All About The Truth And The Past

At the Echizen residence…

Nanako opened the door of the bedroom she was using to check out on someone. She smiled when she saw a woman still sleeping on her bed. Then she switched on the lights and went in, closing the door afterward.

She sat on the bed where the woman slept and then she sighed.

She couldn't believe it. She never thought her partner was facing danger.

Yes… The woman sleeping in her bed was her research partner, Shouko—the woman she entrusted with the project they were working on. But some things unexpectedly happened and somehow, it was beyond her control.

She still remembered the day she saw the wounded Shouko outside the gate of the temple where the Echizen family resided. But honestly, it only happened yesterday…

xxxxxx

[Flashback]

It has been another tiring day looking for Ryoma but Nanako didn't mind it. Right now, all she has to worry about was to help her uncle and aunt in finding Ryoma. Even though that kid said not to worry about him, she still has to do something to ease the couple's loneliness and worries for that boy.

It was a good thing that her college partner, Miyuzaki Shouko, agreed to work alone on the research that they've been working on for quite some time now. At the very least, she was glad that Shouko understood her and the situation that they were facing.

She was walking on the way back home when she noticed the clouds. They've been gathering to become thick and black, indicating that heavy rainfall would surely come. That was why she needed to hurry up.

When she arrived at the gate of the temple, she stopped when she saw someone lying in front of it. It was a woman, to be exact.

Even though she was feeling a little scared, she approached the wounded and unconscious woman and tried to wake her up but to no avail. When she turned the body to have a better look at the woman, she was surprised when she found out who it was.

"Shouko-san, are you okay? Wake up! Speak to me!" Nanako called out as she tried to wake Shouko up.

Shouko, who was feeling even weaker as seconds passed by, tried to open her eyes. And as she looked at Nanako, she gave a weak smile.

"What happened to you, Shouko-san? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be going to Hokkaido today?" Nanako has a lot of questions to ask her partner but it seemed that Shouko wouldn't be able to answer her right now.

Shouko tried to look at her. "Nanako-chan… help m-me…" she murmured before she completely lost consciousness.

At that moment, she tried her best to carry Shouko inside the house. She might have a lot of questions about her partner (and of course, her precious friend), but that didn't matter for now. She has to save her.

Besides, she would be able to know everything once Shouko was all right.

With the help of Rinko and Nanjiroh, they've managed to get her into the house, to Nanako's bedroom…

xxxxxx

Nanako sighed as she looked at Shouko and checked on her temperature. Shouko was having a fever last night which was why she stayed up late to take care of her. She just calmed down when she made sure that her temperature had gone down to normal.

She then saw Shouko open her eyes. She smiled at her. "How are you feeling now, Shouko-san?"

"I'm feeling dizzy but all in all, I'm alright. Thank you for helping me, Nanako-chan."

She stood up and drew open the curtains. And then she opened the window to let some air in.

She went back to sit on the bed. "Now care to tell me what happened? You're supposed to be going to Hokkaido yesterday to finish our research but then—"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag you down with this." Shouko looked at the ceiling.

Nanako was puzzled by what her friend said. "I-I don't understand…"

"I know you wouldn't but I'll explain it as clearly as I can." And then she looked at her. "I was supposed to go to Hokkaido because of two reasons. One, to finish our research, and two, to confirm something. You see, there's something I've been hiding from you all this time. And I don't want to drag you into the mess that my life has since even before I met you."

"What do you mean? And how exactly—" She couldn't continue asking her question when both Nanjiroh and Rinko entered that room.

Shouko smiled apologetically. "Sorry about the trouble I caused you."

Rinko smiled. "Don't mind it. You've been helping Nanako-chan many times. I guess it's just the time to return the favor."

Shouko just smiled and then tried to get up so that she could sit. Nanako helped her do so.

"So what exactly happened to you? You're wounded when we found you by the gate. And it seemed that you have some grazes and a through-and-through wound from gunshots. Is there someone chasing you?" Nanjiroh then asked Shouko.

She didn't answer, and so her friend looked at her worriedly. And then she faced the man who was still waiting for her answer.

She sighed. "I was trying to get away from my perpetrators yesterday. A chase happened inside the train. That woman wanted me to tell her the location of the person that's currently under the guidance and protection of my clan. I jumped off the train but she kept on shooting until I fall down the river. After I got out of there, I don't know where to go so I decided to see you and get help from you. I didn't want to drag all of you in this but right now, you're the only people who can help me."

They all fell silent after that. Shouko felt that Nanjiroh became tensed about what she said and now he was looking at her seriously.

"And… I wanted to ask Nanjiroh-san about one important thing," Shouko suddenly whispered but Nanako heard it.

"A-about what, Shouko-san?" Rinko asked.

It took her a moment to gather up her courage to speak and ask him a question.

"How exactly… are you connected to the Shinomiya family?"

His eyes widened when he heard the question. It had been a long time since someone tried to ask him that question. His wife looked at him as they waited for his answer. He then sighed and afterward, cleared his throat. Then he looked at Shouko with a blank expression.

"Shinomiya Ryuuki happened to be my best friend even before my days as a professional tennis player. But why are you asking me this?"

But before Shouko could answer his question, her cell phone that was placed on the table suddenly rang. Nanako stood up and took it, and then she gave it to her. She was a bit surprised to see her sister's name displayed on the screen as her caller. She heaved a sigh before she answered the call.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong? Is there a problem?" she calmly asked.

"Shouko, where are you right now?"

"Well—" she glanced at her friend. "—I'm here at my friend's house. I never made it to Hokkaido for… reasons that you already know."

She heard her sister sigh. "So that wicked witch went after you, huh? And it seemed to me that the news about Ares hasn't reached your ears yet."

She frowned. "What do you mean, Onee-chan? What happened to Ares?"

"He was beaten to death but he left a code. Conan-kun and the others are solving it but Shin photocopied the original one written by Ares. And he said in it that Hades was the one who wanted him dead."

"So he was found out, huh?" And then she went silent before she looked at Nanjiroh. "Anything else he said in that code?"

"Yes. He also said in it that we have to save the surviving tulip and the Samurai Junior. I know that he was referring to Rin-chan when he said 'surviving tulip' but about the 'Samurai Junior', well—"

"He was referring to Nanjiroh-san's only child, Ryoma Echizen. But how does Echizen-kun become involved in this?"

"Rin-chan saved him from near death a week ago. Echizen-kun was being chased by the Dark Rose the night of the storm."

"What?" she surprisingly asked. "So Echizen-kun is in the care of Rin-chan?"

"That's right. But he still has to regain his walking capability after we gave him the antidote in 16 more hours. He was shot by the infamous bullet of the enemy. By the way, did Ares tell you about the person said to be still connected to the Shinomiya family?"

"Yeah, he did. Yesterday, three hours before Themis chased me at the train. Anyway, I have to end the call for now. I still need to ask that person about his connection to the family and I'll be giving you the result after that."

"Okay then. Just be careful and stay safe." With that, the call was cut.

Shouko sighed and then she placed her phone beside her.

"What about my son being involved in something?" Nanjiroh suddenly asked.

"It was probably your tight connection to the Shinomiya family. That might have been the reason why the Dark Rose Agency chased him the night of the storm."

"So he was involved in your previous predicament, Nanjiroh…" She heard Rinko murmur it.

She looked at her friend, and then at Nanjiroh. "Nanjiroh-san… Is there something important with your connection to the Shinomiya family that made them go after your son?"

"Like what I told you a while ago, Ryuuki was and still is my best friend even after both of us quit being professional tennis players almost at the same time. We haven't talked for more than three years now but there is no doubt that he's still my best friend," Nanjiroh explained.

Shouko could easily tell that he was telling the truth. But that wasn't exactly what she wanted to know. "But it seemed to me that being friends with Ryuuki-sama wasn't the only reason why your son was saved by a friend of mine from near death a week ago. You seem to know something that they need to find out no matter what."

"They?" Nanako innocently asked.

"The Dark Rose Agency."

She saw Nanjiroh heave a heavy sigh and took a seat as if those words would take away his strength. This made her even more curious and motivated to know what was going on.

"Nanjiroh-san…" she could only say.

He shook his head. "I can't believe they would still go after it." After a moment of silence, he looked at her. "I lied to them 16 years ago… when the Dark Rose captured me. That time, even though Ryuuki was already my friend, he never told me anything about the secret that his family has been protecting for a long time."

Shouko was shocked. "So you were entrusted with the Shinomiya family's secret?"

"After Ryuuki saved me from those goons." He sighed again. "But even though I didn't have any idea about that hidden secret at that time, I wanted to protect my friend more than myself. That's why I told them that a certain old man was the one who knew that secret, even though that person doesn't even exist."

Shouko couldn't help but to burst out a soft laugh because of what she heard from Nanjiroh. He, Nanako, and Rinko looked at her confusingly.

"I never thought those villains would chase a person that doesn't even exist." And then she looked at them seriously. "But I don't understand why they would go after your son, Ryoma-kun. He doesn't even have any clue about what happened to you 16 years ago."

"I might have unconsciously let them believe that my son knows that non-existing old man and he was even close to Ryoma. I thought it was already over."

None of them could say anything. But Shouko began to carefully analyze the situation.

'There is a possibility that the Dark Rose might have found out the truth about Nanjiroh-san's lie 16 years ago. To think they would go after Echizen-kun a week ago… I never thought that it's not only the Miyuzaki clan who was entrusted with the Shinomiya family's treasured secret.'

But before she could conclude, even more, Nanjiroh asked her a question.

"Do you have any idea what happened to Ryuuki? It seems to me that you know where he is."

Shouko frowned at that question. Wasn't the massacre in Miami became a media frenzy in Japan? How come Nanjiroh didn't know what happened to the head of the Shinomiya family? She became hesitant if she was going to tell him the truth. But perhaps it would be best if she told him everything since he was the one being trusted by the Shinomiya family and at the same time, the best friend of the murdered head of the family, Shinomiya Ryuuki.

She sighed before continuing to speak. "Whatever you find out right now, please do not show that you've been completely affected. Ryuuki-sama wouldn't want you like that."

"What do you mean?" he asked confusingly while frowning.

It took her a moment before she said it. "The truth it—" she paused. "—Ryuuki-sama was murdered a year ago, along with his wife, Rina-sama, and his son Hitoshi-sama."

She saw his shocked expression, even those of Rinko's and Nanako's. She should've expected it but still, it pained her to see it.

"But how… and why?" Nanjiroh could only ask. She could feel his strength as if it was taken away from him the moment he heard that news.

He couldn't move; nevertheless, she could feel the shock and disbelief that he was feeling at that moment.

She told them everything that a witness of the massacre told her a year ago, even the ones experienced by the parents of Kudo Shinichi as it was told to her. In a way, she also told Nanako about her true identity and even her role in the Shinomiya family.

None of them could speak a word after that. It took them a while to let everything they've heard sink into their minds.

"So all of Ryuuki's family… died that night?" Nanjiroh asked in a soft tone after everything that she told had finally registered in his mind.

She shook her head and intently looked at him. "Not exactly all of them. There is one who was saved that night because that's what Rina-sama had asked her brother to do."

"Who was that person?" Rinko asked eagerly.

"It was their youngest child who happened to be their only daughter 5 years younger than Hitoshi-sama. Her name is Shinomiya Kourin. Rin-chan was the one who saved your son from near death a week ago, according to my sister. It would appear that he was shot by the Dark Rose's infamous bullet the night they chased him," she stated. "For now, you don't have to worry about Echizen-kun. I know that he's in safe hands."

"I hope so…"

xxxxxx

At the Professor's house, Kourin's room…

Thirteen hours have passed. They still needed to wait for 3 more hours to know if Ryoma could be able to walk again. But Kourin felt sure, somehow. For she knew that the two doctors and Haibara could help the freshman regain his ability to walk again because she believed in them.

He was asleep now. At least this way, he wouldn't be feeling a little hasty after deciding to go home and ask his family about what they know with regards to the case.

But Kourin was the one who couldn't sleep now. She was bothered by thought and yet, she was still fighting it because she promised Ryoma that she wouldn't let the Seigaku regulars—more particularly Fuji and Momoshiro—know that he was in danger. But she also promised those two that she would call them if ever she finds out something about Ryoma's whereabouts that, in reality, she knew all along.

In either way, one promise would be broken and the other would be fulfilled. And she only has to choose one.

She looked at the sleeping Ryoma and Karupin. She smiled at the sight of his face sleeping peacefully. Wherever she put it, Ryoma did have a strong resemblance to her brother Hitoshi. If ever her brother was still alive and he would play together with Ryoma in one place, one would conclude that they were twins. But she knew, that was only one factor as to why she was being protective like this to the Seigaku freshman.

As she continued to look at them, she finally came up with a decision. She sadly eyed the sleeping freshman.

'I'm sorry, Ryoma-niichan. But I guess I have to break my promise to you. Even though I couldn't afford to put them in danger because of what's happening to you right now, I need to let them know you're safe. You're their friend, after all. And… I need all the help that I could get.'

With that, she finally slept…

…determined to seek Fuji and Momoshiro and talk to them personally about Ryoma's situation by tomorrow, right after Ryoma and Conan left to go to the Echizen residence.

She just hoped that nothing bad would happen once she go to Seishun Gakuen to talk to Fuji and Momoshiro.

Unbeknownst to her, something would.