To Hold a Dove

The Return of Shinara Kudo

Chapter Ten:

The Return of Shinara Kudo

3 weeks after the heist...

"Well, you are definitely looking much better", said Ai as she checked over the readings she had gotten from examining Kudo. "Any shortness of breath still?"

"Occasionally, but only when I run or walk for a long period of time."

"Alright, any dizziness or weakness?"

"Sometimes, but usually when I close my eyes or sit for a spell, it goes away."

"Okay. Well, I definitely want you to take it easy. I think you're finally ready after two months of recovery to finally go back out into society, but don't push yourself. You still are prone to having blackouts, shortness of breath, and possible seizures if strained too far. It will probably take a year at most to get rid of those side effects and half a year at the earliest."

"Right", said Shinara with a sigh, "will do."

"Yeah right. If it was that easy to make you relax and take it easy without getting caught up in a case, you wouldn't have even got poisoned in the first place", Ai muttered as she walked away shaking her heard.

Kudo just grinned as she lowered herself down off the observation table. She was still underweight and tired, but she was already far better off than she had been thanks to her friends special attention.

"You going to school tomorrow?" asked Agasa who has just peeked inside the room where Kudo was tugging on her shoes.

"Yeah..." Kudo said, her face dropping the smile she had just been wearing.

Agasa stepped in further, concerned by her depressive answer.

"You nervous?" he asked stepping beside her where she was picking up her bag.

Kudo sighed as she nodded, knowing he had seen through her.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't be bothering you with this when you have done so much for me already, but I just..."

Agasa smiled as he wrapped an arm hesitantly around the teen, "You are never bothering me Shinara", he said, "I have known you since you were a child and hid here in my laboratory with me to escape your parents crazed actions. Trust me, I have never and will never think of you as a burden."

Shinara smiled up at him and sighed.

"I just don't know how to face everyone. I have been gone for a year without word to anyone, except the occasional message to Ran and even now...I...I don't even know if I can face him. I lived with him that entire year as Christie but he didn't know it was me. How do I look at him now as Shinara?"

Agasa smiled a sad smile, understanding where her difficulties laid, but he was far more concerned about her health and psychological mentality more than anything else. This year has been hard on her both physically and mentally and he wanted her to having nothing but an easy transition back into the society that knew her so well before her disappearance one year ago.

"Go tomorrow, face them as though you had been away working on a great, difficult case and show them you are still the Shinara they all know and admire. Ran has known you since you were both babies, so trust him a little. He won't turn you away. He may be a little upset but it's nothing you can't deal with, right?"

Shinara thought over his words and sighed, nodding. She smiled and turned to the scientist beside her and gave him a large, but gentle hug.

"Thank you Doctor Agasa", she whispered and kissed his cheek as she would a granddaughter kissing her grandfather.