Only Dreams...

" Conan-Kun, Conan-kun! Wake up, please!"

Here we go again, swirling into the madness of reality when something goes wrong again in the abyss of these two drama stricken teenagers that have already been through plenty enough of this life. Ran could feel her heart throbbing against her chest and the tears beginning to ease their way up back to her eyes dripping with emotion, and fear. What laid before her was the small child she cared dearly about it that was slowly slipping away from her hands, the only gateway that was close enough to ease her pain from the one she loved that was somewhere she didn't even know. Ran gripped the metal bar beside the hospital bed casting her head down where her long brown bangs shadowed her eyes as tears began to gather in a puddle on the well cleaned hospital floor knowing she could do nothing but pray to the heavens above she wouldn't lose the child that lay in the bed beside her and grip his tiny hand while hope dangled on a string.

" C'mon Conan-kun...come back to me."

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" C'mon Conan-kun...come back to me."

Was this just a weird feeling that he felt or was it a since of nostalgia, something he felt he knew but was somehow drifting away from him? Odd, something was definitely odd ever since he awoke into this weird world that was somehow brand new but so home to him. Maybe it should just let be go, it's time to move on. It was better for him here, here. Where was here? Here, he is a father, a husband, a family man better off than what was waiting for him in where he came from before, that world that he wished and prayed he would never have to return to. But at the same time he knew he was leaving something dear and important to him there and he just had this feeling that if he lost that, he would lose everything but he couldn't just put his finger on it and it was driving him mad.

Shinichi took a deep breathe as he sat on the deep comforter bed his wife had just re-made and stared down at his shoes that he was going to put on but forgot why and where he was heading off to

" Maybe I'm thinking too much? Maybe this is where I don't belong..."

" Your right!"

Shinichi quickly whipped his head up to the bedroom door and stared blankly at small child crossing his arms, shoes, hat and coat on and ready to go giving his dad a very angry glare

" Eh?.."

" Your right! You belong at the park with me, right now."

Shinichi could feel a biiiiiiig sweat drop slipping down the back of his head while he began to laugh nervously and tie on his brown shoes that laid before him suddenly now remembering where he was suppose to go

" Gomen, gomen Shoji-kun. I was just lost in thought for a second there..."

The small child cocked his head to the side and toddled over to sit beside the bed sensing, most likely inherited by his detective side of the family, that there was something very wrong with his dad.

" Tousan, wanna talk about it?"

Shinichi blinked for a moment as his eyes were cast to the ground but looked up began to smile warmly at the small child that was a mirror image of him when he was little that he definitely knew know that was his son

" Sure.."

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The day felt good, real good. Maybe he never really got a chance to study how a day was because he was always caught up with other things, he should really stop and look at this more often. Shinichi smiled and turned his head down from the sky to the small little hand that grasped his larger one ,to the little being as tall as his knee that walked beside, humming along the way.

" Ne, Shoji-kun?"

" Yeah ,Tousan?"

Shinichi scratched the back of his head as he looked up at the sky again trying to sift through all the complicated mess in his head , looking for the appropriate words he could use with his 5 year old son to understand.

" Hey, tell me about your Kasaan...what is she like?"

Shoji turned up his head to his Shinichi who continued to stare up at the endless blue sky before cocking and eyebrow at him putting to use his little mind rambling " Why is Tousan asking me this...?" but decided if it was Tousan, he must have a reason for this! Shoji smiled as he rocked Shinichi's hand back and forth

" Well, Kasaan is really sweet. She is the best Kasaan in the world! I love her very much, as much as this!"

Elaborating with his hand gesture, the little boy shoved his arms out as far as he could to the sides grinning up to Shinichi who blinked at what his little son was doing

" I love her this much and more!"

" No kidding? "

" No kidding. Kasaan said she loves me so much, she said she loved me to the moon and back and beyond! Kasaan is really good at cooking, and she always plays with me and she is really good at martial arts! She is teaching me some moves!"

Shinichi's eyebrow twitched as he smiled nervously watching the little boy who hopped forward and did spinning back kick following a karate chop screeching a loud " HIIIIYAAH!"

" Really now...should a five year old be learning this, so early? Somewhere, something tells me I need to go buy a cock-strap in the near distant future and head armor...lots of armor."

" ...and you know something else Tousan?"

The little boy grinned proudly as he ran back into his place taking a hold of Shinichi's hand again, Shinichi squeezing it as he kneeled on one knee to be level with him speaking in a hushed tone

" What's that?"

Shoji looked side to side making sure no one was peeping on their conversation before taking one hand and covered the side of his mouth so no words leaked out for anyone to hear

" Kasaan said that she has loved you since you two were like kids! Even if you were a complete dork at the things you did, she still loved you no matter what!"

Shinichi didn't know why but he felt like those little words were just the ones he needed to hear. Just those simple little words let him really open his eyes and see what and where he was and what he needed to do. Shinichi felt a huge grin come on his face as he whispered back to his little son

" No kidding?"

" No kidding."

Shinichi nodded his head silently before grinning even larger picking up his little son and tossing him over his shoulder making the little boy squeal loudly

" RRRRRRAAAAWR! Now my son, I shall show you how much I LOVE YOU! Feel the wrath of the Love monster!"

This sent the little boy into a terrible fit of giggles as he effortlessly pounded his tiny fists against Shinichi's back as he ran ahead

" Don't make me beat you up with my karate skills!"

" I Dare you!"

" HIYAAAAAAAAAH!"

" GWUAH! My head! I'm dyiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"

" I'm not the murder just a simple bystander!"

" Not if I investigate this case!"

" Well, then I'll kill you again!"

" See, inevitable evidence you are the murder!"

" LIES!"

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Outside the world Shinichi was absent from and left behind the small body that was linked to a machine to breathe for him and a distressed young woman who decided to just lay her head on the bed humming softly a lullaby to the unresponsive child slowly brushing her fingertips over his forehead still never letting go of his hand.

" Somehow, I know you can feel somewhere in you that I am near you...well Conan-kun you listen up! If you leave me I'll never forgive you, you hear that? You just quickly wherever you have run off to come back to me...come back to your neechan."

" Mouri-san."

Ran jumped slightly at the cold voice that called out to her and turned to face to see a young girl with sharp green eyes and short burnet brown hair with a very mature look, that no eight year old child would have.

" A..Ai-chan?"

" Mouri-san, there are some things that you may need to know now..."

to be continued...

Wooooo..so close to finishing this story up! Sorry for the long haul on all my stories! Don't worry I'll be updating some here and there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Family Man! Don't forget to review peeps of the world!

--DetectiveGirl2005