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It was beginning of the April. It was that certain time of the year when Sakura flowers were most beautiful. Shinichi looked at them, those small, pink flowers, and followed how some of them were slowly falling on the ground.
They were so special to him. Only just seeing them made him feel so nostalgic. They had always made him feel that, every time, year after year.
She had made a Sakura badge when they first met. She had smiled at him for the first time while offering that badge to him. The badge where she had written his name.
Ran loved them too. He knew that those flowers were special to her too. Even though he knew that she had hated him when they first met, he also knew that she remembered all those nice and warm memories when Sakura flowers were blooming.
It had always been their flower.
Sakura flowers had also been the theme of their wedding. When they had planned their wedding, Shinichi had hinted that wouldn’t it be beautiful to be married under Sakura trees. Of course, he hadn’t admitted anything when Ran had smiled mischievously and asked about it. “Don’t you just love them?” Shinichi had asked back then and left. But when he had thought about what sakura flowers meant for them… Wouldn’t it be a perfect symbol for their wedding?
Call him sensitive, but Ran had agreed. And they had had their wedding at the beginning of April, under the Sakura trees.
Many years ago.
He felt how someone sat beside him. Shinichi turned to look at the woman, his wife, who just turned to look at him with that gentle smile. Like she always did, she slowly wrapped her arms around his, her right hand touching his hand that rested on his knee, fingers gently touching his.
“What are you thinking?” Ran asked. He felt how her fingers petted his, like asking for attention. Slowly Shinichi raised them, letting them wrap together - like they always did. Like it should be.
“Nothing interesting”, he answered and raised his head, looking at those little pink flowers. “Just looking at them…”
He heard how Ran let out a little, gentle laugh. “It feels still weird”, she said. “It’s still so hard to believe that it’s our sixtieth wedding anniversary.”
Shinichi turned to look at his wife. Once that long, dark brown hair was now a little shorter and white. These days her movements were slower than back then, and when she turned to look at him, there were some wrinkles on her face, telling the story of past years, and yet…
And yet, she was the same girl that he had fallen in love with many years ago. He could see all the same features in her, those orchid-colored eyes hadn’t lost their shining, her smile was as breathtaking as in the first time she had smiled at him, her touch still so gentle and loved…
She was still the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Yeah, it is”, he said finally and grinned. “Any regrets for being Mrs. Kudo this long?”
She let out a giggle. “Well, I would have probably aged much better with someone else”, she said mischievously.
Shinichi shrugged. “That would probably be true”, he admitted and looked away.
He felt how she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, tightening her grip around his arm. Well, if something had changed, it was the strength of her grip. She couldn’t squeeze his arm as tightly as she had when they have been younger, but to be honest, he still got bruises. But he didn’t mind, because they were a cheap price for keeping her close, and besides, they reminded him of those times when Ran had been scared and squeezed his arm so tightly that it hurt. Hah, he could still almost feel it.
“But I don’t regret anything”, she said finally. “I wouldn’t change anything.” She kept a little pause before continuing: “Our life has been perfect.”
“Perfect?” Shinichi repeated and looked at her even though he couldn’t see anything else than those white hair. “Even the Conan thing? Even though I have been a murder magnet? Even though…” He kept a little pause. “Even though I have made you worried so many times?”
“We have gone through so much together, Shinichi”, she answered and raised herself to look at him with that gentle and soft expression. “Even though everything hadn’t been a bed of roses, we have so many good things too. Like our children and grandchildren…” Shinichi looked away and nodded. “And as long as I love you, I would always be worried about you. As much as I’m sometimes worried about our children and grandchildren too. As are you”, she continued. “And even though you don’t ever admit it, I know I have made you worry too.”
Of course, he won’t! He would never let her feel guilty about it!
“I think our life has been perfect”, she continued. “I wouldn’t change you or this life for anything. I would go through everything again if it would mean that I could be with you.”
Even though he had known it, it made him feel warm. Loved.
“I know”, he said finally and turned to look at her. “Even though I have always hated to bring pain to you…” He looked at their fingers, tangled together. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Meeting you, having a woman who had waited patiently and forgiven me and looked after me sixty years…”
Ran let out a laugh. “Come on, Shinichi. Sixty years looking after you isn’t even enough.”
Shinichi smiled and met her eyes. “Fine. Seventy-eight years.”
She laughed. “That sounded more accurate”, she said and leaned her head again against his shoulder. “I started to be worried that your memory is starting to fail you.”
Shinichi smiled and finally lowered his head, letting it rest against Ran’s hair, feeling how it tickled his cheek - like many times before. But like after all these years, he still felt comfortable there, being close to her. The only place that he felt belonged. He didn’t even care if everything would have gone worse in their life - even if they would have been poor, wouldn’t have gotten family or really anything - as long as he would have Ran, it would have been enough.
And the older they had gotten, the more Shinichi has started to feel anxious. He wasn’t afraid of death. Everyone would face it sooner or later. And people had joked that the death would just be happy to finally get him. In the end - he admitted it himself - he had cheated death so many times. But what if Ran would leave before him…
He knew he shouldn’t think about it too much, just live day after day as he had done at this point. But he couldn’t help the thought of life without Ran. Somehow it felt so impossible, something that he would never get over.
His life would end with Ran’s.
And he pushed the thought away from his mind. He should just enjoy the time they still have, and even though he should maybe talk about it with Ran, the day wasn’t today. In the end, it was their sixtieth wedding anniversary. He wouldn’t ruin it.
He had ruined already too many dates, birthdays, and anniversaries before that it made him sometimes wonder how in the world he was still married to the love of his life. But Ran had always been like that. She had never been too bothered about it. If something, she had just supported him to solve those cases. Even though she had told him many times that being a detective was a dangerous job, she still supported and cheered for him.
She was great like that.
“You know I love you?” he asked finally before turning his head to press a kiss on her white hair. “More than anything else?”
He moved his head when Ran moved away. She raised her face at him, those beautiful eyes glimmering, a gentle smile on her lips. “I know”, she answered. “And I hope you know that I love you too.”
Shinichi smiled and lowered his head a little to press his lips against hers. A light, slow kiss, full of love. Then their lips parted away, and Ran pressed her cheek against his. The gesture was soft and careful, probably an attempt to avoid moving his eyeglasses and making them press against his temple.
Well, they moved still, but he didn’t mind.
“That almost makes me want to ask what’s into your mind since you have to ask”, he heard her say gently. That was so terrifying in her. She always seemed to know when something was bothering him. But at the same time, he was grateful that she let him choose to tell if he felt like it.
“Let’s talk about it some other day”, he answered. “I don’t want to ruin our wedding anniversary date.”
“Date?” Ran asked and moved away to look at him with curiosity.
“Yeah”, Shinichi answered and straightened his glasses with his free hand. “I’m going to take you on the date”, he said proudly, glancing again at those Sakura flowers. “Maybe we could visit the aquarium or Tokyo Tower, or we can go check out old schools and reminisce everything like old people do.” Ran giggled. “Or whatever you feel like…” Shinichi continued and turned to look at her. “And of course, I would treat you a dinner in the finest restaurant…”
Ran smiled. “I feel like a teenager again, you know”, she said with a big smile. “Too bad that your leg isn’t its finest anymore. I would have loved to go somewhere we could dance like back then…”
“Hey, my leg works well”, Shinichi defended himself and looked at his right leg. It was true that it hadn’t been as it used to be, and the doctors had said that there hadn’t been anything they could do to it, which was the main reason why he needed to use the cane to support his walking, but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t walk without a cane for a moment. He would survive without it for a while. Tomorrow it would ache much more than usual, but it would be worth it. “I can still take my girl to dance if she just wants to.”
“I know, I know”, Ran giggled. Then she got a little more serious. She raised her head, looking somewhere. Shinichi believed that those Sakura flowers were floating in the air. “But you know where I would love to go?”
Shinichi looked at those flowers, thinking…
“Where?” he finally asked.
“In Tropical Land.”
The Tropical Land. Probably the only place where they hadn’t gone back just two of them. After the Black Organization was taken down, he hadn’t dared to suggest going there. In the end, it had been the place where he had made that mistake and followed those men in black, disappeared, and made so much pain for Ran. And he hadn’t wanted to remind her of that if he doesn’t have to.
Only after their own children had been old enough, they had made their first visit after the events. And even back then, Shinichi had been a little bit worried, but it hadn’t seemed to bother Ran. He had meant to ask about it, but he had forgotten, and later he didn’t even bother to ask. She had seem to be fine. Maybe the reason had been that they had been too busy looking after their children - later grandchildren - to remember those events, and concentrated to spend time as a family and making new, better memories of that place.
And that place had changed so much over the years. Maybe it had been one reason why she hadn’t seemed to think of them too much.
But he still got those memories back every time they had been there…
“The Tropical Land, eh?” he asked finally and looked at Ran. “Don’t you be afraid that I would disappear again?”
Stupid joke, but he had to make it. He wanted to make sure that Ran would be okay with it. Even though it had been over sixty years ago and they have made peace with his being Conan and everything, he wanted to be sure. This time they wouldn’t have children with them. It would be just two of them, not distractions…
Ran looked at him and smiled mischievously. “If you can run after some men in black with that age and with your leg, I want to see it happen”, she answered, making Shinichi roll his eyes and look away. “But we hold some good memories there too”, she continued before he had time to throw her any snarky comment. “With our children and grandchildren too, but just two of us. And since it’s our sixtieth wedding anniversary, I feel like I would love to go there, just two of us. Just… reminisce…”
Shinichi nodded. He could understand. He also remembered those nice things they did there before everything went down with his curiosity. And since they had never really gotten back there to be together and reminisce, what would be better than going back there on their wedding anniversary, doing all those things that they did as a teenager…
Or at least what they could do at their age and their condition.
“Do you think they took in people over 80 years old?” he asked finally. He turned to look at her to see how Ran looked at him for a moment before smiling and rolling her eyes, looking away. He let out a laugh. God, he really loved to see that. Finally, and with hesitation, he let go of Ran’s hand and took his cane that leaned on the side of the park bench. With its and the armrest's help, he pushed himself up. He felt stiff and a little bit of pain, but it was nothing new. He had just sat there too long without moving. Slowly he straightened himself before taking the first step.
That one limping step.
God, it really wasn’t easy to be old. Not when he remembered being fast and flexible, ready to move as soon as needed.
He felt how Ran wrapped her arm around his left one. She didn’t say anything, just walked with his speed, patiently as she always did, waiting that he would get himself to move. And slowly he got himself to walk as he normally did - nowadays.
“You know what would be nice?”
Shinichi just looked at the ground while taking another step, thinking. “Can’t say I know”, he answered finally.
Ran chuckled. “That some case would happen.”
That he certainly didn’t wait for her to say. Shinichi raised his head and turned to look at Ran surprised, but she just smiled, looking happy.
“Well, that one, I didn’t wait to come from your mouth”, he admitted finally. “Usually you have been the one who had told me that I shouldn’t stick my nose everywhere and what else.”
Ran hummed. “I know”, she answered. “But it’s been years since you have had a chance to be in a crime scene…”
“And I have been retired for over ten years”, he answered. And even though part of him missed those times, he had to admit, culprits would just laugh at him nowadays. How in the world he would stop anyone to flee from the crime scene, with this condition? God, they would make fun of him for being slow and clumsy.
“As a retired detective, you have still worked pretty often”, Ran pointed out.
Well, about that, she wasn’t wrong. Even though he hadn’t been on crime scenes for many years, people still came to see him asking for his help. And he had never turned anyone away. He still liked to help people with problems if he just could. And it was kind of fun that even when someone from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department came to visit with their mysteries, they carried him all the possible pictures and information they could.
Old detectives had taught them well to know who to ask for help with hard cases.
But Shinichi didn’t mind.
“I know you would love to get to the crime scene again”, Ran continued more gently.
“As they would let me”, he laughed. “Who in the world would let this old man disturb their investigations.”
It was Ran’s turn to laugh. “Oh, don’t give me that”, she said. “Everyone knows the Great Detective Kudo Shinichi. As soon as people would see you, they would recognize you, and they would let you on the crime scene to solve the case. I can even bet on it.”
Shinichi grinned. It was true that even younger people recognized him, but he still wondered. “And besides, culprits would make fun of me being slow and clumsy, not able to catch them”, he said finally. “Besides, are you this eager to want some kind of murder case to ruin our anniversary date?”
Ran shrugged. “I don’t want anyone to die! I just hope that maybe there is some kind of robber case that you can solve”, she said. “Besides it wouldn’t take the whole day. We would have plenty of time to have our date after that.”
He laughed. “It can take some time, you know…”
“My great detective has still sharp eyes and mind”, she said gently, and he felt how she pressed closer to him. “I know he would solve it in no time.”
Shinichi didn’t say anything. She was right. He still enjoyed puzzles and riddles which had made sure that his brain and memory were still in good shape - at least the doctor had said so -, and he still helped detectives solve the hard cases, but it was a different thing to solve those crimes from the home, hearing the story and seeing pictures than being in an actual crime scene. It had been too many years since he had been on a crime scene last time. Would he even know anymore what to do in there? And he would be awfully slow. It wouldn’t go as fast as before…
“And,” she continued eventually, taking Shinichi out of his thoughts. “It has been too many years since I last time have seen your face when you solved the case.”
Shinichi frowned. “What about that?” he asked. “You can see my face every day. It’s the same, right?”
She smiled, and there was something on that smile that Shinichi couldn’t catch. “You wouldn’t understand”, she answered and they stopped to wait for traffic lights to change. “And you don’t have to be worried about being slow or being unable to catch the culprit, you know.”
Shinichi frowned. “How so?” he asked.
Their eyes met, Ran’s sparkling brightly when she smiled. “Because I would stop them! Like in the old days.”
Shinichi stared at her determined expression before bursting out for a laugh.
“What?” Ran asked.
“Oh, sweetheart”, Shinichi said finally when calmed down a little bit. “As much as I love you, you are not able to stop anyone these days.”
Ran frowned, making that same pouting face that she had always made, making Shinichi feel warm and loving even though he knew that face could be a sign of danger. “Just so you know, even though I’m old, I still remember how to do karate!” she said.
It made his smile widen. “Have you forgotten how bad your balance is these days?” Before Ran could say anything, Shinichi continued: “As soon as I let go of you and you took one step, you fall. And even though I would love to, I’m not able to get you up from the ground…”
“That's not true”, Ran argued when the lights turned on green and they started to cross the street at a slow speed. Well, maybe he had exaggerated a little bit about her taking one step and falling, but the truth is that she would easily fall, and he wasn’t eager to find out that one last time she would ever fall. “Besides, I can still use my hands…”
Shinichi rolled his eyes, but still, he couldn’t help but smile. He felt happy and still madly in love with the woman who walked beside him. It was fun and soothing to find out that even though they had gained age and many things had changed around them, his wife was the same woman as she had always been. The same that he had fallen in love with many decades ago.