Mouri Detective Agency was silent as Conan crept into the kitchen. Ran was spending the night with Sonoko and Kogoro was out on a case. On any other day, Conan would have joined the older sleuth, secretly helping him, but a missing cat wasn't worth the hassle. The truth of the matter was, Conan, was tired, tired of hiding, tired of lying, and most of all, tired of constantly hurting the girl he loved. In the beginning, while it wasn't easier, it hurt less when he thought there was a chance of returning to normal. He thought back to the day prior, to the conversation he had with Ai, to the heart-shattering truth he wished was nothing more than a sick prank. It hurt him to accept that, after 2 years working and coming up with only temporary fixes, she had given up on completing the antidote. His only chance of returning to normal was done and there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Conan felt a weight on his chest as he thought about everything he'd never be able to do. He had dreamed of coming home to Ran as Shinichi, telling her the case was over, that he'd never leave again, and finally kissing her.
Conan felt a sad smile cross his lips at his thoughts as he pulled a chair toward the counter. He climbed up and opened a drawer, even with only the dim light coming from the rest of the agency, he could still his reflection in the metal object inside. He saw his eyes, Shinichi's eyes, staring back at him and his heart ached. Conan could almost see the sorrowful look in Ran's eyes when he reminded her of Shinichi. He shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind as he reached into the drawer and pulled out the replacement blade for the box cutter that had been 'missing' for over a year. Kogoro refused to get a new one, despite his complaining, because he claimed it was somewhere in the home. He was right, it was still in the agency, but there was no way for him to know it was under his young ward's futon. No one in the agency knew he had it, nor that he had worn the blade dull.
The shrunken detective hopped off the chair and pushed it back under the table before walking into the main agency. He sat down on the floor in front of the couch and leaned back. Conan had thought about going into the bathroom he and Ran shared to end it all so the cleanup wouldn't be as much of a hassle, but the fear that Ran would find him terrified him. While he knew his death would hurt her, finding him dead, covered in blood, would scar her. No, he had to do it somewhere that Kogoro would find him that night when he came home. Conan pushed up his sleeves and brought the box cutter to his exposed arm, his hands trembling slightly and his heart racing. With a deep breath, he pushed the blade into his scarred flesh, relishing in the pain it brought. As he dragged the blade towards his elbow, he smiled at the blood that ran down his arm as if it was a steady river. His breath quickened as he moved to do the same to his other arm but, as the world spun, he dropped the weapon. His small body collapsed, and he accidentally knocked the box cutter under the couch. Conan didn't hear the agency door open over the ringing in his ears, nor did he hear the scream that filled the once silent room as his consciousness faded.