Time for something cute and sappy. Hehe.

Did You Forget?

Ran woke up in a bad mood. Ever since she had stormed into the kitchen and begun furiously cooking breakfast, both Kogorou and Conan hadn't said a word. Somehow, they both knew it would not be in their best interests to speak while Ran was in such a sour mood. Conan wasn't sure what she had to be mad about though, especially since it was her birthday. He turned to the detective sitting nearby. I hope the old man didn't forget his own daughter's birthday...that would only end in disaster. Although his coming home totally drunk at two in the morning might have something to do with her bad mood... Suddenly, the man cleared his throat and stood up.

"I'll take care of the grocery shopping, Ran," he said for the first time ever. She turned to him as if to start shouting, but the anger was replaced by shock in an instant.

"W-w-what did you say?" she stammered.

"I said I'm going to take care of the groceries," her father repeated. "Where did you put the list?" Ran just stared at him for a moment. Then she dumbly handed him a small slip of paper from her pocket. Conan watched with a shocked look of his own as Mouri Kogorou walked out the door with an actual purpose. He was a man on a mission, and Conan could only hope that his intention was not to go out drinking after he got the groceries.

Conan's phone buzzed in his pocket as Ran turned back to the stove. He took it out and read the text Haibara had sent him. "Come over. I read the professor's calendar, and I have a new temporary antidote to try out that I made for today." Today? Does she mean she made it specifically for Ran's birthday? She wouldn't do something so nice for someone else though...would she?

"Why Ran's birthday?" he texted back. He set his phone down and it buzzed again almost immediately.

"Do I really need to answer that question?" Conan smirked.

"Have you gone soft, Haibara? If so, we need to document this historical occasion."

"Let's just say I owe her a debt of gratitude. I would have been killed if it weren't for her, and in exchange I want her to be able to have a good birthday. Understand? Now get over here before I change my mind." Touchy aren't we, Haibara? Conan got up and walked cautiously over to Ran, not sure whether or not her anger had completely subsided from earlier.

"Ran-neechan?" he said softly. She looked down at him, and he couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a touch of sadness in her eyes. "Haibara wants me to come over for the day, and I might spend the night at the professor's." Ran sighed, but she smiled down at him anyway.

"Alright," she replied. "Just don't get into any trouble, OK?" Conan nodded, and smiled to himself as he dashed down the stairs with his skateboard under his arm. She won't have to worry about that. I'll be with her the whole day.

Ran watched him as he hurried down the street, missing his presence in the quiet and empty apartment. She sat down on one of the sofas in the detective agency and sighed again. She glanced down at her phone. I could call Sonoko and see if she has time to go shopping...but she said she'd be busy today... Ran picked up the phone and scrolled through her list of contacts, her finger stopping to hover over a name she hadn't called since the last case she had asked for help on. He usually calls me first, but he hasn't in a while...

She put the phone back down and switched on the television. She regretted letting her father get the groceries because she usually got them herself to beat the boredom of being alone on the apartment. Ran left the television on a show she had seen before, and soon enough, she had drifted off to sleep. She was startled awake by loud knocking at the door to the agency an hour later, which she found strange since it was usually unlocked during the day for clients. She got up and opened the door anyway to find someone beginning to walk back down the stairs. He turned back around to face her, and smiled at her shocked face.

"Hey Ran. Long time, no see. I thought maybe you had gone out somewhere," Shinichi said; Ran taking an extra minute of staring to absorb his words. He shifted awkwardly on his feet and held up a small bouquet. "Um...I got you some flowers..." Damn Shinichi. Real smooth. Now she probably thinks you're an idiot. Ran seemed to snap out of her daze as she took the flowers from him though, and she hid her face behind them as she led him inside so he wouldn't see her blush.

He watched her place the flowers in a vase on the coffee table, and she sat down on the sofa when she was finished. "So...are you staying long?" she asked. Shinichi bit his lip. He hated having to tell her she would have to wait longer, but at least it wasn't another lie.

"Sorry, Ran. I'm only back in town for today. I wanted to know if we could maybe go somewhere though." Ran stood up and walked over to the front door again.

"Alright then," she said, slipping on her shoes. "Where did you have in mind?"

"Well...I was going to let you decide..." Ran gave him a weird look.

"You want me to decide where we're going to go?" Shinichi shrugged, but he nodded to her. That was how she knew he wasn't kidding. She thought for a moment, and then smiled. "We could go back to Tropical Land," she suggested quietly. "I wanted to go back again with you, but we never did." She didn't notice Shinichi had curled his hand into a fist because he hid it behind his back. He agreed quickly before he could convince himself to do otherwise. Then they left the agency together and headed to the theme park for the second time.

Although Shinichi was nervous, he still had fun with Ran at Tropical Land. He had walked past the alley where he had met Gin and Vodka multiple times as they went to different parts of the park. Each time got a little easier though, and each time he passed he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was still alive. He had survived it, and the memory of what had happened in the alleyway was just that: a memory. He had more fun with Ran than he had had the first time. He filed away each moment with her in his memory, and every time she laughed he felt as if his heart would burst.

Eventually, they were standing on one of the park's observation decks, overlooking the city outside Tropical Land. Ran leaned on the railing with an ice cream cone, and Shinichi stood beside her with one of his own. "So what's all this for?" Ran asked, turning to meet his eyes. "Why'd you come back today of all the days?" Shinichi furrowed his brow in confusion. What's wrong with today? Today's her birthday...both Haibara and I figured that it would be a nice birthday present for me to spend the day with her.

"Ran, you do know what today is, right?" Ran rolled her eyes at him and faced the view again.

"Let me guess, some anniversary of some Holmes story," she answered, a hint of boredom and irritation in her voice. Shinichi dug his phone out of his pocket and checked the date. It's definitely the right day...

"Ran. Did you really forget?"

"Forget what?" Shinichi set a small rectangular box on top of the railing, and Ran looked up at him like he was crazy.

"Open it. It's for you." She handed him her ice cream cone and picked up the box. Then she pulled off the ribbon and opened the lid to find a necklace. It was simple, but the tiny colored gem in it was a light, blue color that glittered in the light. Shinichi observed Ran looking oddly at the necklace as she lifted it from the box. "What's wrong? I thought you liked that color."

"Oh no. I do, I love it," she answered. "It's just that I don't understand what all this is for." Shinichi sighed and then laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You're not turning into me, are you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Ran. Today is your birthday." Ran just stared at him for a moment; the same way she had stared at her father.

"Wait. It is?"

"Yeah," Shinichi told her, trying to contain his laughter as he handed back her ice cream. She picked up the box with her necklace, and seemed to be contemplating something as they started to walk away. "What is it?" She shook her head and laughed a little.

"Now I know why my otou-san offered to go to the store for me." They exchanged a look and both of them laughed. "You know," Ran said as she took out her necklace again. "I love this necklace, and I'm glad you came for my birthday. You could come any day though, and I'd be just as happy: gift or no gift." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, and smirked to herself as his face turned red. "Now if only we could get you to remember when it's your birthday..."

Just a little cute fluffy story for your enjoyment. Remember, if you have a request or prompt, let me know...thanks for reading. I won't be updating this as often though because I finally started posting my ongoing story, Broken Family. Don't leave though. There's more to come. I'm not abandoning this.