Diamond in the Rough

Winter was on its way, the season showing itself not only by the change from warm to cool weather. The days were getting shorter, the sun going down over the horizon around five in the evening. Of course, with such a joyous holiday around the bend, everyone in the city made sure the lack of sun was not a problem.

Streetlights came on, as always, but Christmas lights were strung up on poles or on houses, also. This encouraged people to stay outside longer still to look at all the sights. Most of the time, however, it was only young couples that decided to explore.

Parents stayed in the house after they returned from work to be with their children. No longer were the kids allowed to be over someone else's house on a weekday after four-thirty, for who knows what could happen if they were to walk home by themselves when it got dark. If the parents didn't notice, someone else was sure to.

This didn't seem to be the case for little Edogawa Conan, however. His parents weren't around to worry after him and Kogorou sure didn't care. It wasn't exactly the friendliest neighborhood, so all the stress and worry fell on Mouri Ran.

Conan had come home from school, but left about an hour later again, stating that he was going to see the professor. Ran didn't question why and, she had to slap her forehead when she realized how forgetful she was, realized that she didn't state a specific time for Conan to be home.

And it was going on seven o'clock. Six-fifty-eight, to be exact. She couldn't help but look at her watch every half-minute.

Finally, she couldn't take waiting around for him any longer and grabbed her coat.

Boy, was he in for it.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Conan walked down the street on his way home, but he had decided to take the long way around. The night wasn't too frigid as of yet, the temperature only dropping to about the upper forties.

He had his head hung low, nevertheless, to keep his cheeks from getting wind-whipped when the cool air decided to blow. His hands, which clad no protection, except being stuck deep into the pockets of his pants, seemed pretty numb.

His right hand fingered something that was in his pocket, turning it over and over. The shape of the object was the one thing that was able to bring a smile to his face.

It was heart-shaped. It was actually a Christmas present for Ran, though the holiday was still a whole two-and-a-half weeks away. He had purchased it quite some time ago, having saved up the small amount of money bit by bit that Kogorou so "graciously" gave him.

Though all the other eight-year-old kids seemed as happy and as excited as could be, Conan just thought of it as another year coming to an end.

"And Christmas'll just be another holiday that Ran can't see me."

The thought of seeing Ran down on such an occasion made the smile from his face fade into a frown. Of course, the year before he had talked to her while she waited for him outside his home and then left her the gloves as a present. He saw that it made her happy for awhile, but then she became gloomy again when she mentioned that she wished she could have been able to spend more time with him.

This year would be different, he thought. Ai had come up with the twenty-four hour pill, so he was planning on putting it to good use. Though he enjoyed his time being Shinichi when he took the temporary antidote, the pain that stung him while he transformed was often unbearable.

But he would do it for Ran this one time. To make her happy.

To try to cheer himself up, he smiled again. He lifted his head up, his glasses fogging over some when the cool air made contact. He took the heart-shaped pendent out of his pocket so he could look at it. It wasn't much, but he had engraved "SR" on the back of the small necklace, so that improved and personalized it.

He blushed as he walked down the sidewalk, the people passing by him simply thinking it was the wind making his cheeks red.

Of course, if he decided on changing back to Shinichi on Christmas for Ran, he would have to give her his present in person. He thought that would be a bit embarrassing, but didn't want to back down.

Now all he had to do was come up with a little "speech" so he wouldn't just hand it over to her and say "Here, I hope you like it," and then turn to grab a bite to eat out of nervousness.

Without realizing it, he passed the side street that would have led right to the Mouri residence. Even if he did notice, he still would have chosen to go around the block once more.

He looked up and down the street, now realizing that it was empty. Everyone must have went home to turn in for the day. That gave him enough privacy.

Taking hold of his bow-tie with one hand, he brought it away from his neck a little, drawing it to his mouth. He turned the dial a couple notches, then spoke into it.

"Hey Ran, long time no see, huh? Sorry for not being there, but I got you something that…" he trailed off, Shinichi's voice stopping abruptly. Still with the bow-tie to his lips, he shook his head, "No, no…it has to be better than that. Let's try that again.

"Merry Christmas, Ran!" Conan thought saying that for no special reason at the moment sounded fake, and chuckled. He then began making a parody of what could be said:

"I got you a gift…what? Me showing up here is the greatest gift of all? You sure do know how to make a moment, Ran, maybe we should…"

As he continued talking to himself (or how he would jokingly talk to Ran), Ran walked up to the main street, having just left her house a few moments before to search out Conan. She held her face down to the sidewalk since the wind was blowing right at her, her eyes squinting to keep the cool air out.

She shivered noticeably and mumbled into the collar of her jacket, "How can Conan stand it out here? You would think the kid would get cold enough and then want some hot chocolate but—."

Ran stopped immediately on the corner when she heard a voice. Her heart began beating rapidly for what she thought was no reason at all. But then she listened closer. She put a hand over her heart to try to slow it down, for she was hearing ba-bum, ba-bum more than the talking.

"…I decided to put a little engraving on the back," she heard faintly, "no, I didn't get it professionally done, because I thought that if I…"

Turning her head to look in the direction she heard it from, she saw a small shadow from the person that must have just turned the bend about twenty feet up.

But that wasn't the voice of just any person…

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard herself cry out before she realized what she was doing, "Shinichi! Shinichi, is that you?"

The talking stopped instantaneously. Needless to say, Conan also felt his heart skip a beat. His genius mind thought fast and knew that it was Ran that had called out his name. He cursed lowly.

'It's not like you didn't give her a reason! Nice going, Kudou…"

When Ran didn't hear speaking anymore, she panicked and, ignoring the large gush of wind she got, began running down the sidewalk.

Conan heard her call out his name again and then began hearing her running footsteps coming closer. His eyes widened at the realization that she was going to catch him in the act if he didn't do something quick. And the only thing he could do was run from her. Letting go of the bow-tie, it popped right back into place around his neck.

As fast as his little legs could carry him, he turned a sharp bend. The only way he knew how to avoid her while running down the street was to keep turning bends. If he went straight for too long, Ran would most definitely see him and then…well, and then the rest would be history, so to speak.

He gritted his teeth and clenched the pendent tightly in his fist, the chain of the necklace swinging back and forth with the momentum of his hand. He began getting a little worried when his breath began to come out quicker, for it made it harder to hear how far she was behind him.

"Shinichi, stop! Wait, why are you running?" Ran screamed every time she turned a bend, only to see that his shadow was around another bend. Giving up wasn't an option for her, for if Shinichi was just "hanging-out" around the city without stopping to see her, she found she had a right to punish him.

Conan took a chance to look over his shoulder for a moment, noticing her shadow was pretty close to turning the bend he just took. He looked ahead again, his stomach tightening when he realized that he had run out of bends. Actually, he saw, he also ran out of running room.

Dead end.

There was a brick wall right ahead of him. It was a pretty tall wall, about twelve feet, blocking one alleyway from another. He heard her call out his name again.

Quite truthfully, it made his mind work overtime in a panic as he reached the brick wall, bent down while still jogging, and pressed the button on his shoe. With one swift movement, he pushed himself off the ground and flung himself to the wall, barely making it as his fists gripped the sides. Grunting and, pushing away all doubts from his mind, he pulled his body up with his elbows until he was sitting on top.

He let out a breath but found that it was too soon to celebrate when he saw Ran running towards the brick wall. He thanked whomever for not putting lights up in the alleys, making it too dark for Ran to see properly.

Conan swung his legs to the other side of the wall and jumped down before he had time to think about it. His right foot took more pressure than his left, leaving a strong sting to jolt up his right side. He grimaced for a moment and slumped back against the brick. His hands were still clenched, both clamped shut when he subconsciously remembered that he still held Ran's present.

His chest heaved in and out as he tried to catch his breath. If it was one thing he didn't like at all, that was being hot while it was cold out. He wanted to take his jacket off but didn't want to risk getting sick, and sucking in all that cold air was making his brain and heart ache.

"Shinichi!" The brick wall that she had seen Shinichi jump over stopped her in her tracks, her hands reaching out for it when she couldn't stop herself soon enough. It cracked her hands some because of how numb her fingers were, but that was the least of her worries. She arched her neck back, looking up at the height of the wall and had to wonder how in the world he got over there.

"Shinichi…Shinichi, what are you doing? Why are you running from me?" Ran asked, desperation in her voice as she begged for answers. She listened for a response, even pressing her ear up to the wall.

When she didn't hear anything, tears of frustration stung her eyes as she pounded on the wall to him, "Shinichi, answer me! …Please, tell me you're still there…"

On the other side, Conan had begun holding his breath so she wouldn't hear him at all. He was hoping that she would just walk back home and forget the whole thing ever happened when he didn't respond.

Of course, it couldn't be that easy.

His eyes sorrowed greatly when he heard her sniff and say his name, her voice sounding a little harsh from all the screaming and running she did.

Great, now he was between a rock and freedom.

And he chose the rock.

Slowly, almost regretfully, he brought the bow-tie back up to his lips, "I'm here, Ran."

She jumped when she heard him speak suddenly, her eyes widening in delight, "Shinichi…"

Chuckling, he responded, "That was some chase scene. If that was in a movie, we could have gotten a reward for it, don't you think?"

Hearing his joke, she also gave a small giggle, "Yeah, I…" she then realized that this was not a laughing matter. Her eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously, though Shinichi wasn't able to see the glare, "Kudou Shinichi, how dare you run away from me like that!" Ran yelled at him, pounding her fists angrily on the brick, "What was that all about anyway? Is this supposed to be some kind of game?"

Conan smiled and slid down the wall to take a seat, not sure how long she would thrash at him, "No, it's not a game. It's a matter of life or death."

Ran gasped, her eyes enlarging again, "Wh-what?"

"Ran, I knew that if you just saw me out walking around, you would beat me to a pulp. If I didn't get some protection, you might have killed me already," Conan's eyes sparkled under his glasses, imagining the expression on her face.

Blinking a couple times before she finally comprehended it, she glared at the wall again, thrashing out at it, "Well, even though it's almost impossible, you're smarter than I thought! You were right to run for cover!"

He laughed, "I know. Thanks for agreeing."

This only seemed to make her angrier, her whole face turning red. However, she recovered quickly. She let out the breath she had been holding, leaving only a light pink to brighten her appearance.

"How…how did you get over there, anyway?" she questioned, knowing that if she even tried to jump, she wouldn't be able to reach the top. And even if she somehow could, the brick would scratch her fingers badly. Subconsciously, she took out her red mittens and slid them over her hands.

"I flew, how else?" He replied, grinning when he noticed that she had calmed down.

Ran put her hands on her hips, acting as if she could see through their barrier, "Well, do you think you could fly back over? I didn't chase you down for my health, you know."

"Oh?" Conan questioned inquisitively, a teasing hint in his voice, "then why?"

Though he couldn't see her, Ran blushed and clasped her hands together over her chest, "Because…because I wanted to see you…Shinichi, it's been awhile since you made an appearance." She paused before seemingly getting upset again, "And there you are, just walking the streets!"

Hearing this said, Conan blamed it on nothing but his own stupidity. His demeanor became serious, "Yeah…about that. That was my mistake, I should have never been so out in the open like that."

"What do you mean?" she asked, "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

He sighed, "I guess you could say that. It's just this case I'm working on…I shouldn't be in public where anyone can just see me. Like you."

"Me?" she questioned, her eyes growing once more in astonishment, "Why is it so bad if I see you?"

"Ran, you gotta understand," he began, all of a sudden feeling frantic. He actually had to explain himself more now that they weren't just talking over the phone. He could just hang up on her, saying that he had to go, when they talked like that. But here…he couldn't imagine just walking away from her.

"If anyone happens to catch you with me, you could be in danger, too," he explained, his eyes instinctively wandering from side to side, though there was nothing there but buildings that had no windows.

"In fact…" he went on, speaking lowly as to give her a warning, "I shouldn't even be talking to you like this. Someone could be watching and—."

"No one is watching, Shinichi!" Ran cried out suddenly, but immediately regretted it and looked down in shame, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to snap like that. You know what's going on, I don't."

She sighed and pressed her hands and cheek to the side of the barricade, her eyes closing when she felt those tears again, "I just wish I could see you…even if it's for a moment."

Hearing and feeling her pain, he closed his own eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. It was getting later, therefore the air was getting chillier. He shivered a little and brought his legs up closer to his chest. When his hands got too cold, he began to feel the prick in his palm and finally unclenched his fist to look down at the emblem.

Forcing a smile, he tried his best to put on a happy façade, "Hey Ran, I have something for you. Catch." He brought his arm down then quickly shot it up to give the necklace enough push to go over to the other side.

"Huh?" Ran asked, looking up just in time to see a shiny thing falling towards her. She opened her hands quickly and caught the item in her palms. She looked to see that it was a heart-shaped pendent, noticing how the silver sparkled in what little moonlight shone above.

"That was actually supposed to be your Christmas present," he admitted, smiling when he again imagined the expression she wore, "but I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"Oh, Shinichi, it's beautiful…" she commented, feeling a couple of warm tears drip from her eyes, only to freeze once they reached the center of her cheek.

"Open it up," he told her.

Ran fumbled with the locket for a moment before realizing she had to take off her mittens to snap it open. Once she stuck the hand warmers back in her coat pocket, she was able to grasp it with her nails and expose the secret inside.

She gave a small laugh when she saw her picture on one side and his on the other.

"It took me over three hours to find the right pictures and the right size for that," he admitted, smirking when he heard her laugh again, "Now look on the back."

Smiling wider when she had a funny feeling she knew what she was going to see, spotting "SR" only proved that she was right. For once in a long while, she felt her heart flutter with happiness and hugged the jewel closely to her heart.

She looked up at the top of the wall, wishing beyond all else that she was able to jump it. She mumbled softly enough for him not to hear, but to let the wind carry it, "I now have your heart. But you've always had mine."

"So, do you like it?" Conan asked when he didn't hear any more comments.

Ran looked down at it again, "I love it. Thank you. But…"

"But what?"

"I don't have a present for you," she said sadly, knowing that she wanted to give him the world, but came by empty handed.

He laughed, shaking his head, "That's okay. Besides…you still have two-and-a-half weeks to search for one," he bantered.

Just as he thought, she caught the hint right away, "What? You…you mean you'll be around for Christmas?"

"Yeah," he replied quickly so she, or he, wouldn't have any doubts. He stood up then, turning towards the wall that didn't seem so big or wide now, "I'll make sure to be there."

Blinking from the realization that she would get to see him on Christmas, she finally allowed her face to brighten, making her look new and refreshed. So contented, she said before blushing, "You're the greatest…"

He felt himself blush also, but smiled when he heard how delighted he had made her, "And you're a diamond in the rough, Ran. You say I'm great when I haven't even been there the past year," he paused and then added, "keep being that diamond. Don't get upset or cry anymore, okay? I'll come home as soon as I can."

She felt her breath quicken and her heart lighten from his words, "Shinichi, I…" she then heard slight footsteps and panicked, throwing herself against the brick wall, "Wh-where are you going?"

Conan had begun walking away, but still turned around to answer her, "It's time for me to go now, Ran. I'll see you in two weeks."

Opening her mouth to begin protesting, she quickly stopped herself. Though she would give anything to talk to him more, she had to put her trust in him and allow him to decide what was best. If he had to go, she wouldn't make it harder on him.

She loved him too much for that.

"Goodbye, Shinichi," she called, her stomach tightening when he didn't respond. He had already left. She wanted to cry so badly, but remembered his words and brought up her courage. She had to be strong for him. And she would.

She turned to head back home to see if Conan was there yet.

Sighing, Conan stuck his hands back in his pockets and slowly began walking down the side street. He looked up when he realized it was beginning to snow, smiling softly when he stuck his tongue out to taste a few flakes.

He stood there for some time, enjoying the new moment, when he suddenly realized something. His eyes widened as he grasped the concept that Ran was probably outside in the first place looking for him.

He ran as fast as he could for the second time that night.

Conan arrived back at the Mouri residence within record timing and was praying to anyone that would listen that Ran decided to walk around for a bit instead of coming straight home.

Quickly, he opened the door, only to run right into Ran. First, he noticed how her right foot tapped impatiently. As his eyes roamed up further, he saw her arms crossed and then the strict, motherly look in her eyes.

Guess Shinichi making her day didn't give Conan an excuse to stay out after dark.