When Pandora bleeds... (Shinkai)

The Additional Ray of Sunshine

Boredom was Conan's daily company. The young detective couldn't even remember how much time had passed inside his prison, his feeling of time was completely gone. His hope had been starting to crumble bit by bit a while ago.

What day is it? How long have I been unconcious? How could they just... bury me...?

Conan shook his head gently, a shiver running down his back. Was this going to be his fate? Locked up inside a cushioned coffin, six feet underground, no chance of help?
It had been even worse the first day as the oxygen inside his tiny cell had gone to waste. Breathing had become difficult, Conan had felt his head spinning and his heart was hammering inside his chest, protesting against the lack of oxygen for him to consume. It was an awful feeling, at the edge of suffocation and still no chance to escape this situation. For a moment, Conan wasn't even sure if he had actually passed out and yet it didn't make sense to him that he had woken up once again.

Am I even in need of oxygen like this...?

Obviously not, since even if he would know how much time had passed up until now, it was more than enough for him to suffocate inside his prison. He could breathe, Conan had tried it, but was there even any oxygen coming into his lungs? Tears began to prinkle within his eyes as Conan stared up into the darkness, knowing fully well that only centimeters above him was a heavy wooden cover, imprisoning him in here.

Suddenly, again a ray of sunshine hit him and Conan squeezed his eyes shut, whimpering in pain. He had become accustomed to the darkness around him, those moments where he could actually see light in front of his inner eye only happened whenever one of these daydreams occured. He had titled those hallucinations like that, because something with them was entirely different than any case of mental issues Conan had ever seen in his entire career. Conan was able to see the first perspective of a person, presumeably male. A showman, he had noticed during his first time.

Conan guessed it had always been the same person, since whenever he had seen him, white gloves were the first thing he could make out as soon as his blinded eyes had stopped burning. It was a pain in the ass every single time but Conan started to become accustomed to the visions about a mysterious man and his daily life. It was something new, something he could nearly claim as entertainment... because what else was he supposed to do? He hadn't had much choice left over than to meditate and play with Pandora inside his pocket while brooding over another plan to get out of this admittedly stupid situation.
Conan smiled fondly as the man performed a small magic trick for a small crowd of children surrounding him. Obviously, his object of interest had taken a walk within a park; Conan could see trees and even the tiniest blue spot a bit further away indicating the outlines of a small lake.

Seems peaceful there... I wonder how long it has been since I took a walk inside a park... or played soccer...

Conan breathed out an involuntary sigh and reminded himself that it was not the time to grieve about missed opportunities. Curious, he decided instead to try and decipher the magic tricks this individual had been practising for his small group of fans, yet found himself distracted each and every time by the applause and sparkling eyes of children all around him. His chest became warm at the admiring expressions... even if it wasn't him who was brightening these kids' days, he did feel a beam of pride watching them enjoying this small show.

Sooner than Conan would have liked it, his vision turned pitch black again and he let out a soft groan, fond smile vanishing off of his face like it had never existed. Gone was the welcome distraction, gone was the sun, gone was the warmth that had pooled into his stomach. Fingers searching for Pandora, he soon found it again and cradled it possessively, closing his eyes as he tried to repicture the scenery in front of him. Maybe like that, he could enjoy his small moments in the sun a bit longer.

***

Kaito had trouble prying himself away from his crowd of cheering fans, moreover because he had missed the small shows he used to do within his classroom. It was so familiar to him, all those amazed people around him, it was so different than the huge shows he had been doing after his graduation.

Kaito shuddered, Pandora pulsing warm and gentle against his chest, hidden away in his pocket. He nearly messed up his next trick, but managed to save himself in the last second. Maybe it was time to call it a day.

Something's coming... I can literally feel that... I have to get out of here.

Kaito quickly bid his farewell and scurries into the depths of the park. His heart began to beat faster, Pandora became bit by bit warmer within his pocket. With a chased expression, Kaito turned his head to find a spot where he could hide. He stumbled over into a few bushes and fell face first onto the ground, barely making it in time before his vision turned pitch black.

All noise was gone. He could no longer feel the warmth radiating from the sun, he could no longer hear the birds chirping around him, he could no longer admire the pretty scenery around him. Kaito didn't even hear his own breath. The one he was hearing was calm, slow, barely there and yet so achingly obvious close to him. Panic began to overcome Kaito while he clenched his fists, trying to endure it.
There was nothing.
Kaito felt like floating in middle of nothingness, consumed by darkness and unable to free himself from those clutches. Something began to pulse in his pocket and soon enough, he saw a glowing gem lifted by a hand and slowly brought closer to his face.

Kaito's eyes grew wide, and with a gasp he shot up from the ground, back inside the park and laying in middle of a few last piles of snow. His body trembled, Kaito couldn't breathe for a few seconds. Shock overran him and only one thought kept ringing in his ears while he felt for his own gemstone.

Pandora. Pandora is here.