Some comic relief from Shinichi and Shinji, and some strangely deep meaningful words from Conan! You better prepare yourself mentally!
I'm proud to announce that I've got the story back under my control (I think), so no more unexpected developments from these mischievous characters, I'll be able to head towards the ending no problem!
You wouldn't be reading this right now if you haven't been enjoying so far... I hope hope you like it this time too. As far as reviews go, Thank you! Please review this time too.
-._.-._.-
28. Who I Am And Who I Used To Be
Seeing the look on Ran's face I almost burst out laughing. I spilled, I'd told her the entire truth, all at once without stopping -if I had stopped I wouldn't have been able to make myself start again. It had taken her a moment but her mind was finally beginning to register everything I'd said; the result was a look of confusion, horror, surprise, shock, and worry all tossed into a blender together.
"So then Shinji and Conan-kun are..." She stuttered.
"Both me from the future after having been given a poison."
"So when I bathed and slept with Shinji I was bathing and sleeping with..."
"A shrunken twenty-eight year old Shinichi Kudo. Wait... You bathed and slept with him! ?"
"...only once."
I couldn't help but wonder why I hadn't been told about that before, that was something I really should have known. Now I'm going to need to go beat up Shinji... and Conan too, for good measure, who knows what they've done in their original timelines...
...
When Shinichi and Ran made their way back I was about to ask how the confession went but something about the tension in the atmosphere made me feel like I needed to hide under a sofa. With just a glace it was apparent that Conan felt the same way.
Just from the looks on their faces and the almost murderous vibes I was getting from both of them that he had just went ahead and told her everything.
"So you told her?" I asked, keeping it vague just in case he actually hadn't.
"Yeah, I told her," He replied, then he came up close to me and whispered in my ear with an accusatory tone, "Why didn't you tell me you've bathed and slept with Ran?"
"I told you there were reasons I definitely didn't want my identity to be known, she'll kill me with her karate you know. Besides..." I trailed off as I realized that what I was about to say was a bad idea but it was too late not to say it, I continued anyway, "It's only happened twice."
"Twice? Ran said it only happened once?"
"Um... that is... it happened in my timeline, and it was repeated in this one..." I replied, hoping he wouldn't be so angry.
"Then you already knew it was going to happen before it did?"
I can already see where this is going..."It was unavoidable, she insisted on bathing with me, I actually tried to refuse both times. As for the sleeping... she was lonely, and came asking if she could sleep with me, as a six/seven year old I could refuse... get your mind out of the gutter."
The look on his face when he realized that he couldn't argue with that was priceless, he realized that he would have done the same in either situation. Well, not the bath, with his current body he'd probably die or blood loss in the bath.
"And you haven't done anything else that I should know about?" He asked, his tone made it painfully clear that he thought I probably had but that he was giving me the benefit of the doubt anyway.
"She's a bit young for me don't you think?" I countered him, making sure there was enough sarcasm in my voice that he could tell it was more or less a joke.
"Geez, don't act your age, it's creepy! The last thing we need is a seven year old that like twenty to thirty year olds running around."
"Would you rather me act the age I appear to be?" I asked in a childish tone, for good measure I added, "Shinichi-niichan?"
"That's creepy too..."
...
Ran had come over to talk to me, presumably because talking to Shinji now that she knew the truth about him would be extremely awkward, I at least hadn't been living with her in this timeline.
"Cona- I mean Shinichi..." She trailed off, she probably felt strange, unsure of what to call me.
"'Conan' is fine. It'll just be confusing if you start calling Shinji and I Shinchi."
"You really are Shinichi then?" she asked, on her face she wore the understanding smile I'd seen so many times in my original timeline. She looked so beautiful like that, I almost felt guilty that I wasn't the same as her Shinichi. I nodded, seeing no need to answer aloud. She continued, "It's unbelievable... I can't even imagine what you've been through..."
"I myself find it hard to believe sometimes. But every time I look in the mirror it reminds me that this is my reality, and just how little I can do to change it," I responded, I tried to smile, but I'm sure it came out looking sad.
For just a moment her smile changed there was an uncomfortable flicker of sorrow before she returned to her wise and understanding smile, "I see... you really are the same as him... then does that mean you also..."
"Yeah, I feel the same way that he does... about you," I was a bit embarrassed to say it, I was probably blushing a bright crimson as I continued, "but for me the situation has changed... I've changed. I'm not the same 'Shinichi Kudo' I was before; I've already sacrificed my pride, I'm not as naive as I once was, the world as I knew it has completely disappeared from my sights... as I am now I know that I can never go back to my happy daily life where I would smile and wait for just the right moment to tell you how I really felt..."
"Conan-kun, I-"
"Don't worry about hurting my feelings by you being with Shinichi, I'll be happy as long as you're happy."
...
Apparently, while Ran and I were out they had decided on a new name for the time traveling Haibara, and they'd also decided what we should do next.
Let me be the first to say, the plan was dangerous, it was flashy, maybe even stupid... but that wouldn't stop me from doing it. With Ran knowing the full truth she was in more danger now than ever, if I just let the Organization hang around she's bound to get hurt at some point; it didn't matter how much danger I was in if she was in trouble I wouldn't mind an all or nothing bet like this.
I already knew without a doubt that Shinji would be willing to go to hell and back to keep the future that he witnessed from happening again, as for Conan the look in his eyes told me that he would never stop trying to return to his Ran. In this regard the three of us were the same.
So when Shinji proposed their ridiculous plan I didn't hesitate to agree.
I trust those two, they know better than anyone what we're dealing with.
