- Darkness -

Disclaimer: The characters and basic plot are that of Detective Conan, a manga series created by Gosho Aoyama. I have no claims whatsoever on his rights, and, at most, can only hope for some reviews.

- For Case Closed Fans Either you've done some research and already know the original names of the main cast, or you'll simply have to scroll down to the bottom for any names you encounter that seem alien. Thank You!

- And of course, Seasons Greetings to everyone ;c)


- Darkness -

A gentle breeze is playing with the curtain.
Noise and heat rise from the busy summer street to reach the window.
It is open, but, barred by the thick dark curtains, they can only enter muted, diminished, just like the light.
In the half obscurity of the room, the only activity is that of a fan, vainly trying to push back the muted waves of heat. A form can be seen on the sofa.

As one adjusts to the darkness, one can start to distinguish the form's features.
It is a child, a small child. No more than seven or eight, assuredly. The boy, as he must be, with his short, sometimes spiky hair and his dark shorts, is curled up with his knees under his chin.
His gaze is directed at the wall he is facing, but there is nothing to see there.

This boy's name is Conan Edogawa. He used to be called Shinichi Kudo. Some people still call him that, but he knows the name is no longer his to wear.
Somewhere, deep down, he knows that Shinichi Kudo is dead.

Shinichi Kudo, that oh-so-brilliant teenage detective. Shinichi Kudo, who's meddling had caused him to be poisoned by some members of a criminal organisation.

But the poison had not worked... It had caused him to shrink, to take on the form of a child.

But that hadn't stopped Shinichi Kudo, oh no! Led by desperation, he had hidden behind a pair of glasses, and used the detective Mouri to solve cases, in the hope that he would find those men in black and their faulty poison.

He found them alright.

Not a day passed without him remembering that day.

Driven by his thirst for truth and his dreams, he'd gone up to confront them, full of confidence.
And now he wished he never had.

His dreams were shattered, his hope and confidence gone. Shinichi Kudo would never be coming back.

He'd had to revise his whole situation overnight. He couldn't stay at the Mouris any longer, if not for his sake, at least for Ran's.

His departure had been sudden, but necessary. He could not face what would have happened if he had stayed.

"Forgive me Ran" the boy whispers, as if in prayer.

He rubs his eyes. They shouldn't be wet; he has come to terms with the disappearance of his former life.

At least he hopes.

All that is left now is the fear, the fear that they might find him...
He dreams of it every night, waking up from his nightmares to stare, in a cold sweat, at the darkness.

He has broken all links with the others, save professor Agasa. The monthly call to the professor is necessary, to prevent both Ran and the Kudos, his parents, from tearing down the country in search of him.

They would not believe that he is dead, or, if they did, it would break their hearts.

"Let them hope," the professor had said. "Let them hope."

'I alone have lost all hope.' He thinks sadly.
Inside, he hopes Ran can find some other to wipe her tears away. He can not let himself dream of doing so himself.

He unbends his now stiff legs, lets the blood run anew.
He cannot go outside. Who knows when and where they might be? He can not take the risk.
Now his days are spent toying with a ball inside, reading some mystery novel or writing down his thoughts. He can not allow himself to watch TV, or listen to the radio, in fear that he might be lured into solving some mystery. He considers the odd DVD or music CD a weekly treat, ordered and delivered at his door.

There is a knocking at the door. His heart starts to pound, filling with dread.

'Calm down!' He thinks. 'It's probably just some prank or a delivery.'

He hears the door squeak open. – That would be Haibara. –

He had wanted to go into hiding alone, but the auburn haired girl had guessed so. The former scientist of the organisation, now turned traitor and shrunk, like him, had insisted on staying with him. He had resented it at the time. Now he is grateful. Had it not been for her presence, he would have long gone insane.

The patter of small feet comes towards the room he is in.

"Kudo..." The girl whispers.

The Boy looks towards her, feeling the unreasonable pang of guilt he sometimes has.
If it hadn't been for his stubbornness, he could have let her discover what was hope and happiness.
If it hadn't been for that fatal day, she wouldn't be here, in this den of gloom and dread.
Whatever their crimes no one deserves to live such a nightmare, with no hope of waking up.

Her hand shakes. Noticing this, he tightens his fists. His throat goes dry.

'Oh no!' He thinks.

"They found us..." She says, and coming from the door, is the sound of adult feet.

-

-Darkness- -gap-

-

Ayumi Yohida puts her hands to her face, restraining a sob.
Her eyes are already filling with tears.

"This can't be..." whispers Mitsuhiko beside her. Genta is simply staring in disbelief.

Someone has pulled the curtains back, letting in the light; yet the shadows still lurk in the corners.
Even in full light the room speaks of darkness.

"This can't be...!" repeats Mitsuhiko, louder.

Conan turns to look at the freckled youth's face. He doesn't say a word.
Instead, he lets his eyes express what his lips cannot phrase: the sorrow, the pain.

"Conan, Ai... Is it really you?" Ayumi looks from one child to the other.

Slowly the girl nods at her.

"How...?" Genta swallows. "How come you're..."

Haibara and Conan share a pained look.

"It's a long story..." says the boy. "How did you find us?"

Wiping away some tears, Ayumi gives a chuckle, but her heart isn't in it.

"Hey!" She answers. "We're the Detective Boys, remember?"

"You taught us what there was to know after all." Adds Mitsuhiko. "A little bit of logic, some research, a big dollop of determination..."

"Here..." says Genta, reaching out to drop some objects on a small table. "We thought... We thought you'd want to have these back."

Haibara and Conan peer down at the small objects. The metallic faces of their detective badges beam back at them, the remnants of a time when hope had meaning.

"Did the professor not warn you?" whispers Haibara, looking away.

"He did..."

"But we didn't listen..."

Conan looks up at the three teenagers.
'Boy, have they grown.' He thinks.

Genta now has broad shoulders, a heaviness that no longer speaks of chubbiness but of strength.
Mitsuhiko has grown even taller; his skinny limbs have gained muscle, although his freckles remain.
And Ayumi is no longer that cute little girl, whoes round and trusting eyes could make a rock waver. She radiates of beauty starting to blossom, and no doubt she is greatly admired by her classmates.

A lot of things change in ten years.

"Do you really want to know the truth?" the small boy says. "Do you want to know why it is, we have not grown an inch, whereas you are now becoming adults?"

The three teens look at each other, exchange thoughts through their eyes, before coming to a decision.

Sitting deliberately on the coach, Ayumi gives their answer.

"We do."

"We probably won't like it..." says Mitsuhiko, sitting on a stool.

"But we still want to hear it." adds Genta, now cross-legged on the floor.

Taking a deep breath, Conan begins.

"You remember that case, ten years ago? The one that hit the headlines? About a black criminal organisation?"

The elder children, who no longer were, wade quickly through the plains of their memories.

"Yes," they say. "The case solved by Shinichi Kudo. Thanks to his hints, the police were able to dismantle a large group of organized crime..."

"Shinichi Kudo. That was me."

And he starts to tell them their story, the tragedy of his life.

Not once do they interrupt, not once do they scoff. They are already stunned by his appearance, and, although ten years have been and gone, they still recognise his wisdom, the truth in his voice.

Haibara joins in, explaining some fact or other, giving added value to the story Conan is telling them, the story that is as much his as hers.

Conan is now talking about the events of that so dreadful day...
The day where he learnt that there was no cure, but a curse.
There are tears, threatening to fall, in his eyes.
Haibara has now lowered her head, her bangs hiding her own unshed tears.

She had been as shaken as him to discover the truth.

The Apotoxin had shrunk them for good. There was no cure. The best she could do would always be and only be that 24 hour pill she had developed, and that would only work a set amount of times, before their bodies became immune to it's effects.

They would probably live on till they were eighty, trapped in their eight year-old bodies, till death came to claim their souls. Even now she does not want to believe it. Every two, three nights, she goes through the data all over again.

And every time the same answer stares her in the face, however hard she tries to ignore the passing time, however large the amount of knowledge she builds from the net or specialist reviews, however elaborate her own changing theories.

Now it only serves to hurt her... but she does not want to give up. Not like Conan has.

"Why?"

This was the question Conan had been dreading.

Why had he fled? Why had he gone away?
He knows the answer. It comes out on its own.

"I wanted to forget, to leave my past behind."

He lifts his eyes to his three past companions. And they look at him, and see a child who isn't and has hardly ever been. They look at him and see their friend in pain.

His voice trembles as he says...

"I try to forget... but I can't."

And now, silently, the tears start falling one by one down his cheeks.
One for his hopelessness, one for his despair, one for his loneliness and one for his past.

One tear for Shinichi Kudo.

He is not the only one to cry for the dead teenage detective.

So does Haibara. So does Ayumi. In fact, so do Genta and Mitsuhiko.

After a dozen minutes or so, the tears start to thin, their shoulders are allowed to sag.

Wiping away tears that still want to fall, Ayumi stands up.

"Come, Conan, Ai... I think it's time you came Home."

'Yes,' thinks Conan. 'I have been hiding long enough.'

And so, the patter of five pairs of feet leaves the room of gloom.

The door is shut behind them as they go out into the sun.

The fan is left alone, to fight off the waves of summer heat, as the curtains sway and the rays of the sun bounce off the faces of the two forgotten detective badges.

-End-


Names in Original/Dub:

Conan Edogawa is Edogawa Conan (or was it the other way around?)
Shinichi Kudo is Jimmy Kudo
Ran Mouri is Rachel Moore
Ai Haibara has Not appeared yet (ep 129) (Rumor has it her dub name world be Anita Hailey.)
Ayumi Yoshida is Amy Yaeger
Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya is Mitch DoesHeHaveASurname?
Genta Kojima is George (Like my Dad)
Apotoxin 4869 is the name of the shrinking poison.

Author note:
Angsty One Shot that hit me in the dead of night and demanded to be written straight away before even conceeding to the idea of letting me sleep. (And why do I have a feeling I love that kind of plot idea ? )