I DO NOT OWN DETECTIVE CONAN
Ten years ago, Beika...
MONDAY
Aoko's eyes watered. She didn't know where she is... She passed through many different streets, walking over different parks and shops. But she still can't find her way back to her father's friend's house... Wiping away tears that threatened to fall, she found herself in an empty field. Nobody was around. It gave Aoko the creeps.
Yet still, she felt herself move towards the row of bushes. Why was she there, she had no idea. But pushing aside the bushes, her eyes scanned over the area. It was an old park. Still usable and stable, but the equipment were made out of wood. Lots of playgrounds are now made of metal.
What caught Aoko's eye is a young girl, probably her age. The young girl had her back turned, but Aoko can see that their hair shades are the same. The girl was just sitting on the swing. Aoko decided to join her, surprising the girl.
"You look lonely." said Aoko nonchalantly, smiling at the girl.
"O-Oh. Uh. I... I guess... This park has been abandoned for quite some time, ever since the school nearby had gotten destroyed by a fire." explained the girl. She then turned towards Aoko. "My name is Ran Mouri. You?"
"Aoko Nakamori. So what are you doing here, Ran-chan?" asked Aoko. She gestured around the park. There was absolutely no one in sight.
"I... I have no one to play with right now. My parents are at work... I always go to this park at this time." explained Ran.
"Oh." Replied Aoko, "Then how about let's play together! We can pretend to be treasure hunters! Or detectives! Or superheroes!"
"Um, okay..." agreed Ran somewhat timidly, standing up. Aoko hopped off. She grabbed a long stick she found on the ground and pointed it to the sky.
"Listen up, evil people! Get ready, because two new superheroes are in town, and they won't hold back!" grinned Aoko. She turned towards Ran while pointing the stick towards the highest point of the playground. "Come, sidekick! We must save the mayor from the bad people! They're attacking everyone with their gooey ray!"
"Gooey ray?" questioned Ran, stifling a laugh. Aoko was then embarrassed.
"Alright, so Aoko can't think of ideas right away! Let's just pretend there's such a thing and it's really, really dangerous!" stated Aoko, crossing her arms.
"Okay, okay. So what does this gooey ray do?" asked Ran, following Aoko up the rock-shaped stairs.
"It's... Uh... Really, really yucky. It makes... Um... Gooey stuff come out! The gooey stuff is really sticky and gross." At this, Aoko stuck out her tongue.
"Good enough." smiled Ran. They reached the highest point of the playground. "Oh no! We're too late!" fake-cried Ran, deciding to play along with Aoko's little game.
"It can't be! Hurry, my fellow superhero, we must head towards the sewers! There, we battle off the sewage monsters! They are even grosser that the gooey ray!" shouted Aoko, sliding down the slide. Ran nodded, following her.
They spent most of the day playing with each other. The two would agree it was one of the most fun times they've ever had. When the sun began to set, the two began to panic.
"I have to go home now!" they exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise for a moment, before shrugging it off.
"Problem is," started Aoko, "Aoko is lost. Aoko doesn't know where she is."
"It's alright!" exclaimed Ran, "I know everywhere in Beika." Aoko brightened up.
"Really?! Then can you tell me where this place is?" asked Aoko. She handed Ran a piece of paper with her dad's friend's address. Ran nodded.
"I know the street. Let's go!" exclaimed Ran as the two went off.
When they reached there, Aoko got scolded by her dad, who was worried sick. Ran ran off before introductions could be made, worried that her own father would get just as worried.
TUESDAY
The next day, Aoko felt boredom. Her dad and his friend weren't home. She decided to run off and head towards the park. Reaching there, she spotted Ran again, in her same position as yesterday on the swing set.
"You look lonely." repeated Aoko with a smile on her face. Ran jumped off the swings in surprise.
"A-Aoko!" exclaimed Ran in surprise.
"Hi, Ran!" smiled Aoko, taking the swings next to her. "Do you always go to this park at this time?"
"Every day." replied Ran, sitting back on the swing. "Which reminds me, which school do you go to anyway?"
"Oh, um, Ekoda Elementary." stated Aoko, "You?"
"No wonder I've never seen you before. I go to Teitan Elementary. So did you move here or are you visiting?" asked Ran.
"Visiting for the week. We're staying with one of my dad's childhood friends. I'm leaving on Sunday." explained Aoko.
"Oh... So, uh, what do you want to do now?" asked Ran.
"How about you give me a tour around Beika? It's so big and I might get lost..." said Aoko.
"Sure! That sounds like fun!" exclaimed Ran. The two then rushed off away from the park, excited for the tour.
WEDNESDAY
"I'm heading out!" exclaimed Aoko to the two drunk men in the living room. One of them, being her dad, responded.
"Sure... *hic* Whatever..."
Aoko's nose scrunched up at the scent of alcohol. Shaking her head, she headed off to the park, where she knew fully well Ran would be there waiting for her.
THURSDAY
"Uh... Aoko... You know, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed..." started Ran, fidgeting. Aoko nodded, deep in thought.
"You're thinking about how come we look the same, don't you?" said Aoko. Ran nodded slowly.
"We look like twins." stated Ran.
"Twins..." repeated Aoko, "That would be so cool, actually! Imagine—long lost twins!"
"Should we ask our dads?" asked Ran, worried.
"Well... Usually I would say yes, but... There must be a reason why they never told us, right?" asked Aoko. Ran shrugged.
"That's what I was thinking too. Maybe they'll tell us in the future." said Ran.
"Plus, there's no guarantee that we actually are twins in the first place." added Aoko. "So it'll be our little secret."
"And we have to tell no one, not even our friends at school." continued Ran.
"So is it a deal?" they asked simultaneously. They both giggled at the coincidence, before locking pinkies with each other.
FRIDAY
"Aoko, look!"
Aoko jumped off the swings to see what Ran was pointing at. It was a baby bird, recently hatched, squirming on the ground. Ran cupped it in her hands. The two girls looked up and saw a nest on a tree branch.
"Poor thing... It must have fallen..." murmured Ran sadly.
"It's too young to fly..." said Aoko in the same tone as Ran.
But Ran stared at the tree with a determined look. Backing up, Ran then charged towards the tree, grabbed the nearest branch, and then pulled herself onto the tree. Aoko watched in amazement. Ran then smiled, placing the baby bird into the nest with its siblings. They chirped in happiness.
"Wow!" exclaimed Aoko, "How did you do that?!"
"A friend of mines taught me." Ran said proudly, slowly climbing down the tree. "He's sort of like a monkey boy." she giggled.
"That's so cool! Can you teach me?" asked Aoko excitedly. Ran nodded with the same amount of optimism, before showing her how to do it and where to put your strength in your body.
SATURDAY
Aoko stood on the playground with a mop in her hands. Ran stared at the mop in confusion.
"Why... Do you have a mop..?" questioned Ran. Aoko smirked.
"Stick fighting! You know how you taught me the cool way to climb a tree yesterday?" asked Aoko. Ran nodded. "Now I'll teach you a bit of stick fighting! It'll be fun! Here—" Aoko then grabbed a long stick from who-knows-where. She passed the stick to Ran. "That'll be your weapon. I'm using a mop, because... I don't know. I'm used to practicing with a mop."
"Hold on, Aoko." started Ran, "You don't have to teach me stick fighting. Besides, I'm going to learn karate in the summer." Aoko pouted.
"But Aoko wants to!" whined Aoko, "A little more knowledge in combat won't hurt."
Ran sighed. "I guess not." she brightened up. "Alright, show me how to stick fight!"
SUNDAY
Aoko came to the playground extra early that day. She had a very sad look her on face, sitting on the same swing Ran was sitting at a couple of days ago. Ran snuck behind her.
"You look lonely." Ran said, repeating what Aoko said the first and second time they met. Aoko smiled a bit.
"Hey, I'm supposed to say that." Aoko said, nudging Ran slightly. Ran smiled back, before sitting on the swing next to Aoko.
"You look sad, too. What's the matter?" asked Ran. Aoko sighed.
"The week is over... I'm leaving tonight to go back to my house." said Aoko sadly. Ran frowned, trying not to cry.
"...Really..?" asked Ran softly. Aoko nodded. "But... What will happen to us? To our friendship?"
"We can still call each other!" said Aoko, pulling out a piece of paper and pencil. Ran smiled weakly.
"R-Right." said Ran, writing her phone number on the paper. Aoko wrote hers on the same paper and ripped it, giving the ripped half with her number to Ran, and keeping the ripped half with Ran's number to herself.
The two of them stared at the piece of paper. Ran fidgeted a little, before slightly smiling.
"Come on, we can't waste the day like this!" said Ran. She grabbed Aoko's arm and pulled her away from the swings. "Remember the evil people and their gooey rays? Well they've controlled the sewage monsters and zapped the mayor with the gooey ray! This is trouble! We must save them!" exclaimed Ran. Aoko smiled at her.
"Right. Sidekick, to the lair! We must find out where they're keeping the mayor!" exclaimed Aoko.
The two then rushed off and continued to play for the whole day. At the end of the day, they looked at each other with weak smiles.
"Do you think we'll see each other again?" asked Ran. Aoko shrugged.
"I hope so. Well... Bye Ran." said Aoko, trying not to cry. Ran bit her lip.
"Bye Aoko... Call me, okay?" said Ran. Aoko nodded.
"You bet I will."
Present time, Beika...
Ran smiled at those memories. It had been a while since she last heard of Aoko. The two of them just slowly... Drifted apart. They used to text to each other all the time the minute they got cell phones, but now Ran has a hard time remembering how her voice sounds like.
The young teen gripped onto the metallic chains of the swing set.
She has been on those swings every day. It's almost as if it was a routine for her. Nobody had discovered the park yet. Which, in a way, is good. That means nobody will ever ruin the memories preserved in here.
"You look lonely."
Ran perked up. It can't be..!
She turned around to see two figures. Two small figures. One of a boy and one of a girl. The girl looked exactly like Aoko but... She can't be Aoko. That girl is ten years younger than Aoko. But the resemblance seemed so alike it's incredible. Ran then turned towards the boy and frowned.
"Conan-kun..?" she questioned, "Why is your hair messy? And where's your glasses?"
"Conan-kun?" repeated the boy, "I'm not Conan-kun."
Ran blinked, "Eh?" But he looks exactly like Conan!
"Ran." started the girl, causing Ran to stare at her.
"How did you know my name?" asked Ran cautiously. The girl sighed.
"Ran... You have to believe me." the girl took a deep breath.
"I'm Aoko."
Silence...
"...What?"
I feel like this story is so cliche... But I love it anyway! Well, there's nothing else to say but; Please review!
-PhantomBird