, trapped in the complexity of her teary-eyed smile. She took his hand, encased it in her own, and then proceeded to lead them to the shanty detective office they both learned to love.

Conan went numb after that phrase was spoken. It was as if she had proclaimed her death sentence. And Conan knew it just might be.

"Hai. Me too, Rachel."

And in this moment he could never imagine life without her.

---

"Tousan! We're home!" Rachel's voice chimed from the entryway. It wasn't long before an automatic grunting of "Ojiisan" followed her suite. Conan wasn't ever big on announcing himself to the house on entrance. But it was understandable, seeing how he lived by himself for the past several years.

Richard never rose from his downcast position on the sofa. He had taken his drinks early and the kids realized that tonight would be fairly quiet because of it.

His daughter smiled and draped a blanket around Richard's shoulders while as Conan subjectively fluffed a throw pillow. They gently lowered the man into the comforts of his couch and there, let him sleep.

Crazy old fool. Conan thought to himself in amusement watching the man's chest rise and fall. How do you do it so carelessly?

"What would you like for dinner tonight, Conan?" Rachel asked, dumping the scattered beer cans into a spare garbage bag. "Rice, maybe?"

She didn't exactly wait for a response. Quickly tying and setting the filled bag next to the door, Rachel wandered into the kitchen- her mind already elsewhere. Conan followed her quietly.

He was still thinking about their conversation that afternoon. How she said she would wait forever... Conan knew he'd have to hold her to that promise. He also knew he'd regret it.

"Deep in thought again, Conan-kun?" Rachel chuckled.

Conan watched as she move in tiptoe through all the upper cabinets- her face growing bleaker with each empty compartment she opened.

"I can't believe Dad didn't pick up any food today. What are supposed to eat?" snapped Rachel, finally grasping a small box of sunflower seeds.

She sighed- flipped open the top finding the contents only half full. Her face puckered a grimace.

"I guess I could always cook something from scratch." She shrugged- putting the half eaten seeds back. "Soup, sound good, Conan?"

"Actually, I'm not hungry." Conan replied, turning his guardian's head.

"Not hungry?"

"Not really. I had lots of candy left over," he patted his pockets as if to indicate their presence. "You don't have to make anything for me."

"Well- okay, Conan," Rachel gave him steady scrutiny and then let him go with a "don't eat to much. It's not good for you".

 Conan stuffed his hands into his pockets as he ran up the stairs to his room. It was just a precaution, perchance Rachel watched him leave. Conan looked like a child eager to chow down on his dear candy he collected though the long holiday. But the truth was Conan collected no candy, was no child, and had no holiday. He was just an actor leaving his role on stage.

Conan carefully shut the door to his room and collapsed on the futon. His stomach growled a reminder but by that time- the recipient was already asleep.

---

Rachel knew full well that child had no candy in his pockets. She knew that he was going to bed hungry. She knew he lied, and yet she did nothing about it.

Rachel let the currents of her previous stirs carry the small ladle through the soup. Her face reflected in the creamy red- depressed and bleak.

It had been a hard day. She would have never guessed Conan, of all people, would remind her of Jimmy's absence. The boy was usually so careful about mention his cousin around her. But to bring it up and suggest that he wouldn't come back- Rachel knew something was wrong.

But she couldn't place what it might be.

Jimmy didn't usually keep tabs with Conan- mostly with Doctor Agasa. Could it be that Conan overheard some conversation he shouldn't have and it upset him? Could it be he was feeling lonely? Could it be he was jealous of Jimmy?

But how could he be jealous? Conan looked up to Jimmy. That's why he always got so overprotective of her. Conan always said he was saving her for Jimmy.

Was he tired of waiting too?

Rachel let out a small squeal as the ladle made involuntary contact to her wrist. She dropped the wooden spoon and rushed to comfort of cold faucet spitting water.  

The water spilled over the burn in lurid stream- unable to remove the ugly red stain the burn had become.

Cringing at the pain, Rachel subconsciously looked up the staircase.

"Conan-kun?" She called.

There was no response.

She ascended the steps and called again but received the same reaction. Upon reaching Conan's door, she paused. Holding her breath so as not to disturb the light sleeper, she pushed open the door.

"Conan?" She whispered- spotting the boy on his futon curled into a taut ball.

His only response was his opening eyes. Conan looked ahead- through the distant wall, but never to her.

"Conan, sweetie..."

Rachel knelt before the boy and felt his forehead. He was a bit clammy but he didn't have a fever. Not able to quench or confirm her fears- she gave the child a light shake.

"Conan-kun. Wake up, Conan-kun."

The mini detective looked up at her weakly for a moment and then resumed his daydreaming with a soft, "I'm fine, Rachel."

"No. No, I don't think so," Rachel retorted harsher than she intended, tightly clenching her fists.

She had all but forgotten her injury until now. The pain surged up her arm as a reminder to not brandish her arms so. Cursing silently to herself- she rose to her feet again.

"I'll go get you some soup. Sit tight, Conan-kun."

As soon as she left the room, Conan felt his consciousness waning. No sooner than he realized this, did everything go white.

---

He was taller. Walking and moving with purpose. There was something in his hand. Something he had to handle with care. Something he knew perfectly well how to use.

One bullet, two bullet, three bullet, four.

Jimmy was there just for the moment. Just for one reason. And he wasn't expecting to run into anyone.

Looking for something. Something important.

There was a voice and he turned. Richard was looking at him. He looked shocked- looking as if he were seeing a ghost.

'She's gone.' His lips moved.

Richard said not a thing. He looked sad now. Real sad.

How will you use it? What will you do?

Richard was talking but there was no sound. The old man seemed to be trying to stop him. Jimmy wouldn't let himself be stopped.

Arms grabbed at him with intentions to keep him. He pulled away and away and away and fell.

"Conan-kun?"

He moved towards the light- feeling something pulling him forward and down.

Join her. Join her. The voices continued to scream. Join her. Join her.

He was dead or dying. Jimmy wasn't sure which. Blood was pouring. Someone was screaming his name. His name...

"CONAN!?!"

Jimmy Kudo.

And the arms pulled him down.

You, the lips moved.

---

The world was spinning when Conan came to. His head was throbbing, and Rachel was next to him- eyes filled with great concern.

"Don't move, Conan." She said, her voice washing over him like a dream.

She checked his eyes and then his limbs. When the pain died down enough so that he could see, Conan realized he was at the base of the staircase.

"Rachel- I..."

"Shhh," She hushed. "You don't seem to have a concussion. And I think you didn't break anything... I guess it would be safe to move you."

The teen took him by the hand and led him to the sofa, his head throbbing all the while. There she set up a place where he could sit without disturbing the unconscious Mr. Moore. She promised soup and went to retrieve it.

In this moment's interlude, Conan came upon the conclusion that he was delusional.

This strange dream he kept having- it could probably get him killed. If it tried hard enough, that is.

Feeling his neck starting to chafe from the heavy medallion, Conan removed and set it tenitively on the coffee table. It grinned up at him softly through the low light.

He felt his eyes begin to droop again.

And by the time Rachel had returned with soup- Conan had fallen asleep.

To Be Continued...

Please R&R!

Alright. Not my best of chapters- but I did try. ^^;

I think a couple of people asked me either or not Hattori would be in any of my fictions. And no he won't be appearing in Going Down, but he will be in Vindicated. ^_~

And when he does show up- he has a fairly big role. I'm gonna like writing him.

One thing that I disliked about this chapter was the fact that it was a spacer chapter. There was no real advancement of the plot in this one. It was just a bunch of worries, feelings, and dreams crammed together. And it was hard to get down.

Anyway it's down now! And posted up too!

And so ends the 4th file of Vindicated.

With a keen eye for detail- One truth prevails!