Bloodhound - Chapter 6
Sep. 3rd, 2009 03:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kooriiFandom: Detective Conan/Magic Kaito
Pairing: Eventual KaiShin
Rating: K
Warnings: None
Genre: Humor/Drama/Angst
Words: 3254
As Ran and Sonoko left the school building and headed toward the gates, Ran's attention was focused on the sidewalk just beyond. The girl's eyes busily scanned the area as if she were looking for someone, or something, and as the group of leaving high school students began to disperse it became clear just what she was looking for.
Sherlock barked, twice, upon seeing her. The dark colored dog was sitting right square in front of the gates into the school, his tongue lolling cheerfully. The bloodhound's tail thumped against the concrete.
Ran picked up her pace and jogged the last few feet to the dog before crouching down in front of him, uniform skirt smoothed over her thighs. Reaching out she caught hold of Sherlock's droopy cheeks and gave them a tug, wiggling his head back and forth as she leaned in until his cold, moist nose touched hers. The dog's wrinkle surrounded blue eyes nearly crossed and Ran laughed.
“Hi, Sherlock!” Ran cooed happily.
Lately, everyday after school, she'd find the dog sitting in this exact spot and waiting for her. She'd tried so many things to get him to stay home, but no matter what she'd done he was always there by the end of the day. Ran had given up trying to stop him by now. Kissing the dog's nose she laughed again and stood up, ignoring the weird way Sherlock always seemed to go stiff and drift off when she did things like that. He was such a strange dog...
“Sheesh, is that dog here again?” Sonoko complained when she stepped up next to Ran, having taken her time to catch up with her. “Your dad is really bad at taking care of animals.”
Giving a slight laugh, eyes falling closed, Ran couldn't help but agree with Sonoko's assessment. But, then again, her dad could barely take care of himself half the time. Still... “Sherlock's just a really smart dog! Whoever trained him did a really good job, but I have no idea what commands to use to get him to listen.”
The look Sherlock gave her just then, made her giggle. He looked completely affronted, and the snorting cough he gave after words only made her laugh more before she ruffled his ears and straightened up. Sometimes Ran thought that her strange canine friend understood far more than any normal dog, but often she brushed that aside as a fit of fancy and loneliness. He was just a dog, a strangely intelligent dog... but he was a dog all the same.
Sonoko snorted, “At least he seems to have a good sense of time, but I'd still have gotten something cute and fluffy.”
The smile that lit Ran's face was almost brilliant, her head tilted slightly and eyes closed in her private happiness, “I'm not so sure about that, I think it's like having my own personal Hachiko, you know? You couldn't have that with a little dog that needed to be pampered.”
Looking down at the bloodhound who was practically preening and prancing between them Sonoko leaned down slightly and gave him a deadpan stare, “I don't know... At least Hachiko was handsome. I still think Inu-chan here looks like a wrinkly old grandpa.”
The dog stared back at Sonoko with those eerily intelligent blue eyes, face just as deadpan. Ran laughed again. It reminded her a lot of the way Shinichi and Sonoko had looked at each other, annoyed by being in the same room with one another.
“Sonoko!” Hiding a snicker at the absolutely disgruntled way Sherlock was looking at her friend Ran said, “Don't say such things! Sherlock's a very handsome dog. Right, Sherlock?”
Sherlock arched his neck. He looked like he was preening and posing again at the praise.
“Of course he's going to agree with you, using that tone the way you are!” Sonoko huffed. “He probably thinks he did something good. That's why he won't listen to you. You have to be stern with dogs, particularly stubborn ones like him.”
Giving her friend an amused look Ran pulled out, and clipped the leash she had in hand to the bloodhound's collar. Once she'd resigned herself to Sherlock's penchant for waiting for her after school she'd taken to bringing it each day and leaving it with her shoes. It made things much easier on everyone.
“Since when do you know so much about dogs?”
“One of my relatives has one. I think his name is Lupin, actually.”
Ran couldn't help but laugh at that, as she stood and swung around to face Sonoko. Leaning towards her friend she said, in a stage whisper, “We better not introduce them then! Sherlock and Lupin in the same room? There's bound to be a fight!”
Sonoko's face immediately twisted into a slightly devious snicker, and she gave the bloodhound a side long look, “Now that I think about it... I think Sherlock kind of looks like Lupin. I wonder who'd win?”
“Sherlock, of course!” Ran stated adamantly. “The detective always triumphs over the thief in the end!”
“Not over Kid-sama!” Sonoko chided. “No one has been able to catch Kid-sama!”
Baffled, for a moment, Ran blinked at her friend, “Who?”
“Don't you remember? Sheesh! That time when Kudou-kun went to help at the clock tower? That was Kid-sama!”
“Oh...” Ran pressed a finger under her lips, and gazed upward in thought. “That's right, I'd almost forgotten about it because he never brought it up again.”
Neither of the girls noticed the dog watching them intently, his ears pricked forward. At least, he was watching them intently until the sound of approaching footsteps made his head turn.
“Mouri-san!” Ran turned to watch as one of their classmates, a boy named Yamada Seiji, trot toward them with a slight smile on his face. Pulling to a halt a few feet in front of them he breathed out a sigh. “I'm so glad I caught you, I was wondering if you–“
A sudden low growl cut sharply over the boys words, and Ran looked down at Sherlock in an expression stuck somewhere between annoyance and affection. Sherlock, she had come to find, was extremely protective of her at times. She still hadn't been able to find any rhyme or reason to his bouts of protectiveness, but she found it oddly sweet. He was a good dog. At the same time, though...
Yamada-kun back pedaled immediately. Sherlock didn't stop growling until he'd decided the boy was far enough away. By that time Yamada-kun was looking extremely nervous.
“Uhh... Never mind! See you later, Mouri-san! Suzuki-san!”
“Sherlock!” Ran scolded. “He was probably going to ask for my notes...”
“Or maybe he was going to ask you out,” Sonoko cooed.
Neither girl noticed a renewed growl from the dog as they turned and headed down the sidewalk at last.
“Sonoko! He's been out of school with an illness for several days now...”
“So? That doesn't mean he didn't want to ask you on a date.”
“It's... a little soon for that, don't you think?”
Sonoko's face immediately shifted from teasing to apologetic. “Right, sorry...”
Ran mustered that determinedly cheerful smile again, just for her friend. “It's fine. I'm doing fine.”
Sonoko jostled the other girl lightly, grinning impishly, “But, with the way things are going you'll have to date Sherlock! Who knows, maybe he's really a charming prince in a canine body!”
The conversation was brought up short with the resounding sound of a skull hitting metal. Both teenagers whirled around to stare in shock at Sherlock. He'd walked right into a mailbox! The dazed looking dog blinked at them shook his head (wrinkles, and droopy ears flapping) and obediently, if not sheepishly, slunk back to Ran's side.
“Oh, Sherlock... What happened?” Ran cooed. The dog gave her a look caught between misery and adoration, though the former could have simply been because most bloodhounds did look miserable... Ran rubbed her hand over the top of his head to sooth the hurt away.
“Give him a kiss! See if it works like with a frog!”
“So-no-koooo~!” Ran protested but, laughingly, she leaned in and kissed the dog on the nose. His tail thumped in response and Ran giggled. “See, Sherlock is handsome! Not even a fair maiden's kiss could improve on his looks.”
Together, two teenager girls and one dazed doggy continued the walk home together.
They had left Sonoko behind now, and Ran had steered them along the path toward the Kudou home. While it saddened her to see the place, it also gave her a warm feeling of comfortable nostalgia. She still hoped to see someone there, and while she'd come to accept that Shinichi was most likely gone...well, a part of her couldn't help but hope. And, she wouldn't mind seeing his parents either. If only to make sure they'd heard. She worried, really she did, that no one had managed to contact them. How awful would that be?
Ran, for her part, couldn't imagine how painful it would be to come home, expecting to see your son, only to find he'd gone missing and was presumed dead. So preoccupied with her wildly spinning imagination, Ran almost didn't notice that there was something different about the manor today.
Sherlock stopped, barked once, and sat down. The girl turned to the bloodhound, who was sitting directly in front of the gates and staring up at the house. Ran, too, looked. It struck her, suddenly, that a number of curtains had been shifted in the windows. It was a small thing, but after seeing everything the same for several day's it was noticeable. She wondered if Shinichi would have praised her for 'paying attention to her surroundings.'
The thought made her laugh, and Ran realized that was the first time she'd freely laughed when thinking about Shinichi in days. It felt a little bit like healing; when a wound scabbed over finally and stopped hurting so easily. Smiling freely, Ran enjoyed the sound of the breeze rustling in the leaves of the two trees in front of the Kudou home, and playing with her hair. She laughed again, just because it felt good.
Glancing back down at the dog, Ran's laughter redoubled. He was looking at her with the strangest look on his face, his head tilted to the side like a curious puppy. Giggling helplessly, Ran wondered what she must look like to the dog. He probably thought she was crazy!
“I'm sorry,” she apologized to the dog. “I just–“
“Ran-chan!”
The familiar voice had Ran looking up in surprise. Standing there, in the doorway of the Kudou Manor, was none other than Kudou Yukiko herself. She hadn't even gotten around to thinking of what she ought to do, Ran realized. For all she knew there could have been an intruder and she'd just stood here like a simpleton!
Things, it seemed, had turned out for the best... or, they had in some way. Still...
“Yukiko-san, I didn't know you were home.”
The woman positively beamed to her as she walked to the gate, “We just got in last night. How are you holding up?” Yukiko's open expression switched into something closer to motherly concern at the end, and Ran felt her brain stutter to a halt.
Shouldn't she be asking Yukiko that? After all, well, Shinichi was her son.
“I...” Mouth firming in resolve Ran asked, “How are you holding up?”
The smile Yukiko gave her was warm, and fond. “I'm fine, and so is Yuusaku.” Yukiko winked, and tapped the side of her head pointedly. “Whatever happens we know Shin-chan's a strong boy. He'll make it through this and show up eventually, you'll see.”
Lips trembling as a sudden sadness swamped her, Ran stared sightlessly at the woman, “I don't... How.. How can you believe that?”
They'd even found some of Shinichi's cloths at Tropical Land, with blood on them. How could his parents continue to believe he was fine? How could anyone when the odds were so against him? Sure, Shinichi was strong and one of the bravest people she knew (he stood up the horrible criminals so often, so fearlessly), but that didn't mean anything in this world!
Hot tears spilled down her cheeks, and Ran didn't hear the sound of the gate clicking open, nor did she feel Sherlock's cold nose nudging her fingers as he whined quiet distress at her sadness. The first thing that penetrated the sudden, shocking, resurgence of her sorrow was when Yukiko's arms enfolded her in a comforting, motherly, embrace. Ran tucked her head under Yukiko's chin and let herself cry.
Shinichi's mother shushed and soothed her, one hand combing through her hair. Ran cried until nothing but hiccuping sobs shook her chest, and her throat felt raw, and her eyes dry.
Another soft whine, and the feeling of a large, warm, furry body leaning against her leg drew caused Ran to pull back slightly, and look down at the terribly sad face gazing up at her. The girl gave a watery laugh.
“I'm so sorry, Sherlock. I'm fine, really,” she murmured, and reached out to scratch the top of his muzzle. He didn't look like he believed her.
Yukiko took a step back from her, then looked down. The concerned look on her face was gone in seconds, “Oh! What a cute doggy!”
Ran really did wonder, at times like this, if Shinichi had gotten anything from his mother. They really did seem like complete opposites, superficially... but then, Shinichi had always had something of an actor's complex. Ran rather thought he enjoyed having all eyes on him when he was giving his little 'deduction' show. The way he always set things up...
Sniffling again, Ran fished around for her handkerchief only to find one right before her nose. Following the hand holding it she found herself looking at Kudou Yuusaku. The man nodded to her in greeting, “It's good to see you again.”
Ran bowed to him before accepting the handkerchief, “You too, Yuusaku-san. Thank you.”
Though, considering his father... Ran decided Shinichi took after his mother a lot personality wise. Particularly when his ego started talking... Smiling, despite the upwelling of tears that clung to her lashes, and rather in spite of herself, Ran buried her face in the handkerchief and tried to stop crying. She had thought she was past this point in her grief.
A gentle hand eased the leash from her grasp, and Ran peeked puffy red eyes out to see Yukiko smiling at her in an understanding way. The woman reached her free hand over to smooth Ran's bangs out of her face. “Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea so you can calm down?”
Ran nodded, unable to speak, and let the two usher her inside. Sherlock, followed behind them like a silent, dark furred ghost.
Yukiko immediately lead Ran toward the kitchen while Yuusaku and Sherlock stood side by side in the doorway, staring silently after the two. After they were out of sight Sherlock looked up at Yuusaku, the man blinked down at him, then with a huff Sherlock trotted after the two women his leash skittering and swishing across the floor.
Yuusaku blinked, shrugged, then turned and headed for the library.
Neither woman noticed the dog slink into the room, and move to sit beside the chair Ran was occupying.
“I'm sorry about this,” Ran whispered, eyes on her hands resting upon the table top where her fingers plucked at the handkerchief she stilled clutched.
Yukiko made a dismissive sound, “Don't apologize! You looked like you needed a good cry.”
Silence descended and, for awhile, the only sound came from Yukiko as she made the tea.
Ran gave a little squeak as something heavy thumped down on her knee. Leaning back she found Sherlock's head resting there. The dog's eyes were rolled up, looking at her from that baleful face.
“Oh, don't look at me like that,” Ran giggled, smoothing the wrinkles on his head. “I'm fine, really.”
A cup appeared in Ran's peripheral as Yukiko set it on the table. The girl looked up into the woman's smiling face, though Yukiko's gaze was on the dog beside her. “Where did you get him?”
“Ah, I found him outside of here, actually.”
“A stray?” Yukiko mused. “He's certainly a strange looking dog for his breed. Much too dark. He must be a mutt then.”
Sherlock wuffed slightly, pulled away from Ran's hand, and moved around the table to stare up at Yukiko. Ran quickly reached for the tea to hide her laughter at the annoyed look the dog was giving the woman. Yukiko gave another coo, and crouched down before enveloping the dog in a hug.
“He's so cute!”
Sherlock groaned.
Once Yukiko had finished cuddling the dog she turned back to Ran, moving to take a seat as well. “So, tell me truthfully... How are you doing, Ran-chan?”
As the two began to talk quietly over the situation Sherlock slipped off on quiet paws, having picked his leash up in his mouth so it wouldn't slide across the floor. Picking his way through the halls the dog made his way toward the library, and poked his head in. Yuusaku sat behind the large desk, flipping through some book or another.
Sherlock padded into the room and sat down in the middle of it. It didn't take long for the man to look up and lock gazes with the dog. Sherlock dropped his leash and stared back, ears pricked forward and head tilted to the side.
That was how Yukiko and Ran found them sometime later, still locked in an apparent staring competition.
“That's strange...” Ran murmured. “I heard dog's take that kind of direct stare as a threat...”
Yet, it was obvious that Sherlock was entirely comfortable. Though Ran's voice seemed to break whatever spell had fallen over the odd duo, and Sherlock turned his head to look at her, tongue lolling and a faint doggy grin on his face.
“I'm sure he just knows I'm no threat,” Yuusaku commented as he stood. “I'm sure you'll be wanting your... pet, back now so you can get home?”
Ran blinked, and smiled at him, “Yes, thank you for keeping an eye on him Yuusaku-san.”
The author's lips quirked into a faint smile at the unintended wordplay, and Ran flushed. “Not at all. You're still my son's best friend after all.”
Sherlock's tail thumped against the floor before he stood and trotted over to Ran's side. The two Kudous walked the girl and her dog to the front door and, as they left, Sherlock glanced back at the pair. The two stood there, waving to Ran as the girl trotted off down the sidewalk.
Finally, Yuusaku turned toward Yukiko. The expression on his face said he was having a hard time not laughing. “Yukiko?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Our son's been turned into a dog.”
Yukiko grinned, “He has, hasn't he?”
Nodding solemnly, Yuusaku pondered, “Should we install a doggy door?”
Pairing: Eventual KaiShin
Rating: K
Warnings: None
Genre: Humor/Drama/Angst
Words: 3254
As Ran and Sonoko left the school building and headed toward the gates, Ran's attention was focused on the sidewalk just beyond. The girl's eyes busily scanned the area as if she were looking for someone, or something, and as the group of leaving high school students began to disperse it became clear just what she was looking for.
Sherlock barked, twice, upon seeing her. The dark colored dog was sitting right square in front of the gates into the school, his tongue lolling cheerfully. The bloodhound's tail thumped against the concrete.
Ran picked up her pace and jogged the last few feet to the dog before crouching down in front of him, uniform skirt smoothed over her thighs. Reaching out she caught hold of Sherlock's droopy cheeks and gave them a tug, wiggling his head back and forth as she leaned in until his cold, moist nose touched hers. The dog's wrinkle surrounded blue eyes nearly crossed and Ran laughed.
“Hi, Sherlock!” Ran cooed happily.
Lately, everyday after school, she'd find the dog sitting in this exact spot and waiting for her. She'd tried so many things to get him to stay home, but no matter what she'd done he was always there by the end of the day. Ran had given up trying to stop him by now. Kissing the dog's nose she laughed again and stood up, ignoring the weird way Sherlock always seemed to go stiff and drift off when she did things like that. He was such a strange dog...
“Sheesh, is that dog here again?” Sonoko complained when she stepped up next to Ran, having taken her time to catch up with her. “Your dad is really bad at taking care of animals.”
Giving a slight laugh, eyes falling closed, Ran couldn't help but agree with Sonoko's assessment. But, then again, her dad could barely take care of himself half the time. Still... “Sherlock's just a really smart dog! Whoever trained him did a really good job, but I have no idea what commands to use to get him to listen.”
The look Sherlock gave her just then, made her giggle. He looked completely affronted, and the snorting cough he gave after words only made her laugh more before she ruffled his ears and straightened up. Sometimes Ran thought that her strange canine friend understood far more than any normal dog, but often she brushed that aside as a fit of fancy and loneliness. He was just a dog, a strangely intelligent dog... but he was a dog all the same.
Sonoko snorted, “At least he seems to have a good sense of time, but I'd still have gotten something cute and fluffy.”
The smile that lit Ran's face was almost brilliant, her head tilted slightly and eyes closed in her private happiness, “I'm not so sure about that, I think it's like having my own personal Hachiko, you know? You couldn't have that with a little dog that needed to be pampered.”
Looking down at the bloodhound who was practically preening and prancing between them Sonoko leaned down slightly and gave him a deadpan stare, “I don't know... At least Hachiko was handsome. I still think Inu-chan here looks like a wrinkly old grandpa.”
The dog stared back at Sonoko with those eerily intelligent blue eyes, face just as deadpan. Ran laughed again. It reminded her a lot of the way Shinichi and Sonoko had looked at each other, annoyed by being in the same room with one another.
“Sonoko!” Hiding a snicker at the absolutely disgruntled way Sherlock was looking at her friend Ran said, “Don't say such things! Sherlock's a very handsome dog. Right, Sherlock?”
Sherlock arched his neck. He looked like he was preening and posing again at the praise.
“Of course he's going to agree with you, using that tone the way you are!” Sonoko huffed. “He probably thinks he did something good. That's why he won't listen to you. You have to be stern with dogs, particularly stubborn ones like him.”
Giving her friend an amused look Ran pulled out, and clipped the leash she had in hand to the bloodhound's collar. Once she'd resigned herself to Sherlock's penchant for waiting for her after school she'd taken to bringing it each day and leaving it with her shoes. It made things much easier on everyone.
“Since when do you know so much about dogs?”
“One of my relatives has one. I think his name is Lupin, actually.”
Ran couldn't help but laugh at that, as she stood and swung around to face Sonoko. Leaning towards her friend she said, in a stage whisper, “We better not introduce them then! Sherlock and Lupin in the same room? There's bound to be a fight!”
Sonoko's face immediately twisted into a slightly devious snicker, and she gave the bloodhound a side long look, “Now that I think about it... I think Sherlock kind of looks like Lupin. I wonder who'd win?”
“Sherlock, of course!” Ran stated adamantly. “The detective always triumphs over the thief in the end!”
“Not over Kid-sama!” Sonoko chided. “No one has been able to catch Kid-sama!”
Baffled, for a moment, Ran blinked at her friend, “Who?”
“Don't you remember? Sheesh! That time when Kudou-kun went to help at the clock tower? That was Kid-sama!”
“Oh...” Ran pressed a finger under her lips, and gazed upward in thought. “That's right, I'd almost forgotten about it because he never brought it up again.”
Neither of the girls noticed the dog watching them intently, his ears pricked forward. At least, he was watching them intently until the sound of approaching footsteps made his head turn.
“Mouri-san!” Ran turned to watch as one of their classmates, a boy named Yamada Seiji, trot toward them with a slight smile on his face. Pulling to a halt a few feet in front of them he breathed out a sigh. “I'm so glad I caught you, I was wondering if you–“
A sudden low growl cut sharply over the boys words, and Ran looked down at Sherlock in an expression stuck somewhere between annoyance and affection. Sherlock, she had come to find, was extremely protective of her at times. She still hadn't been able to find any rhyme or reason to his bouts of protectiveness, but she found it oddly sweet. He was a good dog. At the same time, though...
Yamada-kun back pedaled immediately. Sherlock didn't stop growling until he'd decided the boy was far enough away. By that time Yamada-kun was looking extremely nervous.
“Uhh... Never mind! See you later, Mouri-san! Suzuki-san!”
“Sherlock!” Ran scolded. “He was probably going to ask for my notes...”
“Or maybe he was going to ask you out,” Sonoko cooed.
Neither girl noticed a renewed growl from the dog as they turned and headed down the sidewalk at last.
“Sonoko! He's been out of school with an illness for several days now...”
“So? That doesn't mean he didn't want to ask you on a date.”
“It's... a little soon for that, don't you think?”
Sonoko's face immediately shifted from teasing to apologetic. “Right, sorry...”
Ran mustered that determinedly cheerful smile again, just for her friend. “It's fine. I'm doing fine.”
Sonoko jostled the other girl lightly, grinning impishly, “But, with the way things are going you'll have to date Sherlock! Who knows, maybe he's really a charming prince in a canine body!”
The conversation was brought up short with the resounding sound of a skull hitting metal. Both teenagers whirled around to stare in shock at Sherlock. He'd walked right into a mailbox! The dazed looking dog blinked at them shook his head (wrinkles, and droopy ears flapping) and obediently, if not sheepishly, slunk back to Ran's side.
“Oh, Sherlock... What happened?” Ran cooed. The dog gave her a look caught between misery and adoration, though the former could have simply been because most bloodhounds did look miserable... Ran rubbed her hand over the top of his head to sooth the hurt away.
“Give him a kiss! See if it works like with a frog!”
“So-no-koooo~!” Ran protested but, laughingly, she leaned in and kissed the dog on the nose. His tail thumped in response and Ran giggled. “See, Sherlock is handsome! Not even a fair maiden's kiss could improve on his looks.”
Together, two teenager girls and one dazed doggy continued the walk home together.
–
They had left Sonoko behind now, and Ran had steered them along the path toward the Kudou home. While it saddened her to see the place, it also gave her a warm feeling of comfortable nostalgia. She still hoped to see someone there, and while she'd come to accept that Shinichi was most likely gone...well, a part of her couldn't help but hope. And, she wouldn't mind seeing his parents either. If only to make sure they'd heard. She worried, really she did, that no one had managed to contact them. How awful would that be?
Ran, for her part, couldn't imagine how painful it would be to come home, expecting to see your son, only to find he'd gone missing and was presumed dead. So preoccupied with her wildly spinning imagination, Ran almost didn't notice that there was something different about the manor today.
Sherlock stopped, barked once, and sat down. The girl turned to the bloodhound, who was sitting directly in front of the gates and staring up at the house. Ran, too, looked. It struck her, suddenly, that a number of curtains had been shifted in the windows. It was a small thing, but after seeing everything the same for several day's it was noticeable. She wondered if Shinichi would have praised her for 'paying attention to her surroundings.'
The thought made her laugh, and Ran realized that was the first time she'd freely laughed when thinking about Shinichi in days. It felt a little bit like healing; when a wound scabbed over finally and stopped hurting so easily. Smiling freely, Ran enjoyed the sound of the breeze rustling in the leaves of the two trees in front of the Kudou home, and playing with her hair. She laughed again, just because it felt good.
Glancing back down at the dog, Ran's laughter redoubled. He was looking at her with the strangest look on his face, his head tilted to the side like a curious puppy. Giggling helplessly, Ran wondered what she must look like to the dog. He probably thought she was crazy!
“I'm sorry,” she apologized to the dog. “I just–“
“Ran-chan!”
The familiar voice had Ran looking up in surprise. Standing there, in the doorway of the Kudou Manor, was none other than Kudou Yukiko herself. She hadn't even gotten around to thinking of what she ought to do, Ran realized. For all she knew there could have been an intruder and she'd just stood here like a simpleton!
Things, it seemed, had turned out for the best... or, they had in some way. Still...
“Yukiko-san, I didn't know you were home.”
The woman positively beamed to her as she walked to the gate, “We just got in last night. How are you holding up?” Yukiko's open expression switched into something closer to motherly concern at the end, and Ran felt her brain stutter to a halt.
Shouldn't she be asking Yukiko that? After all, well, Shinichi was her son.
“I...” Mouth firming in resolve Ran asked, “How are you holding up?”
The smile Yukiko gave her was warm, and fond. “I'm fine, and so is Yuusaku.” Yukiko winked, and tapped the side of her head pointedly. “Whatever happens we know Shin-chan's a strong boy. He'll make it through this and show up eventually, you'll see.”
Lips trembling as a sudden sadness swamped her, Ran stared sightlessly at the woman, “I don't... How.. How can you believe that?”
They'd even found some of Shinichi's cloths at Tropical Land, with blood on them. How could his parents continue to believe he was fine? How could anyone when the odds were so against him? Sure, Shinichi was strong and one of the bravest people she knew (he stood up the horrible criminals so often, so fearlessly), but that didn't mean anything in this world!
Hot tears spilled down her cheeks, and Ran didn't hear the sound of the gate clicking open, nor did she feel Sherlock's cold nose nudging her fingers as he whined quiet distress at her sadness. The first thing that penetrated the sudden, shocking, resurgence of her sorrow was when Yukiko's arms enfolded her in a comforting, motherly, embrace. Ran tucked her head under Yukiko's chin and let herself cry.
Shinichi's mother shushed and soothed her, one hand combing through her hair. Ran cried until nothing but hiccuping sobs shook her chest, and her throat felt raw, and her eyes dry.
Another soft whine, and the feeling of a large, warm, furry body leaning against her leg drew caused Ran to pull back slightly, and look down at the terribly sad face gazing up at her. The girl gave a watery laugh.
“I'm so sorry, Sherlock. I'm fine, really,” she murmured, and reached out to scratch the top of his muzzle. He didn't look like he believed her.
Yukiko took a step back from her, then looked down. The concerned look on her face was gone in seconds, “Oh! What a cute doggy!”
Ran really did wonder, at times like this, if Shinichi had gotten anything from his mother. They really did seem like complete opposites, superficially... but then, Shinichi had always had something of an actor's complex. Ran rather thought he enjoyed having all eyes on him when he was giving his little 'deduction' show. The way he always set things up...
Sniffling again, Ran fished around for her handkerchief only to find one right before her nose. Following the hand holding it she found herself looking at Kudou Yuusaku. The man nodded to her in greeting, “It's good to see you again.”
Ran bowed to him before accepting the handkerchief, “You too, Yuusaku-san. Thank you.”
Though, considering his father... Ran decided Shinichi took after his mother a lot personality wise. Particularly when his ego started talking... Smiling, despite the upwelling of tears that clung to her lashes, and rather in spite of herself, Ran buried her face in the handkerchief and tried to stop crying. She had thought she was past this point in her grief.
A gentle hand eased the leash from her grasp, and Ran peeked puffy red eyes out to see Yukiko smiling at her in an understanding way. The woman reached her free hand over to smooth Ran's bangs out of her face. “Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea so you can calm down?”
Ran nodded, unable to speak, and let the two usher her inside. Sherlock, followed behind them like a silent, dark furred ghost.
Yukiko immediately lead Ran toward the kitchen while Yuusaku and Sherlock stood side by side in the doorway, staring silently after the two. After they were out of sight Sherlock looked up at Yuusaku, the man blinked down at him, then with a huff Sherlock trotted after the two women his leash skittering and swishing across the floor.
Yuusaku blinked, shrugged, then turned and headed for the library.
Neither woman noticed the dog slink into the room, and move to sit beside the chair Ran was occupying.
“I'm sorry about this,” Ran whispered, eyes on her hands resting upon the table top where her fingers plucked at the handkerchief she stilled clutched.
Yukiko made a dismissive sound, “Don't apologize! You looked like you needed a good cry.”
Silence descended and, for awhile, the only sound came from Yukiko as she made the tea.
Ran gave a little squeak as something heavy thumped down on her knee. Leaning back she found Sherlock's head resting there. The dog's eyes were rolled up, looking at her from that baleful face.
“Oh, don't look at me like that,” Ran giggled, smoothing the wrinkles on his head. “I'm fine, really.”
A cup appeared in Ran's peripheral as Yukiko set it on the table. The girl looked up into the woman's smiling face, though Yukiko's gaze was on the dog beside her. “Where did you get him?”
“Ah, I found him outside of here, actually.”
“A stray?” Yukiko mused. “He's certainly a strange looking dog for his breed. Much too dark. He must be a mutt then.”
Sherlock wuffed slightly, pulled away from Ran's hand, and moved around the table to stare up at Yukiko. Ran quickly reached for the tea to hide her laughter at the annoyed look the dog was giving the woman. Yukiko gave another coo, and crouched down before enveloping the dog in a hug.
“He's so cute!”
Sherlock groaned.
Once Yukiko had finished cuddling the dog she turned back to Ran, moving to take a seat as well. “So, tell me truthfully... How are you doing, Ran-chan?”
As the two began to talk quietly over the situation Sherlock slipped off on quiet paws, having picked his leash up in his mouth so it wouldn't slide across the floor. Picking his way through the halls the dog made his way toward the library, and poked his head in. Yuusaku sat behind the large desk, flipping through some book or another.
Sherlock padded into the room and sat down in the middle of it. It didn't take long for the man to look up and lock gazes with the dog. Sherlock dropped his leash and stared back, ears pricked forward and head tilted to the side.
That was how Yukiko and Ran found them sometime later, still locked in an apparent staring competition.
“That's strange...” Ran murmured. “I heard dog's take that kind of direct stare as a threat...”
Yet, it was obvious that Sherlock was entirely comfortable. Though Ran's voice seemed to break whatever spell had fallen over the odd duo, and Sherlock turned his head to look at her, tongue lolling and a faint doggy grin on his face.
“I'm sure he just knows I'm no threat,” Yuusaku commented as he stood. “I'm sure you'll be wanting your... pet, back now so you can get home?”
Ran blinked, and smiled at him, “Yes, thank you for keeping an eye on him Yuusaku-san.”
The author's lips quirked into a faint smile at the unintended wordplay, and Ran flushed. “Not at all. You're still my son's best friend after all.”
Sherlock's tail thumped against the floor before he stood and trotted over to Ran's side. The two Kudous walked the girl and her dog to the front door and, as they left, Sherlock glanced back at the pair. The two stood there, waving to Ran as the girl trotted off down the sidewalk.
Finally, Yuusaku turned toward Yukiko. The expression on his face said he was having a hard time not laughing. “Yukiko?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Our son's been turned into a dog.”
Yukiko grinned, “He has, hasn't he?”
Nodding solemnly, Yuusaku pondered, “Should we install a doggy door?”
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Date: 2010-10-02 03:23 am (UTC)I love all the unintentional jabbing Sonoko makes at Shinichi. XD It's hilarious how spot on they are. Haha.
For parents who've realized their human son has turned into a canine variation, they don't seem too concerned. Haha.
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Date: 2011-01-24 04:20 am (UTC)