Welcome to another edition of... The Time Traveler's Storytime!

The Time Traveler points out the usual disclaimers. She would also like to mention that the inspiration for this story came from an old Bill Cosby movie.

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It was quiet and calm, a nice night... for science! Since Ai-kun was over at Ayumi-chan's house for a sleepover, Agasa had the place all to himself at last! Or so he thought.

"Ha-hakase?'

The older man let out a startled yelp and spun around, clutching at his heart. "Ran-chan! Good grief, you scared me half to death!" He saw the teenage girl wince slightly, and suddenly, he noticed how alarmingly pale the pretty girl was. Something wasn't right. Putting on a kind smile, and asked, "Now, Ran-chan, what can I do for you tonight?"

Ran took a deep, seemingly steadying breath. "I wanted to ask you something, Hakase."

"Shoot." She winced again and turned away. "What is it, Ran-chan?"

"Well…" She hesitated.

"Did something happen at school?"

She shook her head. "No."

"…Did your father make a fool of himself again?"

She smiled, a wry brittle little grimace that increased the awful feeling in Agasa's chest two-fold. "No, not this time…"

"Ah! Where are my manners? Would you like to sit down? Anything to drink?" Agasa desperately wanted to lighten the mood but Ran shook her head violently.

"No thank you, Hakase, I would like to stand. Please."

There was an awkward pause. Finally, Agasa could not stand it any longer. "Ran, what's wrong? What's happened?"

The girl wrapped her arms around herself and let her head droop forward, her bangs effectively covering her face. She looked the picture of abject misery. In a very small voice, she whispered her distress. "I had a fight with Shinichi."

It was the doctor's turn to wince. "Oh, dear… May I ask as to what you two had a fight about?" When the young woman didn't speak, Agasa tried again. "What happened, Ran-chan? You can tell me."

"That's just the thing! I don't know if I can trust you at all anymore, Hakase!" Her abrupt shift from quiet misery to rage threw the doctor for a large loop. He could see her face now and he could see the tears streaking down her face. "You knew! You knew all along that Conan…That Conan was Shinichi! The entire time!"

She pointed an accusing finger at the flabbergasted Agasa. Shinichi must've finally spilled the beans, he realized. Certainly took him long enough, nearly a year had passed since Kudo Shinichi returned to the public eye after defeating a massive crime syndicate dubbed the Black Organization. The old man raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Ran-chan, please listen to me."

"No, I don't want to listen! I'm tired of the lies!"

"Ran-chan, I know this is hard but you have to understand. Shinichi lied to you, lived as Conan for all that time, to protect you and everyone else he valued."

"He told you! He even told Hattori! I'm his best friend! I've known him since before primary school! Didn't he trust me at all?! I'm his best friend…" Her words dissolved into furious, tearful murmurings. The eccentric inventor took a deep steadying breath.

"Ran-chan, Shinichi didn't tell you because he didn't want to put you in danger. He cares deeply about you, Ran-chan. He had a choice to make and he chose to keep you in the dark because he didn't like the odds of the other choice. He didn't want his mistakes to result in your death, or anyone else's death."

The distraught teenager froze mid-breath for a fleeting instant. He almost missed the flash of fright on the girl's face, before she looked away. She spun around, high tension in her shoulders. In a trembling voice, she spoke. "I think it might be too late for that, Hakase."

It was Agasa's turn to turn into ice. The bad feeling he had felt earlier was now throbbing in his over-ample chest. He was almost too afraid to ask the inevitable. "Ran-chan, what on earth do you mean?"

Ran didn't speak for a long moment, but then, at last, "I think…" She gave a shuddering gasp, whirling to reveal her panicked face. "Hakase, I think I might be dead."

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The Time Traveler would like to know your thoughts.