Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ Vindicated ❯ Slow Dying Cloud ( Chapter 8 )

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

Well it’s been a long time. And I could give you a thousand excuses but you’re already all sick of them.

Thanks for the support. I am officially out of high school! And I’ll be turning 19 on the 21st of July! Be sure to wish me Happy Birthday. :insert sly smile:

-LAST TIME ON VINDICATED-

“Good. You’re awake.”

“You make it sound like you’re dying,” Richard grunted. “You aren’t...”

Conan eyed the date. May 13.

He knew that Tetra knew. He couldn’t have been mistaken.

“Did someone hurt you, Conan?”

“Get away from me!”

Conan wanted to bite his hand off.

“What do you want from me?”

“You know the story of Pinocchio, don’t you, Conan?”

And then the witch was gone.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Chapter Eight: Slow Dying Cloud

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

-Albert Pike

xxx

Frozen and beautiful inside a plain plastic frame were two young people- smiling up at the dark world outside their cage. They could afford to smile, for these two people were trapped inside a world that would never change from its beauty and completeness. The young man would never hurt the woman. And the woman would never think ill of the man.

A tear slid over the woman’s form, blurring and warping her features. Conan slid his thumb through the tear drop, pushing it onto and over the image of his elder form.

They were so happy there. In that photographic amusement park. Sure, in the girl’s eyes you could she was mildly upset at his constant obsession with Sherlock Homes. And that he in turn was upset at her indifference to the subject.

But at that time, in those moments- Rachel was his as he was hers. She looked at his face and could read his constant thought. And he was without guilt or blame. It wasn’t like that now. A perfect life ruined. Completely and utterly ruined.

Conan gripped the picture frame tighter, leaving indentations where the curves of the frame pressed into his flesh. His weak form continued to shake from depression, and his mind continued to reel the memories of his past nostalgically.

He really wished he could think back and wonder where it all went wrong. But he already knew. That horrible night. Those stupid merciless men. They should have just killed him that night. They should have just taken that gun to him temple and shot him straight to hell before he could cause anymore damage. That pill shouldn’t have saved him. God shouldn’t have given him a second chance. He was going to lose everything anyway.

And now he would be completely to blame.

Conan leaned his head against the glass of the picture and let his eyes gently close. His cheeks dried quietly in the silence of the morning. And in the air, Conan whispered his weak regrets.

They say that the eyes are windows to the soul. But as Conan stared cross eyed into his elder image- he saw nothing. Nothing but a stupid grinning young fool completely unaware of how much his life would soon change.

He wanted to jump into that photograph and throttle himself. Slap some sense into his oversized ego. Knock himself unconscious so those heartless black crows didn’t have to.

But that would never happen. He was stuck.

Tetra was going to tell. It didn’t matter if no one believed her. The BO would believe- and he’d and anyone near him would die. Rachel’s speculations would once again surface. And Richard... who the hell cared what Richard thought anyway?

Conan moaned and leaned back into the couch. His head was still hot. He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead as he lay there, covered in blankets. Both hot and cold. He was stuck in a tormenting frozen hell hole, remorse being his only company.

He fought back his guilt driven tears again with a wipe of his hand. He didn’t deserve to cry after all.

“Conan?”

He jumped at least a foot. Whirling about, Conan saw her over the couch. Rachel.

Rachel flashed him a smile. The teen was fully dressed in her blue uniform and ready for school. She’d be attending, once again, without him. Not that he wasn’t used to it by now. Both Conan and Jimmy had extremely poor attendance records this year due to inexplicable illnesses.

She drew closer and Conan found himself frozen in place, tears still in his eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Rachel asked, not yet noticing the boy’s damp face.

Both she and Conan shared a glance to the photo in Conan’s grip.

“Hey that’s-“ She stopped in mid-sentence seeing its tear streaked surface. “Conan? Why on earth... Why are you crying?”

Conan rubbed his face again and hastily tossed the picture and its frame back on the coffee table. “I didn’t realize you were awake, Rachel.”

Rachel had made her way around the couch before Conan could react. Her hands gripped Conan’s tiny arms as she sat down. She pulled his hands gently away from his red face- her eyes peering intently into his own.

Even through the shield of his glasses, Conan felt incredibly naked to her. Like an open book.

“Why are you crying, Conan?” Rachel asked a second time.

Tears began to well up again but he fought them back with fresh new ferocity. Conan bit his lip intently, and removed his gaze. This illness was making him incredibly emotional. That and the stress of Tetra’s discovery. He just couldn’t keep his head on straight.

“Conan?”

“Iunno,” Conan grunted, his eyes narrowing darkly. “I’m just sick is all. And frustrated.”

He said the last statement with such force that his face flustered.

Rachel’s hand touched his cheek. A blush spread rapidly from where she touched all the way across his face. She pressed his chin up to meet her gaze again.

“Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell me?” Rachel asked softly, her breath stroking his skin. “You can tell me anything. I’m here for you, Conan.”

The tone in her voice almost made all words fall right out of his mouth. He wanted to tell her so many things. The truth. His fears and worries. His heart. And the most important and terrifying thing above all...

‘I love you, Rachel.’

But Conan’s mouth remained pursed.

“Nothing at all? Are you sure, Conan?”

“Maybe later,” Conan found himself saying in attempt for solace.

Rachel frowned but appeared partly satisfied with his response. She leaned back into the old couch, stretched herself out, and then grinned. Her eyes sparkled merrily in the low morning light. Her happiness seemed to even seep a little bit into Conan. The tears erased themselves.

“What’s got you so happy?” Conan couldn’t help to ask.

“Iunno,” She smiled back to him. “I had a dream.”

“Oh yeah?” Conan smiled softly partially reminded of his past recurring nightmares.

“A really great dream,” She sighed blissfully. “And now I just have this great feeling. I just know... I just know Jimmy’s gonna come back soon.”

Conan’s eyebrows raised slightly without him meaning them to. There was a pause where Conan tried to think of what to say. Then he came upon a perfectly innocent but yet not too innocent statement.

“Hope you aren’t disappointed.”

xxx

Conan remained sheltered beneath the covers, listening to Rachel’s movements in the kitchen behind him. Richard had left late the night before on a case that once again Conan was unable to attend.

It was killing the detective inside him- knowing the case would probably go unsolved and that justice might be unjustly delivered. But there was nothing he could do in this weak child form. He was sick and slowly being hunted by a reporter who held no mercy in her black heart. Even if he was well- he dare not give Richard cues or any help of the kind. He was in worse of a hole as it was.

Arms suddenly wrapped around Conan pulling him into a deep hug. He fell into Rachel’s sweet embrace, smelling the comforts of her gentle and flowery perfume. He was too sick to feel bashful today, although his stomach did squirm slightly at her touch.

“Breakfast is on the table when you’re ready, Conan,” She kissed the top of his head in a motherlike fashion. “I’ll be home later this afternoon, alright?”

Conan nodded just as the doorbell sounded. Rachel released the boy and wandered to the front entrance.

She opened the door and Doctor Agasa emerged from the shadowy hallway.

“Thanks for coming, Doctor,” Rachel bowed sincerely.

“It’s quite alright,” The doctor replied sending a wink in Conan’s direction. “I mean, after all. You did me the favor for taking Conan in. I should at least return same hospitality once and awhile. He is my nephew, after all.”

Conan couldn’t help it. He rose an eyebrow inquiringly.

Rachel saw his look and smiled. “Doctor Agasa will be watching you today, Conan, while I’m at school. I can’t leave you here alone, you know?”

Conan tried not to appear a little insulted, but the idea of Rachel getting him a ‘babysitter’ just made his frustration grow. He had been living alone at home for quite some time before he was transformed. Having Agasa as a babysitter was slightly on the perturbing side. It brought back some strange and slightly unwanted memories.

 Agasa smiled, “Sorry, I was a little late. Ai was a bit hard to pull out of bed this morning. She was up late studying for a math quiz.” 

Conan made a face unintentionally. He knew exactly what Haibara was doing late into the night. Not studying- not really. More like researching. Such a realization made Conan wonder if she had come up with anything about the cure while he was bedridden.

He would have to ask the Professor once Rachel was gone.

Rachel, on the other hand, looked a bit startled. “Studying? Isn’t she a bit young?”

“To study?” Agasa chuckled softly to himself. “Well, Ai is an exceptional child. Not much unlike Conan here.”

Agasa motioned Conan’s way. Conan blinked, forgetting that they were talking about him. Even after all this time his name change was hard to get used to. He smiled a bit too late. Rachel’s eyebrows rose again suspiciously.

“Well, I gotta go or I’ll be late,” said Rachel at last.

“Yes, yes,” Agasa nodded as the teenage guardian opened the door again. Rachel sent one last look over her shoulder. Her eyes rested softly on the child nested in a mound of soft blankets.

“Have a nice day, Conan.”

And then she was gone.

Agasa shut the door when she left with a soft smile. The room was silent. Conan didn’t even bother to say hello to his old friend until the man had sat down. Agasa chose to rest himself in the chair across from the couch. They sat facing each other for just a moment before Conan spoke.

“Haibara find out anything?” Conan asked smoothly, without his usual childlike charm.

“Aw,” Doctor Agasa puckered a grimace. “No how’s your day going or wow. It’s great to see you again?”

One look on Conan’s face and it was clear that all pleasantries were a waste of his time and patience. Agasa let out a long goaded sigh, “No. She hasn’t.”

“You know anything about Tetra? She hasn’t said anything lately?”

“No. No,” Agasa snapped in irritation, “Same as the last time you asked.”

Agasa didn’t mean to sound angry with the boy. He was supportive of Conan’s worries but the boy had frequently called him over the past several days to ask the same sort of questions.

Agasa already knew exactly where Conan stood nowadays. He wasn’t thrilled with the situation himself but the boy’s anxiety was taking quite a toll on his old heart. Even Haibara appeared rushed and more irritable than usual.

Conan’s eyes were downward again, as if he decided all other conversation was pointless. And perhaps it is, Agasa thought, most everyday conversation is pointless. But without it, there can be only silence.

And to an aging man like Agasa, silence was a horrible thing.

“How are you feeling, Jimmy?”

Conan didn’t answer right away. He seemed fascinated with the patterns in the sofa’s seams. He thumbed a broken seam numbly.

When he finally decided to answer, Conan didn’t even look up. “Like shit.”

“Ah,” Agasa smiled weakly. “That bad, huh?”

The silence ensued once more. Agasa shifted in his chair and looked out the window sadly.

“I’ll call Tetra. I’ll pay her to get her not to publish the story.”

Conan bit his lip hard. “Don’t. Please don’t.”

“I have to. It’s the only thing keeping her from telling the papers,” Agasa hissed glaring at Conan’s curled and crumbled form.

“Please... I don’t want to... make that bitch happy.”

“Well damn, Jimmy!” Agasa rose up suddenly, having the chair clatter noisily behind him when he stood. “She’s going to be happy either way. If you pay her or not. You only have one option left! Unless you rather us all die?!”

Conan didn’t answer and Agasa’s fury quickly turned into shame. He returned his gaze to the window.

The silence struck again.

“You will get past this, Jimmy. I have a feeling,” A smile spread across Agasa’s face matching the warm sun that fell over the waking detective agency. “I have a feeling that someday, everything will be right again.”

Conan looked up. His eyes widened curiously at the expression Agasa shown. He was radiating with calm and sureness. The sunlight bleached his hair a even more pleasant white. Heavenly.

The boy continued to stare.

“It may not be soon,” Agasa continued turning back to the lad in front of him. “But someday, you won’t have to worry about Tetra, or the Black Org. I have faith in you, Jimmy. You will come out of this triumphant.”

Conan blinked. And then, slowly, a smile spread across his lips as well.

The feeling inside him was hard to explain. He wasn’t exactly happy but not exactly sad. He felt more complete, more calm- lost within the confidence of Agasa’s words.

“Alright,” Conan said softly, unable to remove the smirk that had emerged on his lips. Agasa seemed happy to see it.

And then Agasa laughed. Conan’s heart heaved at the sight. He didn’t exactly know why at the time. But for some reason, Conan felt the undying urge to actually enjoy Agasa’s company as much and as long as he could.

When Agasa smiled, Conan swore he saw something unearthly- something different.

“Agasa... you are such an old fool.”

“As you always say, Jimmy. As you always say.”

xxx

“Wait up!” Conan called cheerfully. The Detective Boys stopped in front of a store named ‘TECHS GALORE’ and then turned about.

Amy’s face lit up at first. The sight of Conan seemed to warm her whole body from tip to toe. She rushed forward and was the first to take the seemingly young boy in her gripping hug. Mitch and George hesitated, but time caused even them to embrace Conan.

It had been at least a month since Conan had been in school or even outside, for that matter. The mini detective enjoyed the freedom throughly. His bones had healed and his mono had subsided. All other side affects from his midnight stroll through hell had long since disappeared.

Rachel was kind enough to let the pretentious elementary student finally return to his friends and the rest of the outside world.

There had been no word from Tetra. Not a one.

“We’ve missed you so much, Conan.”

Conan was shocked to see Amy suddenly weeping on his shoulder. She held him tight, bailing, as if he had risen from the dead or something of the like.

Conan couldn’t help it. He smiled and held her comfortingly.

“It’s alright. I was just a little sick.”

“So what made you sick, huh, Conan,” George suddenly said with great suspicion. “Were you doing something...” His voice dropped to just above a whisper. “Dangerous?”

“Ha ha,” replied Conan with a rub of his neck. “Hardly.”

“I heard you got hit by a truck!” Mitch stated boldly, with a pump of his fist in the air.

Wow. Mitch actually got a rumor right for once. Conan rolled his eyes.

Amy started to tear up again. Conan noticed first because her shoulders began to shake once more.

“No no. I just got sick is all,” reassured Conan, rubbing Amy’s upper back consolingly.

Then suddenly something caught his ears. It was a name being said on the TVs behind the glass of the store beside them. His heart skipped a beat.

Conan whirled about so quickly that Amy was left without a shoulder to cry on anymore. Miffed, she too took curiosity in what the television was saying.

Soon there was a whole small crowd of detective boys staring wide eyed into the shop.

“Tetra Razianoff,” announced a tall string bean reporter in a strangely unfitting amplified boom of a voice. “The second daughter in the Razianoff line has been missing from her apartment in Westside avenue last Wednesday evening. Her apartment was found in disarray by the landowner. An unidentified male was found dead with multiple stab and gunshot wounds on Razianoff’s balcony. At the moment no charges of murder have been put on Razianoff but the search for her continues...”

“Wow,” Mitch said suddenly, interrupting the reporter’s broadcast. “And I always thought her to be a nice woman. I mean, she obviously killed that guy but...”

“Geez. You think you know a person, huh?” George filled in with his arms across his large chest.

Amy looked curiously to Conan whose face had gone a flour white. “Conan? What’s wrong?”

But Conan didn’t hear her. His mind was reeling with disbelief. He didn’t think it could have happened so fast. He never once thought that Tetra could be attacked before she even let off her discovery. And if this crime was indeed committed by who he thought- then... then this wouldn’t be the last murder.

“Oh. Conan probably knew her better than the rest of us,” Mitch nodded logically. “I guess he’s just upset.”

Conan squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed the bridge of his nose as if suddenly struck by a massive headache. The detective boys looked on unawares.

“It’s alright, Conan. Don’t waste your worry on that awful lady,” Amy consoled just touching his shoulder.

Conan flinched at the gesture and then looked wildly to them all. The detective boys fell back in bewilderment at his stare.

“Where’s Haibara?”

The detective boys cast a look around them as if the blonde would just suddenly appear. They all shrugged when their search turned up empty.

“Damn,” Conan hissed, taking a step back.

The group all slapped hands over their mouths, aghast at Conan’s bad word. They had no time to reproach him for soon the boy had whirled about and charged back through the crowd wince he came.

“Conan!” Amy cried, her hand helplessly reaching out at his retreating form.

xxx

He was at a all out sprint, pushing those unfortunate enough to get in his way roughly aside. People shouted horrible things to his back as he rushed past. But he was deaf to them all. Horror had seized his heart. And the fear was in complete control of his limbs. The fear that he would soon find himself facing his worse nightmare.

He slewed around a corner and then charged through a couple coming his way. They broke apart at his intrusion. He didn’t even bother to hand out apologizes. He could barely notice where he was going much less who he was running into.

Finally Conan skidded to a sharp halt, heart pounding wildly in his chest. His legs turned leaden and his breath came out in hallow gasps.

There was smoke admitting from the Agasa’s house. And not typical Doctor Agasa’s experiment kind of smoke. It was the bellowing out of control kind with sparks and giant flames raging to the sky.

Conan clutched the stitch in his chest and rushed forward- not even noticing the tears pouring relentlessly down his face.

“Doc!” Conan shrieked pushing past the iron gates and through the echoing front yard. “Doctor Agasa! Haibara! Doc!!”

He inhaled deeply. The smell of burning wood was intoxicating. He coughed harshly into the thin air, and cast a look up the house. All the windows were lit with dancing flames or black with smoke. A charge of fire shot out on the left side of the house- Conan could feel the heat draining the moisture out of his body.

He rushed to the front entrance and tried opening the door. His hand seethed with pain from the heat of the metal door knob. Conan recoiled and then glared at the large obstacle now laid before him. He took a few steps backwards.

Then without planned thought, Conan threw his body against the door. The door remained when he fell back on his rump. Conan drew back again, and thrust more of his body weight against it. The door groaned but remained erect.

Tears pouring rapidly down his face like waterfalls and being just as quickly eaten by the flames, Conan bent down to one knee. He tapped the white button on the side of his sneaker and pulled back a long shuttering intake of air.

He stood, glaring at the giant oak of a beast before him and drew back one last time.

Conan rushed forward at full speed.

“Hiroshi!!!” He screamed one last time, kicking out his leg.

The door exploded into hunks of splintered wood, nipping and bitting at Conan’s exposed skin as they fell about him. Conan fell back on one knee, gripping his shin and foot with a look of excruciating pain on his face.

Then slowly Conan rose and limped his way into the lion’s den.
To Be Continued... Please R & R!

And I’m so going to be killed for this cliff hanger. Yay for me. I was actually going to make this longer but then you would have still killed me. Cause the cliff hanger I planned was probably even worse than this one.

Well you all wanted me to update. So here you go. Now you are all going to want me to update again. Well, beggars shouldn’t be picky! XP

I hope I got Conan’s personality right in this one. I figured that he would be more worried for Agasa than for Haibara. That’s just my personal belief.

And see! I made sure not to use any honorfics this time. XP Some people were complaining that it was bothering them. So I resolved to stop using them.

Anyway, all review responses are on my livejournal. Go to my profile and click the top link in my bio that says memories. There go to the link named RRVindicated8. Those that reviewed last chapter were: StormBlazer, AntiSora, Night-Owl123, Mysticalflame, Xeno, ShinichiEdogawa, BabyKaoru-Sama, YumeTakato, LadyMirror, Rose, Fyliwion, Arcia, and Himitsu.

Thank you everyone for praying for my cousin. I don’t know about her condition since my parents don’t want me to know. But I am sure each and every prayer helped. Thank you so much.

Thanks for reading and please remember-

With a keen eye for detail, one truth prevails.





          & nbsp;                                         &nbs p;