DISCLAIMER: None of the characters in this fic is mine they belong to Gosho Aoyama. The only thing that's mine is the storyline. Hope you enjoy! Comments and complaints welcomed! :-)

Author's Note: I hadn't planned to write this. The inspiration came from reading about the magician case in Volume 13 that lead to Ran's determination to find out the truth about Conan. I took a look at Ran's face in one of the comic blocks and I thought I saw something in it that made her change her attitude. I pondered about that until voila, here we are. So read on most of all ENJOY!!! *grins*

Timeline: This takes place right after Ran left Shinichi's Gate in Volume 14--File 1--Page 6. The title, to clear the confusion is called "Mother and Son." and it's right after the "The Case of the Magician's Clue" in Volume 13.

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Deep Thinking

By: SpaceRanger

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Ran scowled to herself. Is Shinichi's okaa-san stupid or something?!. There is *no* way anyone could look and act *exactly* like Shinichi even if he was the one that taught him. "Conan" is only seven! You can't learn everything he knows in two years, especially since most of us don't remember anything at that age. Even Shinichi didn't know all of what Conan knew at age seven! Unless... She started to shake her head but stopped and sighed.

Aww...who am I kidding? Of course, they'd know. Dr. Agasa must have told them already. After all, his parents have better deduction skills then he much to his dismay. A wary smile crossed her face.

At least now, I know where he is...still, I'll probably have to treat him as I would a little brother. She sighed as she crossed her arms. It was hard enough doing that when every time I see him I felt like kissing him. She quirked her lips.

Hey, another perk. Now I know why I get those strange desires to kiss him too. She blinked and paused in her walking, finally out of her daze when she heard the sound of laughing children. She smiled as she watched a young long hair girl chase after the boy while yelling at him to stand still in the shadows of the night.

She then saw that the boy was slowing down...purposely I might add. She thought with amusement as the girl finally caught up with him and whacked him on the head with a punch.

Déjà vu. She thought with irony. I remember doing that with Shinichi. The girl looked down at her watch and with a "Ja ne" she ran off into the darkness.

The boy smiled after her with a fond look on his face before turning to gaze up at Ran. She was startled at the boy's appearance as he stepped into the light. The light revealed that the little boy had hair that was more of a brownish tint, just like hers and his eyes were just like hers. Yet, the face seemed to look like Shinichi/Conan's except with a few alterations that she suspected came from her.

"W...who are you?" She asked although she had a feeling she knew. The boy smiled.

"One of these days I'm going to tell her but I don't have the courage to yet. He doesn't either. Demo, I'll always be there, no matter what just like him." She was confused. What was this boy talking about? She heard a yell.

"RAN-CHAN!!!" Ran turned to see her other best friend running toward her with stars in her eyes. "Ran! There's a clothing sale going on now! Come on! We've got to go check it out!!"

"Demo..."

"Come on Ran!" Sonoko pouted at her. "It's no fun to shop without someone else with them."

"Ano..."

"Onegai Ran!" Ran smiled and nodded.

"Alright."

"Yay! I knew you'd agree! Come on I'll show you were it is." With that, she skipped off. Ran turned around to look for the boy and asked his meaning. However, she saw nothing.

"Eh?"

"Ran come on!" She turned to see that the other girl was already waving to her from the corner of the block. She raced forward to catch up and asked,

"Sonoko, did you see a little boy about Conan's age when you came over to see me?" Her best friend shook her head.

"Goman nasai demo Iie." Her face must have fell for she continued on to speak, maybe hoping it would cheer her up, "I only saw you looking at the darkness with a confused expression on you face. You looked lonely too so I decided to ask you to come shopping with me. Demo, you don't have to. I'll just walk you home." Ran smiled.

"Oh...arigotou." Sonoko slung her arm around her.

"Hey, what are friends for? Other then teasing you about your certain denial over a certain boy who's away doing those favorite hobbies of his: Solving crime and making you worry about that idiot. " Ran blushed.

"What no denial now?" She rolled her eyes at her best friend's teasing.

"Oh I'm denying alright...demo, I don't think I'll have to worry about him too much after our little talk." Sonoko's eyes widened as she spluttered with shock.

"NANI?! You saw him and you didn't think to tell me?!!" Ran smiled sadly as she looked up at the moon as both came to a halt in front of her house.

"It was a chance meeting but then he was called away again." She could feel her best friend looking at her with an expression of a sad smile that she knew was for her and Shinichi's predicament.

"What did he say?"

"He told me that..." The flashback of what the little boy said to her played in her mind and she repeated what he said. "He'll always be there...no matter what." Sonoko stayed silent as if she knew there was more then she was telling her. The silence was brief as Ran added with soft fondness in her tone,

" And...you know what?"

"What?"

"I'll always be there for him too." Sonoko look at her best friend, sadly, as she watched Ran walked up the steps of her home, obviously deep in thought. As she watched her friend's figure disappear into the house, she turned to the skies and by chance, she saw a shooting star pass through. Although she normally saved these for finding her own love life with her own "knight-in-shining-armor,¡¨ she decided to try to solve her best friend's. She closed her eyes and wished...

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Please give Ran and Shinichi the happy ending that they truly deserve...

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She turned and headed back to her own home hoping that even if she doesn't find her "knight-in-shining-armor" at least Ran, who already has hers despite distance, will have a happy life.

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A/N: BTW, I'm currently pondering the idea of writing a sequel to this and if I do it would be some time before the Detective Boy's camping trip in which Conan/Shinichi was shot at Volume 25--Case 9--File9 thru 11 and entitled "The Desperate Revival: The Cavern of the Detective Boys." Let me know if you want this sequel. Again, comments and complaints welcome.

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