Conan's Choice

It's been almost five years since Jimmy Kudo was last seen. Rachel Moore is twenty-two years old and is in college now, thinking about a future without him, but at night she still dreams about him. Jimmy calls her on weekends and they talk, but that is all. Rachel is depressed about being in love with a boy who is never around and tired of the emptiness.

Jimmy, a.k.a. twelve year old Conan Edogawa the seventh grader, is also starting to get sick and tired of going back and forth with his two lives. Dr. Agasa still hasn't figured out how to turn Conan back into a teenager permanently yet. His life is pretty dull and simple since he's reliving childhood. His days are spent hanging around comic book stores or other places with his friends George, Mitch, and Amy. Conan was finally able to live with his parents again since they moved back to Tokyo, so he has not seen Rachel for ages and also has not helped her father, Richard Moore, solve anymore mysteries. People still go to Rachel's father for help, but it just hasn't been the same. Conan was beginning to think of a life without Rachel too.

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It was Friday and the bell had just rung saying school was over. Conan started to rush out the door, but then someone grabbed his arm to hold him back. He turned around and found Amy looking at him shyly.

"Can you walk home with me," she asked him.

"Uh… sure?"

"Alone?" This surprised Conan. Everyday he and the gang usually walked home together and stopped at an arcade to play games. Never had Conan walked with Amy alone, so why did she want to now?

"Sure," he replied nervously. They set off for Amy's house and walked quietly almost all the way. Then she broke the silence.

"Do you like anyone in school?" This question also took Conan by surprise.

"No," he answered honestly. Silence filled the air for awhile longer. Then Conan felt her grab his hand, which was closed in a fist.

"I really like you Conan." He looked at her but she was looking down at her feet. Conan had a warm feeling inside him, the feeling he usually got when he was around Rachel, but he didn't know why he felt this way with Amy. He opened his fist and held her hand too. They walked hand in hand until they reached Amy's house. He went to the front door with her and they stood there for a moment. Conan was staring at their intertwined hands, then suddenly Amy leaned in and their lips were touching. Conan didn't know what to do, but she had stopped before he could do anything.

"I really like you Amy," he heard himself say. Their lips touched again, but that time Conan had leaned in first. After they pulled apart they heard Amy's mother calling her in. Amy let go of his hand and went through the door.

Conan walked home blushed. On his route home he had to go through the street where Rachel lived. He saw her walking toward the building and she saw him too. She smiled and waved at him. Conan waved back and stopped at the corner. Rachel went inside as Conan watched her, and then he sighed.

When Conan got home he did his homework in a flash since he knew all the material. Then afterwards he went outside and started kicking a soccer ball around in his backyard, thinking about his dual lives.

'I want Rachel to be happy,' he thought, 'to not worry about me. She always seems sad when I see her and sounds depressed on the phone when I talk to her. I love her… but I've begun to love Amy too. I have to make a choice. Do I want to wait and live as Jimmy with Rachel, or stay as Conan with Amy?'

By dinnertime he finally made his decision, but he had to let his parents know, so he made the announcement.

"I'm going to give up on my life as Jimmy Kudo." His parents stared at him wide-eyed while he spoke. "I'm going to grow up again and live a new life as Conan Edogawa." His parents were speechless, but his father decided to comment.

"Well, if that's your choice, then we'll have to support you, Conan."

"Are you both ok with my decision?" His parents nodded. 'Still,' thought Conan, 'I'd like to spend one last night with Rachel.'

-----

Around noon on Saturday Conan went to Dr. Agasa's house to discuss his choice.

"Can you inject me with enough of that growth serum to last me about thirty hours?"

"I guess so," replied Dr. Agasa, "but why Conan?" Conan started to get a little anxious and felt that tingling feeling inside him again as he thought of the answer.

"I want to spend one last day with Rachel. Then I want to fake my death."

"You want to what?"

"It's really complicated. If I just break up with Rachel she'll still want to be friends with me, so she'll want to keep in touch, but I want to erase that part of my life completely. If I'm dead I'll just not exist. I'll only be a memory and as time goes by she'll forget all about me. After that I'll only have one life, and unfortunately it has to be without Rachel."

"Well, if that's what you really want to do then ok, I'll help you."

"For right now my plan is to be with Rachel. I don't know how I'm going to fake my death yet."

"Ok, I have the serum right here." Dr. Agasa had produced a needle filled with clear liquid. Conan looked away as he was given the shot. Then for a few heart and head pounding moments of pain Conan twitched on the floor. After one really big head throb he passed out.

Dr. Agasa used smelling salts to awaken him after the transformation was complete. Conan looked at his older self and was satisfied. Right away he went to the phone and dialed Rachel's number. The phone rang three times before her father answered.

"Hello, detective Richard Moore at your service. What's the problem?"

"Uh… can I talk to Rachel? It's Jimmy."

"Oh," he replied displeased. "Rachel, phone for you." Conan heard footsteps in the background and muffled talking, and then Rachel finally got the phone.

"Hi Jimmy, how's everything?" Conan felt like there was a lump in his throat.

"Um Rachel… I'm back in town, and… I'd love to go out with you." Rachel didn't answer right away, but when she did her emotions spilled out.

"I never see you, and now you come back and just expect me to act as if time has never gone by? Are you going to leave me again in the middle of everything?"

"I don't think so. I may stay here and go to college with you. I really want to see you again Rachel."

"Fine, we'll go to the movies tonight at… seven. See ya then." She hung up without saying good-bye.

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Jimmy and Rachel went out to see a movie and then eat dinner at a sushi place, but they never talked much or showed any affection towards each other. Rachel was too upset with him to speak and Jimmy was strangely thinking about Amy. At around 10pm the date was over and they went to Jimmy's old apartment that really isn't his anymore. They sat on the couch together and flipped through T.V. channels. After minutes of just messing with the remote Rachel turned it off and sat closer to Jimmy. It was awhile before they said anything.

"I really missed you Jimmy," Rachel said suddenly. "I worry about you all the time and I'm so alone without you." Jimmy put an arm around her to comfort her.

Then before he could say anything she pulled him in and kissed him. It was deeper than the kiss Amy had given him. Rachel backed away, but then Jimmy pulled her in again and kissed her longer and harder. He did things with Rachel he knew he couldn't do with Amy yet. After that kiss Rachel got up and wanted Jimmy to follow her into the bedroom. At first he hesitated, but then went after her. Soon they were naked on the bed together and the rest of that night was filled with passion, pleasure, and ecstasy.

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The next morning when Jimmy awoke he groped for Rachel, but she was gone. He searched the apartment for any sign of her, but there wasn't a trace. Jimmy quickly dressed and headed for Dr. Agasa's house to plan his death. Neither of them had any idea about what to do at first.

"I don't want it to be a suicide," said Conan. "It needs to be either an accident or a murder."

"I was thinking, it could be a 'hit and run', and then no one would ever know who did it."

"That's perfect! But somehow we need to make a life-sized dummy of me."

"Leave that to me Conan."

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The next day Rachel felt really down that Jimmy didn't show up at her college at all. When she got home the phone was ringing and her father wasn't there to answer it. She picked it up and heard Dr. Agasa's voice on the other end.

"Rachel! I have terrible news! Jimmy… Jimmy has been murdered!"……