And here it is, finally- the VERY LAST chapter of my most beloved story. Thanks for waiting! I had to take my time writing it, next to school, and I think that a lot of people will beVERY satisfied with this and me and will also take their time to tell me how they liked it.

This is dedicated to all the Ran and Shinichi fans out there who love this couple so much. And to three-mix who listened to the story as very first persons! Special thanks toBen for his great patience and work as betareader. AND my BIG thanks and regards to each and everybody who reviews and reviewed to this story. I really appreciate it! Remaining authors note at the end. And now, please enjoy


Chapter eleven

A new beginning or the end of the start?

Part II


The shaking got only worse and they could not fight it as they were thrown back and forth and eventually right into the light that resembled the end of everything very much.

Their last calls of despair echoed through the dark nothingness before they both disappeared and silence followed.

"Shinichi!"

"RAN!"

---

"Shinichi!" the girl gasped as her eyes opened in a flash. She was panting and sweating but the thing she cared for right now was not air to breathe. It was the one thing that was filling her senses and that was spooking through her head.

Shinichi!

Where was he? She was afraid to look left, afraid of finding nobody beside her. She wasn't sure she would survive it if that was indeed the case. But she had to know, and that right now! Ran could feel her way too quick heart beat throbbing to her fingers. It was painful, especially combined with the unpleasant clutching of her stomach that was still distorted in fear.

Very slowly, she let go of the hand she had been gripping tightly with the other and reached to her left, first only a little way but cautionly.

Nothing happened. She came in contact with empty space. She opened her eyes she had closed before in horror and quickly raised her upper body on her elbows and turned her head to the left. Her eyes opened to huge orbs as she, despite all fears, saw Shinichi sitting there on the edge of the bed, his back turned to her and clad in only pants.

Relief flooded her body as she let herself fall back on the bed, her eyes never taking from his back. She was so glad that he was still with her, she could not describe it even if her life depended on it. A tear of happiness found its way out of her eyes and down her cheek and she took a deep breath.

Shinichi still did not realize that she was awake and it was only now that she discovered that he was talking on his mobile phone.

"I know that! I told you I have no idea how long I will need! Come on, don't be mad at me!" a slight pause followed until he went on. "You know you can't!" he sounded now somewhat cheery and Ran raised an eyebrow and was about to let him notice she was awake as her mouth dropped open after hearing the words that came next.

"Yeah baby, right! Of course you can't be mad at me for long. Yeah, I know, I'm way too cute for that. Hehe. Yes, I miss you too, so much! I promise that I'll come back today. I have finished my business here… yes. What I was doing? Oh, nothing of importance, absolutely nothing of importance, babe. I will tell my business to go home as soon as sh- I mean as soon as it is here. Yes, trust in me. Okay, I will see you later. Can't wait, too! I love you! Bye bye!" he gave the telephone a last kiss before taking it away from his ear and pressing the off button, then he placed it away.

Ran felt like… there are no words to describe HOW she felt, for there are not enough words describing horror as she would have liked them to exist. Before she could react in any way, she stopped staring open mouthed at his back as she realized he was about to turn and look at her. She quickly closed her eyes, not knowing anything better to do at the moment.

Her heart was racing as she tried with all her might not to cry. He turned around again and away from her, she could feel it as the bed moved, and stood finally up. Walking over to a chair, he pulled his shirt on quickly. She heard him rumour around the room for a few minutes, while murmuring things to himself.

"Lucky me that she's asleep. Wouldn't want to explain my leaving. Oh well, I'll just think of something later…hehe, now for the pleasant things in life."

The words were uttered quietly and under his breath, but through the silence of the night she could understand each and every word that sting in her heart ruthlessly. She heard a final rustle, certain he had put his jacket on and then the door open and close. Then silence. Ran did not dare move or breathe.

The gate outside squeaked and she was sure Shinichi had left the house.

Three seconds after this realization, all dams broke and all emotions broke through the surface as she started sobbing in the earnest. She curled herself to a ball and cried for a little eternity, the pain being almost too much to bear. One question raced through her mind.

Why?

Why did he do this to her? HOW could he do this to her? Now she knew why he was leaving for so long… her worst fears had in the end proved to be right and it hurt. It hurt so much she felt like she could not breathe. Like breathing and living had no point at all anymore. Her world was crushed by one little phone call.

Ran was pressing her thighs to her chest, holding her legs and was crying, crying, crying. She cried until she had no tears left and had exhausted herself to the point where she fainted, with her last thought, before she fell into a dreamless sleep, being:

'Life is a bitch!'

---

Ran awoke slowly the next morning. The sun shone on her face and she kept her eyes still closed, moved a hand to cover them a little and letting them get used to the bright sunlight. She found herself encircled by a familiar scent and a place that was not her own bed. All the events from the previous night returned to her. All the good things that had happened before out of nowhere, this dream struck her. This painful, evil dream she had had.

With her other hand she reached over to where he must lay, but her hand reached into nothing. Surprised and alarmed she turned and looked at the spot where he should be laying right now but it was completely empty. The whole bed was empty. Looking around the room brought nothing because he was nowhere to be seen. Fear swelled inside her chest and her stomach clenched unpleasantly.

Where could he be? He couldn't have left her, or could he? No, there was no way! He had promised it, after all! And why would he break her heart all over again?

She tried to tell herself that there had to be a reason for his disappearance but could not really deceive her heart with these lose hopes. Too often had it been disappointed.

She quietly stood up, still looking around as if hoping to see him standing in some corner or behind a table or a curtain but nothing.

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, not bothering wearing something over her night grown and walked to the door, an expression of fear clear on her face, mirroring her inner state of panic. She slowly opened the door with one shaky hand. Stepping outside, she called again for him thought the knot in her throat that made it difficult for her to breathe.

"Shinichi?"

She received no response.

Ran gulped audibly and continued walking down the stairs and around the house, looking for Shinichi in every corner but he was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had disappeared tracelessly, as if the ground had opened and had swallowed him.

The knot in her throat became a rock and her stomach felt like it had a life of its own, aching out of fear and despair since everything was pointing to him having left her.

Was he really gone? No, that couldn't be it! That couldn't be real! He had promised! He had promised, dammit! How could he do that to her? He had promised her that he would stay only yesterday!

A mental image of his determined face, with the sexy grin of his appeared in front of her inner eye. She could hear him exactly as if it had been only yesterday. Well, actually and to be precise it HAD been only yesterday and Ran could recall every single word…

"I won't run away from you anymore, I promise, ok? I will be here tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after…."

"Really! Now, you are stuck with me, girl! And I don't plan to ever give you away, again! You are all mine now!"

"Don't ever leave me alone again, do you hear me?"

"I won't ever leave you alone, again, my love. Not if I can help it."

He had sounded so convincing and sure of himself she had immediately believed him. Couldn't do anything BUT believe him. And what for? Only to find out that he had lied to her again? Thousand of emotions swirled through her. Confusion, anger, despair and most of all fear! If he had abandoned her again…she wouldn't be able to handle that! She just couldn't handle that again!

"Shinichi?" her quivering voice tried again desperately, calling for him and continued searching the big house. But he was still nowhere to be seen. Standing still in the living room she looked around again, but to no avail. She felt cold and deserted so she rubbed her arms. The quivering girl felt so alone, so lost and desperate. A single tear found the way out of her eyes and down her cheek and she clenched her eyes closed tightly.

'Where are you, dummy? Don't you dare have disappeared or I will…..I will…' she looked uncertain around again, eyes watery, feeling as sick as she hadn't felt in a long while. Her insides were so heavy they hurt really badly and more tears stormed down her red cheeks.

'Oh Shinichi, where are you? You can't leave me, not now! You promised! You can not do that to me! You can not break my heart the day after I got you back!' she thought desperately, clutching her eyes tightly as she started sobbing heavily, sitting on the ground of the living room. Her hands came up to her face, hiding it as she let all her frustration out in her sobs and tears.

Her own heartbeat started to hurt in her chest, making it even harder for her to breathe. But she did not care. She did not care about anything anymore because nothing seemed worth it caring about. She thought again at yesterday and what she had told him..

"I want to stay with you! Now that I got you back, I don't want to leave..."

And she had meant it! Had meant each and every word with everything she got. And now… If only she had done what she had said before falling asleep the previous day. Oh, if only…

"It's perfect. I don't want to fall asleep, so this day can keep happening."

"Sleep. We'll make another one like it tomorrow."

He had reassured her fears at that moment with so much confidence and she had had no change but believe him. She had believed him! She had trusted him blindly, letting herself completely open and vulnerable. How could he betray her like this?

I don't need a lot of things

I can get by with nothing

Of all the blessings life can bring

I've always needed something

But I've got all I want

When it comes to loving you

You're my only reason

You're my only truth

New tears burned hotly down her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, Ran suppressed the new, upcoming sobs and she screamed out loudly for the world to hear, all her frustration, pain and despair laying open in her very last, with emotions trembling scream.

"SHINICHI!"

"What is it?"

Her eyes shot open and she turned her head around in direction of the voice behind her.

Shinichi was standing next to the table, placing a tray with food on it and looking at her surprised and confused.

"Hey, what are you doing awake? Did I wake you? I am sorry, I just wanted to…Ran? What's wrong? Why... why are you crying?"

She started sobbing again and new tears ran down her cheeks. She sat there, petrified, and did the only thing she was able to at the moment, aside from crying. She stared at Shinichi. Stared at him the best she could, which was not that clearly, for her vision was blurred and unclear.

"Oh Shinichi!"

Ran stood up as fast as she could, not caring at all about grace, her night grown that was surely distorted or things of that kind. She stumbled to her feet and ran to him, fell in his arms, hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest, sobbing strongly.

"Shinichi! Shinichi! Shinichi!"

I need you

Like water, like breath, like rain

I need you

Like mercy from heaven's gate

There's a freedom in your arms

That carries me through

I need you

He held her tightly, for a moment confused about what was happening but he soon started to understand. He understood that he must have scared her after she had woken up, all alone in the bed.

After this terrible dream he had had, he had woken up drenched in sweat with tears on his eyes and face. He had looked terrified down on him, his heartbeat skipping a beat, dead afraid to find himself in the hated body of Conan Edogawa. Thank god he still had been in his adult body. He did not turn back, it had been nothing but a painfully realistic and horrible dream! Well, almost nothing, considering the fact that this dream had been one of the most intense ones he had ever had. He was, by the way, convinced that it had after all something to do with the antidote, whether it was slowly getting absorbed and ineffective by his body; he would be making sure to find out later when consulting Ai about it. In addition to that, this dream certainly had been one of the most meaningful ones he had ever had, that was for sure.

Sweeping Ran up in his arms, Shinichi walked over to the couch and sat down with her on his lap, but she didn't lose the hold she had on him. Trying to soothe her, he rocked her and stroked her hair, still holding her close and whispered loving words of comfort into her ear.

"It's ok. Really, I am here! I am here with you! Sweetheart, it's okay, sshhhh! I am here, you are not alone."

She calmed slowly down and stopped crying, lying motionless in his warm arms. A big sigh of relief escaped her lips. Shinichi leaned down and whispered into her ear

"Are you okay now?"

She only nodded and looked up into his eyes, thanking him without words. He brought a hand up and gently stroked over her cheek, still looking into her eyes. Her hand lay itself on his own cheek and she pulled his head down to hers until her forehead was against his, closing her eyes.

You're the hope that moves me

To courage again

You're the love that rescues me

When the cold winds rage

And it's so amazing

'Cause that's just how you are

and I can't turn back now

'Cause you've brought me too far

After some time, her hand wandered around his neck, pulling him further down, rubbing her cheek against his, and placing her head on his shoulder, hugging his head tightly to herself.

He rubbed her back in a calming fashion, soothing her the last bit and feeling her relax against his body.

Soon she let go of him again

"Thank you. God, I am so stupid! Sorry I …I only… I only…"

A thousand images suddenly flooded Rans mind. Mainly images of her dream last night that came out of nowhere. First him, breaking down in their school, sweating heavily. Him laying on the floor, unconscious. And the image of them in the green fields being destroyed by nature. As if there were always something or somebody that wants to keep them apart. She saw him, being swallowed by the ground, reaching a hand out for her but no matter how much she stretched her own arm, or how desperately they both tried to reach the other with every way possible for them, they never succeeded.

He had again left her all alone. She was so sick of being alone, why did he do this to her? Didn't he know how hard it was to her to wait for so long? The bottled-up emotions of her time alone and her longing to have him there with her, even if it was only to walk to school with him or hold her in his arms when she needed comfort. But he could not even do the easiest things together with her, the daily things in live, because he had left her. And she had been left alone for so long!

The more she thought along that line, the more tears started to storm down her cheeks and she unconsciously started sobbing again, even heavier than before. He tightened his grip on her, held her even closer to him in order to soothe her or calm her down a little, but did not succeed. He even murmured words of comfort in her ear, tried everything he could but was never able to stop the flood of tears and sobs that were escaping her.

"Ssshhh, Ran, it's alright! I am here, I am here! I am sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have left like that. I am so sorry!"

He knew exactly what kind of horror must be clutching her heart right now, holding it tightly embraced and squeezing it tighter and tighter with every breath she inhaled. With every memory that came into her mind of her time alone. He could fell that all too well since he knew her and her feelings by heart.

He held her desperately closer, rubbed her back a few long moments. He talked a little to her and stroked her hair in comfort but her sobbing and tears only hesitantly ceased. Her pain struck him harder than she could ever know and he felt not only guilty, but actually ill, his stomach distorting.

Offhand, he swept her up in his arms, stood up, adjusting her and her nightwear to his chest and then started walking out of the living room. He carried her over to the bathroom, opening the door with his foot and closed it the same way. He sat down on the edge of the bathtub and cradled her in his arms, her head against his chest and went to stroking her back soothingly. He rocked her a little back and forth, just the way a father would rock his upset baby, giving her as much of his warmth and comfort as he could offer, waiting patiently for her to stop crying and to calm down.

Shinichi was well aware of the fact that he had to be careful the next few times for she would always carry the fear of him leaving inside of her. And he could understand her all too well. He would probably feel the same fear she did right now if he had been in her place. But he was not. It was Ran who had to deal with it all. And he was certainly not about to leave her alone with it. Not in five hundred years. Not when he could help it.

Shinichi tightened his grip on her body.

He would always be there for her whenever she wasn't feeling good, especially when it was because of him. He would do the best he could to make her forget the bad memories. That was, after all, the least that he could do.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Ran did register his tender ministrations and although it did not look like it right away, it had an unbelievably soothing effect on her. Not only the caress of his hand on her back, him rocking her ever so slowly, but also the fact that he had sat down with her and was taking his time to look after her and her stupid outburst. He was being so sweet and patient with her and that alone was far more than she had ever hoped for their relationship to be like some day.

I need you

Like water, like breath, like rain

I need you

Like mercy from heaven's gate

There's a freedom in your arms

That carries me through

I need you

Oh yes I do

The confused girl calmed down a little and eventually stopped sobbing. She leaned against his chest and held him tightly, trying to control her silent tears. His hand on her cheek helped her immensely with the task. The flood of tears slowly ceased until it subsided completely. She continued to simply lay there in his arms, letting his closeness and warmth soothe her and heal her wounds while enjoying the feeling of him to no end.

His hand came up and without another word started to stroke her wet cheek. She looked up into his eyes with a very loving and sweet expression, drowning in the endless blue that dove deeply inside her soul.

Ran clutched Shinichi even tighter, losing herself in his embrace that felt good to her as a place in heaven never could make her feel, and in his endless blue eyes that shone with a bright tenderness down at her, that made her heart sing. She felt so right here and so safe. How she had missed this. Had missed him. Now she felt more than ever how lonely she really had been while he had been away.

She broke the intense eye contact and buried her face in his chest, gripping his shirt tightly. His grip tightened and he held her yet closer. Just from looking at the couple from afar at this very moment, one could feel the warmth and love radiating from them as clearly as the bright sunlight when breaking through the darkest clouds. Even if one has lost all the hope in love, this scene alone, with the detective holding on to his girl like a drowning man would to a life preserver, would certainly be enough to make everybody gain back the hope in love. The big sigh that escaped the girl's lips, a sigh coming from deep down and created from every fibre of her being, could be made out clearly, even though it was not audible at all.

Stroking the side of her head, he slowly leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Are you ok?"

She opened her eyes slowly and looked for some time at his shirt, saying nothing. At the moment she did not really trust her voice so, after some thinking about it, she nodded against his body. She wondered what his next step would be but for some time he did nor move nor stir. He simply continued the consoling ministrations, rocking her gently back and forth. To be honest, she was really glad about it. It has been a long time she had felt this good, this safe, loved and cared for. Feeling his love and warmth sweep to her body, she closed her eyes again, a soft melody dancing through her mind and her eyes closed in comforting bliss. She was about to fall asleep as she felt him move.

Shinichi leaned forward, holding her tighter so she would not fall, and with a slight swing stood up. Ran gave a little sound of disapproval, but held him close. He grinned to himself but said nothing. Instead, he turned and with some arrangement managed to untangle her arms and as gently as he could he sat her down on the edge of the bathtub, always taking care to cover her properly. To make sure that she did not sway to the side or fall he held her shoulders a little longer, looking at her with a gentle smile.

He realized with some satisfaction that she was steady and soon took his arms away. She tilted her head slightly to the left, looking at him questioningly in an attempt to find out what he was up to. He only grinned his typical drop-dead gorgeous grin that caused the strangest reactions to race through her body. Then he reached out, brushed some of her hairs out of her face and behind her ear, brushing with his fingers over her cheek in the same time.

Without another word, he turned again, Ran following his moves with her eyes curiously, and walked over to the drawer. He opened it and started rummaging around for some time and eventually stopped. He had obviously found what he had been looking for. Grinning even broader in triumph he went to the sink, wet the cloth he had just taken from the drawer and walked back to her, her look of confusion only increasing.

She watched with ever widening eyes as he kneeled down in front of her and looked into her eyes for a few long moments. Then he reached out with the wet cloth in his right hand and touched it to her face.

Shinichi started slowly cleaning her face with tender strokes, moving the cloth over her forehead, her cheeks, her eyes, her nose, her chin, refreshing her while washing the reminder of her tears away. To him it seemed only right that he was the one doing it. The one who was to a great extent responsible for them was supposed to make her feel better, and looking into her deep and loving eyes that shone so much they seemed to make her whole face beam, he knew he was succeeding.

His look of wonder never left his face as he kept looking at her thoroughly during the process. More and more she was leaning into his touch on her face although otherwise she remained completely unmoving. After a short eternity, when he was done to his satisfaction and had her face as clean as possible, he replaced the cloth on her face with his hand. So he was stroking her face now with the greatest tenderness while looking at her and brushed whatever hairs were spread over her face, behind her ear. Ran was not sure what she should do. All these emotions inside of her chest were simply too overwhelming and she had problems sorting them all out. At some point though, she closed her eyes for two seconds, drew her hand up to hold his caressing one in place and leaning in to it.

He smiled at her and she smiled back. They remained in this position for quite some time, locked with each other, not caring about dreams, reality or the world outside. For, all that mattered to them, yet again, was only the other.

She drew his hand away from her cheek, twined her fingers through his but said nothing. She only looked at him. His other hand came up and enveloped their entwined ones.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked in a quiet voice so as not to disturb the magic of the moment.

Ran smiled warmly at him, a loving, grateful smile and nodded. He smiled back, relieved and happy about this new piece of information. Yet he knew that they'd have to talk about it.

"Do you…" he hesitated but forced himself to go on, knowing it was for her sake. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly with a tender voice that was to show her clearly that she was not forced to do anything and that he would never push her.

Her lips opened; no sound was coming out, so they closed again. She was grateful that he worried so much about her, but after this shock so early in the morning she did not find herself capable of talking about her greatest fears just yet.

So, she slowly shook her head left and right, trying to hold his intense gaze. He nodded, understanding and let go of her hands. Ran looked slightly alarmed at him and rose a little but before she could really voice her protest he had scooped her up in his arms again. She made a little sound of surprise and held him tight.

Shinichi turned and walked out of the bathroom, and up the stairs, through his bedroom door and over to the bed. Laying her gently and carefully down on top of it, he sat beside her and with the back of his hand he stroked over her forehead and cheeks. Then he took her hands in his.

"Do you know why I got up this early?"

Ran shook her head.

"Well, I wanted to bring you breakfast to bed!" he grinned at her and grinned even broader as he saw her wide eyes and slightly opened mouth. She was speechless, which was most certainly his desired –or a very welcomed- effect, given that smug grin dancing on his lips.

"You wait here and I'll get the breakfast!" he grinned still.

However, as he started to stand up he was held back by his hands. Looking back down, he realized that Ran was staring at him fearfully with her hands gripping his tightly. She was obviously afraid that he would go away when she let go of him.

Raising his eyebrows in realization he sat down again next to her on the bed. Freeing his hands he brought them up to hold her head between them. After staring in her eyes for a very long time he bend down and pressed an endless tender and loving kiss on her forehead. Then he drew back slightly and merely brushed his lips down her face, over her cheek to her ear where he whispered to her.

"Don't worry, I'll go only downstairs for a minute to get the tray. I will be right back I promise!" he pulled back only enough to look in her eyes before going on whispering. "Okay?"

Mutely she spent a few minutes just looking into his eyes, getting lost in them yet again while the back of her mind tried to come up with an idea of what to do next before that part gave up. As if in slow-motion her arms came up and wound around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She hugged him tightly, making sure he could not escape, even if he wanted to. She knew it was a little childish, but right now she simply needed this contact, even if it was only for a little longer. She felt his hand stroke her head reassuringly as his body relaxed against hers and he tried to keep as much of his weight off her as possible.

Ran felt happier than she ever had before in her whole life. Shinichi… having him here, caring so much for her while she was feeling… unsure, like this, was just so… so… she was struggling for words, for 'great' was simply not strong enough to describe it.

A small tear of happiness left her eye and she pulled away a little to look at him for a few seconds before leaning in, closing her eyes and kissed him on his lips. The kiss was not passionate, nor was it wild and demanding, but tender and filled with so many emotions that it was almost shining through both of them.

She soon pulled back, looking at him, although she did not know what exactly she was looking for. Maybe some kind of rejection or wonderment but to her surprise, all she found was a warm look from Shinichi that told her exactly just how much she meant to him.

Smiling satisfied, she let go of him slowly and leaned back, looking at him with her big eyes, indicating that she would be a good girl and wait for him. He grinned, gave her hand a last squeeze and hurried through the door, leaving it open.

She looked after him with a smile, feeling unbelievably happy and yet scared at the same time. It was somehow strange, but she could not suppress the fear in her chest that she had woken up with so easily. Although her mind knew he would not run away now, her heart was too hurt to accept it just then. She felt a little stupid about it, but at the same time could not help it. And then there was the fact that he seemed to understand! He really seemed to just look at her and know right away what was bothering her deep inside. They had always been like that. Since they were little kids, only looking at the other and knowing what was wrong. Although their connection seemed stronger than ever right now.

'Oh Shinichi!'

---

'Tea, fruits…' he mentally made a little check list as he looked down at his tray. It did seem to be complete… although... maybe a few napkins wouldn't hurt. And a bottle of water maybe…

He hurried to the kitchen and looked around a few times to verify himself that he had everything. He did not want to leave Ran alone for too long. He remembered the look on her face the moment he had locked eyes with her in the living room, with her sobbing heavily on the floor. It had taken him a few moments to realize what had happened, but with his trained mind it went fast. She must have thought he had left her again.

A slight twinge stung his chest.

He had known how painful it was to her but seeing her like this… the effect his departure would have had on her was still scaring him. He had promised himself right then and again now that he would never ever do something like that to her again. He would never leave her if he could help it.

Thank god for their connection. It had been immensely helpful in calming her down a little. He did not know where he had learned these things. Maybe a natural talent from his father? Or maybe it was a little voice inside his chest that told him what to do.

Shinichi hurried back to the tray and carefully lifted it up. He walked out of the living room and up the stairs.

Their connection seemed to have been proven right again and it was a little scary, even to himself, he admitted. But that was how it always had been between the two, only a little stronger. However, he would think about it later.

'Right now, Ran is more important!'

---

Ran had quickly gotten up and tidied the bed, straightening the sheets so that they could eat on them without accidents. A few minutes later he returned, managing with some finesse to get the big tray through the door. She giggled and sat down on one end of the bed, making room for him and the tray.

"Ta-daaah!"

He quickly walked to her, presenting the tray and placing it down on the bed. He sat next to her, grinning as he watched her admire his work with open fascination.

He had not known what exactly to do for breakfast since he still hadn't had the time to go and shop properly as to fill his fridge. So he had to improvise and to pay the Professor a little visit, for unfortunately the shops in Japan were not open 24/7. Not to mention that he hadn't had the opportunity to practise his skills in a kitchen. But, all in all, he was extremely satisfied with his work.

He had made pancakes with the syrup lent by the Professor, had brought juice, bread and jam, some delicious tea, a bowl of whipped cream with the strawberries that she had brought yesterday and in the middle of the tray was enthroned a beautiful flower in a vase….

It had taken him some time for all that, but alone the beautiful expression on her face was enough for him and a lot more. He observed her delighted features as she took in the picture in front of her, waiting patiently for her to say something. After some time she looked up and in his face, a real look of awe and wonder clearly visible. And she spoke to him for the first time this day, if one did not count the slight chanting of his name some time ago.

"Oh Shinichi, that's sooo beautiful! And amazing and sweet! I can't believe you did that all… But why?" The moment the words left her lips she felt stupid for asking such a question.

He looked at her questioningly, an eyebrow raised..

"Well, maybe because I love and adore you and would do anything for you?"

Ran looked back at him with big eyes and she felt another tear run down her face. She never noticed that his cheeks had darkened a little more than usual at the words. Not knowing what to say, being more than touched by this, she hit his arm with a fraction of the strength she was capable of.

"Au!" he looked bewildered at her and more out of shock than pain held his arm. "What did you do that for?"

She grinned at him and brushed the tears away.

"That's what you get for making me cry all the time!" she told him with a voice that sounded anything but angry. But Shinichi was too startled to realize it… obviously!

"Ran, I…sorry, I didn't mean to I just-" he was taking her words a little more serious than she had expected so she leaned closer to him and without another word interrupted his ranting with a soft kiss.

Pulling away, she grinned at him and whispered. "I didn't mean it in a bad way."

He grinned back rather stupidly, murmuring "I see…" while looking mock- anything- but- convinced at her. She giggled, knowing he wanted her to make up for it. So she glided over closer to him on the bed, making herself comfortable on his side and kissed his cheek, then his lips quickly.

"Mad at me?" her sing-song voice asked him.

He grinned broadly, laid an arm around her, pulled her closer to his side and said proudly, "Yes!"

She turned to look up at him, smiling warmly. He looked back and was immediately enchanted by her eyes, all teasing immediately forgotten. She could not help as she drew a hand up to the side of his face and started stroking it. After some time she spoke up again, sounding absolutely serious.

"I am sorry. I was just so… how can you always do things that touch me so deeply? How can you…. How can you know what to do to cheer me up, to make me feel unbelievably happy, so precisely and so easily?"

The questioning look she cast was to his eyes absolutely adorable, and he needed some time to tear himself out of the charm she radiated that had him enchanted for a few moments. Then he focused on her eyes once again and returned the gesture, now stroking her cheek with a hand as well, although her cares had subsided to only holding it.

"I am sorry…" he said in a dead serious voice and trailed off.

"Pardon?" she demanded, not knowing what he meant.

"I said, I am sorry but I have to repeat myself."

By her stare he assumed that she had no idea what he was talking about. Although he laughed inwardly, he succeeded in keeping a stern expression.

"To answer your question, Ran." his gaze softened. "It's because I love you so much that I know what makes you happy. Because, when you are happy, so am I!" He told her, a slight shade painting his cheeks and he quickly went on. "And of course, the fact that I have known you for my whole life helps as well!" he added, grinning.

"Shinichi…" she whispered, shaking her head a few times, again at a loss of words.

She moved a hand up, gripping his head now with both hands and pulled him towards her, meeting his lips halfway with her own and giving them a kiss. Soon he could taste salt mixed in it and pulled away. Smiling warmly at her he cleaned her face.

"Thank you… Thank you so much, for everything! You are…" she searched for words but somehow could not find any. Shaking her head again, she gave a sigh, indicating that she gave her search up for now. "I love you, too!" she looked deeply into his eyes again and fell in his arms, hugging him tightly.

He smiled at her, murmuring a slight: "Everything for you!" before their lips locked again.

How Ran loved it. Loved being able to kiss him as much and as often as she desired. Loved the shivers his touch send up and down her body, how his touch made her knees weak and her heart pound harder in her chest. Loved, when it was him and his handsome face that she saw first thing in the morning. Loved how he could surprise her all over again. Loved how this feeling that they belonged together never vanished, even after a whole life-time together.

Shinichi's thoughts ran along similar lines.

He loved it so much, to have her near him, to feel her body pressed so tightly against his that she could share her warmth with him. Loved the way she tasted, the way she felt against him, the way she smelled so intoxicating with her unique scent he would recognize everywhere. Loved how she could make him feel warm and cold at the same time. Loved how he would never be able to predict her actions. Loved how this feeling that they belong together never vanished, even after a whole life- time together.

As they pulled away out of need to breathe, they smiled at each other adoringly. Then she lay her head on his chest, hugging him around the waist. His grip on her only tightened as he leaned back against the pillows. Entangled so intimately, they stayed in this comfortable position, with Rans eyes closed as she enjoyed immensely the hand that was stroking her back. Shinichi eventually broke the silence.

"A little emotional this morning, aren't we?" he asked, amused.

She giggled.

"Maybe." Silence followed before she spoke again. "I am sorry about that."

He did not respond but took his arm away from her back, stretched it and sat up a little before falling back down against the pillows with her on top of him again. She looked up at him puzzled. He grinned back and pushed a strawberry into her open mouth.

"Don't worry about it!" he told her firmly, smiling at her, amused at the funny look she cast him as she chewed and swallowed her strawberry. Then she grinned at him.

"You are impossible!"

"Oh, be quiet!" he smirked and pushed another strawberry between her lips. She almost choked on her own laughter and sat up, drinking some of the juice. He laughed at her strange expression; she did not find this quite as amusing and as revenge pushed a strawberry of her own in his mouth. A little startled, he ate it, licking his lips. They grinned at each other.

"Wait, you got some strawberry- juice on your mouth!" she pointed at the corner of his lips and quickly bend forward to help him with it. She licked the drop from his lips and pulled away a tiny bit so that her breath was playing seductively across his face. He breathed hard and leaned in, kissing her yet again. He simply could not get enough of her intoxicating taste that was at the moment joined by a nice strawberry flavour. They would have liked to never end this kiss, but were cruelly interrupted as his stomach growled.

She smiled, pressing a last kiss on his lips before drawing away.

"I guess somebody wants to tell us something!" he blushed and grinned stupidly what caused her to giggle even more. "Let's do something about that!"

And Ran turned from him, took the fork and knife and started cutting the pancakes. She turned and beckoned for him to open his mouth.

"Say 'aaahhh'!" she giggled. He grinned but complied.

"They are good!" he said, a little too arrogantly.

"Are they?" and before she could do anything he came to action.

"Yes, look!" he took the instruments from her and started cutting another piece, holding it now in front of her lips. "Say 'aahhh'!" She giggled again but did as she was told.

"Hmm, you did that very well! They are delicious!" she told him and opened her mouth, making an "aaahhhhhh!" sound again, beckoning him like usually the little kids do to give her more. He did so and she ate it, satisfied. Then she took the glass with the orange juice and placed it to his lips, letting him drink.

Grinning mischievously, he dipped a strawberry in the whipped cream and smeared some of the substance on her nose. She squeaked and looked at him disbelievingly.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" she asked him sternly.

Shinichis grin widened but he did not response. Instead he shrugged and dipped the strawberry again in the cream and smirking, smeared it over her cheek as well.

"Shinichi!" Ran screamed, pulling a little away.

He gave her another of his drop- dead gorgeous half-corner grins and put the strawberry between her lips, taking advantage of her momentarily open mouth, and in the progress smeared her lips as well. He chuckled as she looked at him, a little shocked and taken aback. She then quickly ate the fruit, preparing herself to scream at him as he dove forward and licked her nose clean.

Ran pulled a little back and looked puzzled at him. Seeing the seductive look on his face, she slowly started to relax and to understand him. She turned her face, showing him the other place he had painted her on. He grinned satisfied at her reaction and bend forward to kiss her cheek, taking his time to clean her properly.

Having finished his task to both their satisfaction he pulled back and they looked at each other for a while.

"Oh Ran!" he said, shaking his head as one would when a kid has done something wrong.

"What?" she said, defeatingly, not realizing his problem.

"Just look at your face!" he went on, almost scolding her. "All dirty!"

She thought for a moment about how he meant that and the gleam in his eyes quickly convinced her to play along.

"Then, would you please clean it for me?" she asked in her most innocent voice.

"Oh!" he said and beamed brightly. "But of course, my dear!"

Both grinned at each other. His finger tipped her chin up and he leaned down. He caught her lips in an endless gentle and tender kiss. A sigh of bliss escaped her involuntarily as she melted against his lips and against him as he moved his arms up to lovingly press her against him in the protective circle of his arms.

He pulled away and looked into her eyes for a moment, finding himself awash in the sunshine beaming in her eyes. They smiled at each other and he could not help it as he stole another kiss from her before leaning back to give her another strawberry to eat, this time without playing but with just as much affection. She smiled and fed him one as well, giggling as he kissed her fingers in the progress.

Giggling, chuckling and laughing together, they ate the breakfast, playing, feeding each other and enjoying themselves immensely until they had finished everything off.

"Uff!" a full Ran sighed, rubbing her tummy as she lay back against the pillows while Shinichi put the tray on the table. He turned and chuckled at the sight of her. She caught his gaze and smiled back.

"A big compliment to the cook!"

"Thanks, he will be thrilled!" he joked with a funny face that made her giggle.

She opened her arms for him, inviting him clearly and with a smile in their circle. All too willingly and smiling like a fool he walked over to her and sank into her welcoming arms. Sighing, he knew he was there. He was exactly where he belonged.

She stroked his hair and his head that was nestled so very comfortably against her chest. He held her sides and closed his eyes, letting the soft humming of her heartbeat wash over him. He loved the sound. It sounded like angels chanting to his ears. It soothed him to the point where he would have liked nothing more than fall asleep, what was no wonder considering what a strange night's sleep he had had. Now that he thought about it…

"You know," he told Ran without moving or turning to look at her, he only opened his eyes. "..I had the strangest dream!"

"Really?" Ran asked amused as she thought about her own night. Then, with maybe a little more sarcasm than intended, she asked him. "Tell me about it!"

He missed the tone in her voice and instead thought hard about what to tell her. After all, he decided to not tell her about his days as Conan just yet. He had seen how emotionally unstable she was at the moment what he understood too well. He had, after all, put her through a lot, whether or not it was intentional did not matter. He would probably tell her soon. It was a too big part of him and he had to carry the burden alone for a very long time. Still, her feelings had, as always, the first priority.

So, he weighed the pros and cons about what he could tell her about this strange night and began his story telling with the beginning of his dream.

"You see… I guess I actually had two dreams. A long one and a…a shorter one." He gulped and immediately hoped she had noticed nothing. Quickly he talked on. "The first one started with how we met. Do you remember? When we came over to visit your family so long ago?" he turned and looked up at her with a smile. She looked back, a little uncertain and only nodded. He grinned and leaned his head back down on top of her.

"Yeah, I had almost forgotten that memory. The whole dream had something to do with you! And then there was our first day in kindergarten. Remember? When we played cops and robbers?" He chuckled and never noticed her eyes opening wide. Instead he happily talked on. "And then I guess was one of our excursions to the forest where we searched a treasure and played Sherlock and Watson. That was funny. And I guess, what followed this part of the dream was-"

"-the thing with the drugs inside the dolls that actually never had any inside of them," She finished for him with a strange voice, looking scared.

He said nothing for a second but then pulled back, sat up and looked at her.

"That's right! How… how do you know that?"

"B-because...I had the same dream!"

"Impossible!"

"I'm serious!" She still looked frightened.

"Wha-… Ok, tell me, what happened next?"

She looked down at her folded hands in her lap.

"T- then came..." she hesitated, gulped but still went on. "The thing with my parents…"

Shinichi's eyes widened as he looked at her. He took her hands in his for support as they compared their dreams, only to find out it had been completely identical.

"But that's impossible!" Shinichi exclaimed as they were finished, thoroughly confused.

Ran thought for a long moment about the whole situation and then looked up from their still joint hands at his face.

"No, it's not!"

"What?"

"I have read about it before! It is possible! They call it mutual dreaming and it really does exist! There are people who train their abilities to do so. And there are other cases in which it just happens and nobody knows why. In the deliberate cases you chose a partner who you trust completely and you try to share a dream with this person. It doesn't always work and it usually takes a lot of training. And like I said, it sometimes happens to couples and families, especially with people you are… you a- are very close to. You see, not only physically but e-emotionally…"

She trailed off and felt her cheeks burn, knowing they must by now be wearing a deep shade of red.

Shinichi thought long about her words in silence before asking further.

"And what do these dreams do to you?"

"There were cases where one partner was in danger and the other was warned this way. There are other cases were you only share a dream… to realize certain things or maybe only because you are very close to that person at the moment. They can also show you things, make them more clear to you or help you with problems that were bothering you or only show you what it is exactly that is bothering you deep down."

"How do you know all that ?" he asked amazed, looking at her cheeks that colored even more.

"I told you, a few years ago I was very interested in mutual dreaming so I read this book about it. But it never quite worked."

"I see…" he paused, letting her words get through to his brain. "So… what is it meaning now? I mean… in our case?" he blushed a little, too, knowing exactly what he had learned from it but did not dare mentioning just now.

"You... you have to know that. Think about it!" she told him, falling silent as he did and thought about it for a moment, asking herself what she learned from this dream.

After three minutes in complete silence she looked up at his face, seeing he was already done with his thinking. They looked at each other, not knowing what exactly to say.

"I... I think I know what I have learned from it." He paused uncertain but soon added with a smirk. "But I can't say I have not known it before."

"I think I know it too."

"You go first!" he told her.

"No, you go first!"

"No, you are the professional here!"

She glared at him for a second, feeling stupid that he was asking her to speak something like that out. But then Ran looked again at their hands. As she saw his thumb brushing over the back of her hand reassuringly, her insides smiled and she found her theory verified.

"I... I guess what we were shown is simply our history together. What we went through for already... well, all our lives…" she blushed. "How close we are and...well... how… how important-"

"-important we are for each other?" he finished and she nodded. He smiled.

"I was thinking along the same lines. Never before have I been shown so clearly just how great a part of my life you are. What a huge part you have already been ever since we first met as babies. And, like said, simply how important you are to me!" she smiled a broad smile at him and nodded, telling him without words that she had been thinking exactly the same.

Overwhelmingly happy because of the single fact that his thoughts on that matter were the same as hers, she launched herself into his arms, knocking him backwards on the bed. She rubbed her cheek against his a few times, laughing, then lay her head on his shoulder, holding him tightly.

He laughed softly with her and held her back. As she stilled he pulled them a little higher so that he was laying on the pillows and a little higher, then held her tightly as well as she wriggled on top of him to get comfortable. As she was done, his hands went back to stroke her back with loving circles and tender touches, sending shivers up her spine. She turned her head towards him and gently kissed his neck. It tickled and he chuckled, causing Ran to giggle. That sound was so sweet, coming from our great detective that could not be fooled by any criminal mind no matter how smart.

Ran felt really powerful, being able to make him sound like that. She glided a little higher so she could reach his chin and kissed it, too, before starting kissing a way up the side of his face.

"Shinichi?" she murmured into his ear, exploding were she not able to tell him what had formed in her mind without any voluntary doing of her.

His hands came up her back, holding her close. He turned his head so that his breath was playing across her neck. She shivered, goose bumps rising on her arms. Then, without any warning, he answered her unspoken question.

"I love you, too!"

She stilled on him, saying and doing nothing. Then she pulled away and looked into his face, a look of wonder on her face.

"Shinichi! How did you… did you know what I…?"

One corner of his mouth rose to a half-grin, the sexy half-grin that was so typical of Shinichi and that she loved seeing on his face so much! Drowning in it and almost having forgotten the original question, she listened to his words that followed and caught her, she had to admit, rather unprepared.

"Did you learn nothing last night?" he chuckled, satisfied that could prove her own theory about their connection right to her with a simple display.

Ran was slightly taken aback, but that soon faded as warmth spread inside of her. She leaned forward and kissed him, her whole heart that was to its limits satisfied laying in it.

Pulling back, she grinned at him and lay back down on him, her head on his chest. She had one arm around him while the free hand thread her fingers through his. Suddenly she remembered something, feeling uneasy at the prospects.

"How did that dream of yours end?" she asked, slightly afraid he had seen the part where she had dreamt about him and that other woman as well…

"Well, the real one ended with my breakdown at the school play…" he trailed off, waiting for her to…

"Yeah, mine too!" she affirmed. Shinichi smiled, thoroughly satisfied.

"And then there was that thing with the different world, the flowers and those fields…" he trailed off.

"…was beautiful…" she murmured in agreement. He grinned.

"Yeah…except for the ending..." she gave a sound of agreement again against his chest.

So they had been sharing this part of the dream as well. What they did not know was that Ran had not, like Shinichi, experienced the extreme darkness at the beginning. She was simply set into the scene, condemned to wait forever for her love to arrive, all alone. That was, honestly, not any better than what he had been through.

"What happened then?" she asked quietly.

Shinichi gulped quietly. He knew exactly what had happened then. After that part, where he had believed he had been swallowed by the ground and had felt his body react painfully, had only one scene been in his mind. The next scene had been of him, shrunk, sitting on top of his stairs, crying his heart out while she was still in bed, oblivious but still feeling something had happened.

He somehow knew that she had not shared this part of his dream. She would have been acting differently than she was towards him right now, and this lead him to only one conclusion: that, since it was the last part of his dream before he had woken up finding himself still in adult form and Ran still dreaming, they had seen different endings of their dreams.

"I... I guess, in the part after that, I saw the thing I am most scared of…" he trailed off.

As she heard this, something in Ran snapped. She realized that what he was saying could indeed be the answer to her unspoken question considering the last part of her dream. It all made sense now.

"It makes sense!" she told him.

Silence followed, both lost in their own thoughts until she broke it, her curiosity winning over the fear of the possible truth.

"What did you see?" she asked him, all too curious to find out what the great meitantei-san was most scared of.

Shinichi gulped again. He had promised not to worry her even more today. And telling her he had dream that he had turned back to Conan would probably be one of the things that might… upset her a little….

He laughed inwardly.

'What an understatement!'

But, just as much he did not want to really lie to her anymore. What was he to do? He had to act quickly… so he settled for what was almost as good as the truth. His second greatest fear.

"I saw… I saw something happen to you…" he murmured as quickly as he could and in a voice that made clear he did not want to talk further about it.

She thought she understood his reasons although she could not understand the main reason no matter how hard she tried. At least not yet.

Ran was surprised, of course, but considerably calm. She had always known that he was rather protective of her and would do anything to protect her and hearing this confession… caused her only to love him more and to make her feel unbelievably happy. There she had her answer and she was more than satisfied with it.

But it was only now that she realized what her asking about his biggest fear had as side- effect! He had the right to ask her now as well since he had answered her question obviously most truthfully, considering his blush. And, sure enough, she soon heard him ask.

"And what did you see?" he asked with a grin that spread as he saw her blush deepen.

Now, this was getting interesting! He had never thought about it, but now the answer to this question did seem most interesting to him! He could not think of what she could have seen, so he waited patiently for her to answer.

He could not know what a big turmoil was ensuing inside Ran. She could not really tell him what she has seen! It was too embarrassing! But she did not want to lie to him either! She really was in trouble.

What will he think of her, if he knew that… she blushed. Would he laugh at her? Hate her? Leave her for not trusting him, although she did! Or would he maybe-

"Ran? You ok?" after waiting for a longer time where she did not move at all, he had begun to get worried and a thought had started to form in his mind.

She nodded uncertain to his question.

"Tell me… this last part of that dream... we said it's one of our biggest fears, right? Yes... so, is…" he took a deep breath for courage. Then he tried again. "Is this maybe why… why you were so..."

'Why do all words have to leave me now?' he thought annoyed, fighting for words.

"Well, so... hurt, this morning..." he trailed off, knowing, or rather hoping that she knew, what he was talking about.

And sure enough, after some hesitation he felt her nod against his chest. He stroked her back as an attempt to assure her a little.

"It's ok. You don't have to tell me. I understand!" he sounded so honest and understanding that he melted every resistance in her heart in a beat.

She smiled warmly against him and drew her head a little back to look into his face. He looked down at her and into her beautiful eyes.

"No, thank you. It's only fair that now is my turn!" she smiled at him and he could but smile back. "Although…" she blushed and looked left. "Although I feel a little stupid about it."

"Oh there is no need! You can tell me everything!" he told her, showing her that she could trust him completely.

Taking one side of her head in his hand, he gently nudged her head so that he could go back to staring in her enchanting eyes and show her that he was serious. She smiled. She knew she could trust him, without question. And she knew that it would be good to get it out.

"Okay, but promise not to laugh!"

"I promise!"

"Okay…well I…" she looked away from him and after a few seconds lay her head back on his chest, tugging playfully on the material of his shirt.

"It was morning and I woke up, alone, thinking you gone." A sweat-drop formed on his forehead but she noticed nothing, tugging now on his fingers. "To my relief I saw you sitting there on the bed, with your back to me. I was so happy and wanted to talk to you but you were already talking on the phone with… with…" she took a deep breath. "A girl. Your girlfriend, telling her things I rather not repeat. Some of them that your "business" is over, that you'll go back to her and that you… that you love her!" She was so glad that he could not see her bad blush. She was feeling increasingly stupid, but as he said nothing, she took it as a sign to go on.

"You thought I was asleep. Then you said that you were glad you had to explain nothing to me and that you'd think of an excuse later, then you left, leaving me back all alone."

Silence took over. Neither knew what to say for some time.

Shinichi knew now what had terrified her this morning. And after that dream, to wake up and indeed find oneself alone in bed… was certainly horrible.

He held her closer and she snuggled against him.

"I am sorry!" he whispered.

"No, no need. It was a stupid dream!" He did not want to argue with her right now.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Of course!" she placed her chin on his chest and looked at him. "You took care of me the best way I can think of!" she smiled gently at him, and he returned it.

"One last question on that topic?" he asked her for permission, knowing she did not really want to talk more about it as necessary.

She hesitated for a second but nodded, looking curiously at him.

"Did you believe me? I mean what I told you yesterday at the park?" he asked her and before she could ask in return he added "that while I was away you were the only thing in my head. And that I have no reason to as much as look at another girl twice because I already have got the perfect one…" he hugged her a bit tighter "...in my arms right now?"

Staring in his eyes she took a moment to think about the implications of his speech and if she could answer his question the way he wanted to. She closed her eyes and listened inside of her. Just as he was beginning to worry, she opened them with a sparkle in them and a smile on her lips.

Something in your eyes makes me want to lose myself,

Makes me want to lose myself, in your arms.

There's something in your voice makes my heart beat fast.

Hope this feeling lasts the rest of my life.

If you knew how lonely my life has been,

And how long I've been so alone.

If you knew how I wanted someone to come along,

And change my life the way you've done.

"I believe you!" she said truthfully, and seeing his relieved smile, moved forward, giving him a tender, well-earned kiss.

"I am glad!" he grinned at her as they pulled apart. "It's great, being like this with you first thing in the morning!" he stated, renewing his grip on her body.

"Yeah!" she sighed out as she lay back on him, holding him too. "But take care not to spoil me!"

He chuckled. "How would I do that?"

"Well, with all the love you give me and breakfast in bed… Take care or I won't be able to live without that or you anymore!" she smiled, trailing a finger over his chest.

He smiled, trailing warm caresses over her arms.

"There are worse things."

"Hmm." She agreed, eyes closed, rubbing her cheek against him. "Definitely!"

"Definitely!"

His warmth seemed to emit a blanket of heat that swept over her body, making her shiver involuntarily. She trailed her nails over his shirt, pleased as she saw him squirm underneath her. Wanting to feel his warmth more directly, she opened the three buttons on his shirt and her hand sneaked inside the opening, wandering shamelessly over his bare skin and placing itself finally over his heart. A leg tangled between his, coming to rest there comfortably.

He shuddered at her touch but was pleasantly surprised by her boldness. It was relieving to see that she had craved being close to him in a way meant only for lovers, just as much as he had. Having her on top of him and entangled with him so closely and intimately gave him a strange feeling. Strange in the meaning of everything positive he could and couldn't think of, of course. It felt like the beginning and the end of the universe, like happiness had finally reached its limits, like this one moment was everything he had ever fought for.

If he had, during the past year, felt out of place, talking about his body and his surroundings, he had never felt more at home and at peace than right now.

Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,

Feels like I'm all the way back where I come from.

Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,

Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.

Ran was enjoying herself immensely. Once again she was astonished to see just what an effect a simple touch on the right place could have on him, and how much power she suddenly possessed. For example, the moment she had touched his naked skin, a powerful shudder had ripped through his body before he had gone rigid and as she had lay her hand over his heart she felt it pick up speed. He was so adorable and so tantalizing; no wonder that, now that she was permitted to do so, she could not keep her hands off him.

With a smirk she thought of the multiple fan clubs Shinichi had and what they would say or do when seeing them entangled like this, as close and intimate as they have never been with anybody else, not even themselves. Ran was sure that, despite her karate, she'd have troubles.

But honestly, she couldn't care less and even forgot what she had been thinking about as his distinctly male scent teased her senses mercilessly. She followed her urges and moved her head slightly towards her hand and kissed an exposed spot on Shinichi. He shuddered again and the delight she felt was only crowned as he bent down and kissed her head, pushing her body firmer against his and a little higher so that they were now lying chest to chest.

He smiled and she mirrored it immediately, then drew a hand up to brush her hair behind her head and ear. Her beautiful smile only grew, and as it did as he could not help but to bend and kiss her forehead. He was sure he knew what an angel must look like. Not that he had ever doubted that they had long brown hair and bore a remarkable similarity to his childhood friend, but right now… he was just a tad more convinced.

She rubbed her nose against his, moving it tenderly back and forth, feeling him return the caress, before she again sank in his arms. Her head was now pressing to one side of his neck, eyes closed as she savored his closeness, his smell, the feeling of love and security his embrace offered her. The unmistakable feeling which she unconsciously shared with Shinichi, that she was at home.

A window breaks down a long dark street,

And a siren wails in the night.

But I'm all right, 'cause I have you here with me.

And I can almost see through the dark there is light.

If you knew how much this moment means to me,

And how long I've waited for your touch.

If you knew how happy you are making me

I never thought that I'd love anyone so much.

"I am so glad you are here!" she murmured against the skin of his neck, the vibration of her voice making him shiver again.

She loosened a hand from their embrace and brought it up to stroke the back of his head, massaging his scalp gently. He almost started purring at the touch but only leaned towards her hand, enjoying her caress immensely. His own hand was stroking her hair and then her back underneath it, caressing her whole form.

"Nowhere else would feel this good!" he murmured, diving his nose in her hair and breathing in her sweet, feminine scent deeply. Then he kissed her cheek and quickly kissed his way down her chin to her neck, lingering there.

"Yeah!" she breathed, tilting her head to the side.

He took it a good sign and, grinning like a fool, continued to gently kiss her neck, tickling her slightly with his lips. Another sigh of satisfaction escaped her. She gripped his back almost bruisingly, pushing their bodies closer, leaving nothing but the disturbing clothes between them.

Emboldened the intoxicating taste of her neck, Shinichi suddenly wanted to taste more and lowered one strap of her nightgown enough that he could access her bare shoulder. Immediately he traced each piece of skin he revealed with his lips. Her shuddering and her clutching on to his shoulders was only spurring him on and provoking a grin from the guy.

One of Ran's hands moved up to hold Shinichi's head against her skin, getting lost in his hair while massaging his scalp. With the other she tried to push him closer to her. His free hand was flat on her back, rubbing left and right over her shoulder blades.

As his trailing kisses along her shoulder reached a sensitive point on her cleavage, she gasped and let go of him for a second. He used this opening and wriggled out of her grasp, disentangling their legs as well. She looked a little annoyed and disapproving at him, but he only grinned and turned her around so that she was lying on her belly. Before she could do anything but squeak, she was already feeling half his weight on top of her butt.

She turned around to look at him, surprised and puzzled but tender hands were pushing on her shoulders and beckoning her with gentle force to lay back down. All too willingly she obliged, feeling unable to deny those hands any request. His proud grin that showed his satisfaction clearly decorated his face as he tugged on the straps of her night grown, this time both. He had them both down so that they played across her arms and before she could protest he started massaging her back.

Ran let out a groan as pure pleasure shoot through her and her eyes fell shut immediately. His hands, working gently on the knots in her back, felt so great she could not hold back the little sounds escaping her lips unwillingly. How she loved his hands. Those hands could be brutal and unforgiving when dealing with a crime, but right now they felt too good to be human! Ran was creating little poems about his hands as she felt them work their magic on her back.

He had, by now, massaged not only her shoulders but her whole back, down to her butt. Always the gentleman, he lovingly pulled the straps of her gown back in place, having finished his task, and lay down on her back for a minute, sharing heat and enjoying body contact while always having in mind to keep his weight off her. He gently brushed her hair that was spread on her face away to one side, straightening it for her, and then bent a little to kiss her cheek.

Ran let out a lazy "Mmmm!" stating more than obviously her approval. He giggled and laid his head back at the spot between her neck and shoulder. What he did not know was that his hair was tickling her mercilessly. She pulled a hand up to brush them away but it was to no avail. She knew it was kind of strange, but she even loved that about him. Simply his hair, tickling her.

At some point though, she had had enough and in one fluid motion turned around, aware of the fact that they resembled wrestlers. Now kneeling at his side, she gently tugged on him so that he would turn enough to lie on his stomach as well. Taking her hint he complied with a grin and did as he was told.

Grinning, too, she sat on him and pulled his shirt up. Before he could react he felt two warm hands move underneath it and lay on his skin. He could have sworn he would find burn marks the next day on the place where her hands were touching him; this, shockingly, did not bother him one bit. Not that he was in any state for rational thinking, considering her hands that were…

"Ugh!" he groaned silently as her hands kneaded his sore muscles.

She had no idea how good her massage did him. After his transformation and the near-transformation this morning he just now realized how unsound his body really was. And he was so glad that he had Ran to-

His trail of thinking was disturbed as he gave a little jump. She had just found a really tight knot. She murmured a quiet 'sorry', but he shook his head, telling her it was ok. At some point, after having her wonderful hands heal his body after having done so much good to his soul, he turned his body but made sure that she stayed on top of him. He now looked up at her with a smile, thanking her. They laced the fingers of both their hands and held each others hands to their sides. She merely smiled at him and leaned down, kissing him as a "You're welcome".

After she pulled a few centimeters away, she could see that he was returning that smile. A minute later, he pulled his hands free, allowing her whole body to fall on top of him. Then he chuckled and quickly enveloped her in his arms yet again. She wriggled on top of him before reaching her perfect comfy spot on him and his chest, and hugged him tightly before melting to one being with him.

Both gave a sigh and he rubbed long and warm paths across her whole back, up and down, enjoying the closeness and the feeling of her light weight pressing down on him. He had been too long denied this simple happiness.

Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,

Feels like I'm all the way back where I come from.

Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,

Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.

"Thank you!" he whispered in her ear.

"What for?"

"For making me feel at home. For being my home!" he stated, meaning it with all his heart and soul.

"No need to thank me since you make me feel the same," she replied with as much honesty.

"Oh Ran..." he whispered, touched like he can not remember having been for a very long time.

She smiled, took his face between her hands and kissed him affectionately.

"Welcome home, Shinichi!" she tenderly whispered to him as she lay comfortably back on him, snuggling deeper into Shinichi like a cat would.

He only smiled at her words and could not help but love her more than he ever thought it was possible to love somebody. And what the future held did not matter right now, in this room that seemed to consist of only the bed with the two lovers on top of it that were almost radiant with love and happiness. He knew deep inside his heart, that right now, he really was at home. That was more at home than he ever has been and that he always would be at home, as long as she was with him.

Just realizing this made the whole Conan thing worth it. Right now, it felt that it had been worth the pain, the fight, the loneliness. Had been worth everything, because it had lead to this moment of complete bliss and pure happiness with the woman of his dreams. It had been what it took for him to feel at home. To realize without the slightest trace of a doubt being left, where exactly his place in this world was.

Right here.

Feels like I'm all the way

Back where I belong.

THE END


1.May.2006

Jojo's authors note:

So so? I swear, I am soooo very anxious to know what you think of that! Really, so please care to share! Are you satisfied with me? I wanted to satisfy the cuddle fans, I think I succeeded with the sweetness-factor.

I feel somehow really sad to end this story that was with me for so long... All the emotions that are linked with it and the TIME and energy that I put in this... hardly somebody can imagine so... and I already miss it!

I was, until now just for fun, thinking about some kind of sequel! Like...maybe on what would happen if Ran found out that he was Conan the next day or something? Or...maybe something completely different? I don't know and would LOVE your ideas. It all, of course, depends on the success of this chapter and on the interest it receives.

I would love to answer any question you have got. Feel free to send me an email, I'll promise to answer each and every one! So, I am sure we'll see each other again in further stories. THANKS again SO MUCH to everybody for everything, you guys are the best! Just...take care you all!

Love, Jojo


Songs: "I need you" by Leann Rimes and "Feels like home" by Chantal Kreviazuk