The Day of Truth

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Detective Conan, and that's a good thing for the characters.

Shinichi's POV:

"Haibara…"

"Yes fine Kudo-kun; just take the Antidote and go."

Something about Haibara seemed different today; she would never give me an Antidote to this curse without a good argument or at least a reminder that I could die. She didn't even ask for anything in return.

"Haibara, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason."

"All right, let me know about any side effects. That will last 24 hours."

"Ok," I said, swallowing the small pill. Almost immediately after, I noticed the signs of my body growing 10 years. There was also something more, though. In addition to the normal flaming skin and melting bones, there was a dull haze overcoming my thoughts and vision. Could Haibara have slipped in a sleeping component? Would she have?

The last thing I saw before blackness overcame me was Haibara on the phone, the last thing I heard was, "Gin, it's Sherry. I got you Kudo-kun. Come get him; I'll leave him in the place where you first found him." Haibara was working for them still? And now she's going to hand me over to them? Oh no…

When I woke up, I was in a cell in a bare room. There were black-clad figures all over the room, watching intently or guarding the door.. 'Where am I?' I thought. 'Why am I here? Oh right. Haibara gave me to the Organization. Now what will happen?'

My thoughts were broken by a cry of "Let me go! Put me down!" I found the source of this voice as two more members of the Black Organization dragged in a clearly defiant and kicking Ran. "Ran! Why do you have Ran!?" I shouted.

"Shin…Shinichi? Is that you?" Ran asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Now why do you have Ran? If you just left her alone, she might have never found out! The media would've just found my body somewhere, and I know you can cover up your victim's deaths well. The only real method that fails that you use is the APTX-4869. And why did you let Haibara join you again?" I asked them.

"What are you talking about, Shinichi!? Where are we? Why do you seem to know these people? And why are you talking like they're going to kill you? What is APTX-4869? And what do you mean they let Haibara join them "again"? How could these people use a seven-year-old? Answer me!"

"I guess I should just tell you everything. You see, every time you've cried for me, I've been right next to you. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't until these people were arrested or dead, until the Black Organization, the people who tried to kill me and were trying to confirm my death, was no more. They are the reason why you are here."

"Shinichi, you're not making sense. How could you have possibly been next to me all this time without me noticing?"

"Remember every idea you got, every question you asked Conan-kun? They were all correct, but I could never confirm your suspicions for fear that this would happen. That night at Tropical Land, I saw something involving those two people in black from the roller coaster that I shouldn't have seen, and they forced me to take an untested poison, the APTX-4869, which was meant to kill the target and leave no trace of itself in an autopsy. It didn't work though; instead it aged my body back ten years."

"Shinichi…is Conan-kun? Then did you somehow help my dad solve all those cases and become a decent detective?"

"Yeah, don't trust him to figure these guys out. I solved every case for him."

"All right little girl, time to get into your cell," a rough voice said.

I could only watch as they pushed Ran into a cell next to mine. I had a feeling we wouldn't be in here long, but it wasn't a good feeling.

Almost a full day later, Ran and I felt nearly dead. We were almost starved and beaten multiple times. Sleep deprivation had taken its own toll, and it wouldn't take much to kill us now. My body started aching and burning, and I knew it was time and the Antidote would wear off soon. My skin was on fire, but something was different this time. This time, it seemed as if the drug was destroying each cell, one by one, until my entire body was no more. I knew that this was the feeling, the feeling that this was the last time I could ever transform. I was going to die. Well, at least Ran knew everything. "Goodbye, Ran. I love you," I managed to choke out, my voice weak.

"Shinichi, what's happening?"

And then blackness overcame me for the final time.

"Shinichi!?"

"It's no use girl, he's dead. Finally."

"He can't be dead! He was fine a minute ago!"

"Guess the Apotoxin was too much for him to take and his heart finally gave."

"No! That's impossible!"

All I could do was watch Ran cry over me as I looked down at her. 'I'll always be with you, Ran…'

A few minutes of Ran sobbing later, there was a loud call.

"Come on! They're in here!"

"Ran! If you can hear me, say something!"

So Kogoro really could figure something out for himself. And he had the sense to bring Megure-keibu and the rest of the police with him.

The Black Organization was soon arrested and Sherry brought in. They learned everything, including that she had created the drug that had shrunk many and killed many more. Ran told them my entire secret in broken sobs, that I was Conan, the child who was always with Kogoro when he solved a case correctly.

A few days later, I watched everyone at my funeral. My parents, Agasa-hakase, Heiji, Ran, Megure-keibu, Kogoro, even Kaitou Kid made an appearance, his outfit black this time.

It felt wrong not to do anything, so I decided to try seeing if ghosts could, in some way, interact with humans. I briefly laid a hand on each person's shoulder and whispered in their ears, "I'll always be here, watching over you." Lingering on Ran, I added, "I love you. Don't ever forget that."

It worked, and everyone present wondered how they could have felt my presence, heard a dead man whisper to each of them. I let a smile escape me and floated behind Ran with the intent of never leaving her side, in life or in death.