Ran bent down and hugged my small body, even though it was painful for me to move my body I tried my best to raise my arms and hug her back. Her cries were full of pain, anger and sadness altogether, the least I could do was this to try and lessen these negative emotions that she was feeling.

I already calmed down from our emotional reunion but it took Ran another 5 minutes before doing so. I just lied down there and tried my best to calm her down by rubbing my palms on her knuckles and brushing the hair that stick down her tear stained cheeks. When she calmed down, she sat down on the chair she was sitting on earlier and wiped her tears with a tissue with one hand, not wanting to let go of my hand on the other.

Ran told me everything that had happened during the days that I was unconscious. She and Uncle Kogorou received a call during that night that I was in the hospital, they were worried but confused as well as to why I had a gunshot wound and also because of the number of police and media that were swarming the hospital outside.

"Why is Conan-kun shot, Professor Agasa? What happened?"

Ran asked while she was crying outside of the emergency room, Kogorou was trying to calm her down but he as well looked worried.

The Professor looked down and is obviously trying to find the right words to use in explaining the situation. Haibara was beside him and crying silently, Amuro-san and Akai-san were present as well. The Professor sighed and was about to speak when a shout of a woman's voice disturbed the silence.

"Shin-chan!"

Yukiko-san was running and stopped in front of the Professor.

"Where is my son? Is he alright?"

"Shinichi is inside the ER already, Yukiko. Let us wait here patiently."

Yukiko shook her head and faced her husband.

"Yusaku, our son! He, He—what if—"

She couldn't finish her words and just hugged her husband. The two of them have always been supportive of their son's actions of tracking down this organization. They know he's very smart and knows how to defend himself but when they heard that he's been brought to the hospital and is badly injured, Yukiko want to regret letting him stay here in Japan instead of forcing him to go with them to America.

"He'll be fine, Yukiko. Our son is not weak, it takes more than this to defeat him so don't worry too much, alright?"

Yusaku said, trying to comfort his wife but at the same time he's telling those words to himself. He was very worried about his son but he knows that this isn't the time to show weakness as his wife needs him at this moment.

"Ran-kun…"

The professor called Ran who was still crying, the teenage girl slowly let go of her father and faced him. He led her to the seats that were outside of the ER because he knows that telling her everything is gonna take a while.

"I'll be direct with this, Ran-kun. Did you not notice the timing when Shinichi disappeared and Conan-kun appeared in your house?"

He asked Ran who seemed taken aback by the question. She was still distraught by everything but she still tried to process the question asked. Shinichi started 'disappearing' and always told her that he's going to handle a very big case during the time when she met Conan-kun at Shinichi's library.

It was on the same period of time.

Same…

She looked back to the professor who was looking sadly at her, he knows that Ran has come up with the answer herself. The signs were all in front of her! Conan-kun was the only one who was able to 'call' ask Shinichi on how to solve the difficult cases, Conan-kun was the one making the 'excuses' why Shinichi suddenly disappears…

"But wait, there was a time when Shinichi and Conan-kun appeared at the same time? So how could—"

"That was me."

A voice of a young girl cut her off and there stood Ai-chan. She was no longer crying but her red eyes and nose were a giveaway that a few minutes ago, she was.

"You were already noticing things during that time so we had to remove those doubts in you, thus, I disguised as him during your high school play."

Haibara explained and looked away. Ran had always been nice to her even though during their first encounter, she was a little bit mean and tried to ignore her. She was the complete opposite of her, while Ran's life was full of sunshine and happiness, hers has been dark and lonely from the start. Deep inside, she knew she envied her. She had the life that she wished for and she has a man who loves her genuinely with all his heart.

Ran had everything, Haibara thought bitterly. How could she compete with that?

"I'll be the one to explain things to her, Professor. Please."

The least I could do is release her from all these chains and spill all the secrets. Haibara told Ran everything, about her identity as the daughter of the scientist who made the drug, to Kudo-kun and her being forced to take the drug, how they were tracking down the organization that made them drink it and everything that has happened up to this point.

She told them all of their secrets. All of the lies that they've made just to hide everything.

After Ran finished with her story, I laughed to myself. I knew that when the BO is finally caught, sooner or later I'd have to tell Ran everything. But I wished she learned about everything with me being the one to say it to her.

We were sitting in silence when the door opened and the doctor entered, Ran immediately stood up and realized that she didn't call for one when I already woke up minutes ago. I laughed at her because she was obviously panicking.

"I'm so stupid, of course I should have called a doctor first before everything. Ugh."

After being checked by the doctor, I was just given some reminders and the medicine I need to take in order to make a full recovery. The doctor and nurses left and they were replaced by my friends – Hattori, Kazuha, Sonoko, Makoto and Sera entered along with my parents, Professor Agasa and Haibara. Hattori and Sera took the initiative to tell everything to our other friends so they won't be shocked anymore when visiting me in the hospital.

My mother immediately hugged me and even accidentally put some weight right on top of my wound so I almost pushed her away from me. Thankfully, my father saw my discomfort and pulled her away from me.

"We were so worried, Shin-chan! How could you put us all through that experience!?"

She said dramatically, I rolled my eyes at her and apologized. I know she's trying to sound cheerful and nonchalant about everything but based on the story Ran told me earlier, all of this is painful for her. The least I could do is to show her that I'm fine – which I really am, after my recovery maybe I'll ask her and Dad to take a vacation somewhere and make up for all the lost time.

After all the catching up and stories exchanged, my friends eventually left, they said they'll be back tomorrow. Hattori and Kazuha were staying at the agency for three days before they go back to Osaka. Kazuha even jokingly said that Hattori couldn't even sleep at night because he was so worried about me, Hattori being Hattori of course denied her allegations.

After they left, the only ones left inside the room are my parents, Professor Agasa, Haibara and Ran. My father stood up and walked near me, he had one of those looks when he wanted to discuss some serious matters with me, especially with all the BO stuff happening.

"Now that the organization has been caught. I think it's time to discuss about this matter, Shinichi."

He's talking about my current situation. The organization didn't have the antidote as the scientist is with us – Haibara. Even though it's been quite some time since I shrunk and I've surely gotten used to this body, I know I have to revert back. I'm not Conan. In fact, he doesn't even exist. He wasn't supposed to exist. But saying those things is kind of painful for me because I've made some good memories and friends using this identity – Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ayumi.

"We've talked with some scientists in America, they're willing to help us find the antidote for the drug. But in order to perfect it, you and Haibara must go there."

After he said that I looked immediately at Ran's direction. I just promised her that I won't leave her a while ago and now we're having this conversation.

"Don't worry. It won't take long, with all the progress that Haibara's accomplished, perfecting the antidote won't take too much time."

The Professor assured me but it didn't put me at ease completely. I was going to protest but Ran beat me to it.

"You'll come back won't you, Shinichi?"

She said and walked towards me and held my hand again.

Ran has been standing on the corner when they're friends arrived. She had her moment earlier and she should give other people the opportunity to talk and interact with Shinichi. All of these revelations is still a shock to her but she's accepted them now. She knows that Shinichi wouldn't deliberately keep things from her unless it's needed, he did it because he wanted to protect her and she understands that.

When he promised that he won't leave her again, she was so happy. These past months, she could count with her one hand the number of times that she's been with him so hearing those words from him is more than enough to replace all feelings of sadness and anxiousness she felt during those times she was missing him.

But now they have to part again.

As much as she doesn't want to, she knows that the right decision is to let him go. Shinichi's sacrificed enough, this time it's her turn.

Also, it's not as if he's gonna be gone forever. He'll come back and at that time he'll hug her, talk to her and kiss her using his original body. I'll see him as Shinichi again.

Ran was gazing up at the sky just as an airplane flew by, she watched it disappear as it got farther away from her and hidden by the clouds in the sky. She gazed down on the ring that's been resting on her right ring finger, Shinichi gave it to her last night after dropping her in front of the Agency.

"This isn't much, but this is to give you assurance that I'll come back. Even though I'm not physically beside you, know that I'm leaving my heart with you."

Those were the words he said before he entered the taxi and went home. She wasn't able to bid them goodbye at the airport because Shinichi didn't want her to. He said it would be too painful and he might just cancel and just stay here with her so it was better if she just stayed at home.

Smiling to herself, she walked back and went in front of her mirror and looked at her appearance. She was wearing the uniform of the Teitan High School because today's their graduation ceremony. Next year they'll be university students and she's already feeling giddy inside just thinking about all the memories that Shinichi and her are gonna make during those years.

Memories that they're still not able to make because even though two years has already passed, no Kudo Shinichi arrived.