Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

Campsite, Toyama Prefecture

"Ran-neechan!" Conan called, tapping the girl on the shoulder. Ran, who until then had been staring at the campfire, upon hearing her name being called, suddenly flinched, swerving her head around in surprise.

"Ah, Conan-kun!" she exclaimed, "Don't scare me like that."

"Gomen," Conan apologized, giving Ran a funny look. Doesn't she seem more on edge than normal? Conan quickly wondered before shrugging the feeling away. "Kogoro-ojisan and I just finished setting up the tent," he said, "And now we're going to the local store to buy some supplies. Do you need anything?"

"Supplies?" Ran asked, putting a finger to her chin and thinking for a moment before responding. "Well, we should probably buy some bug spray," she suggested.

"Hai!" Conan replied, adding it to his mental shopping list. "Then, I'll be going now," he said as he ran off to catch up with Kogoro, who was already on the path towards the store.

"Itterasshai," Ran waved, telling the boy to take care. Conan stopped to nod and wave back before running off again. Ran watched as he disappeared into the woods, finally put her hand down when the boy was completely out of sight. She then returned her gaze to the campfire, which at the moment was nothing more than a few charred branches that had been left over from previous campers; they had yet to light their own fire. "He seems more energetic than before," Ran mumbled to herself, a look of relief on her face.

After visiting the psychologist, Dr. Redgrace, and hearing his suggestion for Conan to have a change of scenery, Ran decided that they- Kogoro, Conan, and herself- would take a weeklong vacation. Well, she had "decided" but ultimately, it was Conan who had suggested the locations. And four days into their excursion, they had practically traveled across all of Japan.

The first stop had been Lake Yamanaka, which Ran found to be a strange suggestion given that when they actually arrived, Conan refused to participate in any of the water activities. Still, he seemed to have enjoyed himself to a degree just sitting lakeside and reading a book.

Next had been Nirasaki, where the three of them had spent the day visiting the ancient shrines scattered around town. They had also managed to catch a local festival after nightfall.

By the third day of the trip, they had arrived at the Kamikochi Resort, where the day was spent on a hike through the woods and, later, in the deluxe saunas and spas the resort offered.

And finally, today, Kogoro had drove them to the furthest point of their vacation, a campsite in the prefecture of Toyama, whose location at the base of Mount Tateyama was rumored to be excellent for relaxation and reduction of stress. The plan was to spend the night camped out in the national park before making the return trip back to Tokyo.

For all the traveling that was done, Ran had to admit that, after observing Conan for the past few days, the psychologist's suggestion was working. The boy appeared more energetic than he had in weeks- gone were the vacant stares, the haggard expression, the bags under the eyes. Conan had even begun relaying amusing, albeit useless, trivia again which he had supposedly learned from watching television. It was as if the last few weeks were but a dream, and the real Conan had finally awoken. And of course, Ran was happy to see the boy return to his usual self. At least, she thought she would be.

As Conan slowly returned to normality, Ran was hit by a sudden realization, one which troubled her greatly and sapped the happiness she should have felt, that is, she realized that her emotions towards Conan had become a jumbled mess. It wasn't that her emotions themselves were jumbled, however. She felt anger when she was angry, felt sadness when she was sad. No, the emotions had been left intact. It was the object of her emotions that had become confused beyond repair, had begun to tear her apart from the inside out.

With Conan back to his usual self, was she supposed to be happy for "Conan"? Or was she supposed to be happy for "Shinichi"? After all, Conan was Shinichi and Shinichi was Conan, and yet the two were not the same. More and more, Ran was beginning to understand that, while the two might be similar in many, if not all, regards, there was one undeniable difference, namely, the role each played in her life. Conan was the little brother character, the one she could shield under her wing. Shinichi was the best friend character, the one under whose wing she was shielded. The two, Conan and Shinichi, tugged at completely different heartstrings. And yet, as of late, Ran was finding it difficult to differentiate the two. The two were beginning to harmonize in her mind, like two sounds merging into one.

But Ran refused to treat the two the same. She had promised herself that, until she had conclusive evidence they were in fact one person, she'd treat them as two separate individuals. Still, her promise was turning out to be more difficult than she imagined. It was not just Conan fainting, or writhing in the psychologist office, or running off into the woods, it was Shinichi as well. Like an afterimage, Shinichi appeared whenever she saw Conan. And with the two people merging in her mind, Ran wasn't sure what to think going forward. The problem had moved beyond the detective discovering her suspicion; Ran didn't even know how to interact anymore. Should she treat him as the seven-year-old Conan or the seventeen-year-old Shinichi? She just didn't know.

Ran sighed and reached into her bag, pulling out a laminated sheet of paper, the one that contained Conan's fingerprints. Despite recent events being rather hectic, she had not once forgotten her goal: to find conclusive evidence that Shinichi and Conan were the same person. To that end, she had even invited Shinichi to celebrate his birthday, in hopes of obtaining the teen's prints.

But now thinking back, Ran wondered if she had been a bit too heartless. Sensing Conan's condition, and yet still deceiving him, was the goal truly worth it? Did the end justify her means? She was doing this so that the two of them could move on, but if he came to hate her in the process, would there be any meaning to it at all?

Like many times before, Ran's resolve faltered once more. She was hopeless conflicted and wanted to throw away the evidence in her hand, return to the time before she found out Conan was Shinichi. Even if it was all just a lie, she wanted to believe that ignorance was bliss.

Just then, Ran felt a sudden urge bubbling inside, the urge to call Shinichi. I know it's dumb. She reached into her bag and pulled out her cellphone. I know they're the same person. Her finger pressed down on the speed dial, initiating the call. I know I can just talk to him when he gets back. The phone rang a few times before finally connecting.

But just for a moment, I want to hear his voice. Just for a moment, she wanted to be deceived.

Local Store

Conan was in the midst of deciding which bug spray to purchase (Bug Me Not or Bugone) when his phone suddenly rang. Pulling it out, he noticed that it was from Ran. He took a quick glance around and, finding that Kogoro was still busy picking out beer, slipped out of the store, moving to somewhere quiet before answering. "Moshi, moshi?"

"Shinichi!" Ran exclaimed as if surprised that she actually received a reply.

"Hey, Ran. What's up?"

"Oh, um-" Ran hesitated, clearly unsure how to proceed.

There was a long silence when neither of them spoke, and for a moment, Conan wondered if the call had dropped, given that they were in a wooded area. But when he doubled checked his phone, it appeared that the call was just fine, the signal still strong. "Ran? You still there?" Conan asked, wondering if something had happened on the other end.

"Shinichi, about your birthday-!" Ran suddenly exclaimed.

"What about it?"

"I-I think we'll have to cancel our appointment," Ran said.

"Why's that?" Conan asked, though he obviously knew the reason already- they were miles away from Tokyo. Still, "Shinichi" didn't know and thus it was only natural for "Shinichi" to ask.

"Conan-kun hasn't been feeling too well lately," Ran explained, "So we've decided to take a vacation. We're in Toyama right now."

"Ah sou. But what about school?" Conan asked, perfectly relaying what one might expect Shinichi to say.

"It's fine, finals aren't until next month," Ran replied. "And besides, I think this is more important than a couple of tests," she finished, her voice growing so soft that Conan could barely catch the words.

"Ran," Conan mumbled, suddenly feeling warm inside. "Well, the kid sure is lucky to have someone so kind beside him," he said.

"That's not true," Ran replied, "It's just...he's always been there for me. So just once, I wanted to be there for him."

Conan opened his eyes wide in surprise, stunned by the sincerity in Ran's voice. For a moment, he stood speechless, unsure how to respond to someone who had just put her heart on display. Fortunately, he didn't have to, as Ran continued before he could speak.

"Ne, Shinichi, how about celebrating your birthday when we return?" she asked.

"Eh?" Conan remarked, taken aback by the abrupt suggestion. Wait, he thought, that would just cause the same problem as last time. It wasn't as if anything had changed since then, so if he agreed, he'd just be putting himself in another dilemma. And he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Just say no. Say no. No. "Sure, Ran." Baka! He was such an idiot!

"Really?" Ran asked, clearly ecstatic from his reply.

"Yup," Conan said cheerily, though he was already groaning inside. "When and where do you want to meet?"

"Eto, how about the Haido City Shopping Mall? Two weeks from now?" Ran suggested.

"Sounds good," Conan replied, realizing that he was probably digging his own grave. Still, it wasn't like he could refuse.

"And Shinichi-"

"Hai?"

"D-do you remember when you confessed to me?" Ran asked, causing Conan to blush.

"Ha? Why are you suddenly bringing it up?"

"Ah, no reason!" Ran quickly replied, "It's just...I never gave you a proper response, right?"

"Uh, I guess so," Conan said, scratching his head bashfully.

"Then," Ran paused, "Shinichi, I-I love you."

As soon as Ran said those three words, Conan could feel himself flush red with embarrassment. Though it had been fine when he confessed, in the heat of the moment, being confessed to felt completely different. A mix of emotions suddenly flooded his mind, causing him to feel rather lightheaded. Conan had to lean against a nearby tree to stop himself from falling over.

"Shinichi? Are you still there?" Ran asked, pulling Conan to his senses.

"Ah, I'm still here," Conan replied, feeling himself calm down a little. His heart was still beating much too fast though. "I'm still here."

"Ne, Shinichi," Ran began, "Can we make a promise?"

"What kind of promise?"

"That no matter what happens, you'll always be my friend."

Ran, Conan thought, surprised once again by how direct the teen was being. He wasn't sure what had gotten into Ran, but he was happy that they were able to communicate their feelings so openly. Conan felt a smile grow on his face. "I promise, Ran. And I promise that no matter what, I'll always be there for you."

"No matter what?" Ran asked.

"No matter what," Conan replied.

Kaito's House

"Damn it! That's not right either," Kaito cursed. He threw the box aside, having messed up the trick again. The box hit the ground with a resounding thud.

"Bocchama? Is something wrong?" Jii asked, walking over when he noticed the teen's frustration.

"They're not coming out right, the tricks," Kaito said. He reached up both hands to rub his eyes, hoping that it would have a calming effect.

"It looked fine to me," Jii remarked. He bent down and picked up the tossed-away box.

"It wasn't!" Kaito snapped, but immediately realizing his error, apologized. "Sorry, Jii-chan. I didn't mean to yell at you. It was uncalled for. It's just, the show's two days away and-"

"It'll be fine, Bocchama," Jii said, putting a hand on Kaito's shoulder as he handed the magician the box, "I'm sure you'll figure it out." Jii gave Kaito a smile before walking out the door, leaving him alone in the room.

"I hope so," Kaito mumbled, dropping himself down on the floor, back against a wall. He put the box aside and tilted his head up, eyes staring at the ceiling as he wondered what was going on. Aoko had been right. He was distracted lately. Ever since the shooting, it felt like all the color in his world had been sucked out. Magic used to come so naturally to him, like breathing. But now, both were tedious; he was struggling for every breath.

The doctor had reassured him that nothing was wrong physically, that it was all in his head. Was he just going crazy then? Kaito couldn't quite understand, in any cerebral kind of way. But he could feel it. He could feel the insignificance, the dullness, of reality. Things just didn't get his blood boiling anymore.

As Kaito stared at the magical box resting beside him, he came to realized that, for whatever reason, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

Campsite, Toyama Prefecture

"Damn, did he trick me?" Kogoro asked, mashing random buttons on his phone. Though he and Conan had just returned from the store, the mustached detective already managed to find something else to preoccupy himself with.

"What's wrong, Otou-san?" Ran asked.

"The friend who sold me the tickets, I was calling to confirm, but I keep getting an invalid number. Did he give me a fake?"

"Eh?!" Ran exclaimed, a worried look on her face.

"Tickets for what?" Conan asked as he walked over to join the conversation.

"It's a surprise," Ran replied.

"Surprise?" Conan wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Or, it would be, if Otou-san manages to get the tickets," Ran clarified, giving her father a dubious look, which was probably warranted given the man's sudden outburst.

"Argh! It's still not working," Kogoro grumbled, holding his phone above his head, as if that would make the call go through.

"Are you sure you entered it correctly?" Conan asked.

"'Are you sure you entered it correctly?'" Kogoro mimicked, trying to show Conan the stupidity of his question. "Of course I entered it correctly."

"Okay...can I take a look anyways?" Conan asked. After some nudging from Ran, Kogoro reluctantly handed the boy the phone. Conan took a glance before asking, "Ne, Ojisan. This friend of yours, is he from a different country, or used to work overseas?"

"Huh? Overseas?" Kogoro asked, as if suddenly reminded of something, "Actually, if I remember correctly, he used to work in a branch office in Spain. Though he transferred back to Japan last month."

"If that's the case, then he probably still has the same phone from when he was in Spain. Which also means you'll need to enter the country code before the number," Conan explained.

"Country code?" Ran asked.

"Yup! Normally, if you dial a domestic call, you don't need the country code," Conan explained, "But if you dial internationally, you need to add the two digit-"

Conan suddenly paused, a realization hitting him like a truck. Wait. That's it! It's so obvious! How did I not see it before?!

"Two digit?" Ran asked.

"Uh, two digit code," Conan finished, looking up from his thoughts. "For example, Japan is 81. The United States is 01. And for Ojisan's friend, who has a Spanish phone number, the code would be 34."

"Thirty-four," Kogoro mumbled as he punched in the rest of the phone number. "Ah, it worked!" he exclaimed when he heard the familiar ring that indicated the call was connecting. There was a pause before someone picked up on the other end. "Hello? Matano-san? Hai. This is Mouri-san. I was calling to confirm the tickets-"

"That's really impressive, Conan-kun!" Ran exclaimed, turning to compliment the boy, "Conan-kun?"

But the boy was nowhere to be seen.

Inside the Tent

Conan quickly ripped out a piece of paper from his notebook and scribbled down the dream code from memory: San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen. The code had eluded him thus far, as he had spent much time racking his brain for the solution. But now that he had the key, it was a simple matter of decoding. "30 den 52 un 48 sen," Conan read off the paper. "That's translates to," he mumbled as his pencil moved across the page, writing down the real message. It was less than a minute before he was done.

Taking the paper in hand, Conan held it up and stared at the decoded sentence, a grin making its way onto his face.

So he and Akai were right after all.

Post Story Notes

Alright, I've pretty much given the solution to the dream code. All that's left to do is to actually decode it :) If you're too lazy, the decoded message will be posted in a future chapter so...there's that xD

Anyways, here's some ShinRan for those who were looking :D Hopefully, my rendition of Ran is a bit less 1-D than the one in the manga.