"Fuck! That's just another piece of non-sense rubbish!"

Shinichi ripped the paper of his copybook and threw on the floor, now full of thousand others. He was trying to write down some lines of a novel to send to the publishing house, but not a single word matches the others. He stared at desk, full of pens, pencils, books, spread around without even a tentative of tidying them up, thinking that they symbolized the caos which reigns his mind; a steady, perpetual mess dwelled inside him, and it hasn't forsaken him yet, still after so many years.

He squeezed his fits until they didn't hurt him enough by making him open the hands and stand up from the chair, now to much uncomfortable.

He carried on staring with empty eyes the desk.

"Why does anything work, damn!", said, knocking a hand on the table.

"Meow"

He bent his gaze near the desk and saw his long-time black cat which was looking at him with two big blue eyes.

He made a smile.

"You think I need my locked room now, don't you? "

"Meow; purr purr" and the cat got near him and began to rub against his leg.

He giggled and brought it near his chest, cherishing it.

"You always sense when it's time for my regenerating break, my little Uni Hono" he said, cuddling it.

Shinichi had found him when he was walking in a public park in a rainy day. He was sunk in his thoughts when suddenly he had heard a complaining sound near the bushes; a little wet head had sprang from the leaves, mewing almost desperately. Shinichi wasn't in a particular very good mood in those days, but this kitten needed his help, like he would always give it to Ispector Megure and his colleagues during murder cases.

"You don't need to complain anymore: I'll take you home with me".

He had given "Uni" as first name because he believed that the kitty wasn't really alone in this world: another one like him was probably living a similar situation, forming a sort of bond and so a "unity", but this someone hasn't been found yet. Then he'd added "Hono"* because when Shinichi had found it, the kitty was like a real little blaze of hope for him; a hope to finally have someone next to him after so many years spent far from the people, from the ones he loved the most.

He directed to the dining-room, and after leant Uni on the floor, he pushed the library, revealing an door: He wrote the most complex password he could have thought at the time he had this special built and got in. A room made of the same material of door was in front of his eyes: spartan, with some big pillows. He began stomping, throwing them against the walls, also biting sometimes. He was not himself anymore, but only a sort of beast, trapped in a cage and tending to release his rage, frustration and misery.

After ending up his "regenerating break" as he had named it, he went towards the bathroom, having a shower. Then while he was brushing his dark hair, he stared at the tarnished mirror over the sink. He saw two eyes, red as the blood: they have just shed twinkling tears like diamonds, but full of sorrow. A little one was about to falla gain, but he held it back. He headed to the bedroom, wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt, a blue jacket and a pair of jeans and went out for a walk. He liked it doing at the sunset when there were few people around. He couldn't stand doing it during rush hours at the morning and afternoon, listening to the earsplitting clacson or the screamings of the stressed people; he needed to walk in a queit time, alone with his troublesome thoughts. When he reached a small bridge over a stream, some little flying petals of sakura met his face. He stopped on the bridge and stayed to look at the stream which was flowing under it. Suddenly he remembered: he was already been there when he was 12 years and with…. He gazed at the stream flowing under the bridge. An old wound in his heart has just been reopened. He glanced on the way he has just crossed and remembered.

.Flashback…..

A little Shinichi was running towards the bridge.

"Shinichi-kun! Come back to me, baka!" shouted a small and very angry girl with long brown hair, who was trying to reach him: in fact he had stolen her favourite pendant.

"No way, Ran-chan: you have to catch me first."

"That's no fair! You've always been faster than me!" she screamed with that little breath that remained her.

He giggled and enhanced his speed, until he venished after the bridge. A tired and gasping Ran stopped, trying to recuperate some breath, looking ahead of her.

"Where the hell has he gone?" she said.

Then she headed to the bridge and her face met the most beautiful view: a huge sea of high grass and some flowers was standing in front of her, making her eyes sparkles. She run toward it and literally dove into the soft grass, forgetting about Shinichi. Then she felt a hand touching her shoulder and, starlted, turn and saw his long-time friend with a craft smile printed on his face.

"Are you crazy? I've almost had an heart attack!" screamed.

He looked at her with a serious gaze.

"Technically,your probabilities to have an heart attack are lower than the 0.1%; in fact only the ones who smoke, drink alcohol, don't do enough move or are over-weight are on the way to get a myocardium attack, which would be the right name…..

"I've understood, baka! No need to inform me about the detailes!" she said.

" You already should learn some stuff: i twill be easier for you in the future how to avoid one; moreover, you'd full this heady with new informations and improve your intelligence level" he said rubbing her hair, grinning.

But some tears began to wet her cheeks. He stopped his grin.

"With this you're saying I'm just a stupid kid….." she said, her twinkling blue eyes.

He frowned and put his hands on both her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Ran-chan: I didn't mean to hurt you. Beside, you're not stupid: only because I know more than you and the other kids, it does not mean you know things I completely ignore. Well, for now…." he said, trying to cheer her up a bit.

He lead one of his fingers toward an eye of her and cleaned her tears. She made a little and bright smile.

"She's so cute" he thought himself. Her blue eyes were like a sea he could drown in.

"What are you staring at, Shin-kun?" asked Ran.

With a flabbergasting gaze he got back to the reality.

"N..nothing." said, turning and trying to make disappear his red face. Then he turn back and took from his pocket a strange pendant: it was cut in two and showed a curious black figure on it.

"Ran, that's f..for you." he said, giving it to her.

She looked frowned.

"What is it? It's broken!" she yelled at him.

"Wait: pay attention." And he showed her the other piece of the pendant he's just picked from the other pocket and worn it.

"See it? It's the missing part."

She worn it too, still staring at it.

"What does it mean?"

"It's the Fenghuang, the mythical bird: it represents both the japanese emperor and the she one. The're like a unique entity and that's what we will always be." he said, taking Ran's piece and making matched with his.

She glared at him.

"It's so gorgeous, Shin-kun. I'll keep it with me everywhere!"she said with a face full of happiness.

"Ran" he said.

"What?" she said with a bright face.

"Promise me we will never be apart, no matter what happens and that you will always be with me wherever our paths will lead us: I'll be a part of you and, together, we will form an unique entity."

She looked at him surprise and wordless. Then she got near him and made matched both the pieces of the pendant.

"I give you my most trusted word, Shinichi."

...End of the flashback…..

Shinichi took his piece of pendant out of his shirt and stared at it with a sad gaze.

"I give you my most trusted word, Shinichi"

Those words were sticked in his mind from that day and he couldn't help recalling them again and again. What had he done to deserve this? His beloved long-time friend Ran away from him for almost 13 years, without any possibilities to see, talk and touch her? For him it was worse than being tortured with electric shock waves when he was prisoned to the Black Organization.

Everything was begun from here….

Flashback…..

Conan was chained at the wall of the cell, still shocked and panted from the prevoius torture the black men got him undergone.

"This is once again my fault if your life's in danger, Kudo-kun? said Haibara on opposite side of the cell the shared.

"Don't blame yourself: this time was my idea to get trough the plant air condition in order to spy them."

She sighed and carried on staring at him, this time not with her usual poker face, but with a saddened one.

" Kudo, I can't endure this story with the black Organization: I used to be a part of it and I created the APTX which caused your shrinking and being haunted for all this time, too much time. Now I wanna put an end on this once and for all!" she said, standing up from the ground and heading toward him.

"While you were focused how to try to get in this place, I've ultimated this." she whispered and taking out from her earing a tiny pill.

"That's why you was wearing the earrings, which you usually don't."

"Yes. Now pay attention in what I'm about to reveal you: I'm 99.9% sure this is the final antidote for regaining your original body, but….." she esitated, bitting her lips.

"But? What's the side effect? There must be one if you're esitating".

She glared at him with the most serious face she could show.

"Well… when you'll be back to normal, your body will be stuck in that of a seventeenth one".