The Silver-Eyed Starlet (A Detective Conan Fanfiction)

Chapter Eight:

Sonoko! 

But what was she doing here, of all places?

“What? Someone’s after Yusa Rowland?” Sonoko exclaimed in disbelief. “And now Yusa’s disappeared? And you’re asking if I’ve seen her?” Her footsteps grew louder and louder, closer and closer.

Yusa gritted her teeth, not daring to take her eyes off of Raponov. Stay away. Stay away, Sonoko!

Her footsteps grew louder and louder still, coming even closer. Yusa could feel her heart pound against her chest. It wouldn’t be much longer before Sonoko turned around the corner and saw her and Raponov. Yusa was sure that Raponov wouldn’t hesitate to kill Sonoko as well if she saw his face like the former had.

Yusa crossed her fingers, prayed to God, did everything she knew of that was considered lucky or a blessing, hoping with all her heart that Sonoko would just walk right past them, not seeing them thanks to the black out.

Sonoko was now five feet away from the corner. Four feet. Three. Two. One. Yusa’s body was so tense that it felt like she may never be able to unlock her joints ever again.

As if some mysterious force had heard her prayers, Sonoko didn’t even turn at the corner. Yusa could just make out her shadow and the light from her cell phone as she walked across the hallway.

Good, that’s good, just stay like that. Don’t look this way, just keep on going and you’ll be safe. Keep on going, just like that. Yusa was sure that her face was turning purple by now as she held her breath for what seemed eons, not daring to breathe at the risk of attracting Sonoko’s attention.

Sonoko was almost across the hallway to the other side, past the other corner, when a faint popping sound reached Yusa’s ears. An all too familiar popping sound.

Yusa’s mouth fell open in horror, and she silently cursed at the utterly awful timing of the electricians as all throughout the Red Venus hotel, the lights flickered back to life, blinding her for several moments due to the sudden exposure to such bright lights. She stumbled backwards, and her back hit the wall with a loud thud.

Yusa pushed herself away from the wall as if it were hot iron, but it was already much too late. Sonoko, having heard the noise, froze in her tracks, her head whipping around to find the source of the disturbance. Her eyes lit up when she caught sight of Yusa. Then her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as her gaze landed on Raponov, standing just several feet away from Yusa. A strange Russian man, wearing dark clothing, thick gloves, and carrying a semi-automatic handgun.

Sonoko’s face drained of blood as she caught sight of the gun, and after seeing the desperate look on Yusa’s face, connected the dots, finally making sense of the scene before her. Her mouth opened, pupils slitted in fear. Her chest heaved, lungs sucking in air, preparing to scream with all her might.

Raponov obviously guessed what Sonoko was about to do, and he swung his gun around so that the barrel was pointed directly at Sonoko’s heart.

“SONOKO!!!” Yusa screamed, and lunged forward, not sure of what she should do, but determined to protect Ran’s friend with all her power.

It was as if reality slowed down, and she was moving in a video on slow motion. Time passed at a snail’s pace, seconds becoming as long as minutes. Her hand, outstretched, connected with Raponov’s wrist. She could feel something crack under her clenched fist upon impact, and Raponov’s face twisted into a shriek of pain, his now injured hand dropping the gun. It hit the floor with a clatter, and Yusa kicked it away as hard as she could, sending it flying down the hall.

Raponov turned his attention from Sonoko to Yusa, his eyes blazing in fury. “Damn you, woman!” He shouted, and lunged for her throat.

Yusa threw herself backwards just as his grasping hands shot right past her face, less than an inch from the tip of her nose. A smirk spread over her face, and she grabbed his wrists with both of her hands as she regained her footing, planting her feet firmly into the ground. Turning on the ball of her foot, she used Raponov’s own momentum against him, judo flipping him right over her shoulder.