DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DETECTIVE CONAN.
Note: Advanced apologies for the OOC's.
mimimio: Thank you very much for your review! I'm glad OOC's is okay with you. Hope you enjoy it until it ends!
Nivellia Neil: Thank you again my adorable reviewer! I don't know what else to say to you but my gratitude and that you enjoy the stories as it goes. Yoshihara's plans will be revealed in the future pretty soon *smiles*. Also cannot say more about him.
CHAPTER TEN: GOING BACK TO 18
Yumi wakes up in the floor, a blanket covering her whole body and face. She felt her whole body was sore. She didn't want to move because of it. She wanted to sleep more and rest, even if she was on the floor and not in her bed. But then her phone rang.
Oh the timing of the caller wasn't good.
She forced herself to sit up as she reached for the phone on the bedside table. Miwako Sato. She answered it with a soar voice.
"Ah Miwako, good morning!" She tried to sound cheerful but Sato immediately caught up that she had just woke up.
"Sorry, is this a bad time?"
"N- No not really. I just happen to wake up." She cleared her throat to clarify her voice.
"Well sorry to disturb you. If you're not feeling well, we could go another time."
Go another time?
Yumi rubbed her eyes as she tried to wake herself up from her sleepy state. She realized that she had invited Sato for shopping since it was their day off.
"O- Of course I'm fine! We should definitely go! I'll be on my way!"
"Are you sure?"
"Y- Yeah. I'll be there in twenty!"
She ended the call and ran towards the bathroom to wash her face and there she realized how young she looked. She washed her face for the second time and stared at the mirror. She wasn't hallucinating. She was definitely young! She ran back to her messy bedroom, her bed, where she made her screams last night, remembering about the pill.
It must be the pill. It made me sleep so deeply that everything feels so real.
She nodded and smiled.
He's giving me the dream I wanted!
Stupid, but it could be reasonable. She started wearing teenage clothes. She was going to meet up with Sato in twenty minutes at the Beika Mall.
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At the same morning, Shinichi and Shiho had also woken up, finding themselves back to their real bodies.
"Shiho!"
"Kudo!"
The two screamed at the same time and ran towards each other, meeting up at the living room.
"It worked!" Shinichi exclaimed.
"Told you it will." Shiho had to admit. She was pretty much out of character for the first time since she got back to her body.
"I don't know what to say but..." Shinichi doesn't have the words for it. He hugged her tightly. "I'll see you in school alright?"
"Sure." Shiho smiled.
She had no idea she smiled.
When Shinichi left she sighed and fell on the couch to rest. Yoshihara actually did it. He made a cure. It was great, yes, but she just remembered that he was asking for a price. A price she's not sure she was willing to pay. Shinichi was finally happy. But Shiho wasn't. No matter what she does, she still wasn't free. The organization still has a leash on her.
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Definitely, Shinichi was enjoying his old self. He's been Shinichi Kudo for the past eight hours and he's solved three cases in a row. Carefree is one way to describe him right now. Currently he's in front of Beika Mall to reveal the identity of the shoplifter who accidentally killed a guard.
"And the killer is no other than you, Paku." He pointed at the tall man with white beard.
With all the evidence that Shinichi had stated, all Paku could do was surrender. The police congratulated Shinichi for his hardwork and service for the police. Shinichi coudln't help himself. Being stuck inside Shiho's body limited him from doing a lot of things.
"Shinichi!" Ran called the moment she spotted the confident detective, waving goodbye at the police.
"Oh Ran!" He couldn't be more happy to see her. As him.
"You look really different today." Ran couldn't help it. She completely noticed that something had changed in him since they last saw each other.
"Probably because I'm smiling more than before!" He grinned widely. He knew exactly what Ran was bothered about. After all, if it was Shiho who was playing him for the past days, she's obviously not giving much effort to her actions when Shinichi's not around.
True. He doesn't smile often for the past couple of days.
"So why are you so happy now?" She decided to ask. Shinichi kept his joyful smile and chuckled.
"Something happened. I can't describe it." -more like I can't say it. He thought. "How about I tell you about my recent cases?"
"No way, I still have an essay to finish."
"Oh that. I'll help you with it."
"Are you sure? Yesterday you told me you were just about to start." She remembered how he awkwardly left just a day ago.
"I did?" Shinichi retraced his steps and remembered that it was Shiho's body. He made Shiho the essay! Darn it! I made all that hardwork while Shiho did nothing. "Oh," he chuckled nervously, trying to mask his lack of knowledge about the topic. "I decided to write one with you. If that's okay."
Ran wasn't buying his odd behavior, let alone his lies and excuses. But Shinichi's been sincere on a lot of things for the past couple of days, he was probably just trying to lighten up. (Little did Ran know it was Shiho).
"Sure." Ran returned the fake smile to Shinichi.
Everything was perfect. Too perfect to be true. Shinichi and Ran holding hands as they walked away from Beika Mall. Shinichi not living under the fear from the organization. To be with Ran without having a fear of someone planning to kill him. He wished he could stay that way with her, but just like he thought; It was too perfect to be true.
He spotted Miyamoto Yumi. The single traffic officer who had always tried many mischievous things to both help Sato and Takagi be together and separate them. The same officer who did the same with Chiba and Miike. But right now his eyes were confusing him because that same officer looked younger than she should look.
She's... she's pretty darn sexy!
"Shinichi?" Ran followed his gaze, eyeing a familiar girl waving shopping bags at Miwako Sato.
I- It can't be..! Yumi-san... Yumi-san is...
He couldn't bring himself to say anything as he let go of Ran's hand to run over to the other side to talk to this young version of Yumi. Ran wanted to go after him, calling his name, but he looked back at her, telling her he'll be alright and that she should hurry home, that he'd catch up.
He's... leaving again. Ran thought.
For her, it was also too good to be true. For her to finally be with Shinichi. But something that he's keeping, a secret, it's keeping them apart. Far apart that she doesn't know how long she can try and reach to his side. She gave him one last look before walking away, bumping into a man with heterochromic eyes who grinned at her.
"I- I'm sorry." Ran said apologetically yet somehow insincere for her mind was completely in the state of deep thought. She passed by him, walking like a zombie.
"Boyfriend troubles?" The man guessed.
"Boy troubles." She corrected but did not turn to face him and kept walking. She's not sure what to call Shinichi anymore. He's so close yet so far.
"I may not be an expert, but you shouldn't chase him. If he really wants you, he'd chase you." The man said simply while her back was turned. Ran let the words sink in for a while, stopping her from walking further. And when she turned back to the man, he was gone.
Meanwhile, Shinichi had approached the younger version version of Yumi. He couldn't believe it. She's speaking exactly like Yumi! There was no doubt it's her!
"It's really me, Miwako!" Yumi claimed.
"I- I don't know. There's no way that your body would just," Sato couldn't bring herself to say the right words to describe Yumi's condition "revert back from aging." She finished.
"I know, I know! It's really impossible. That's why this is only a dream!"
Shinichi slapped his forehead. Yumi doesn't understand what's happening to her and in Sato's eyes she's spilling nonsense. Well, not much of a nonsense if Apotoxin-4869 would be exposed to the entire Beika- or worse, the entire Japan.
"Miyamoto-san!" Shinichi called. He can't risk anything like that.
"Oh hey Kudo-kun!" Yumi waved at him as he walked closer. Sato waited for him, hoping that he'd be able to explain Yumi's odd features and her claims of de-aging.
"Miyamoto-san, don't go running away like that." Shinichi wasn't so sure if Yumi would actually go with his lie formulation right now. But he's in a rush. He needed to shut her up.
"Why not? It's my only off day so I really needed to shop!" Shinichi had no idea if she were playing her role or simply being ignorant because she think it was just a dream.
"Hey detective, do you know what she's talking about? Is it really possible?" Sato crosses her arms, wanting a valid, reasonable and logical explanation for Yumi's strange behavior.
"Oh well, she's Yumi-san's cousin!" The same excuse he and Shiho come up for Haibara and Shiho's relationship.
"Yumi-san's cousin?" Sato repeatedly in disbelief. Yumi squinted at the detective.
"What are you saying?! I'm-" Shinichi immediately cuts her off.
"Miyamoto Yuri." He finished.
Yumi pulled him by the arm, giving distance between them and Sato who was suspiciously staring at them. Yumi pulled Shinichi farther, wondering what he was up to. Shinichi was thinking the same thing. But he let Yumi lead him at the corner so they could talk in private.
"What was all that Kudo-kun?" She asked childishly.
"I'll explain later. For now, I need you to blend in with me. Alright?"
Shinichi was badly hoping that she'd agree with him. Yumi is a wild character after all. She nodded at him and the two went back to Sato, her suspicions growing by the minute.
"Sato-san, sorry for tricking you earlier. It's just that Yumi-san doesn't want to introduce me to her friends so I decided to run off and act like her!" Yumi explained.
"Where's Yumi now?"
"I sent her to France for a while, paying for the ticker and everything!" Shinichi internally face palmed. She probably still think it's a dream for her to say something like that.
"And what do you know about him?" Sato eyed Shinichi and Yumi chuckled.
"Everyone knows Kudo-kun! He's a famous detective after all!" Yumi answered confidently. Oi, oi, isn't she taking this seriously?
Sato couldn't point which part was the lie, but something was really up with this Yuri Miyamoto character. She decided to let it slip and call Yumi herself. Shinichi immediately noticed that the moment Sato took her phone, she will dial Yumi. Yumi still had her phone with her. Not good.
The phone rang and Sato squinted at Yumi.
"Why do you have Yumi's phone?"
"She left it. She won't need it in France!" Shinichi tried to bear with her lame excuses.
"How do you contact her then?" Sato narrowed her eyes more, trying to intimidate Yumi.
"She'd call with her new number." Yumi shrugged innocently. "I'll let you know if she calls." Her innocent smile made Sato sigh. Somehow Yuri resembles Yumi (not knowing they are actually one and the same). Her suspicions were still there. She just decided to let her slip. Until she's found concrete evidence against this Yuri person.
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Ran was waiting for Shinichi to come home, waiting outside of Agasa's house. She didn't want to knock knowing he's not home yet. She was sitting by the porch, staring at the orange skies. The sun was about to go down so that the moon would come up.
Shinichi...
After a few more minutes of silence, she has spotted the same man from earlier, the one giving her advice. He was walking with the new student. Ai's cousin. That woman Ran was having mixed feelings of jealousy and hate. Shiho Miyano.
The two were talking to each other with the tone of their voices so low that she thought they were whispering to each other.
Ran hid her presence behind the bushes in the garden. She doesn't want to be seen like that. Seen crying. Hurt. And she most definitely will not want the comfort of the woman Shinichi said was 'no one' to him. If she were no one, why do they live together? Why do they have conversations that only they could understand? It was as if a lie she wanted to believe so bad.
Her train of thought broke when she saw the man pushing Shiho by the door, the key of the front door dropping from Shiho's hand.
What is he doing? Ran thought. Keeping her eyes on them.
"No goodbye kisses?" The man asked.
"No." She said with her usual cold demeanor. It doesn't surprise Yoshihara, he was most actually amused by it.
"Well then, until we meet again."
"We agreed to only meet once." She pulled him from leaving. Ran had a different thought because she couldn't hear them. She thought that Shiho loves the man, not wanting him to leave, but Shiho's facial expression crosses out Ran's thoughts.
"First encounter is a start." He walked back towards her, making her back hit the front door. "But if you don't want to see me again, just say the word."
Shiho didn't say anything. She didn't want to see him again because he was from the organization but at the same time she wants to because she needed to know how he's able to make the antidote for her and Shinichi. And that he made two instead of one.
Yoshihara took her silence as 'I don't know' and smiled. He leaned closer to kiss her forehead, his chest feeling her rapid heartbeat. He walked away and Shiho remained frozen from where she stood.
It didn't take long for Yumi's bubbly voice echoed nearby.
"Yumi-san, please calm down." Shinichi tried to keep her quiet, not wanting anyone to hear her voice. If anyone's to take notice of this new strange character in Beika, it'll be hard to cover up for her, especially if she wasn't cooperating with them.
Shiho took notice of Shinichi and a young Yumi walking closer to Agasa's house, her eyes widening at the sight of the de-aged Yumi.
"Kudo, what's all this?" She said, shaking away her rattled state earlier and crossed her arms.
"Now, now, Miyano-san, let me explain." Shinichi said as he pushed Yumi in between them, as if hiding, afraid of tickles, forgetting that that he's no longer in Shiho's body.
"I already am. Now speak." She demanded.
"Whoa, you look exactly like that Haibara kid!" Yumi exclaimed as she scrutinized Shiho from top to bottom. Shinichi immediately pulled Yumi away from Shiho, not wanting Shiho to do anything violent. "Hey Kudo, who's this?"
Ran's heart throbbed. Shinichi's been spending his time with two women. Two young women. Two young beautiful women. Two young beautiful women that she barely knew. First Shiho and now this person from the mall.
Shinichi, you liar...
"Kudo, are you going to explain, or are you going to wait for me to punish you?" Shiho said impatient with his lack of explanation.
"Let's talk inside." Shinichi offered and Shiho reached for the key on the floor to open the front door.
Ran didn't want to listen anymore, she thought she's heard enough.
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"So Yumi-san is a victim of...?" Shiho wanted to confirm.
"Yeah." He confirmed and Shiho massages her forehead. One problem fixed, another problem rises.
"Where did she get it?"
"She said her secret admirer delivered it to her in an envelope. She took it and the next day she was this." Shinichi answered. "But the thing was, the secret admirer said it was vitamins."
"He probably lied."
"I wonder who it is." Shinichi places a hand in his chin as he thought about the new mystery. He feels excited, Shiho knew. But Shiho had a guess herself. Other than the Black Organization, only Yoshihara had a copy of the Apotoxin. So he was primarily her suspect.
"Kudo I'm going out for a while. You look after Yumi-san."
"Eh? It's dark already."
"I won't be long. And make sure you explain what you need to. We don't want her walking around, endorsing how the Apotoxin can make you young again." With that, Shiho left and Shinichi sighed as he went to Yumi who was reading fashion magazines at the living room.
"Hey Kudo-kun, can I go home now?"
"Yumi-san, I need you to listen to me very carefully."
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Shiho knew where to find him. He already got her mailing address. So she went to his house boldly and he was surprised to see her when he opened the front door.
"Couldn't keep your hands off me?" He smirked.
"You used the Apotoxin on another person. I want to know why." Yoshihara raises a brow on her.
"I'd never done that. And if you're not aware, I never received your package."
"What?"
"I didn't receive the sample of the Apotoxin I asked."
"That's impossible. Why else would you send me the antidote?" The man shrugged.
"I trusted your words enough. The only thing you sent me is fruit vitamins." He scoffed. "It was quite relaxing though."
"Fruit vitamins?"
Wait a minute... it can't be...
It was too late to realize it. But she finally found the answer she was looking for.
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Well I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry if Yumi was OOC or if anyone else was.