"Hey Conan," a man says while looking down at the ground in front of him, "or I guess I should say Shinichi."
The man kneels down and starts to sob as he looks ahead of him. In front of him is a gravestone with the name Edogawa Conan engraved on it. The man can't take it and thinks of running away, but something keeps him from leaving.
He finally calms down enough to speak again, "I figured someone should remember your real name. Ran stopped coming a while ago because she couldn't make it here without having a breakdown. She still hasn't figured out that you are Shinichi, the man she once loved. She is married now. That clumsy guy, Eisuke? He finally got up the courage to ask her out when you never showed up after the Organization was taken down.
No one has bothered to remember Kudo Shinichi. They all believe that you just ran away because you couldn't handle the dead bodies anymore. They all think you became a coward not knowing that you were the most courageous person of any that I have ever met. No one else would have been able to keep their sanity if they had been stuck in the same situation that you were. They haven't even bothered putting up a gravestone for you even though you have been gone for 10 years.
I know it isn't much, but this is all I can do for you. Your memory will not be forgotten Shinichi. I wish you could still be here with us. With me…" he is whispering by the end of this barely able to speak as he is setting down the roses. Red, the color he only ever gave to Kudo Shinichi. He then gets up to go and visit the places that he used to go with the boy.
Once he gets to the café that Conan and he used to visit a voice shouts out, "Hey Kaito! What are you doing here? I thought you hated coming down this street?"
Kaito turns to see the British detective, "Hakuba, please just leave me alone. I am really not in the mood for it right now."
"Are you still stuck on the little detective's death? There was nothing you or anyone could have done. I know you were close to him, but that doesn't mean you have to beat yourself up over it. He died for a worthy cause and he will not be forgotten for it."
"What do you know?" Kaito retorted. "Many people could have helped him. I could have SAVED him! He didn't just die for a worthy cause! He died to help free me! He even told me before he died! I should never have gotten him involved in this! There are many things I could have done! Damnit Hakuba! He CALLED me before he went in there! I should have answered his call and told him what he was doing was idiotic, but I was preoccupied with what I was doing at the moment to even bother answering for him! He didn't have to die!"
"He called you? There was no phone at the scene."
"Yes, he called me, and I chose to ignore him. I could have saved him!"
Yes, Kaito could have tried to save Conan, and he would never forgive himself for what he had done. He remembered it as if it were yesterday.
Kaito sat in the hidden room behind the painting. He had to get ready for tomorrows heist which would hopefully be the last heist that Kaitou KID would ever do. He had found many stories about this jewel that made it seem like it would be Pandora, and once he had it he would hopefully be destroying it so no one would ever be tempted by the jewel again.
It was also a special heist for another reason, the police had set up a sting operation that would be going during the heist so they could take down the Black Organization. Two thirds of the force would be taking down the majority of the Black Organization with the help of one of their inside leads, Vermouth. The other third would be helping the KID Task Force to take down those associated with the faction that was trying to kill KID.
Kaito suddenly noticed that someone was calling him. Lazily looking at the phone he noticed that the caller was Conan. He was too focused on trying to finalize what he would do during the heist to answer it so he declined the call. Conan and Kaito had come up with a deal earlier that if it was important Conan would call with the phone that he used for Shinichi's voice. If he was calling as Conan than it couldn't be that important and he could wait until tomorrow to talk to him. He would forever regret ignoring that call.
On the other side of the line, Conan stared at the phone when he heard it go to voice mail. He had never had KID hang up on him before. Especially not when he really needed him! Didn't KID ever watch the news? He would have noticed that during the case Conan had been involved in today one of his phones had been destroyed. Unfortunately, it had been his Shinichi phone. Conan gave up and continued tailing the officer.
Conan had noticed earlier that one of the officers had been acting very suspicious during the case. He kept glancing at the clock and grumbling under his breath. That in itself isn't that unusual when you considered the time it was. Conan had stumbled upon a case just after 1am. Unfortunately, they didn't solve the case until closer to 4am. All of the officers had the right to keep glancing at the clock and grumble under their breath. What made this officer different was that he kept glancing and glaring at Conan even though Conan was the only one doing anything that would help move the case along. He also bolted as soon as they were all clear to leave the scene not even saying any of the formal goodbyes and pleasantries.
Conan decided to tail him when he thought of how suspicious the person had been acting. No officer had ever glared at him like that even when they were lacking in sleep. Especially when Conan had helped to hand over the evidence that would lead to, if successfully pulled off, the biggest criminal organization takedown of all time. No this person was acting too suspicious to not be tailed.
Every other officer had been patting his head and congratulating him the whole day even at the case. Just to be safe though he had tried to call for backup with the safest person he could think of, Kaitou KID. Unfortunately, he didn't answer and there wasn't time to head back and try to get Megure-keibu to come with him. Besides, the officers had to be well rested for tomorrow when the takedown would take place. All officers that he knew were unavailable at the moment.
Conan headed on after the man. He followed him all the way to a storage facility that he had thought was used for the major car company stationed in Beika. What were they doing here? As he watched the man go in he noticed there were others around the area. Some of the people were known Black Organization members.
This could not be a good thing. Conan had thought he had gotten all of the Black Organization members out of the loop of this little operation. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that there were Organization members in the police force, but he had thought he already had them sent to other task forces or on different cases at the moment so they wouldn't know of the operation. Apparently, he had missed one.
Being extra careful of the Organization members around, he followed them until they went into the building. There he had had to leave them and find another route to get a view of what they were talking about. Luckily, he had stuck a listening device on the officer's outfit beforehand that he could turn off and on as he pleased.
Conan was surprised by what he heard. The officer was complaining to the rest of the people crowded in the room. "The police are already setting up some operation for our organization. We shouldn't go to the meeting tomorrow! They are just going to catch us or be even more aware of our existence than they believe. We should call the whole meeting off or at the very least have the few of us survive and form a new organization somewhere else!" the officer exclaimed.
"Oh shut it Mezcal! No one can know of WHERE our organization headquarters are located. We have given multiple locations to throw off anyone that even comes close to finding out about us. No one will find us and no one will survive if they do find out where any of our fake headquarters are. They would never expect to look in any obvious location," one of the other members scolded.
"Who's to say they don't have an inside source? They don't mention the person who gave the location at all!"
"Just because they have an inside source doesn't mean they have correct information. I have a pretty good idea of who this 'source' of theirs is and I already suggested to the leader to change the headquarters so that any information she gave would be inaccurate. Anyone who steps foot in our old headquarters will be blown to bits. I just hope I get a front row seat when she receives her punishment."
"Gin, we all know your hate of Vermouth but do you really think that she would give out information like that? She always was the leader's favorite!"
"That is exactly what I believe. I never trusted her. She would never even think of the new location."
"Where is the meeting being held at anyways if you changed the location?"
"Check your phone if you want to know. Though, with how you acted when you first came in I don't think you still want to go. Just be sure to not say anything aloud. You never know who could be listening."
"Wait, this is where the new location is?! I thought this place was abandoned because it wasn't safe to be in anymore due to some health concern! Isn't this one of the places that we send out as a fake headquarters anyways?"
"You ask too many questions, Mezcal" Gin said as he pulled out his gun and shot the man named Mezcal. All of the others had been silent throughout this whole ordeal. "Anyone else have anything to add?" They all shook their heads quickly. "Good, then head out and don't forget that we are meeting tomorrow. Show up or we will hunt you down. We do not tolerate any who don't follow orders and try to leave us."
Conan was quickly typing out a message to the only person he could think of that would find this information useful and could get it to people in time to be of any use. He didn't send it just yet because he wasn't sure if it would be needed. If he got away quick enough than he wouldn't have to send it and disturb KID. KID should be working on his heist details right now judging by the fact that he didn't answer before.
As he was putting his phone away, he noticed that some presence was coming up on him. He ducked just in time to avoid being hit on his head again. One thing he had learned from his stupid mistakes in the past even if he hadn't learned to pay full attention to his surroundings when surrounded by criminal masterminds.
Conan did put up a good struggle but not good enough. Eventually, Gin caught him. He could only be satisfied in the fact that Gin was badly injured even though Shinichi knew that he himself would not be making it out of here alive. He already knew that he had cracked and broken ribs from the beating Gin had given him as Conan shot anything he could find at the man that shrunk him.
Just before Gin was going to shoot him, Gin was knocked backwards. Someone had landed on him. Conan saw a flash of white and then found KID pointing his card gun right at Gin. Gin struggled to get up and when he succeeded, continued to struggle with KID. KID eventually knocked Gin out with his card gun. He apparently had put in a knockout gas laced card.
KID rushed over to Conan as Conan lay there unable to move. While calling the ambulance, he tried to assess Conan's injuries but as he did so he continued to increase in worry. Conan had to have internal bleeding and many broken and cracked ribs. He also noticed that one of Conan's legs was turning an impossibly dark shade. It seemed that some of his bones in his leg were broken or even more seriously injured. Either way, if he survived through the other injuries he would not be able to walk ever again. The leg would not heal correctly.
Conan struggled to say something but started to cough up blood. Instead of trying to speak which was taking too much energy, he pointed to his phone which had fallen during the struggle. Kaitou KID got the message. He walked over and looked on the phone for what Conan could have put in there. He was surprised by what he saw.
There was no time to lose, but he couldn't just leave Conan to stay while he rushed off to find the headquarters. Even if it cost them the takedown of the Organization, he couldn't just leave the man that he had grown to love.
KID stayed with Conan while waiting for the ambulance. Shortly before it came, Conan struggled through the pain and blood and said, "KID please be free. I had nothing to go back to until I met you. Please, live free."
KID looked as Conan fell unconscious. "Conan! Wake up! You can't sleep! How can I be free without you by my side? I need you! I need you Shinichi!"
A minute later, the ambulance showed up. It was too late though. Conan was gone. His ribs had punctured multiple organs which caused him to have too much internal bleeding and not be able to breath because of the whole in his lung. He had died in getting the key information that led to the Organization takedown.
Kaito never was the same after that. Sure, everyone had suffered through Conan's death but Kaito had taken it the hardest. He should have been there! He could have saved Conan. Why hadn't he answered the call?
"Kaito, Conan wouldn't want you to blame yourself for all of this. He told you to be free and he meant it. You holding onto misplaced guilt is not following what his dying wish was. Please don't be so harsh on yourself. I never knew that you were suffering so much. Please stop punishing yourself. It is just hurting everyone around you along with yourself," Hakuba intruded on Kaito's musings.
"Just because it was his last wish doesn't mean that I can bring myself to follow it. I know I should, but you just don't get it! I LOVED him! Yet, I caused him to die! Apparently, Lady Luck doesn't want me to have a good love life…"
"Kaito, I am sure he loved you too. Judging by his actions whenever he was around you and his last actions. He always only ever thought of you. Please just listen to what he said."
Instead of staying and getting more lectures from Hakuba, Kaito ran. He ran as far and as fast as he could. He never stopped running until he was at the water's edge. Kaito had never contemplated suicide before, but maybe this time he should. Just as he was stepping into the water, some force pushed him back. He looked but could find no explanation for why he was pushed. Every time that he tried to go forward he felt as if he ran into a wall. Finally, he got the message.
Shinichi was telling him to live. Even if he wasn't there, he still had great influence on Kaito's life.
Kaito headed back seemingly a changed man. He still went to the grave, but he had started therapy and even showed more smiles. It was hard and he never fell in love again, but he tried hard for Shinichi's sake. Shinichi had given his life so Kaito could be free, and only when Kaito had given up had Shinichi pushed him back on track.