Hi. A small scene between these two crossed my mind as I started walking to the bus stop this morning. So I thought, why not? :)


He smiled, an eternity-long burden finally gone from his shoulders; the men in black, the Black Organization, that had ruined his whole life by using just one goddamned pill was finally destroyed. He stood up from his prone position on his bed. His real bed. He grinned this time, the feeling of freedom seeping through his skin as he walked to his full-body mirror in the edge of his room and stared.

There was no antidote.

The big blue eyes of Edogawa Conan stared back at him through huge black-framed spectacles. He frowned, Haibara was still researching... data of the APTX4869 lost in a fire from the headquarters of the Organization, "Damn it all." he cursed under his breath.

She was still waiting for him, that one person he had done everything for, dedicated his whole life to and had suffered more than what a 17-year-old should go through. From jumping off a tower with only a fire hose as support, obtaining amnesia in which she was almost killed, being caught under fire with the attack at Touto Tower, kidnapped countless times and more he couldn't even remember. Even through all of that, she had never lost faith in his return even as he himself had lost hope in ever returning to his original body; to his home.

He tried to smile, trying to bring his old arrogance back, his confidence that had evaporated along with his old body, instead, he was rewarded with a sad smile from his reflection, hurt eyes that didn't belong to his young face. He scowled, feeling the nips of fear slowly grasp his being. What if he never turned back? What if Haibara never found an antidote? What if Ran won't acc-he shook his head, he doesn't want to think of that possibility, he doesn't think his already shattered heart can take her rejection, especially of his whole being, including his alter ego. He knelt down on the dark hardwood floor of his room, hand slowly sliding down on the mirror of his reflection. He lived for the truth, finding the justice for people that could not defend themselves, helping them find the truth they could not obtain.. Yet, he lived in a lie, deceiving people with his alter ego's young face, going as far as to use them just to find his own justice. He blew on the mirror, mist slowly covering the reflection of his face and he started writing...

しんじつ

Is that really what he lived for?

He sighed, getting up as a thought crossed his mind. He pulled his phone out and dialed a number he knew by heart, after all he was the one that had given her that phone. He smiled wanly, walking through the deserted halls of his house and walking out the door towards the warm setting afternoon.

oooooo

Mouri Ran, recently turned seventeen, hummed to herself, dusting her father's desk and cleaning his ashtray that had the ashes scattered all over. She scowled, thinking how he should be the one taking care of her, "Mou 'Tousan, at least clean up after yourself."

The famed Sleeping Detective, Mouri Kogoro, was out on the 'case of the century', as he said on the phone. Something about an underground organization Megure-keibu asked him to help in. Though he did say it was just paperwork that was left. Her father had changed drastically in the time he had become famous, though he still smoked and gambled and drank too much alcohol, he'd changed. From the arrogant, clueless idiot to a hard-working, yet still lazy, father she could be proud of. She frowned then, through her father's fast blabber, she had heard a name. A name she'd uttered countless times, be it in anger, sadness, happiness...

Kudo Shinichi.

It's been almost two months since he had last called, even going as far as asking Hattori-kun to relay the message to her.

I'll be home soon.

She had smiled at the thought, though she was quite pissed that he didn't tell her himself. She shrugged, moving on to dust the shelves of Okino Yoko videos and other reference books, "At least he's coming home soon." she smiled to herself.

She started finishing up, looking all throughout the agency to look at how everything sparkled and not a speck of dust can be seen. She nodded, content with her work around the house. Walking up to the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the countertop, thinking. Maybe I should go out.

And so she did.

Grabbing a few change and stuffing it in the pockets of her shorts, she ran back down to the agency to grab her phone and locked up, walking down the crowded streets of Beika.

Not even five minutes into her walking, her phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts about what to have for dinner. She dug through her back pocket, glancing at the screen to find KUDO SHINICHI to be calling her. She gasped, fiddling with her hands as she struggled to press the call button, "Hello?" she almost screamed into her phone, gaining quite a few odd looks from passersby, "Shinichi?"

"Yo, Ran."

Ignoring the stares that were still focused on her person, she shouted at him, "What the heck have you been up to? You haven't called or at least messaged me if you're still alive for the past two months!"

"I'm sorry."

"So? When are you coming home?" she asked as a small smile graced her lips, he called, was her thought, not minding the question she let go off, even though that same question had her crying in every phone call they've had since his disappearance, "I've missed you, you know... N-not that much though." she blushed, twirling her brown locks and staring at her fidgeting feet.

"I've missed you too, Ran." he muttered from the other side of the receiver, breathing hard as if he ran a marathon.

She blushed even more. Ever since that day in London, he's been much more blunt, yet at the same time still timid, as if waiting for something. She felt bad, until now, a few months have passed since then, and as Kazuha-chan said, "You've already cornered him into confessing, might as well give the last push." She sighed, even Sonoko hasn't stopped her efforts of making her call Shinichi and just tell him she lo—likes him. Probably looking like a tomato from her thoughts, she smiled and muttered a sound close to a whine and whimper.

"I think I'm talking to a dog right now."

She pouted, placing her hands on her hips looking as if Shinichi was right in front of her, "Mou, Shinichi." she whined, about to bash at him.

"Are you outside right now?"he asked, still breathless.

"Have you been running, Shinichi?" she asked, frowning as worry etched itself on her face, "You sound like you ran a thousand miles."

"I'm fine. Just... jogging." he said, a nervous laugh followed, "You haven't answered my question, you know."

"Oh." she said dumbly, looking around her, it seems her feet had dragged her all the way to Beika Park, almost empty with the sun setting just above the horizon, "I'm at Beika Park, I wanted to go outside since I've been inside the agency the whole day." she answered, finding a bench to sit down on, it was quite hard to talk to someone on the phone while walking aimlessly, especially if you're talking to someone very important, she smiled, "Where are you right now, Shinichi? You didn't even answer my question."

"What question?"

She sighed, she didn't know whether he was faking it or he actually forgot, "When are you coming home?" she repeated, another frown gracing her features, afraid of his answer to the question she's asked countless of times over his disappearance from Tropical Land, "Hattori-kun said you'd be coming home soon. He sounded really unsure when he told me though, like he's hiding something. Did you two do something I shouldn't know?"

He laughed, and she could imagine it. His face lighting up as he tilted his head upwards while deep yet loud chuckles escaping his open mouth, pearly white teeth staring out to the world, "It's nothing. The idiot just thought I disappeared after my case."he said, which again gave her fright, she never knew he disappeared, "And before you can say anything about disappearing, no, I did not. I was just under care of the FBI for about a week."

"FBI?"

"Well, I shouldn't be revealing anything to you, but since it's over... yeah."he said, a laugh to his voice, he sounded happy to Ran, "And to answer your question: yes, I'll be home soon."

"What was this case about?" she asked, remembering her father's words from this morning, "'Tousan said something about an organization and then I heard him mutter your name. Is that what you were working on?"

"Yeah."

"...I see." she mumbled helplessly, she got the feeling he didn't want to talk about it, which felt weird since it's Shinichi. He liked bragging about the cases he had solved, and if this case really was a big one as her father had said, all the more so. She settled into changing the subject instead, afraid of ruining his happy mood, or happy for her at least, "So-"

"Let's go out on a date when I come back." he interrupted, "A real one that doesn't have any murders that drop down from the sky, and one where I won't run away."

A blush erupted on her cheeks, bringing her heart to race faster and her body to stiffen. She stood up and paced back and forth in front of the bench, fanning herself with one hand as she held the phone in the other. Hearing chuckling from the receiver, she glared at the ground, stopping and standing still. She hated it when he played her for a fool. Especially with topics involving her feeling, though he didn't know about it, "Stop joking with me Shi-!"

"I'm serious."

She sucked in her breath, once again falling victim to his words. She'll never know whether or not he's serious with her or not, but considering his confession, and the way silence hung over the end of the receiver, only the blowing wind evidence that he hasn't hung up, she sighed, trying to calm her breathing and get her face in check, "Alright, but you better show up. Early. I don't want the same thing happening like that time with your birthday." she muttered, blush still in effect as a thought crossed her mind, "And Shinichi..?"

"Yeah?"

"I.. I li-li.." she sputtered, her face contorting into one with wide eyes and puckered lips, a show of a fish out of water. Small, precise footsteps can be heard from behind her as she sucked in her breath and closed her eyes, hands fisted in her chest as she screamed into her phone, "I love you..!" then as an afterthought, "..too!"

The wind was her answer as he remained quiet in the other line. It took quite long too, and as she grew impatient and worried of his response, he chuckled, "I know." Only this time, instead of hearing it coming from her phone, she heard his voice coming from right behind her. Her eyes grew wide, dropping her phone from her hand and onto the unforgiving ground, her hands coming up to her chest as she whirled around to face him.

Only to come face to face with one Edogawa Conan, holding his red bowtie up to his mouth, his glasses nowhere to be seen and his expression that of one not belonging to a supposedly 8-year-old child. A small smile graced his features as his eyes portrayed many grueling experiences, all shown to her and her only. And as it all dawned on her; her suspicions, his actions and all the small hints and looks he gave her, he said:

"I'm home."

Because nothing else mattered but her thoughts on him; only her.


I'll let you guys think of how she'd react to that. Well, R&R!

I actually based this on what's been going around the DC world that Gosho-sama has something special planned for Ran's birthday. That something important is gonna happen. So, in canon, Ran's still sixteen. Or I think that's what her age is still. Might be wrong, might be right.

Hiragana - しんじつ = Truth