Hello everyone! My first chapter is here! Even though I am writing this as the end of the series, there will be a good bit of exposition. I just couldn't feel right jumping into a story without properly introducing the characters. I've also elected to tell this story using different characters' points of view. We'll obviously be in Conan/Shinichi's head more than someone like... let's say, Gin, but I will be diving into a lot of characters. Please let me know if it detracts from the story or makes things confusing. I feel I have a pretty firm grasp of the characters, but if you are not liking how I characterize anybody, please speak up! Criticism is a good thing! =)
"Tropical Land? I don't know, Sonoko…"
"Come on, Ran! It'll be fun!" The young woman paused. "Ah!" she suddenly exclaimed. "What if I got your husband to come along?"
"H-He's not my husband!" Ran shouted indignantly into her phone.
"Right, right, I understand," Sonoko replied. "But you're both secretly wishing it." Sonoko sighed dramatically. "Oh Shinichi!" she exclaimed mockingly, "Please come sweep me off my feet! Let's go live in a castle on the beach!"
Ran raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "I think you're getting a bit carried away with this criticism…"
"Ah, sorry," Sonoko giggled. "But as your best friend, I have unlimited teasing privileges." Ran smiled at Sonoko's sincerity. "So," Sonoko continued, "do you want to invite Shinichi? The Suzuki Corporation helped sponsor Tropical Land's latest expansion, so they've given us loads of free tickets."
Ran forced a laugh. "Well, to be honest, I don't think Shinichi would agree to go. He's been away for a while, working on some big case. And you know that stupid mystery otaku. Nothing would interest him unless a crime was involved."
"Jeez, what a loser," Sonoko scoffed. "Alright then, how about your replacement husband?"
Ran paused for a moment. Sonoko was referring to that person, right? No, why would she think that? "W-who are you talking about, Sonoko?" Ran asked, fairly certain that she already knew the answer.
"The brat in glasses, of course!" Sonoko laughed.
Ran laughed along with her friend. She had already known Sonoko was referring to Conan-kun. But why? "He's only seven years old, Sonoko," Ran muttered nervously. "How does that make any sense?" Somewhere in Ran's mind, she knew it made perfect sense.
"Silly! Not only is he like a miniature Shinichi, always butting into cases where he doesn't belong, but he's also completely in love with you. And didn't you say he came to stay the day Shinichi disappeared? He's the perfect replacement!"
"W-what? Conan-kun is not in love with me!" Ran stammered. Why was she so nervous saying this?
"Sorry, Ran honey, but that kid's got a crush! You'd better nip that one in the bud, or you'll have two detective brats chasing you."
Ran pondered Sonoko's words. It was true; Conan did remind her of Shinichi. A bit. No, a lot. Aside from age, the two were practically identical. She had even gone so far as to think Conan-kun was a shrunken form of Shinichi, not just once, but on several occasions. In the end though, the thought was always too crazy to entertain for very long. How would that even be possible? And even so, Shinichi and Conan-kun had appeared in the same room together, and twice Shinichi had called while Conan stood before her. There was something strange about Conan-kun, but her suspicions would have to rest within her mind until more evidence came to light.
And being suspicious of Conan would only scare him away. She didn't want that. If anything, Ran wanted to be closer to Conan. What did she mean by thinking that? How much closer could they get, considering they already lived together? But there was always this barrier. She couldn't quite grasp what it was, or why. Conan always seemed to hide himself behind the barrier, and she only occasionally saw his true self emerge. Ran smiled to herself. Conan's true self. She had seen it. Fierce, authoritative. Passionate, and caring. Mature, and sometimes tragic. Always selflessly defending others, even at the cost of his own life. Ran, casually resting the side of her face in the palm of her hand, suddenly felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought. Startled, she shook herself from the realm of her thoughts.
Sonoko had paused, awaiting a response to her comment about Conan's crush on Ran. But as Ran's silence on the other line stretched on, Sonoko began to feel very uncomfortable. Perhaps the teasing was getting to be a bit too much? But it wasn't like she meant anything offensive. That silly glasses-wearing brat did have a crush. How was she so sure? Ha! The answer was simple. It was her super skills as the Deduction Queen! She could deduce just about anything from the slightest bit of evidence!
Or so she was told… Sonoko sighed, and began to revisit her doubts about her newfound skill. Around the time that Conan had showed up, she had begun to solve mysteries effortlessly. But she never remembered the cases. It was as if, for each case, she had lost consciousness and been used as a vessel, by some other being, to deliver the truth. Sonoko wondered if this was a supernatural phenomenon.
But why her? Her family was wealthy, but as an individual, Sonoko had a hard time feeling like she was anything special. Her grades were average, and, when compared with Ran, she felt like her looks were quite plain as well. No no no! None of that really matters. Sonoko knew that she was important to her friends. And she had a loving boyfriend too, Kyogoku Makoto. Was it stupid, feeling validated as a person because she was loved by others? No way. Sonoko smiled. Because she cherished them too.
"Sonoko?" Ran's voice tore Sonoko from her thoughts.
"Ran! Ahahaha… Where were we?" Sonoko realized that Ran's awkward silence had only been compounded by her own. But Sonoko was skilled at reviving conversation, especially with Ran. Although Ran complained, Sonoko knew Ran enjoyed her light-hearted teasing. It helped her to laugh, even when Ran thought she could not
"You had better send the brat in glasses packing," Sonoko continued, "or you will never fetch yourself a man as fine as mine!" Sonoko lifted her left hand to her mouth and laughed. "Kyaaaaahahahaha!"
Amused at Sonoko's antics, Ran countered with another joke. "Well, seeing as how Shinichi is too stupid to come see me anymore, maybe I should just ditch him and keep Conan-kun around!"
"Or ditch them both!" Sonoko suggested enthusiastically. "Tell you what. Let's go to Tropical Land and hunt for some handsome men for you."
Ran giggled. "Alright, I'll go. But let's leave the man hunt for another day".
"Aw, you're still standing by your husband. How loyal."
"It's not like that," Ran mumbled, flustered.
"Yeah, yeah. Alright, so I'll meet you at the gates at noon?"
Ran considered the time for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds good."
"Alright. I guess I'll let you go for now. But call Shinichi and at least see if he'll come with us."
"Okay."
"Oh, and let me know if he refuses, cause then I'll call him and say you've been kidnapped, and that he needs to go to Tropical Land to save you," Sonoko added deviously.
Ran chuckled to herself. Although, she thought to herself, that's probably the only way he would go… "I'll be sure to," Ran agreed. "Well, I'll see you later!"
"Bye Ran!"
Ran pressed call end on her phone. Now to call Shinichi. Should she call Shinichi? She already knew what his answer would be. Sorry Ran, I'm on a really difficult case right now. Stupid mystery otaku. But… It wouldn't hurt to try. And if anything, just hearing his voice would help reassure Ran of his safety.
His "big case" seemed to be very dangerous, from what she had pieced together. Shinichi, who was normally arrogant and bragging to the world about his multitude of successful cases, now seemed to be solving cases secretly, asking everyone within the case not to report his involvement. He was so far removed from public view that many people had even begun to suspect he was dead.
Ran knew that wasn't the case, thankfully. But something was different. He used to seem aloof simply because he was trying to be cool. But on the few occasions Ran had seen Shinichi recently, he seemed distant for another reason. Shinichi seemed fearful, terrified even. Almost as if he was too scared to get close to Ran, for fear that something dreadful would happen.
And on top of everything else, Shinichi seemed to have suffered a severe decline in his health. It was such a strange thing to consider; Shinichi, of all people, being unwell. He had always been very healthy, and active in sports like Ran. Where she had her karate, Shinichi was incredibly skilled in football. He had been crazy about football as early as when they had first met in primary school. Shinichi would catch the occasional cold, but he had always been full of vigor and tenacity.
The fact that this wasn't typical of Shinichi scared Ran all the more. Every time she had managed to see Shinichi recently, their time together would come to an abrupt halt as soon as his mysterious illness returned. His fever was always terribly high, he would have coughing fits, his entire body would spasm, and he had thrown up that time they first met Heiji. Ran was always deeply concerned, but as soon as Shinichi experienced these symptoms, he would always run away and disappear for another eternity. No matter how hard Ran had tried to stay with him, he would always get away…
Okay, now Ran was convinced. She had to call Shinichi.
"I'm home!" Conan called out as he entered the Mouri Detective Agency. He started towards Ran, but upon noticing the phone in her hands, he seated himself patiently on the couch.
Ran turned to smile at Conan. "Welcome home, Conan-kun." Then she turned back to the window. Maybe she was being a bit rude ignoring Conan, but she needed to call Shinichi. She dialed the number and hit send.
Conan's face suddenly contorted in shock. He leapt from the couch and said something about forgetting to return Mitsuhiko's manga, then dashed back out the door. Ran stared after him in confusion. The phone continued to ring. Suddenly Conan burst back in. "Aaaaah, I forgot my bow tie!" After grabbing his bow tie, Conan ran back out. Ran wondered how a bow tie could be all that important for returning manga, but she brushed it off. She was primarily interested in her call with Shinichi.
Shinichi answered Ran's call. "Hey Ran, what's up?"
"Hey Shinichi. H-how are you doing?"
Shinichi paused for a moment. "I'm alright. How are things over there?"
"Pretty good, I guess. Conan was acting a bit strange earlier…"
"Ah – well… He's just a kid. I wouldn't take anything he does too seriously."
"But you know," Ran giggled. "Maybe he's acting strange because he has a crush on me!"
"Ah! It's not like that, Ran!" Shinichi shouted defensively.
"Eh? What are you getting so worked up about?" Ran asked. "Don't tell me you're jealous of Conan-kun?"
Shinichi laughed inwardly. "Heh. Umm… Ah, no. Not exactly… That is to say-"
Ran raised her eyebrows challengingly. "You're sure eloquent today."
"Oi, oi! Give me a break! I was dealing with brats all morning, and I'm completely burnt out."
"Are there kids involved in the case?"
Shinichi paused. "You could say that," he admitted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ran asked testily.
"Ah, nothing, nothing. Anyway, did you have anything to say, Ran?"
"Jeez, if you don't like talking to me, just say so," Ran teased.
"Ah, no! N-No, that's not it!" Shinichi stammered.
Ran laughed at Shinichi's indignation. "I'm just teasing. Anyway, Sonoko has free tickets to go to Tropical Land, and I was wondering if you wanted to go."
Shinichi sighed. "Umm, Ran. I'm kind of wrapped up in this case-"
"Well, if you're burnt out, then maybe some recreation would be good for you right now. You know, working all day every day is bad for your health."
"Barou! I don't need any lectures on health from the girl who passed out in New York for worrying too much instead of sleeping!"
"Well – at least try to take it easy…" Ran paused. "So, are you sure you can't go?"
There was a long pause. "I – I'm sorry, Ran..." Shinichi's tone had gone from playful teasing to one of wistful earnestness. "I would love to go to Tropical Land with you. But… But I need to finish this case first. When I finish this case, I'm going to make it up to you. I promise, Ran."
Ran listened intently, silently concluding that there was something very wrong with this case. Shinichi's behavior was too abnormal for any old mystery. Ran was worried, but she had also realized that Shinichi wasn't going to tell her anything. He would love to go to Tropical Land with her. Would he really? Yes. There was no mistaking the sincerity in his voice. This case seemed to prevent Shinichi from even being able to go on a simple trip to a theme park. What kind of case could it be?
Ran forced a laugh. "Shinichi…" Ran's voice had taken on a more serious tone as well. "You don't have to be so dramatic, Shinichi." Ran was disappointed, but she understood. Well, she actually did not understand anything, but she felt that Shinichi had a reason. And that feeling would have to suffice until Shinichi could tell her the full story.
There was a long pause.
"Shinichi?" Ran called into the phone.
No answer.
"Oi, Shinichi! Are you just messing with me?"
Suddenly Ran's father, Mouri Kogoro, burst into the room. He was holding a red-faced Conan by the suspenders. Conan, noticeably embarrassed and struggling to be free of the man's grasp, held his bow tie in one hand and his keitai in the other.
Kogoro tossed Conan onto the floor. "Stupid brat. If you sit in front of the agency talking to your little girlfriend on the phone, you're going to scare away all my customers!"
Conan stood up and brushed himself off. "Gomen, Occhan…" Conan looked sorrowfully at the ground.
Kogoro did not know how to respond to this. Child care wasn't one of his strong points. "Well… uh… Don't do it again. Anyway, don't cause too much trouble for Ran. I'm going upstairs."
"Haaaaaaai!" Conan replied in a playful, childish tone. He made his way towards Ran, who was still standing beside Kogoro's desk, yelling into her phone. Kogoro took one last befuddled glance at Conan before leaving the room.
"Ran-neechan, what are you doing?" Conan inquired innocently, blinking his big blue eyes up at Ran.
At the sound of Conan's voice, Ran ceased her yelling and brought the phone's screen at level with her eyes. Ran stared for a moment, and then turned her gaze downward to address Conan. "Gomen, Conan-kun. It seems Shinichi hung up on me. Such a lousy bum, huh?"
"I… I'm sure he didn't mean to," Conan suggested smoothly. "Shinichi-niichan probably got interrupted by someone, so he had to hang up really fast." Conan paused to choose his words. "I'll bet the case he's working on keeps him really busy!" Conan forced a childish smile.
Ran stared at Conan for a moment. "Hmph!" She placed her hands on her hips. "Sometimes I think you give that guy too much credit."
Conan laughed at the comment uneasily. At least Ran didn't seem too worried about him today. That was a good thing. He had seen Ran cry for Shinichi, and it was difficult to bear. Watching the woman he loved, crying for him as he stood beside her, unable to reassure her in any way… It was just too much sometimes. He had loved Ran for a while now. He wasn't sure how long. Since they met? How long ago did they meet? Let's see… They were both 5 at the time, so it had been about twelve years.
Conan smiled to himself. He had been in love with the same girl for twelve years, and he still hadn't worked up enough courage to directly confess his love. He had implied it as Shinichi with what he had said to Ran in London, but even then, he had avoided a direct statement of his feelings. Why was it so hard to tell her? Well, after being shrunk by the men clothed in black and reduced to the seven-year-old Edogawa Conan, he needed to get back to his real body, the high school detective Kudo Shinichi, to confess to Ran. Would he ever get there?
"Ano… Conan-kun?" Ran began. She thought of Sonoko's words.
"What is it, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked, looking up at his childhood friend.
Ran knelt down to Conan's eye level. "How would you like to go to Tropical Land with me and Sonoko? She's got free tickets for us." Ran smiled sweetly.
Conan stared at Ran's smiling face. She was so beautiful. The morning sun coming through the window danced through her brown hair, setting arbitrary strands alight with newfound splendor. Her eyes twinkled with both profound compassion and obstinate fervor. "I would love to go to Tropical Land with you," Conan replied with a warm, sincere smile.
Ran looked taken aback for a moment. Conan's expression seemed far too mature for a seven-year-old boy. And that phrasing...
Noticing Ran's confusion, Conan immediately leapt into the air. "Wheee! I love going on rides!" he shouted excitedly.
Ran placed her hand on Conan's shoulder. "Alright, then go get a jacket and we'll catch the next bus from here."
"Haaaaaaaai!"
As Conan left the room to go upstairs, Ran stood up and smiled. There it was. She had seen it again. Conan's true self.