(no subject)

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[It seems the dressing room is adding to its collection of Rans. What makes this one interesting? Well, let's see...

She evidently hasn't been taking very good care of herself, for starters. She's thin enough for it to be unhealthy, and her eyes are dull and tired-looking. Her clothes are rather plain and neutral, not the bright colours she usually favours, and her hair is suffering the same neglect. Her reactions seem to be affected as well. It takes her a moment to even realize that she's not where she's supposed to be, and it's with more surprise than anything else]

W-where... is this...?

Comments

[deaduction.livejournal.com]

[Shinichi was on his way to the Christmas Tree in search of some clothing that might make him look less like he's just come from his own funeral, wearing the Sox baseball cap that Heiji-neechan lent him to hide the bullethole when a very familiar voice caught his attention.

Ran!

Her muted and faded appearance is not a surprise to this particular Shinichi, and he comes immediately to a stricken halt. He's got a very bad feeling about this --

His Ran can't see him. ]

((ooc: wow.))

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

[deaduction.livejournal.com]

[Can't be his Ran. Can't be, except that there's something in her shock that's different from the reactions he's been getting, an understanding a flicker of fear that says she knows what Shinichi is.]




[It's a very long moment before he can shake himself out of his shock. Shinichi's abruptly reminded of all he lacks; the space where his lungs were is ice-cold and solid, and though he can't breathe he feels like he is choking. Ran--

She looks like she is ready to run at his slightest movement, but though seeing her afraid is the last thing he wants, he can't stop stepping towards her.]

Ran.

((no worries! I'm on AIM if you want to work out details/have questions/anything like that!))

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

No.

[]

D-don't, please...

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I d-don't want to see it again. I can't.

[]

[deaduction.livejournal.com]

[It hurts just as he knew it would, more because he knows just how much he's hurt his best friend. And even though it hurts to see her flinch away, he can't not go to her. The impulse to comfort her is too strong.

He's seen enough of the aftermath of these dreams to have a good idea of what Ran's thinking and he reaches out to brush her hair gently, marvelling that he can touch her here.]

You don't have to.

[He hesitates a moment before pulling his hand back, stepping back.]

You're not dreaming.


((so, so evil.))

[really-is-7.livejournal.com]

[He's just walking along when he sees Ran. And being the happy little kid he is, he's running towards her to greet her.]

Ran-neechan! Hey, wai-

[But then he gets close and sees how very, very wrong this scenario is. Ran does not look like that. Ever. Oh, sad, sure. Depressed, hurt, but always in a way that was manageable. This?

This was wrong.] Ran-neechan?

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

Hi, Conan-kun. What are you doing here?

[]

[really-is-7.livejournal.com]

....

[And he can TELL. He can always tell and it breaks his little heart and really, there's only one thing he can do.

And that's hug Ran.]

I don't know what happened, but...I'm sorry.

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

Thank you. [] Don't worry, you didn't do anything.

[shoujo-nichi.livejournal.com]

[brightens up at seeing her - it's a familiar face, and after the complete and utter awkwardness of seeing a male Ran, this is a relief]

[except it isn't so much, since she's noticing all those little details before she even speaks]

Ran?

[she's smiling anyway, hoping you're just having a bad day]

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

Yes?

[shoujo-nichi.livejournal.com]

Ran, it's me! Minori!

...or, uh... Shinichi, I guess, if you're used to seeing a male me?

[awkward grin]

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

Wh-what...?

[karates_doors]

[She knows.

Ran takes one look at her other self, and she just knows which Ran this is, instinctively, without a single word being exchanged.

This is the one... this is the Ran that dead Shinichi knows.

Or rather, this is the Ran who knows what it's like to lose Shinichi.

Her expression turns sombre. It's strange, to see what is essentially herself so tired and so worn. Stranger still, to know intimately the kind of feelings that brought on that appearance. She hasn't experienced them as deeply or for as long as this Ran, but still... she has felt them. And she knows what it's like to be hurt that way.

She doesn't say a word, doesn't do anything to draw the other Ran's attention. Just calmly walks towards her double, and once she's close enough --]

It's all right.

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

Y-you...

[karates_doors]

[Ran smiles softly, sympathetically-- no, empathetically-- and shakes her head. She isn't important right now. She's been waiting for this meeting ever since her reconciliation with the ghost of her best friend, and she isn't about to put it off with something as simple as introductions]

It's all right... to want to be with him. To want to remember him.

[Because if she knows her, if she knows herself and the people around her and what they would tell her, she knows that she might be tempted to try and forget Shinichi in those circumstances, to try and block off the pain and force herself to accept the truth in all of its coldness.

She also knows, now, that it would be wrong]

He's not coming back... but you don't have to forget him.

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

B-but I--

[]

B-but it hurts so much...

[]

[tripsand-falls.livejournal.com]

[Oh. It's another Ran-neechan. But this one looks sad. Eisuke has decided it might be a good idea to cheer her up. Have a five-year-old staring up at her.]

Are you okay?

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

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I'm fine.

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Are you lost?

[tripsand-falls.livejournal.com]

[He shakes his head.]

No. You can't really get lost here.

You look sad.

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

What do you mean? []

I'm okay. Just a little tired.

What's your name?

[only-1-truth.livejournal.com]

[He's just walking along calmly, exploring a new hall of the DR when he spots Ran.

He wasn't sure if this was his Ran and so hadn't run to her immediately, waiting for some sign that it was her. He studied her from a distance for this.

And then he felt like a deep hole had opened up in him. Oh no. No, no, no. He could see she was too thin. She seemed too tired and cloths too dark and hair too unkempt. He knew Ran too well to not see everything about her that was WRONG.

And he saw those signs on him to not know what it meant. Was it possible...? Was this that Shinichi's Ran?]

Ran-neechan?

[And he's walking towards her, watching her carefully, concern and worry obvious in his eyes.]

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

Conan-kun?

[]

[only-1-truth.livejournal.com]

[Walking towards her, fighting to keep himself calm. Letting himself get emotional wasn't going to help her at all.]

...you look like a mess. That isn't like you. [Smiles just a bit, but it's obviously a sad, worried smile.]

[stillpushingon.livejournal.com]

[]

I'm not that bad.