Kaishin Oneshots

#28 - New Start

Shinichi stared at the grave with a blank expression. As much as he wanted to cry, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He felt so numb and so broken on the inside. His heart was heavy just like his mouth. Everything was crushing him all at once, overwhelming him with various of emotions but also unfeeling at the same time. His parents were by his side when the funeral started but then moved towards the dead's parents to console them. She didn't deserve this, Shinichi thought with a lost look. Ran shouldn't- it was supposed- Not her. Me. Me.

Their classmates and teachers from Teitan came to the funeral pay their respect to the fallen angel they once knew. Sonoko was there as well with Makoto, crying for her lost best friend. Ran's new friends also came along, Hakuba Saguru and his girlfriend, Nakamori Aoko. They also seemed to bring another male along but Shinichi couldn't bring himself to be bothered at all. Amongst them all were Dr. Araide, Jodie sensei and Agent Camel, the Shounen Tantei kids, Agasa hakase. Vermouth was even there too. Ran met a lot of people.. She shouldn't have left. She shouldn't have died.

Shinichi shoved his balled hands into his pockets. He stood there as her parents talked about her, how a wonderful girl she was. He couldn't listen to them talk. He just wanted to go home and cry because of his dead girlfriend. It was supposed to be him to die from the shot. Ran wasn't supposed to push him away. She was supposed to be hiding from the shooters. His fingers felt cold, he couldn't breathe. He felt his chest constricted slightly and his body started to tremble. Heiji and Kazuha were too far from him for him to latch-

"Breathe, Meitantei," said a voice softly from behind him. Panic attack, Shinichi realised. KID. A familiar gentle hand pressed against his shoulder. The slightly taller body pressed against his back and wrapped an arm around his waist in a lose hug. "You've been standing here like a stone for quite a while," KID murmured into his ear. "On the contrary of today, you won't be catching me but I'll be catching you instead.." he trailed off. "Shinichi." Everything shattered and the detective felt his walls crumbled to the ground, leaving him naked bare and vulnerable for everyone to see.

He was scared to turn around, in case the body that gave him this slight comfort fled away like he always did. His parents were giving him worried but knowing looks from their place with the Mouris, Nakamori keibu and some of the Division 1 inspectors that they had known for quite some time. Suzuki Jirokichi came as well to pay off his respect to his granddaughter's best friend. He wanted.. He wanted to grab onto something, onto someone but he was terrified. The tears burnt from his eyes when KID turned him around. Shinichi's eyes widened slightly. It's.. Kuroba Kaito..

The tears streamed down his face immediately and Kaito wiped it away lightly. "I understand how it feels to lose someone," he said with a soft albeit pained smile. "I don't think she would want you to blame yourself for her death, Nichi." Shinichi shook his head, mouth opened to say something in retaliation but Kaito cupped both of his wet cheeks with a serious look. "Kudo Shinichi," he said sternly. "When it is time for someone to die, they will die no matter what happens. Nothing you can do to stop it. Death is unavoidable for you and me."

Shinichi's shaky hands wrapped each around Kaito's wrist tightly to ground himself. "It hurts," he croaked, speaking for the first time in the week. The magician softened and pulled the other male into a comforting hug. "I know," was all he said to him. Shinichi clutched onto Kaito's suit tightly, sobbing into his neck as the latter rubbed his back warmly. "It's gonna be okay, Nichi. It will hurt for quite a while. Losing someone you love so dearly will do that to you," Kaito muttered to the trembling male. "But it will be better as the time goes by."

Shinichi stayed in Kaito's strong arms for a while more, blank and completely empty. Some of the people that Shinichi knew looked at them a little weirdly, probably because the high school detective were hugging someone that he or the others' barely knew. He laid his head on Kaito's shoulder, suddenly feeling so drained and absolutely tired to the core. "Nichi, let's go nearer. I don't think it's polite for someone that's close to her stayed so far away from her," Kaito said and Shinichi gripped his hand as they walk closer to the grave. His legs suddenly feels jelly.

But Kaito's hand helped him stand balancedly without collapsing onto his knees. He felt his heart squeezed as he read, "Mouri Ran, 18, died too young. Beloved daughter, friend, fighter. May she rest in peace." He relaxed slightly when Kaito ran a hand through his hair. He knew he was getting some odd looks from Sonoko, Heiji and a few others at how much he clung onto Kaito but he couldn't being himself to care at all. He needed closure and Kaitou KID was willing to catch him, comfort him at his lowest times. They trust each other very much.

One by one they left the grave, leaving him, Kaito and her close family and friends behind. Sonoko approached him with a broken expression and Shinichi pulled away from Kaito, heart terrified. Was she going to blame him for her death? Was she gonna yell at him? But much to his surprise, Sonoko hugged him tightly and said, "It's not your fault. She did it to save you and I know you would do the same thing for her if your roles were reversed, Shinichi-kun." Sera, Eisuke, Kazuha and Heiji joined the hug as well. "It's not your fault."

Shinichi, at the center of the hug, couldn't hold on his tears as he hugged them all back as much as he could, sobbing his heart out.l earnestly. Kaito smiled gently and stepped away towards his friends, watching them with a soft look. The three Ekodans turned to leave after the hug was over and that made Shinichi froze in fear, not wanting to lose KID forever. He watched his retreating back with trembling azure blue eyes. No.. No.. Don't go.. he thought, opening his mouth but no sound came out as his throat clogged with a large lump. Kaito..

But then Kaito stopped walking, turning around to face Shinichi, indigo eyes clashed with azure blue orbs. The confusion turned to understanding and Shinichi couldn't help himself as he ran towards the other male, hugging him tightly. He wanted to beg for the male not to leave but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. Kaito hugged him back as well with a soft unguarded face. "We'll meet again, Nichi. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," he said, seemingly knowing what Shinichi wanted to say even without the words being spoken between those two intelligent high school students.

Everyone around them watched with fascination as they both fit into each other like a missing puzzle piece. It felt like looking at a rejoined soulmates that lost each other between so much battles and were reincarnated for too many times to count. "Please don't leave.." Shinichi begged, voice loud and clear for everyone to hear. "Why would I leave when I have someone waiting for me right here?" Kaito chuckled softly. "I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Kaito, Kuroba Kaito." He bowed and flicked his wrist to reveal a blue coloured rose. Shinichi smiled a little shy.

"Kudo Shinichi," he introduced himself back, wiping his tears and snot from his face, beaming brightly with watery eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, Kuroba-kun," he said, taking the rose with a trembling smile. "Believe me, the pleasure is all mine," Kaito grinned and they both burst into giggles. The remaining people that attended the funeral watched as the stress and guilt bleed out from Shinichi's body, making him relaxed and laid back like he usually was before. "Say, how do you feel about making a new starting chapter in your life?" Kaito asked with a smile on his face.

"That's.." Shinichi glanced at the grave with a smile of his own. "That's.. a great idea. Let's.. start a new chapter. She would want that.. Ran would've want me to do that," he said, a little to himself before turning to look at Kaito once again. Kaito held out his hand towards Shinichi, smile widening. "How about we get to know each other more? I heard you like Sherlock Holmes very much. Actually, I think Arséné Lupin is better than him. Hakuba talks about Holmes a lot and he's not interesting at all. Detectives."

Yeah, a new start sounds great.