The plan had gone off perfectly. Kudo filling in as a second Kid, trapping Snake and his boss in a pincer attack that had been genius in its simplicity. Kaito felt a little embarrassed it hadn't been his idea. He supposed Shinichi was just better at catching criminals, while he was better at putting on a show. Both talents together were one heck of a combination, though. The police had swarmed the place, leading to the two teens pulling on police uniforms as quick disguises until they could sneak out to an alley a few blocks away.

As he walked over to Shinichi, Kaito was all smiles.

"We should do that again sometime. Maybe with your little enemy organization next?" he said.

Shinichi nodded, though, getting closer, he looked rather pale. And sweaty. "M-maybe."

"Hey... are you alright?" Kaito asked, as Shinichi clutched his chest.

"Ehh... the anti-toxin is wearing off. I-it always hurts to change back," Shinichi said with a grimace.

He was sweating worse now, and his knees were shaking. Kaito hovered closer, not sure if he'd need to support the other teen.

"It's that bad?" Kaito asked. "If I'd known it hurt this much... we could have done a different plan."

Shinichi shot him a pained grin. "It's fine. I do this all the time. Haibara is always complaining, but I'm used to it."

"Still-"

"I'd... I'd say pushing the Kaitou Kid into... retiring early should be... worth a li-little pain for a detective like me... no?" Shinichi replied, though he was sweating buckets now as he leaned against a dumpster. "Ope. There it-"

Shinichi screamed, his free hand swinging up to his chest now. He fell to his knees, steam billowing off his body. Kaito froze in terror, certain that his newfound friend was dying. A new scream ripped itself out of Shinichi's lungs as his body shrank, heat flooding off his body enough to make Kaito take a half step backwards.

Now it was Conan in front of him, inside baggy adult sized clothing. The shrunken teen shot Kaito a weak smile.

"See? All goo... go..." Conan said, before his eyes filled with confusion. He clutched his chest again. "That doesn't feel right... usually it..."

"Should-uh, should I call an ambulance?" Kaito asked. He was no doctor, but he knew chest issues were not something to take lightly.

"N-no. No. I think I just need Haibara to check me over," Conan said, standing up again. "A hospital probably wouldn't even know what they're looking at."

He made it two steps before falling over. This time Kaito caught him. Conan had blacked out.

Kaito lifted him up. Conan's small frame felt so hot. The shrunken teen was still sweating bullets. Not bothering to change him into the child sized clothes they'd prepared beforehand, Kaito ran with Conan still wearing that adult sized shirt. There was a spare police car not too far away, and Kaito was still in uniform, so he decided that the emergency warranted a little more criminal activity on his part. It wasn't hard to pick the lock and hotwire the car. He was more worried about putting Conan in the backseat with the seatbelts secure, but not too tight.

The siren was going to be useful in helping him get Conan across a ward and a half of Tokyo in minimal time. The radio started buzzing with angry shouts from dispatch after a bit, reports of a speeding cop car having reached them, but he had bigger priorities. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't seen police driving at least this recklessly.

The shrunken teen screamed from where Kaito had placed him down in the back seat. A quick glance into the rearview mirror showed Conan was grabbing his chest again.

"Ran," he groaned. "I didn't..."

"Fifteen more minutes and the little scientist will get you fixed up, don't worry," Kaito said as he blew through a red light, swerving around a car that hadn't stopped in time.

Conan let out another strangled cry. "I'm not... I'm not going to make it..."

"Yes you are," Kaito snapped as they whipped around a corner, testing the hold of the seatbelts on Conan's small form.

"N-no. It's different this-aack... this time," Conan muttered. "So different."

"Every day is different from the last," Kaito replied, not sure if he was trying to calm Conan or himself. "You've made it through all the ones you've had so far."

"Promise... promise me Ran will get a goodbye from Shinichi," Conan muttered.

"Pardon?" Kaito asked, glancing at Conan again through the rearview mirror.

That one honestly confused him. Was Conan going delirious?

"I don't... I don't think I'll be able to change... she needs closure," Conan muttered.

"Hey, maybe this feels so bad because it's the final push of the toxin leaving your body? I bet you'll be fine by morning," Kaito offered, trying again to push the optimistic angle.

"Promise me, Kuroba," Conan groaned, his breath shorter now. "Please. Give… give her a goodbye."

"Fine, if it'll get you to stop saying you're going to die, then I'll promise. It's not like I'll have to actually do anything. You're going to be fine," Kaito replied, gritting his teeth.

They were coming up on Agasa's home now. Conan was still breathing. Things were going to go fine.

Kaito sat in the professor's living room, staring at the wall. He felt empty. He couldn't imagine what Haibara was feeling right now, assuming she was feeling anything after last night. She'd been awake the entire time, trying every medication and treatment she could think of. Kaito had served as her nurse, glad that years of magic and lockpicking had left his hands stable when she needed him to help with injections.

Not that any of it had worked.

Kaito was sure he'd cry later. Probably after he'd slept. After he'd had time to feel something again. Haibara's tiny form was sitting against the wall across the room, staring into space.

Another small form lay in the basement, never to return to Shinichi's size. Couldn't Kudo at least have that dignity in death?

Rolling his head back to stare at the ceiling, Kaito heard Agasa on the phone in the kitchen. Kaito was able to piece together that it was with Shinichi's parents. He couldn't imagine what it was like to tell parents that their child had died.

The Kudos had opted for a family only funeral for 'Conan'. As detached as they usually were, they couldn't keep up the facade for their son's funeral. Yukiko needed to be there as herself, to call out Shinichi's name as the cremation fires were lit. It wasn't a time for acting.

The Mouris couldn't know, though. Kaito would have found it absurd if it wasn't so tragic, and the only thing that kept him from getting into a shouting match with Yuusaku was recognition for the man's need to grieve. As he stewed in the park near the Mouri's home, the day after the funeral, he begrudgingly accepted that Yuusaku was right. If the Mouris found out the truth they'd both be blinded by the need for vengeance and likely end up dead themselves, trying to face up against Shinichi's enemies in an emotional state.

It didn't mean he had to like it, though. Not as he saw the dead look in Ran's eyes as she listlessly walked home from school, Sonoko and Sera guiding her along. Somehow, even in that state, she was beautiful. She reminded him so much of Aoko, so it wasn't hard for him to slip into the role of Kudo Shinichi, to imagine being in love with her.

To fulfill that reckless idiot's last request.

"Shi—nichi?" she said softly, as her eyes drifted over to him.

"Hey," he offered.

"Kudo!?" Sera blurted, staring at him.

Ran walked over to him, poking him in the chest. "It's… it's really you?"

"Last I checked, I'm me. Yes," he replied, giving her a weak smile.

Tears filled her eyes. "I… I… you're…"

Before he could say anything, Kaito found himself pulled forward, into a desperate and passionate kiss. He panicked, having not expected this, and tried to squirm out of it. Ran's grip was like iron, however.

Thankfully, she noticed his reluctance and broke the kiss, staring at him with worry in her eyes. As she looked up at him, with those pleading and desperate eyes, he struggled against the horrible feeling in his gut. This whole thing had been a terrible idea from the start. It was only the fact that Shinichi had begged him to be there for Ran that kept him from feeling completely like the worst human being in history, pretending to be his dead friend and kissing said friend's girlfriend.

"I—I'm sorry, Ran," he said softly. "I… I can't right now."

She nodded. "We all grieve differently… I just… I'm glad to see you, after Conan… you know he always reminded me so much of you… I—his parents were never around. They abandoned him, and then they wouldn'—wouldn't let me or dad go to the funeral."

Her face crumpled, tears pouring out of her eyes as she grabbed onto Kaito again, sobbing into his chest. He held her, trying to offer comfort.

"He was so small… I failed him," she mumbled, barely audible with her face pressed against his chest.

"You didn't know about his heart… I didn't know either. I never should have encouraged him to take all the risks he did," he replied, feeling tears run down his own face. "It was my fault, more than anyone's."

The feelings of grief overwhelmed him, after having had to hide that anything was wrong in his normal life. Kuroba Kaito had no reason to be in mourning, after all. He couldn't turn to Aoko or Ginzo for comfort. Sure, he could tell his mother, but it wasn't enough to get her to come home. And Jii, well… he was supportive, but they weren't close enough for a hug to feel right.

So he held on to Ran, a substitute for the comfort he needed.

"Should… should we leave you two alone?" Sonoko asked, after a few moments of silence passed.

He looked at her, properly now, and saw pain in her eyes too. While she wasn't as close to Conan as Ran had been, it was obvious he'd still mattered to her. Sera, however, seemed to have anger in her eyes, as she stared at him. He wasn't sure what she knew, but she definitely knew more than the others.

Ran gave a small nod. "Sorry, Sonoko. Just… just for right now."

"It's ok," the other girl said with a soft smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Sera gave a curt nod as Ran said goodbye to both of them.

Which left him and Ran alone in the park. He wasn't sure what to say. He knew he was supposed to give her a goodbye, but he couldn't do that while she was in the depths of mourning. He could have just stayed away, but that had also seemed so wrong. To leave her hating Shinichi… it was no way to respect his memory.

So, he could say goodbye next time. This time he could just hold her. Cry with her.

Eventually, she said she had to go home. She had homework to do, and, more importantly, needed to check on her father. He was a complete mess with Conan gone. Kaito nodded, walking her home, and pulling out the 'big case' cover that Shinichi had used to explain that he wouldn't be back again for a while. That he'd barely been able to get back to Tokyo for just this visit.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek as a thank you for managing at least that.

He threw up when he got home.

He should have never agreed to this.

He'd avenged his father, but at the cost of Shinichi. So he launched himself into avenging Kudo next. Haibara and Agasa had helped him get in contact with Shinichi's other allies. He lied through his teeth to the FBI and PSB to avoid them realising he was Kid, and did fool most of them with his cover that he had just trained in ninjutsu for fun and cultural preservation.

With his disguise and theft skills combined with the guidance of two actual intelligence agencies, as well as a Kudo Yuusaku out for blood and vengeance, progress was made. They lured the Black Organisation into a trap, and walked away with most of the top operatives, including Gin and Vermouth, in handcuffs.

Kaito found himself receiving a bullet to the gut and a broken arm, but it seemed an acceptable trade. Especially when Vermouth seemed ready to cop a plea and betray what remained of the organization.

Which meant it seemed like a good time to see Ran again. They'd shared brief conversations over the phone, both texts and calls, but that was no place to end a relationship as long and important as Ran and Shinichi's. By the time Ran had seemed out of the worst of her mourning, Kaito had been dragged too deep into the case to see her. Deep enough he'd missed weeks of school.

Now he had a chance, though.

While lying alone in the hospital bed, still recovering from his wound, he dialed Ran's number.

"Hello? Shinichi? Is everything ok?" she asked.

"Ehh… I've been better, but… I can head back to Tokyo for a bit. We managed to arrest some major players and… I don't think they'll need me for the case for a little while," he replied, staring at the ceiling, and wondering if the painkillers in his system were affecting his acting skills.

Not that Shinichi was a hard role to play. His normal voice was already right, all he had to do was push himself to act a bit more mature than usual.

"You can? I—" Ran began, and he heard some tears hit her voice, though felt safe in assuming they were happy tears. "I was beginning to worry you were never coming home. That your case was never going to end."

Kaito let out a soft laugh, trying to hold up Shinichi's confidence. "I must say, I find your lack of faith disturbing."

When there was a moment of silence at the other end, his mind panicked.

"Too silly? Sorry. Things have just been nothing but work on my end for the past few months. I needed to vent a little humour," he offered.

"Oh, no, it's fine. That line just reminded me of something… I'm not sure why," Ran replied. "When will you be back in Beika?"

"Thursday," he said.

"Mhm. That sounds good. We should meet after I get off school."

"Sounds good," he replied, staring at the hospital room's ceiling.

He realised he'd made a mistake as soon as he saw the look in Ran's eyes. He should have waited until he had the cast off. She had too much compassion in her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, as she ran over to him.

"Things got a little dicey, but I'm fine," he replied, standing up from the bench he was sitting on.

She gave him a look.

"Ok, I'm a little sore and tired, but I'm going to be fine," he mumbled. "I can at least handle taking you to dinner."

"… alright. Dinner sounds good," she replied. "How about that restaurant we went to after the school play? We never got to finish our meal there."

Kaito swallowed. Haibara had told him about the play, about the first time she'd given Shinichi the antidote that had taken his life in the end. The price of the Bird's Eye Restaurant, though… well, Ran deserved it. He'd stolen Shinichi from her, so she deserved anything he could give her.

After a painful and exhausting walk to the subway and ride over, he was glad when they finally reached the restaurant and he could sit for good. He was also glad for Ran's strength, helping him up stairs and other issues when he needed it.

As they sat, waiting for their food, Ran asked him about the case. He needed to edit the story a bit, to better fit Shinichi's skills than his own, but most of it was based in truth. Though some things remained classified, that was a much nicer reason to be avoiding details than he'd had as Kid.

That topic kept them going until well through the meal. Kaito then asked about Ran and school, doing his best to pretend he knew all the names she was talking about. They'd wrapped up dinner, and headed down to the lobby. He phoned a cab, Ran waiting with him for a bit.

He studied the floor as they waited, struggling with what he had to say. Hurting Ran seemed as bad as hurting Aoko. He'd done the latter too many times, and didn't want to go through that again.

He had to, though.

"Ran, I… there's something I have to tell you," he said, turning to her. "I—"

Ran placed a finger on his lip. "Next time. You can tell me next time."

"But," he began, when she took her finger down.

"Next time," she said softly. "Your cab is here."

Kaito nodded. He could wait until next time. A time when his body didn't ache so much.

He also had to wonder why he swore he saw tears in her eyes as the cab drove off.

The next time was not soon. The month or so of school he missed kept him busy, especially with Aoko and Ginzo enforcing strict rest routines while he recovered from his wounds. Aoko was keeping him under near-constant observation, whenever he wasn't being dragged in by the FBI or PSB to go over details over the case. He was generally only able to communicate with Ran by texts.

Nearly a month passed before Kaito was able to go back to Beika on his own. He met Ran at a ramen shop. He swallowed, wanting to bring things to an end at last.

Only to freeze up at the look in her eyes when he tried.

"Can we talk about little things first?" she asked, a pain in her eyes he couldn't place.

He gave a nod. "Sure. Little things first."

She probed about why Shinichi wasn't back at school, and he claimed the PSB had made him an offer for a special education path he couldn't resist. Which had some basis in truth, as the PSB had offered something similar to Kaito, but the real him was less interested in law and order than Shinichi had been.

After that, she focused on talking about her life, about friends of Shinichi's that Kaito had asked Haibara and Agasa about after the last 'date'. That pair hadn't known everyone, and there were new names this time, but Kaito did his best to follow along, dancing around the holes in his knowledge.

What he couldn't escape was the feeling that Ran's stories felt so similar to the sort of stories he told when he visited his father's grave. He was sure it was from his end, knowing of the death that lingered around this disguise.

When the meal finished, and the conversation reached a lull, he took in a breath, preparing for the plunge. The goodbye that needed to be said.

"Oh gosh! I lost track of the time!" Ran blurted, just before he could speak. "There's a show Sonoko and I have been watching. I have to get going now if I want to catch it."

He blinked. "Uh… but…"

"Can it wait until next time?" Ran asked, though her tone told him it wasn't a question. It was an order.

"S-sure," he said, giving a nod.

She thanked him, before standing up and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. She then ran off, leaving him sitting alone in the ramen shop.

He supposed the next time wouldn't be as long of a wait.

Kaito had been right that they'd see each other again sooner, managing to meet up after only a bit more than a week. They met up at another park, grabbing some ice cream and sitting near a pond. He was wrong that he'd have a chance to say the goodbye, though. After talking him into getting ice cream (which, admittedly, wasn't hard) Ran had a hundred things to talk about. School gossip, as always. Apparently, on a whim, she'd started reading the original Sherlock books. She wanted to see if she could love them as much as 'him'. As much as Shinichi did.

That left Kaito scrambling. He'd never read them himself (the closest he'd gotten was reading Lupin's battle with Herlock Sholmes). Trying to play an expert who knew the books backwards was tricky, yet Ran seemed easily convinced. She just smiled softly any time he fumbled and blamed it on a lack of sleep from his 'PSB academy' course load.

It seemed to be going fairly well, until, for no clear reason, Ran began crying. He slid over on the bench to hug her, trying to offer soft comforts while being unsure what had upset her.

"I'm sorry. It was, just, the kids playing over there… it reminded me that I ran into Conan's friends this week. And…" she said, before going quiet, tears in her eyes as she stared out at the pond.

He pulled her closer, resting his forehead on her head. After a while, he whispered softly in her ear, "It's ok to still hurt."

"I should have stopped him," she said quietly. "I should have realised what was happening and stopped him."

"It's not your fault," he replied.

It was his. Shinichi had died helping him.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked.

Ran nodded. It wasn't a long walk, and they made it in silence. She kissed him on the cheek, saying 'thank you' before heading up to her apartment.

He didn't feel like he deserved a thank you, with what he'd stolen from her. As well as the promise to Shinichi he'd still failed to fulfill.

He decided to surprise Ran by waiting for her after school two days later. Sure, it meant skipping his own classes, but it wasn't like that was a first. He reasoned he had to take the initiative if he was ever going to give her the closure she deserved. Showing up too soon for her to have more stories to tell.

Ran and Sonoko both looked surprised to see him, Ran also seeming more than a little… upset? Sera, however, had hatred in her eyes as the trio approached.

She turned to Ran and, with clenched teeth, asked, "May I talk to you boyfriend for a moment, Ran?"

"Oh, um, sure?" Ran replied.

Sera nodded, before marching over to him. He stepped out of her way and followed silently, knowing better than to disobey her in any way. He followed her into an alleyway, and immediately regretted it. She pinned him against the wall, lifting him off his feet by his shirt collar.

"I don't know what you're playing at, Kudo, but you broke her heart with the whole 'Conan dying' thing," she hissed, her prominent canines looking like deadly fangs.

"It—I… there's no 'playing' or 'thing'," Kaito replied, worrying which of his bones she was going to break.

"D—ooon't lie to me, Kudo," she growled, shifting to slam him against the wall again. "I know about the whole… you might not have worked with my mother much, but I know you know about her."

"Your," Kaito began, before it slid into place. The FBI mentioned there was another shrunken investigator, and had called her 'Sera' as well, hadn't they? He'd never put it together, having not worked with that Sera at any point, or interacted with this one extensively.

Which meant…

"Masumi, put him down," Ran's voice said, calmly, but with authority.

Sera and Kaito both turned, surprised to see Ran there.

"I… but he," Sera began. "You don't know what he did to you. He stomped on your heart for no good reason. When… with Conan…"

"No, he didn't. I wish Shinichi had told me the truth, but he hasn't done anything out of line with what I'm sure Shinichi asked him to do," Ran replied.

Kaito and Sera both stared. The fanged girl was clearly completely lost, while Kaito wondered what he'd done to give himself away.

Ran turned, looking at him, a soft smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "Did you know that Shinichi never watched Star Wars?"

He blinked. Partially because who had never seen Star Wars by the age of seventeen? But, also, wondering why she brought it up.

"There had been little things I wondered about before that, but when you quoted it, I realised you weren't him," Ran said softly, still wearing that smile. She let out a laugh as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "I didn't want to admit it, but I knew. I knew our 'dates' were about remembering him. But I didn't… I couldn't say goodbye yet."

Sera set Kaito down, letting go of him to walk over to Ran. Kaito followed, but kept a couple steps behind.

Ran shivered, hugging herself and shivering despite the mild weather of Tokyo in the spring. "It—it was selfish of me. I'm sorry."

Sera placed a hand on Ran's shoulder, while Kaito shook his head.

"I'm the one who needs to apologise. If it hadn't been for me, Shinichi would still be alive. I don't deserve the kindness you've shown. You can—should ask whatever you want from me," Kaito said.

Ran looked up at him with those soft, sad, and, most of all, kind eyes. "I know that whatever happened was his idea. That's how he always was… if it hadn't been for you, he'd have found someone else to give his life helping."

She sniffled, leaning in to Sera and receiving a hug from the other girl. After a moment, Ran looked up again.

"I'll ask you for one last thing, though. The thing I always wanted him to give me… the truth."

Kaito nodded, running a hand through his hair to ruffle it back it it's natural state. "Very well. My name is Kuroba Kaito, and I have a long story for… for y—"

He couldn't finish. Giving the truth meant lowering his facade. Because the truth was that he hurt. That he'd not mourned properly. There had been no time, and no one to turn to. He'd bottled it up all this time, and now he was crying on a public street in front of two girls who were, effectively strangers.

He was surprised, and confused, when Ran hugged him.

"It doesn't have to be now," she whispered.

"It should be, though," he replied. "I just need a moment."

He poured out his heart to Ran that evening. More than just the things he knew about Shinichi. About his life as Kid. About his involvement in taking down the Black Organization. Even about the loneliness he'd felt from how his mother always left. It was just a torrent he couldn't stop, and, by the end of it, he was sure she knew more about him than anyone else on earth.

To his relief and amazement, Ran did not drag him to the police for his crimes. Instead she told her about her perspective. About the things she'd figured out. The ways Shinichi had lied, and made her question the evidence she'd gathered. Yet, how she'd always felt like he'd been worried for her.

They both ended up talking until they fell asleep.

After high school, Kaito had needed to move out. He'd wanted to leave the Kid 'cave' behind, as well as the memories of loss the house had meant. He'd also wanted shorter commutes to his university, but that was a less poetic reason to want to move, and he generally didn't bring it up. He also hadn't wanted to live alone again, though.

Luckily, he hadn't had to, as proven by the fact he was currently watching Ran fry up some leftovers as he sat on the counter eating yoghurt.

"Why do you insist on sitting up there, even though I make you clean it every time?" she muttered over her shoulder.

"I like to feel tall," he said with a smile, before eating another spoonful of cherry flavoured goodness.

Even though she was facing away from him, he knew she was rolling her eyes. He stuck out his tongue, silently, but she knew him well enough to give a sarcastic reply of 'real mature'.

Kaito hopped down, rinsing out his yoghurt cup to recycle it. He then slid over to peek over Ran's shoulder.

"You should add some hot sauce," he said, looking at the fried rice meal she was heating up.

"You can add your own hot sauce at the table," she replied, pointing the spatula at his nose.

"Maybe I'll add a little to everyone's," he said with a grin. "Sleight of hand master and all that."

"Maybe I'll act like a normal girlfriend would and get jealous, seeing you and Ran so close," Shiho said as she walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker.

"Oh, I never… you know full well it's innocent," Kaito replied, placing a hand dramatically on his chest.

"Only thing innocent about you," Ran said as she turned off the stove. "Also, breakfast is ready. Everyone, help yourself."

With that, she stepped away, holding a plate of her own food. Kaito scooped out a bit for himself, while Shiho continued to watch the coffee maker bubble and gurgle away. He set his plate down across from Ran, but wasn't sitting down just yet. He walked over to the butsudan, as it was his day to tend to it. He opened the window beside it a crack before lighting some incense. He whispered a quiet prayer, and took in the faces of lost loved ones there. Shiho's family. His father. Shinichi. There were more faces there than most people their age would have.

"Life's been going quite well for us lately, though," he whispered. "I guess it's from all of you looking out for us… thank you."

He gave a small smile, before turning back to the table and sitting down to join the others for breakfast.