Chapter Text
She entered his office with a smile. It was the middle of the night, and her beloved was sitting in his large armchair, his head drooping forward, soft snores escaping his throat. She gently shook her head; it was so typical of him to have fallen asleep over his work again. The manuscript he was working on lay in his lap, and she carefully took it so it wouldn't fall to the floor. Even after so many years of marriage, with their children long gone from the nest, the sight of him still sparked a flutter of love in her. Time had marked him clearly. His once black hair was now streaked with gray, his features had become more defined, and the scar on his cheek, though faded, was still visible. Yet, so many small things remained the same. That smile in his sleep, his eyes still framed by glasses with no prescription, his passion for difficult cases, and his brilliant deductive skills.
She glanced at the pages in her hand. Years ago, he had begun writing his best cases in a fictionalized form. But there was one subject he had deliberately avoided—anything related to the men in black and their past. Writing was an unexpected gift he had clearly inherited from his father. Every one of his books hit the bestseller lists, and he quickly became one of Japan's most famous crime authors.
But this chapter, which he had been rereading before dozing off, caught her attention. She decided to skim through it. The title on the cover page read: The Story of My Heart. That didn't sound like her husband at all, she thought, puzzled. With practiced hands, she draped a blanket over him and let him continue sleeping by the fireplace, knowing all too well how grumpy he could get if she woke him now. She knew he would find his way up to bed on his own.
She quietly crept up the stairs, slipped into bed, and switched on the bedside lamp. She knew his usual writing process well. First, he would write the events as they really happened. In the next step, he would make minor adjustments, and finally, he would change the names to fit the book series, print it out, and review it. But here, the names seemed unchanged, which was odd. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed that at least one page had been torn out after the cover page. He must have been unhappy with it and tossed it into the trash to rewrite it. Curious, she put on her reading glasses and began to read:
Chapter 1: The Devastating Evening
I was paralyzed after the shot rang out. My eyes flew across the street, toward the direction from which I had heard the shot. I didn't have to search long for the shooter because there it was, Gin's unmistakable black Porsche on the other side of the street. Gin himself was grinning smugly at me, the gun still in his hand. It wasn't until the next second that I looked down at myself and realized I was unscathed. But who had he hit? Who was he aiming for? I couldn't imagine he had missed, he was too precise in his actions for that. Panic seized me as my eyes darted to Ai, who was standing just a few meters to my left. She seemed fine too; I couldn't see any injuries. But when I followed her horrified gaze, I realized who Gin had targeted. Of course, he hadn't missed, and my pulse raced. Panic took hold of me as I saw who his bullet had hit.
Ran.
She was lying on the ground, dark blood oozing from her left abdomen. Her clothes were already soaked, and a small pool of blood had formed beside her. I rushed to her side, unable to think clearly. I reacted purely on instinct, pressing my hands to the small wound in the hope of stopping the bleeding. Kogoro, that idiot, still hadn't realized what had happened; he stood there staring down at me in a daze.
"Call an ambulance, quickly! Ran needs help!" I shouted at him, and thankfully, he didn't argue, but snapped out of it. He hastily pulled out his phone and dialed for emergency services. I was terrified for Ran, more scared than I had ever been before. "Hey, Ran, stay with me. You hear me? Stay with me," I urged her. A weak smile played on her lips, and she mouthed a word. My name, but without sound. Her warm blood continued to seep through my fingers as I pressed harder on the wound. I kept telling myself she had to make it. Kogoro suddenly pushed me aside. "Let me handle this, kid," he muttered impatiently, clearly overwhelmed by the situation and needing to do something. Reluctantly, I let him take over, knowing he could apply more pressure to the wound. Once again, I cursed this child's body, but I couldn't lose control now. I had to stay calm, no matter how difficult it was.
Gin had clearly meant this as a warning. He wanted to take away what was important to me; that much was clear. I lifted my head, but when I looked across the street again, he was already gone. I searched for Ai, only to find she was nowhere to be seen. Great. Now I had to worry not only about Ran but also about Haibara. If Gin had taken her, this could end very badly. I needed to find her, but I couldn't leave here. Not without knowing how Ran was doing.
Finally, the blessed sound of sirens grew closer. I began to wave and caught the attention of the ambulance. Ran was unconscious by now, and Kogoro was yelling at his motionless daughter. For once, I could understand that idiot. I wanted to shout at Ran too, but there was no time for that. She needed to get to a hospital and receive medical care as quickly as possible.
"Hey, kid, did you call us?" asked the paramedic as he got out and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Yes, we need to go over there. There were shots fired, and a young woman was hit. She's unconscious, has a gunshot wound in the abdomen, and has lost a lot of blood," I relayed the most important information. The paramedic seemed competent to me and followed me quickly, his colleague not far behind with a stretcher.
After the paramedics stabilized Ran, Kogoro and I were allowed to ride in the ambulance. With lights and sirens, we sped to the nearest hospital. Without much preliminary examination, Ran was taken straight to surgery, and I sat with Kogoro in the emergency room, unable to do anything. Rarely had I felt so helpless as in that moment, because there was truly nothing I could do. My eyes were fixed on the large wall clock across from me. Every second seemed to last forever. Gin's grin kept flashing in my mind. How had I not spotted him earlier, damn it? How could I have made such a mistake? Usually, I sensed his presence or noticed his conspicuous car. Why not this time?
Kogoro was pacing restlessly around the waiting room; he seemed oblivious to what was happening around him. Well, maybe that was for the best. Then Haibara popped into my mind again; I had to find out what had happened to her. I couldn't do anything for Ran right now anyway. She was in good hands here, and her father wouldn't leave the hospital until he knew she was out of danger.
I jumped up. "Uncle Kogoro, I'm going to call the Professor to see if Ai made it to his place. She probably left on foot, but I want to make sure everything's okay. Can I use your phone, please?" I asked politely.
He rolled his eyes, annoyed, and handed me his phone. "Don't take too long, okay? These calls aren't cheap," he grumbled absentmindedly. Without comment, I grabbed the small phone and ran outside.
In the parking lot, I found a quiet corner, checked several times that no one had followed me, and then dialed Professor Agasa's number. It rang several times. I thought he wasn't going to answer and was about to hang up when I finally heard a sound on the other end.
"Yes? Hello?" the professor mumbled into the phone.
"Professor, it's me," I replied shortly. "Is Ai at home?"
"Shinichi? It's the middle of the night. She was supposed to go to that event with you guys and then stay at the Moris'. Did something happen?" The professor suddenly seemed wide awake.
I took a sharp breath and then answered, "Ran was shot and is being operated on. I'm at the hospital with Kogoro, but after the shots were fired, Ai suddenly disappeared..."
"Oh no, that's terrible. Do you know who's responsible?"
My small body tensed up. Couldn't he just answer my question instead of bombarding me with more? "Yes, it was Gin. And that's why I need to know if Ai is with you, Professor. She was standing next to me shortly after the shot, and then just a few minutes later, she was gone."
As usual, Professor Agasa wasn't the quickest. I could almost see him in my mind's eye, trying to process all the information. "Well, I haven't seen her today, but hang on, I'll check her room," he finally said.
My thoughts began to race. If Gin had kidnapped Ai, I should have seen him. Ai was only a few meters away from me, and I only lost sight of her for a few minutes. Gin would have had to cross the street, grab Ai, and then run back with her. All while the ambulance was already on its way. Gin might be fast, but even he couldn't cover such a distance in that short amount of time.
The professor finally returned to the line. "Sorry, Shinichi, but Ai isn't here. Is it possible she's still there?"
I had considered that possibility. After all, Gin wasn't interested in Haibara; he wanted to hurt me. He had already achieved that with the shot. Maybe she had run back to the Moris' house.
"Yes, it's possible, but I'll still have a look around the area. If she calls you, tell her to call me immediately." I returned the phone to Kogoro, and he continued to pace the hospital.
"Let me know when the operation is over," I said curtly and hurried outside. He didn't even register what I said, so I didn't need to worry about being stopped. But I was on high alert, not taking any risks. Since Gin had attacked me once already, he might try again. When I finally reached the crime scene, I was surprised at how deserted it was. The police had already completed their investigation. I quickly started looking for clues as to where Haibara might have gone, but then a light turned on in a nearby alley.
My breath caught when I saw her. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, her hair tousled and her face pale. But she was alive, and that was all that mattered. "Ai!" I called out to her as I ran over. She didn't respond; she seemed to be in shock. "Ai, thank God, I found you! I was so worried!"
When she still didn't respond, I crouched down next to her and put my hand on her shoulder. "Ai, it's me. Talk to me," I pleaded gently. She finally looked up at me, her eyes glassy with tears.
"Ran... Ran was... Gin..." she choked out.
I pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's okay, Ai. Ran is in surgery right now. She's going to be okay. You're safe now. Gin is gone," I tried to reassure her.
She buried her face in my chest, and I could feel her trembling. "I'm so sorry, Shinichi. I should have done something. I should have..."
"Shh, Ai. It's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done. I'm just glad you're safe," I whispered, stroking her hair.
After a few minutes, she calmed down enough to stand on her own. "Let's go back to the hospital. I'll stay with you until we hear from the doctors about Ran, okay?" I said softly.
She nodded, and together we made our way back to the hospital, where we spent the rest of the night anxiously waiting for news. The hours dragged on, and neither of us could sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about Ran lying in that operating room, and Ai was clearly shaken by the whole ordeal.
When the surgeon finally emerged from the operating room, I jumped to my feet. "How is she?" I asked anxiously.
The surgeon removed his mask and gave us a tired but reassuring smile. "She's going to be fine. The bullet missed any major organs, but she lost a lot of blood. She'll need time to recover, but she's stable now."
I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," I said gratefully.
Kogoro slumped back into his chair, visibly relieved. "Thank God," he muttered.
I turned to Ai, who was clinging to my arm. "See? She's going to be okay," I said with a small smile.
Ai managed a weak smile in return. "Yeah. Thank you, Shinichi."
"Let's go see her," I suggested, and we followed the surgeon to Ran's room.
When we entered the room, I felt a wave of emotions. Ran was lying in bed, pale and weak, but alive. I walked over to her bedside and gently took her hand. "Ran, you're safe now. We're all here for you," I whispered.
She opened her eyes slightly and smiled at me. "Shinichi..."
"Yes, it's me. I'm here," I said, my voice choked with emotion.
She squeezed my hand weakly. "I knew... you'd come..."
"I'll always come for you, Ran," I promised, tears welling up in my eyes.
Ai stood beside me, her hand on my shoulder, offering silent support. We stayed with Ran throughout the night, not leaving her side. For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to feel a sense of hope. Ran was going to recover, and we were going to be okay. We had survived another encounter with Gin, and though the scars would remain, we had each other.
***
She closed the manuscript with a soft sigh, her heart heavy with emotions from the memories it stirred. The story was only partially fictionalized. Many details had been omitted, and some names had been changed, but anyone who knew them well would easily recognize the events described.
She smiled to herself. She was never one to read all his work, but this time was different. She would quietly place the pages back on his desk in the morning. She knew that this story wasn't meant for publication, but as long as it existed in some form, it would be enough. She snuggled into bed, knowing that, as always, her husband would soon join her. It was these moments, these shared memories, that kept their love alive through all the years.