Around the World in Eight Shippings
Shinichi x Ran

Yay! My first fanfiction. I personally do not think that it's all that good. Set five years from start of Detective Conan.

Warnings: slightly AU, SUPER OOC, slightly angsty in the beginning (I think. What's the exact definition of "angsty" anyway?)

DISCLAIMER: I so do not own the awesomeness that is Detective Conan.

Read on for an irrational Shinichi and a brutal Ran!

Haibara, now Miyano Shiho, smiled at her friend as he stepped out of Professor Agasa's bathroom, wearing his Teitan uniform and a grin.

"Haibara, I can't believe it!" Shinichi spoke happily, sounding almost like Conan as he did so. He did an odd little dance - Shiho held in a huge laugh; Kudou Shinichi was no better at dancing than he was at singing - and beamed. "Kudou Shinichi is back for good, the Black Organization is gone, and everything... everything is right again!"

"Yes, I suppose you could say that. Vermouth did turn out to be a big help, 'Silver Bullet'-kun. And Okiya wasn't Bourbon." Shiho sighed. "I guess I should listen to you next time."

"Next time a crime syndicate shrinks us into midgets?" Shinichi raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, next time that happens," Shiho agreed mock-seriously. Then her eyes softened. "Don't you have something to do right now? Somewhere to be, perhaps?"

"Of course," Shinichi responded, immediately sobering. "Thank you so much for the antidote, Haibara. Now I just have to do this."

Shiho watched as the man she felt such companionship with left the professor's house, resolutely walking down the street. A wistful smile overtook her face for a moment before she left the window in search of Agasa.

Shinichi found himself in front of the Mouri Detective Agency with nerves buzzing in his ears and anxiety clouding his mind. Shaking his thoughts free of the misty feeling, he stepped forward and walked up the familiar staircase to the Mouris' living space.

Knocking on the door, Shinichi gulped one last time and pasted on a smile as the familiar silhouette of Ran, complete with the horn of fringe and elegant neck and shoulders, approached the door. "Hai? Conan-kun?" she called, opening the door.

For a moment, neither two parties said a single word, barely daring to breathe. "Shin - Shinichi?" Ran suddenly squeaked, lunging forward and grabbing Shinichi in a tight hug as crystal-sparkly tears slipped down her face, falling from shut eyes.

This is going well, Shinichi thought to himself as he wrapped his arms around the girl he had missed so dearly.

After Ran had bustled about and prepared two cups of tea, the two of them sat down on couches opposite each other. Shinichi had barely taken a single sip before Ran exploded once more.

"Shinichi, where have you been?" she yelled, putting her hands flat onto the table between them with such force that she nearly overturned her cup of tea.

Slightly confused by the sudden change of emotions in his childhood friend and love interest, Shinichi gently set down his cup. "Ran. We really need to talk about that."

"Okay." Ran flounced back into her seat, her face still looking quite fierce. "Talk."

Rubbing his eyes, Shinichi garnered every shred of his courage to look Ran in the eye. "This is going to be quite a shock."

"Okay," Ran stated simply. Your appearance here is shocking enough, she thought, hiding a small smirk. But that's not to say it's unwelcomed.

"Ran... I'm Conan."

It took Ran a full minute to completely process the information that had just been told to her. "Conan," she muttered. "Conan - SHINICHI?"

"It's quite a long story," stuttered Shinichi, fazed by the furious expression on Ran's face. "Only Haibara, my parents, Eisuke, and Professor Agasa know about it. Ran, I'm sorry."

"You - you -" Ran sat there stonelike, openmouthed but still looking angry. And suddenly she snapped. "You... LIED... TO... ME."

Shinichi blinking incessantly. "Ran...?"

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Ran roared, standing furiously and slamming her hands onto the table for a second time. This time both teacups did fall over, sending scalding tea colliding with her hands, but Ran didn't seem to notice. "I confronted you, I insisted, I let you stay here, I let you bathe with me, I had my suspicions about the two of you being the same person, but you always managed to change my mind! It was all you lying to me, deceiving me!" She knew she was rambling, but she didn't care.

"Ran, I -"

"And other people know about it!" she ranted on. "How the hell did Eisuke of all people know about you being Conan before me? And Ai? AI IS SEVEN, SHINICHI!"

"No, Ran, listen, -"

"GO AWAY!" Ran screamed. "I... HATE... YOU!" She sat back down and buried her face in her hands, letting out loud sobs.

With utter sadness and bafflement written all over his face, Shinichi stood up, turned woodenly, and ran out of there, her last words echoing after him, chasing him far away.

Stirring a long-since-chilled teacup of coffee absently, a young man, around twenty-three years old, sat by the frosted window of Tavora's Cafe, watching the busy street outside as rain pelted the earth.

"Need some help?"

Blinking as if coming out of a trance, the man looked up into a face dramatically enhanced with makeup. The eyeshadowed eyes narrowing, their owner, a girl nearly six years younger than the young man smiled saccharinely and reiterated, "Need some help?"

"Oh..." the man stammered, looking taken aback. "Honda-san."

The waitress huffed. "Look, Kudou-sama, could you stop staring into your cup and go find her? You're being so childish!"

"Honda-san..." Kudou Shinichi repeated warningly, his neat eyebrows bunching instantly together and his hand stiffening around the delicately curved handle of his teacup at the mention of "her." "We've gone over this. I know that you're one of the few people that Haibara trusts, since, like her, you share some qualities with Miyano Akemi, though you are technically younger than Haibara. But that does not give you the right to advise me in this... situation. If she's happy because I'm out of her life, I'm staying out of her life. Herhappiness comes before mine," Shinichi insisted mechanically, with an air of not believing a word he said.

Honda Miyuki (A/N:I am lame, aren't I? Including myself as an OC) glared down at him, fingers clasping her tray tightly. "Kudou, it's been nearly four years since you took the Black Organization down and told Ran-san about your 'little' experience. Don't you think it's time you two reconciled?"

"No," returned Shinichi obstinately. He lifted his cup primly to his lips and took a sip. Then he gagged, nearly spewing the black liquid from his mouth fountain-style.

"See, that's why you should've drunken it when it was still wa..." Miyuki started, before her voice suddenly abandoned her and she stood by Shinichi's table motionlessly and shamelessly gawping.

Mouri Ran, shaking raindrops from her ebony hair and flapping her umbrella dry (A/N: You know, that motion where you move that thingy up and down to shake off the water and the umbrella kinda flaps?), stood in front of the cafe's door, looking distinctly beautiful.

Dammit, Shinichi thought over and over again, slouching quickly back into his seat and nearly knocking over his cup as Miyuki hurried forward to greet the girl and offer her a table.

"Actually, I'm meeting somebody here," Ran explained to Miyuki, who was trying desperately to hold her smile in place. She was not succeeding. "I think I'll go wait for him, since it doesn't seem like he's here yet."

Him. He. Oh, shit. Miyuki's smile fell slightly, her eyebrows reaching for each other. "O - of course, Mouri-sama. Right this way."

"You know me?" Ran blinked curiously, peeling off her raincoat as she followed Miyuki. "I don't think I've ever come to this 'Tavora's Cafe' before."

Yeah, I'd be hard-pressed not to recognize you, Mouri Ran. Shiho-san has shown me enough pictures of Kudou's heartbreaker that I could draw a "Wanted" picture of you. Easily. And from memory, Miyuki thought sourly to herself. "Oh - uh - no, I said 'ojou-sama.'" she hastily lied aloud, managing to keep a somewhat believeable expression on. "Right here."

"Thank you," Ran dismissed, sliding into the booth and perusing the menu Miyuki handed her.

Shinichi, who had been nearly doing the Matrix as he slid down the cushioned seat, immediately cursed as he realized Miyuki had given Ran the booth right behind him. He shot her a look to kill as she breezed by, but she, immune to it, grinned impishly at him.

Now you'll have to talk to her, her face seemed to say as she walked - almost skipped - past him and the obliviously reading Ran.

Uh huh. Not if he could help it. Shinichi, checking carefully, quickly donned the pair of glasses he had habitually kept with him since his days as Edogawa Conan and stealthily glanced behind him, catching a glimpse of Ran's perfect face before she looked up, making him dive back into his seat.

"Welcome." The sound of Miyuki welcoming another customer - sounding strangled - alerted Shinichi of an important development in this sad little soap opera. He scanned the near-empty cafe again and had to mute his gasp of surprise as Araide Tomoaki ambled down the aisle and fell into the spot across from Ran.

This is not going to sit well with Kudou. I can feel him steaming, and I'm standing nearly ten feet away, Miyuki thought absently as she paused by the couple's table. "So, you two. What would you like to enjoy today?" her mouth said automatically.

"What's good?" Araide wondered, laughing a little as he gazed upon Ran. Miyuki didn't have to look to see Kudou cringe.

"Everything," was her typical waitress response, accompanied by a syrupy smile.

"Okay, I'll have a coffee and muffin," Araide decided, shutting his menu and grinning like a newlywed at his companion, who was blushing three shades of red as she beamed back.

"Black tea and a slice of strawberry cake for me," Ran ordered, passing Miyuki her menu and turning her attention back to Araide.

Miyuki nodded and scurried off, returning within ten minutes. By then, Araide and Ran were already holding hands across the table. She set down the plates quickly and ran off before she could even look at Shinichi. She didn't even want to see the look on his face.

Why Araide of all people? Why couldn't it have been someone better? Like Hattori or - no way. I would KILL Hattori if Ran went on a date with him, Shinichi mused as he clinked his spoon in his teacup loudly, seething and releasing a deathly black aura.

"Did it just get colder in here?" Araide frowned, shuddering, and leaned towards Ran, who blushed.

"Maybe. You might need to keep me warm, Araide-sensei," Ran giggled.

Shinichi's eyes were the size of the moon as he whipped around just in time to see Araide grinning and incline farther forward, now only centimeters away from Ran and her lips.

No way in hell, Araide!Shinichi's brain shouted. Without thinking, he stood up on the padded bench, pulled off his glasses, and lunged over the small wall that separated Ran and Araide's booth from his.

He fell sprawling on top of the table, crunching glassware and cake alike beneath his arm just in time to keep the startled two away from each other. "Stop!" he shrieked, groaning in pain as he batted Araide solidly on the head and shoulders.

Suddenly, his (insane) actions came crashing down on him, and Shinichi lowered his arms, embarrassed.

"Shi - Shinichi?" Ran's quavering voice came. Then she yelled, "SHINICHI! Oh my God, are you okay?"

Araide stared wide-eyed at their date's intruder. "Kudou-san?"

"Idiot! Idiot idiot idiot Shinichi!" Ran screamed at the shaking detective who froze as he pulled a fork out of his side and winced.

"Why would you... it's not..." sobbed Ran, reaching for him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into the seat beside him, crying. "Don't do something so stupid! It only hurts you, you know."

...Okay, this is not quite what I expected, Shinichi thought, tensely enjoying the feeling of Ran draped over him. He extracted a shard of glass from his arm and returned her hug.

"You idiot..." Ran sighed, the fight gone from her, leaning into him, despite his flinches and the fact that cake and coffee were now transferring from him onto her.

"I love you," Shinichi whispered into her ear, then immediately closed his eyes as he waited for Ran to slap him and run off.

To his utmost surprise, Ran sniffled and stopped crying. "I love you too, Shinichi," she replied softly. "It's been so long, and I've been looking for you since then just to tell you... that I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say... what I did," she added haltingly. "But I never stopped loving you. Even though I met with Araide-sensei. I'm so sorry, Shinichi. So sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am," Shinichi said back, pulling her even closer. "I lied to you. And I haven't been looking for you. I thought... I thought you were happier without me."

"Never." Ran smiled.

Miyuki stopped where she was putting away silverware and smiled at the embracing couple and at the strangely smug looking Araide. She stepped into the kitchen, out of the new couple's earshot, and pulled out her cell phone, tapping a memorized number into the dialer.

After barely half a ring, the receiver of the call picked up. "Hello?" greeted a frigid voice.

"Hey Shiho-san." Miyuki grinned.

"Oh, Honda-san. How did it go?" Shiho asked, her voice warming.

"Your plan went perfectly. Kudou jumped over the seat like you thought and confessed. Oh, and Araide was good. Kaito did a good job disguising as him. Geez, how an amateur magician guy do such a flawless impersonation?"

Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated but not necessary.

(The fact that you spent time to actually read this fail is good enough for me.)

Watch for the next Around the World in Eight Shippings: Heiji x Kazuha!