Post by akaisherry47 on Dec 3, 2018 1:58:51 GMT
Disclaimer: The writer of this fanfiction does not own any intellectual properties used in this story.
Words: 1025
Theme: "threat"
Rating: K+
Summary: Noone blamed her for being paranoid, except one person.
It took a while for deja vu to kick in... Minutes, possibly hours for all she cared... but once the crows began to gather around the festering husk that was once her plump foster uncle, she knew she had to get out of this nightmare fast…
Snapping herself back into the real world, Ai frantically gasped for air, her small frame drenched with sweat and trembling beneath her pajamas, while her eyes sparkled like beads amid the lightless room. At the back of her mind she wanted to cry, having gone through this whole cycle of watching the same horror reel in her dreams and literally waking up on the wrong side of bed in as many days since the incident at the docks, but her logi... no… her despaired self knew there was no use weeping. No amount of tears, not even of blood, could drown away her predators and wipe them out of the narrative like Moriarty's crime ring.
She had resigned herself to Hell that night, just like she did when she picked her own flawed concoction over Gin's lead. And yet, here she was, still dreading her last ordeal, still dreading the ordeals that were sure to come. Kudo-kun must be delusional to think the organization won't be coming after her again anytime soon with the FBI around, seemingly convinced by Feds' ability after they'd managed to take down a codename. But the fact of the matter was that Calvados wasn't a major player at all – his demise only proved how low he was in the organization's pecking order. If he hadn't ended his own misery then, someone else would have done him the favor. There were a least a hundred more agents they could deploy in his and Vermouth's place, codename or otherwise, and despite Kudo-kun's best intentions, she knew the organization too well to cast her deterrents aside.
At least she didn't have to worry about the frivolousness of school, and the outside world for that matter, for the time being. She'd been absent for almost a week, rigged with the convenient excuse of a cold that worsened over the weekend and left her bedridden so bad she couldn't take visitors until she got better. The last thing she wanted was to have the kids, or Ran or anyone else see her in such a pitiful state. She didn't want to put up a face either, only to constantly peer over her shoulder on the way to school and back. Not that home was any safer at this point, what with that duplicitous viper slithering past its aegis. Moreover, it was how they'd gotten so close this time that left her in this fretful mess.
Noone blamed her for being so paranoid. It had only been days since the incident at the docks. But she couldn't help but wonder how long it will take for the pressure to settle down this time, and how long it'll be until the next wave comes.
Suddenly, Ai was gripped with terrible thirst. It was also then that she realized how sticky she had gotten after last night's writhing. "This is the pits," she muttered raspily, pushing herself off of the bed and out of her basement room.
Getting further up the flight of stairs, Ai could hear a wire whisk bouncing against an acrylic bowl echoing across the room beyond, along with the faint noise coming from the television. But as she got closer to the door and recognized the noise as a news coverage, her legs all of a sudden slowed, betraying her desire for cold water as her nightmares from days past flashed before her eyes. That familiar pressure began to overwhelm her again, telling her to turn tail and go back to bed. She wasn't ready to come back to the relatively peaceful life she was personating just yet…
But when will you be ready? Will you ever be?
"Calm down. You know for sure the professor's just making breakfast. There's nobody else in there," Ai assured herself as she urged her body not to take a step back. "Vermouth's not stupid to come back so soon…" Desperately, she called upon the faces of her newfound friends and family waiting on the other side of the door with blaring smiles plastered on their faces…. People who have saved her from herself and other demons more than once…. People who would not abandon her even if "they" came back… People who, time and again, have earned her faith, if trust is too precious to give so easily…
Faith, although illogical, was comforting enough. Composing herself with a deep breath, She did right by it and opened the door.
Everything seemed normal when she emerged into the main room, much to her relief. Not a thing out of place save for the clutter that was once Professor Agasa's modified washing machine adorning the living room. On reflex her eyes homed into the island kitchen and found Professor Agasa perched in the middle of it, looking like a mountain of lard with his white coat and apron as he poured freshly-beaten eggs onto the pan while tuning into Morning Live 7. "Oh, good morning, Ai-kun," the inventor greeted, noticing her just before he turned the heat on. He did not wait too long for a response as the program shifted from the reporter Mizunashi's coverage of some accident that happened at a suspension bridge in Haido last night into Yoko Okino's cooking segment he'd been waiting for.
"See? I told you… Noone else is here… You're just being petty the whole time," Ai's own condescending voice whispered to her. She knew the crows were out there lurking beneath the shades of this urban jungle, but that was no excuse for being such a pathetic coward who couldn't cast her deterrents aside, let alone settle things on her own terms. "After all…Fear of death is far worse than death itself." She smirked wryly at the thought. Stupid words from a stupid faceless person from her past…
But this time, that person may have a point.
Noone blamed her for being so paranoid. It had only been days since the incident at the docks. But she couldn't afford to be the hunted rabbit forever.
Quenching her shriveled throat with a glass of water from the tap, Ai Haibara headed straight for the shower, deciding to go to school after all.
Words: 1025
Theme: "threat"
Rating: K+
Summary: Noone blamed her for being paranoid, except one person.
Paranoia
by akaisherry47
by akaisherry47
It took a while for deja vu to kick in... Minutes, possibly hours for all she cared... but once the crows began to gather around the festering husk that was once her plump foster uncle, she knew she had to get out of this nightmare fast…
Snapping herself back into the real world, Ai frantically gasped for air, her small frame drenched with sweat and trembling beneath her pajamas, while her eyes sparkled like beads amid the lightless room. At the back of her mind she wanted to cry, having gone through this whole cycle of watching the same horror reel in her dreams and literally waking up on the wrong side of bed in as many days since the incident at the docks, but her logi... no… her despaired self knew there was no use weeping. No amount of tears, not even of blood, could drown away her predators and wipe them out of the narrative like Moriarty's crime ring.
She had resigned herself to Hell that night, just like she did when she picked her own flawed concoction over Gin's lead. And yet, here she was, still dreading her last ordeal, still dreading the ordeals that were sure to come. Kudo-kun must be delusional to think the organization won't be coming after her again anytime soon with the FBI around, seemingly convinced by Feds' ability after they'd managed to take down a codename. But the fact of the matter was that Calvados wasn't a major player at all – his demise only proved how low he was in the organization's pecking order. If he hadn't ended his own misery then, someone else would have done him the favor. There were a least a hundred more agents they could deploy in his and Vermouth's place, codename or otherwise, and despite Kudo-kun's best intentions, she knew the organization too well to cast her deterrents aside.
At least she didn't have to worry about the frivolousness of school, and the outside world for that matter, for the time being. She'd been absent for almost a week, rigged with the convenient excuse of a cold that worsened over the weekend and left her bedridden so bad she couldn't take visitors until she got better. The last thing she wanted was to have the kids, or Ran or anyone else see her in such a pitiful state. She didn't want to put up a face either, only to constantly peer over her shoulder on the way to school and back. Not that home was any safer at this point, what with that duplicitous viper slithering past its aegis. Moreover, it was how they'd gotten so close this time that left her in this fretful mess.
Noone blamed her for being so paranoid. It had only been days since the incident at the docks. But she couldn't help but wonder how long it will take for the pressure to settle down this time, and how long it'll be until the next wave comes.
Suddenly, Ai was gripped with terrible thirst. It was also then that she realized how sticky she had gotten after last night's writhing. "This is the pits," she muttered raspily, pushing herself off of the bed and out of her basement room.
Getting further up the flight of stairs, Ai could hear a wire whisk bouncing against an acrylic bowl echoing across the room beyond, along with the faint noise coming from the television. But as she got closer to the door and recognized the noise as a news coverage, her legs all of a sudden slowed, betraying her desire for cold water as her nightmares from days past flashed before her eyes. That familiar pressure began to overwhelm her again, telling her to turn tail and go back to bed. She wasn't ready to come back to the relatively peaceful life she was personating just yet…
But when will you be ready? Will you ever be?
"Calm down. You know for sure the professor's just making breakfast. There's nobody else in there," Ai assured herself as she urged her body not to take a step back. "Vermouth's not stupid to come back so soon…" Desperately, she called upon the faces of her newfound friends and family waiting on the other side of the door with blaring smiles plastered on their faces…. People who have saved her from herself and other demons more than once…. People who would not abandon her even if "they" came back… People who, time and again, have earned her faith, if trust is too precious to give so easily…
Faith, although illogical, was comforting enough. Composing herself with a deep breath, She did right by it and opened the door.
Everything seemed normal when she emerged into the main room, much to her relief. Not a thing out of place save for the clutter that was once Professor Agasa's modified washing machine adorning the living room. On reflex her eyes homed into the island kitchen and found Professor Agasa perched in the middle of it, looking like a mountain of lard with his white coat and apron as he poured freshly-beaten eggs onto the pan while tuning into Morning Live 7. "Oh, good morning, Ai-kun," the inventor greeted, noticing her just before he turned the heat on. He did not wait too long for a response as the program shifted from the reporter Mizunashi's coverage of some accident that happened at a suspension bridge in Haido last night into Yoko Okino's cooking segment he'd been waiting for.
"See? I told you… Noone else is here… You're just being petty the whole time," Ai's own condescending voice whispered to her. She knew the crows were out there lurking beneath the shades of this urban jungle, but that was no excuse for being such a pathetic coward who couldn't cast her deterrents aside, let alone settle things on her own terms. "After all…Fear of death is far worse than death itself." She smirked wryly at the thought. Stupid words from a stupid faceless person from her past…
But this time, that person may have a point.
Noone blamed her for being so paranoid. It had only been days since the incident at the docks. But she couldn't afford to be the hunted rabbit forever.
Quenching her shriveled throat with a glass of water from the tap, Ai Haibara headed straight for the shower, deciding to go to school after all.
End.
Author's note: As out of touch as the author is to anything Detective Conan, the story is bound to have inconsistencies, so please point them out if possible (for this reason, the story won't be posted in ff.net just yet). The story is evidently set after Calvados' only appearance and Clash of Red and Black, and an attempt by the author to fill a particular plot point that was never truly discussed. A more direct encounter would been better, that's a story for another time.
Author's note #2: I wasn't sure what time zone applied for the contest's deadline so I went ahead and posted anyway. If unfortunately it didn't make the cut, please do not hesitate moving this thread on a more appropriate section.
Author's note: As out of touch as the author is to anything Detective Conan, the story is bound to have inconsistencies, so please point them out if possible (for this reason, the story won't be posted in ff.net just yet). The story is evidently set after Calvados' only appearance and Clash of Red and Black, and an attempt by the author to fill a particular plot point that was never truly discussed. A more direct encounter would been better, that's a story for another time.
Author's note #2: I wasn't sure what time zone applied for the contest's deadline so I went ahead and posted anyway. If unfortunately it didn't make the cut, please do not hesitate moving this thread on a more appropriate section.