Edogawa Conan was a happy child, always smiling and clinging to his older 'sister'. At least, that's what people thought. Did they never think that maybe, just maybe, it was all fake, a mask he used to hide his pain? How could they think that somebody who faced death so often was used it? How could they believe that anybody could be used to death! Even adults, police officers, were sometimes disturbed by the things they saw. But no, it never crossed their minds.
The truth was that Shinichi was tired.
For the last year and half, he had been lying and acting, only able to be himself with four people; a crazy inventor, a shrunken scientist, a hotheaded detective and a moonlight thief. Some of the craziest people out there were the ones keeping him sane.
The point was that being with Ran was starting to get tiring. At first, he was happy to spend time with his childhood friend and crush. But over time, he found himself wishing that he never agreed to live with her. When he was with Ran -which was all the time-, he had to hide and act more than ever. After all, they knew each other too well and she could easily find out who he was. At least that's what he thought.
He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. Of course, he was happy that she didn't find out who he was, but how could she not? Even Hattori, who didn't know him, discovered his secret. So how come she didn't? Didn't they know each other most of their lives?
Sadly, he couldn't really complain. She had to stay in the dark.
As time went by, he started lying and getting even more distant. By the end of the first year, Edogawa Conan became a different person. There were of course little things that he couldn't change, things that truly made him who he was. But the fact was, most of the time Edogawa Conan was not Kudo Shinichi.
And slowly, but surely, being with Ran was more of a chore than anything else. Don't get him wrong. He still loved just as much, only in a different way. He couldn't see her as the girl he liked anymore. How could he, when most of the time she talked to him as if he were a little kid?
While he couldn't blame her for such a thing, he couldn't help but feel annoyed every time she told him to stay out of the grownups' way, every time she grounded him for doing something children weren't supposed to do, every time she called to ask where he was.
His parents had left the moment he could take care of himself and even before that, they left him to his own devices. How could anyone expect him to get used to having an overprotective mother figure now that he was almost eighteen? He had a curfew of all things!
Thankfully he could still go to the Professor's house when it got too much, or even his own when Subaru Okiya wasn't there.
One of the things Conan hated the most was getting sick, something he had been for the last three days;
The Professor had been invited to an old friend's mansion and had brought Haibara and Conan with him. Of course, a murder happened.
Coming back from the restroom, Conan was walking leisurely through the halls while trying to find his way back to the dining room. Suddenly, the sound of something heavy falling to the ground could be heard from the room he just passed.
"Is everything alright?" He asked while knocking on the door.
Receiving no answer, he turned the door handle, and before it was even completely open, he could see a silhouette on the floor. Quickly running to its side, he found out that it was a woman. Kneeling on one leg he quickly checked her pulse. Nothing. Slowly standing, he was going to make his way back to the others, but before he could even turn around, he felt a sharp pain on his head. Before he welcomed the darkness, he remembered the day he went to Tropical Island with Ran. Just like then, his arrogance got the best of him, and he forgot to check his back.
When he came back to himself he was in a cold and small place -probably a refrigerator-, with his legs and arms tied behind his back. The pain in his head wasn't alarming, so he tried to concentrate on breathing calmly and thinking of a way to get himself out of this mess. Panicking will only make things worse. On the bright side, it wasn't too cold, and he could still feel his arms and legs. On the other side, he couldn't think of anything to help him escape. Screaming wasn't an option since he had tape over his mouth, and obviously moving was impossible.
But Conan wasn't really worried, after all Haibara will find him, like she always does.
He didn't know how long he stayed there waiting. Maybe a few minutes, maybe hours, but he could now hear voices calling his name. His real name. Using the last strength he had in him, he kicked the wall next to him as hard as he could. Seconds later, he was pulled out into familiar arms.
While the paramedics took care of him, the case was quickly solved. In a moment of rage, the wife of Agasa's friend had killed one of the maids. She had cornered the maid in the room and confronted her about her liaison with her husband. In a moment of rage, when the maid denied the accusations and was leaving the room, the wife hit her on the back of her head, instantly killing her. When Conan came in, she panicked and nocked him out, quickly hiding him in the first place she could think of. She didn't even know what she was doing.
The sad thing was -other than the murder of course- that Agasa's friend was fateful to his wife, never having cheated on her.
Thankfully he was as healthy as someone could be in his situation and after some questions from the police and a quick checkup, he was free to go.
On the way back, Haibara explained that when they noticed he wasn't coming back, they went to look for him, and that was when they found the body. Using the tracker in his glasses they quickly found him, and got him out of the fridge.
So anyone could understand the boy's anger. Being stuck for three days in bed and still being sick was not pleasant.
Currently lying in a bed in one of Agasa's rooms -which was basically considered his, with how much time he spent in it for the last months- the physically seven years old boy was brooding -not that he would ever admit it-. The reason was obvious to anyone who knew him; Kaitou Kid.
The young detective had been looking forward all week to tonight's heist. After all, it was just a few blocks away from the detective agency.
The gentleman thief's heists were rare occasions where he could be truly himself, without worrying about the Black Organisation or just murderers in general. The magician was one of the only people who considered him an equal. And what made him even more special, was that he was the only one doing it without even knowing his real age.
Shinichi wouldn't admit it himself, but he always found the thief's heists fun and challenging. His opponent was someone as smart as him after all, and maybe even more. The adrenaline rush at heists was something he never felt elsewhere.
The thief himself was interesting in so many ways, never disappointing, always challenging. And even though he was a criminal, Shinichi respected him.