"...the murder of Taichi Kitaki was once again solved by the famous detective, Mouri Kogoro, the newly proclaimed 'Modern Sherlock Holmes'..."
Eighteen year-old Edogawa Conan gave an irritated sigh as he turned off the television. He most certainly did not want to watch Uncle gloat on the news again about how easy it was to solve the murder. He practically considered it child's play.
Conan glared at the photo of Kogoro next to him. The man was letting all the fame get to his head. With help from Conan, Kogoro had risen to fame, being known worldwide as the best detective there was. Kudou Shinichi was dead.
To both the world, and to himself.
After years of waiting for the antidote, Ai had plopped on the couch one day, gave him a pointed look and calmly said that there was no more chance for an antidote. Their bodies had become immune to the drugs she had created after countless tests. They would never be able to turn back. He might as well accept it.
Needless to say, it was a big shock to his system. He had gone through the stages of death during that year. After Haibara's proclamation, he had gone through a bitter stage of denial, refusing to accept her theory. It had taken several tests and scoldings from both the scientist and the professor before he descended into the next phase.
Anger.
Pure, unbridled fury rose up in him after the news had finally kicked in. He screamed, he fought, he tore out his hair; he tried to let it all out. And he did just that.
Ai and Agasa stood outside Shinichi's old room, wincing whenever they heard a crash.
"Haibara, do you really think locking Shinichi in was a good idea?"
Flinching as she heard the unmistakable sound of shattering glass, Ai replied "Yes, he needs to let all his anger out now. It would be far better to let him simmer down now. If we had let him do it at the living room, I doubt many of our furniture would remain intact." To prove her point, Conan let out a piercing scream as he kicked a soccer ball towards the door, almost destroying it.
Professor Agasa stepped away from the door and sighed, "I suppose you're right. Better to let him simmer down now than later." Ai tugged on his sleeve and motioned for him to follow. Throwing one last look at the door, Agasa left.
Conan lay down on the bed, tears puffy from crying. He had finally simmered down but with a price. The entire room now looked like a tornado had passed it. The walls were cracked and peeling, all of the furniture nearly destroyed. Glass shards were scattered all over the floor, his soccer ball having hit the window earlier.
And yet, the anger hadn't completely left. It was merely replaced by a deep, overwhelming sadness.
After the haze of anger had left his mind, Conan was able to think more properly and only then did he finally accept it. There was no more hope, no more chance for a cure. He was going to be stuck like this. He was never going to get his body back. Kudou Shinichi was dead.
He had cried uncontrollably that night. Ai and the professor had tried to coax him out of the room but he ignored them, blocking out everything but the sound of his sobs and his heart's frantic beats.
No more chance, no more hope for a life with Ran.
Ran.
She was now out of his reach for good. No more opportunities to try and make a relationship with her. That was now completely impossible. For now, the only thing she could ever hope to get from Shinichi, was her little brother Conan.
Just, plain old Conan.
Ai and the professor weren't alarmed to hear a heartbroken scream echo in the house. They hadn't rushed up to the room in concern for the sobbing 'child'. They had merely closed their eyes, sighed and murmured a prayer for the shell that cried out in the room where his memories lay.
Acceptance.
To accept the bitter truth, no matter how harsh and unfair, that was the last stage of death. Conan had gone through that stage long ago. And apparently, so had everyone.
The door opened to reveal a beaming Kogoro, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, "Hey, I'm home! And starving! Ran, is dinner finished yet?"
Ran peeked out from the kitchen entrance, looking every bit like a younger version of her mother. She smiled, "Welcome home father! Dinner will be served in just a minute. Just wait a minute, please!"
Kogoro grumbled but sat down at the table otherwise, mumbling a half-hearted greeting at Conan as he ruffled his hair. Said child responded with a nod and a small smile as he continued to stare out of the window.
The moon was bright and beautiful tonight. And so was the family that sat down for dinner later on. No trace of sadness or regret crossed the faces of this happy family as they chatted about what happened during their day. They were the perfect picture of a peaceful, everyday family.
Time passed ever since that revelation. People who had known him, and had grieved had moved on, accepting the truth. His parents accepted it. Even Haibara had learnt to move on. Ran's tears had finally stopped. And he too, learned to accept his new life, and had grown to love his makeshift family despite everything.
Soon enough, life moved on as smoothly as always. And with it, the legend that was Kudou Shinichi faded away...
Author's Notes: Expect more stories within this genre from me. I can neither write fluff nor romance to save my life. -.-;
I hope to make friends in this here fandom. ^^