A/N: Detective Conan belongs to Gosho Aoyoma; I claim no credit for the character rights whatsoever. Start in My life lyric inserted at the end of the fiction, I claim no rights to it, not the original lyrics, not the translation. All reviews are welcome, flame, or curse whatever. I admit that this story is not 100% fiction, though no actual names are mentioned in this story, as I rather keep the true information confidential. I¡¯ve no idea why I¡¯d become such a pessimistic lately, but I just did. Perhaps¡­ never mind. Anyways¡­ all R/R would be highly appreciated.

Eternal Fate

ConanKudo

Hopeless and exhausted, Conan sat quietly in his assigned desk, resting his head in hand. Next to him, Ai looked out the window, she¡¯s always quiet. Speaks only if necessary. No one knows what she¡¯s thinking, and yet the mystery remains locked, as the detective didn¡¯t bother to read her mind.

School was apparently tiring for the two of them. They¡¯d rather stay home, home school if they had to, or maybe try to find out more about the organization and the antidote.

And there¡¯s Ayumi. Considerably cute as a little girl, but had a single clue of Conan¡¯s true identity. She likes Conan. Likes, a term, which had a quite large difference with love, none of them admitted the fact that kids at the age of seven truly understood the meaning of love. No one ever wondered how she would react once she found out who Conan really is. They never bothered to consider her situation. Not even Conan, who was supposed to be the most intelligent one out of all others, excluding Kaito Kid, and Haibara Ai.

At the innocent age of seven, suppose that she did not understand the meaning of love. The emotion she had in Conan was far from pure friendship. Wouldn¡¯t it, too, hurt her, while Conan concerned of Ran. Who would actually stand in a little girl¡¯s point of view, and consider things like this?

In spite of Ayumi, there¡¯s Haibara Ai. A girl who grew up in the mysterious organization, isolated from the outer world since birth. Like her name, Ai, meaning despondent, she was never joyful. Perhaps it was a curse; perhaps everything was destined to be that way. Whichever way it was, it didn¡¯t matter, her life was already filled with misery and grieve. Keeping every single one of her emotion hidden inside her, never revealing her thoughts to anyone. Unfathomable intelligence tortured her. However she¡¯d never showed any emotion on her appearance, she knows better, to hide her true self.

She stared back at Conan, who suddenly found staring at Ai for more than five minutes already, and jerked his head back to the blackboard, where the teacher concentrated on writing the math concept problems. Paying no attention to whatever he was doing, She gazed out the window again.

Conan, too, was tired of this kind of life. But yet they faced their destiny so differently. Ai was cold and calm, while Conan managed to play the role as a playful child. Nevertheless they still had a lot in common, such as the depression they hid inside their head, and terrifies of the organization, horrify of murky future. Well¡­ definitely challenging, if gloomy doesn¡¯t suit their situation.

A secret of heart, a decision made under curiosity, and pain in the past, which will never be revealed. They were living in lies all the time, admiring the kids sitting next to them, thinking if they¡¯d been just as happy, just as innocent, when they were at the age of 7. Apparently the answer was no. A detective, who studied murder cases since he learned how to read, and a scientist, who was born in a mysterious family and background.

Conan slowly moved his sight back to Ai. Think of the matter in a different point of view. Out of all those kids, out of all the people living in Tokyo; who would pay attention to two kids at the age of seven? Even if they are walking down the streets, no one would look at them twice, in other¡¯s eyes, they were just the same as every other kid. So why are they so terrified of the secret they held? Yet human psychology is always so amazing. The more horrified you are, the more you will act out, and after others get suspicious of your behavior, your nightmare becomes truth. Such mentality is almost like a chain of destined reaction; no mankind can escape from it.

Looking back down at his notebook laying open in front of him, a pencil on top of it, ready to take notes anytime the teacher asks. His hand picked up the pencil, writing on the empty page one word. Ran. Instantly after the word was written, his mind whirled him to the image of her, a friend he¡¯d grown up with, but now their relationship was far from pure friendship.

Ran and Ai, no one knows for sure whether they are allies or rivals. Whichever way it will turn out to be, will always be because of Edogawa Conan, or rather Kudo Shin¡¯ichi. He groaned silently, his head was aching; there was way too much going on in his life, but so less that he was able to handle.

No matter how much he hated his fate, the game of life was still in play. As a player, they had to continue on, no matter what they¡¯d experienced, and what challenge awaits them¡­

So once again
holding onto the dream and hope
holding onto the building feeling
we go up onto this stage

-Owari-