Disclaimer: Detective Conan do not belong to me, to Gosho Aoyoma,

( Chapter 10 : Concealed feelings )

Her eyes fluttered open and she was shocked to find herself in a strange environment. " What am I doing in the hospital?" She muttered, trying to get up. With a yelp of pain, she was back with the pillows again.

" Baka! What are you doing?!" Heji appeared suddenly, giving Kazuha a good shake and shock.

" Getting up." She replied with the same angry tone. But in her heart, she was very glad to see Heji so concerned about her.

" People who get shot are supposed to stay on the bed!!" He sat down on a chair by her bedside.

Ignoring his outburst, Kazuha reached for his face. " You stayed up all night?" She said with a pained look, seeing the dark circles under his eyes.

" Yes, and it's all your fault." said Heji jokingly.

" I didn't ask you to do that."

" No, but you should be proud I took the initiative." Kazuha laughed.

They continued like this for a while before Kazuha remembered something.

" Where's Ran?" She asked, anxious to see her.

Heji's happy mood evaporated almost immediately.

" She is ......with Kudo." After a moment of hesitation, he answered.

" What's wrong with them?" She could sense something amiss in his words.

" I ... think you should go and see them." He turned his face away from Kazuha.

- Outside the Intensive Care Unit

" Here, eat something." Eri pushed the bread into her daughter's hands, heartbroken. Ran was just like a stone statue, her eyes vacant. Kogoro came back with two cups of streaming coffee.

" Eri, take one," He hold out the cup to her, staring at the painting on the wall. Eri took the cup and continued to persuade Ran to eat. Ran continued to look at the figure inside, oblivious to them.

Yukiko leaned against him, dried lines of tears on her pallid face. She was asleep, uttering Shinichi's name several times. Putting his jacket carefully over her, Yusaku got up. He saw Jodie Saintemillion and Shuichi Akai down the corridor, discussing something. The police was also there, blocking the increasing wave of reporters.

He stopped in front of the glass panel. The machines clicked and clucked loudly around his beloved son but he did not stirred, not even once.

" Haven't you slept enough, Shinichi? It's time to wake up." said Yusaku sadly. " There are people waiting for you. Especially Ran."

I mustn't shed a tear. I need to be strong for Yukiko and you.

Then he heard a long beep. Heart almost stopping, he yelled for the doctor and burst into the room. At the corner, Heji and Kazuha broke into a run. Ran broke out of her trance.

" Shinichi!"

- Several months later

The rain beat rhythmically against the black umbrella. Dressed in black and white, the young woman stood in front of a newly carved tombstone.

" Shinichi," She said quietly. " I have passed the entrance examinations." Ran bent down, placing a bouquet of lilies on the stone surface. " Sonoko decided to go America so that she could be with Makoto." Straightening herself, she smiled. Her mind drifted to the events that happened months ago.

Shinichi's parents broke down that day and so did she. Those months without Conan, or Shinichi were terrible. Every time the phone rang or the door opened, Ran thought Shinichi was back. Eri had to move back to the agency to take care of her and the housework. Gradually, she moved out of the misery and continued her life. Turning her pain into energy, she sat for the Tokyo University entrance examinations and passed with flying colours.

Then, she felt all the wretched feelings and emotions coming back, filling her up.

" You promised to come back. As Conan, you used every acting skill you had to convince me Shinichi was alive and that you were just a child. Just to protect me from the organization." A glittering tear escaped into the grey mist.

" I was such a fool, wasn't I? To think we grew up together and I didn't know it was you." She continued, the pain overwhelming. " You saved me from countless dangers and even took a knife for me. It wasn't easy for you to be Conan and Shinichi at the same time. Yet I kept believing you ran away with some woman and forgotten about me. Why? Tell me why a little bullet stop you. You did survived one as Conan, but not as Shinichi?" Abandoning her umbrella, Ran sank to the ground. She did not care about the rain. She had enough tears to flood the whole cemetery.

" Why didn't I have the courage to express my feelings?" Ran muttered. " Shinichi, you baka tantei, I love you. But what the use saying that now?" She screamed at her loudest, releasing her suppressed feelings.

After what seem like a eternity, Ran was calmed down. Picking up the umbrella, she walked back to her father's car.

" Ran."

Shinichi? Ran shook her head. Must be thinking too much of him.

She got into the car and left. The figure in the bushes watched the car until it disappeared for his view. He turned to left too.

New York, United States of America

Exhaling the smoke, the man put out his cigarette. He took out a list and started crossing out names with a red marker. Then, he stopped. " Gin and Vodka are down. But Vermouth too?" His calm eyebrows arched in anger. " I was preparing to let you live, Shinichi Kudo. But you had to touch Sharon as well." He took out another cigarette and lighted it. " You will pay, and this," he looked at bustling city beneath his feet, " shall be your stage, Shinichi Kudo." He finished, eyes blazing with fire.

Thalia: Finally finished this last chapter!!!! Why did I took such a long time to write this short chapter? Because I was torn between whether to kill Shinichi off and having a sequel. Well, he 'dead' for this story, and let's see if Shinichi will be alive again in the sequel. However, the sequel will only be worked upon if my CCS fic is finishing. Thanks for all your support and reviews!!!!