Fic: Communications: 14/?
May. 25th, 2005 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetCommunications
Summary: Ran visits Kaito with a small problem
Installment Fourteen: Poco a Poco
To say that Kaito was surprised to find a shaken Ran with a rather small armful of unconscious Kudo at his door would have been an understatement. It wasn’t the time for surprise, though, so he swallowed, blinked, and ushered the two of them in. “I’ll meet you in the back room,” he whispered, and shut the door behind them.
It was late enough that Kaito’s mother was already in bed, and for that Kaito was grateful. If she didn’t already know, he didn’t want her dragged into this mess. He didn’t want her to know that there were people who hated her husband enough to kill him, and that they might be coming after her son as well. If she did know, there was little he could do about it, but he could at least do her the favor of keeping things low profile.
Before going to join Ran, Kaito swung by the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove. As the water heated, he picked up the phone and dialed Aoko’s cell.
Aoko picked up after two rings. “This better be good,”
Kaito smiled warmly at the psuedo-greeting; same old Aoko. “Aoko? This is Kaito. Ran-kun is over, and she’s got Kudo with her.” The smile slipped from Kaito’s face as he considered what he had seen. “Something’s… happened.”
Aoko paused before saying, “I’ll be right over,” and hanging up.
Kaito stared a moment at the receiver, then hung up as well. By that time the kettle had just begun to sing. Kaito took it off the stove with one hand, and balanced four cups, the sugar dish, and the cream pitcher in the other, then made his way to the den.
“I made tea,” he said as he descended the stairs behind his father’s portrait.
Ran smiled weakly up at him, and Kaito could see how this was wearing on her. “Thank you,” she said softly, then turned her attention back to Kudo.
The detective was laid out over a row of chairs, his oversized jacket draped over him. Ran was sitting in another chair perpendicular to him, toying absently with his hair and brushing her fingers over his forehead. At any other time, Kaito would have thought it was insanely cute; at the moment, though, it only served to worry him.
Using his foot, Kaito dragged a card table up next to them and set the tea supplies down before getting a chair for himself. Silently, he poured tea for himself and Ran, leaving two cups empty for Aoko and Kudo.
Aoko arrived minutes later, and Kaito waved to her as she descended the stairs. Kaito set aside his cup as she pulled a chair up to the table and focused on Ran. In what he hoped was a soothing tone he asked, “Could you tell us what happened?”
Ran dragged her eyes reluctantly from. Kaito and Aoko listened attentively, now and again interrupting to ask questions. When she had finished, Kaito sat back in his chair.
“Well,” he said, “That complicates things a bit.” He sighed. “Okay, let’s work with the assumption that this isn’t just going to wear off in an hour. The first thing we’ll need is an alibi for Kudo.” He glanced to his companions; Kudo was still unconscious, and Ran seemed to be on the verge of coming out of shock—not that Kaito could blame her. He was more than a little out of sorts himself. Thankfully, Aoko leapt to the occasion.
“Well, Shin’ichi-kun is always solving mysteries,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe we could say that he’s helping the police on a big case somewhere?”
Kaito nodded, a plan starting to come together in his mind. “That should work. He has an excuse to be out of town whenever someone is looking for him, and people won’t go poking their noses in if they think it’s police business. Well, most people won’t, anyway.” Kaito fiddled with his teacup thoughtfully. “Next question: where’s he going to stay? He can’t stay at his own house—the organization might get suspicious—but I don’t want him on the streets, either. We can’t exactly tell anyone where he came from, and I wouldn’t want to put him with someone we don’t know anyway. That doesn’t leave many options.” He worried his lower lip for a moment then glanced at Ran. “Do you think you could take him in, Ran-kun? You could say he was a distant relative of Kudo’s or something, and Kudo’s parents asked you to watch him while Kudo’s busy and they’re… out of town.”
Ran nodded slowly, her fingers tangled in Kudo’s hair. “I think that would work, yes,” she told him. She still sounded anxious, but also contemplative, which Kaito took as a sign that she was feeling better.
“Okay. The last thing we’ll need, then, is a new identity for Kudo.”
Aoko frowned thoughtfully. “He’ll definitely need a disguise. The age difference won’t be enough to protect his identity. A hair cut, maybe?”
“At least,” Kaito smiled to himself, liking the idea. Things were starting to look up. “We should probably look into dye jobs, too. What do you think, Ran-kun?” he teased, “Would Kudo make a good blonde?”
Ran rolled her eyes. “A haircut should be enough, Kaito-kun. Though a slight color change wouldn’t hurt. And possibly glasses, maybe with color contacts to disguise his eye color.”
Kaito nodded, grinning. Ran was almost back to normal now. “All we have left to pick out is his name.”
“…Conan,” a slightly rusty young voice said. Kaito’s eyes widened and locked on Kudo as he pushed himself stiffly to a sitting position. There was a familiar glint in his eyes, and Kaito was reminded of a boy who visited him over eight years ago and told him that his father had not died on accident. Aoko was grinning widely, and Ran looked on the verge of tears. Kudo’s lips turned up in a weary smile, and Kaito smiled back at him. “Edogawa Conan, detective.”
—Fin—
There, that wasn't so long, was it? ^_~
The title is a musical term meaning "little by little". I knew I wanted something musical for this chapter, though I wasn't sure what at first. I settled on this because I wanted to give the idea of changes--the kind you don't notice right away but become obvious over time. It also seemed appropriate, given the circumstances.
The next chapter is going to have another 'big' change--in the sense that any of the changes I make are 'big'. It's one I've been looking forward to for a while now, though I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out just why. Before that, though, I think I'll post a brief interlude.
Comments and Criticism greatly appreciated--and happy anniversary to Communications ^_^
Summary: Ran visits Kaito with a small problem
Installment Fourteen: Poco a Poco
To say that Kaito was surprised to find a shaken Ran with a rather small armful of unconscious Kudo at his door would have been an understatement. It wasn’t the time for surprise, though, so he swallowed, blinked, and ushered the two of them in. “I’ll meet you in the back room,” he whispered, and shut the door behind them.
It was late enough that Kaito’s mother was already in bed, and for that Kaito was grateful. If she didn’t already know, he didn’t want her dragged into this mess. He didn’t want her to know that there were people who hated her husband enough to kill him, and that they might be coming after her son as well. If she did know, there was little he could do about it, but he could at least do her the favor of keeping things low profile.
Before going to join Ran, Kaito swung by the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove. As the water heated, he picked up the phone and dialed Aoko’s cell.
Aoko picked up after two rings. “This better be good,”
Kaito smiled warmly at the psuedo-greeting; same old Aoko. “Aoko? This is Kaito. Ran-kun is over, and she’s got Kudo with her.” The smile slipped from Kaito’s face as he considered what he had seen. “Something’s… happened.”
Aoko paused before saying, “I’ll be right over,” and hanging up.
Kaito stared a moment at the receiver, then hung up as well. By that time the kettle had just begun to sing. Kaito took it off the stove with one hand, and balanced four cups, the sugar dish, and the cream pitcher in the other, then made his way to the den.
“I made tea,” he said as he descended the stairs behind his father’s portrait.
Ran smiled weakly up at him, and Kaito could see how this was wearing on her. “Thank you,” she said softly, then turned her attention back to Kudo.
The detective was laid out over a row of chairs, his oversized jacket draped over him. Ran was sitting in another chair perpendicular to him, toying absently with his hair and brushing her fingers over his forehead. At any other time, Kaito would have thought it was insanely cute; at the moment, though, it only served to worry him.
Using his foot, Kaito dragged a card table up next to them and set the tea supplies down before getting a chair for himself. Silently, he poured tea for himself and Ran, leaving two cups empty for Aoko and Kudo.
Aoko arrived minutes later, and Kaito waved to her as she descended the stairs. Kaito set aside his cup as she pulled a chair up to the table and focused on Ran. In what he hoped was a soothing tone he asked, “Could you tell us what happened?”
Ran dragged her eyes reluctantly from. Kaito and Aoko listened attentively, now and again interrupting to ask questions. When she had finished, Kaito sat back in his chair.
“Well,” he said, “That complicates things a bit.” He sighed. “Okay, let’s work with the assumption that this isn’t just going to wear off in an hour. The first thing we’ll need is an alibi for Kudo.” He glanced to his companions; Kudo was still unconscious, and Ran seemed to be on the verge of coming out of shock—not that Kaito could blame her. He was more than a little out of sorts himself. Thankfully, Aoko leapt to the occasion.
“Well, Shin’ichi-kun is always solving mysteries,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe we could say that he’s helping the police on a big case somewhere?”
Kaito nodded, a plan starting to come together in his mind. “That should work. He has an excuse to be out of town whenever someone is looking for him, and people won’t go poking their noses in if they think it’s police business. Well, most people won’t, anyway.” Kaito fiddled with his teacup thoughtfully. “Next question: where’s he going to stay? He can’t stay at his own house—the organization might get suspicious—but I don’t want him on the streets, either. We can’t exactly tell anyone where he came from, and I wouldn’t want to put him with someone we don’t know anyway. That doesn’t leave many options.” He worried his lower lip for a moment then glanced at Ran. “Do you think you could take him in, Ran-kun? You could say he was a distant relative of Kudo’s or something, and Kudo’s parents asked you to watch him while Kudo’s busy and they’re… out of town.”
Ran nodded slowly, her fingers tangled in Kudo’s hair. “I think that would work, yes,” she told him. She still sounded anxious, but also contemplative, which Kaito took as a sign that she was feeling better.
“Okay. The last thing we’ll need, then, is a new identity for Kudo.”
Aoko frowned thoughtfully. “He’ll definitely need a disguise. The age difference won’t be enough to protect his identity. A hair cut, maybe?”
“At least,” Kaito smiled to himself, liking the idea. Things were starting to look up. “We should probably look into dye jobs, too. What do you think, Ran-kun?” he teased, “Would Kudo make a good blonde?”
Ran rolled her eyes. “A haircut should be enough, Kaito-kun. Though a slight color change wouldn’t hurt. And possibly glasses, maybe with color contacts to disguise his eye color.”
Kaito nodded, grinning. Ran was almost back to normal now. “All we have left to pick out is his name.”
“…Conan,” a slightly rusty young voice said. Kaito’s eyes widened and locked on Kudo as he pushed himself stiffly to a sitting position. There was a familiar glint in his eyes, and Kaito was reminded of a boy who visited him over eight years ago and told him that his father had not died on accident. Aoko was grinning widely, and Ran looked on the verge of tears. Kudo’s lips turned up in a weary smile, and Kaito smiled back at him. “Edogawa Conan, detective.”
—Fin—
There, that wasn't so long, was it? ^_~
The title is a musical term meaning "little by little". I knew I wanted something musical for this chapter, though I wasn't sure what at first. I settled on this because I wanted to give the idea of changes--the kind you don't notice right away but become obvious over time. It also seemed appropriate, given the circumstances.
The next chapter is going to have another 'big' change--in the sense that any of the changes I make are 'big'. It's one I've been looking forward to for a while now, though I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out just why. Before that, though, I think I'll post a brief interlude.
Comments and Criticism greatly appreciated--and happy anniversary to Communications ^_^
