Phew! With my graduation coming up, I haven't had much time to do anything other than homework and college-related stuff. So, sorry if this took too long! Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, and/or followed/favorited my story up to this point. You guys are the best!

Just in case it wasn't clear, for the record, this whole story was meant to be another arc that could have taken place right after the Desperate Revival arc, and thus it follows the canon up until that point. Also, I only just now remembered to mention this, but for those of you who keep up with the anime, I pictured Mizuna to be that girl from the 43rd ending, "Koi ni Koishite." Ah, unrequited love…

And now, without further ado, I give you Chapter 7 of "The Raven's Eclipse!"

The Raven's Eclipse
by pikacutie25

Chapter 7: The Aftermath

Why do all these bad things keep happening? Ran asked herself as Shinichi led her and Mizuna to safety. I don't think I'm a bad person, and yet…here we are, barely escaping with our lives again. Will this ever end…?

As Shinichi continued to lead them through the expansive shipyard, she began to feel like it would never end either. Even the time spent waiting for Shinichi seemed now like just a few minutes. This could most likely be attributed to the fact that at any given moment they could be ambushed and quickly silenced forever, but Ran didn't like to think about that. Instead, she focused on Shinichi in front of her who was faithfully leading them through the darkness. Looking at him again, she thought about his courage in risking his own life saving theirs and found yet another reason to admire him.

Finally, after many twists and turns, nervous glances, and hurried steps, they appeared to be coming to the exit. "Here we are," Shinichi confirmed her suspicion. They came out onto some deserted back road, where a yellow Volkswagen beetle sat waiting for them. The professor!

"You're alright!" Agasa called to them from the driver's seat. "Thank goodness!" He suddenly had a confused look on his face, and Ran realized he must have been wondering why Mizuna was there. I think we've all been surprised at her presence in this situation, Ran found herself thinking wistfully. Poor thing…

Shinichi walked up to Agasa, and they had a quick, hushed conversation before he turned back to Ran and Mizuna. "Alright, let's go," Shinichi asserted, ushering them into the back seat of the car. After they settled themselves in, he himself got into the front seat, and then they were off.

A long silence followed, during which Shinichi kept glancing nervously in the car mirrors and out the windows, which didn't help Ran's own nerves. At all. But the more she thought about their situation, the less made sense. He had always been dealing with criminals since—well, a long time ago—and he had always been so cocksure and unafraid that one would think he was just having a normal conversation with a random, non-murdering person. I can't remember Shinichi ever being like this, Ran thought to herself. What makes this criminal so different from the others…? If it was enough to scare him this badly, though, she ought to be even more afraid. But at the same time, he couldn't possibly have ever encountered this person. What could he possibly know? As Ran continued thinking through the reasons and the possibilities, she was met with only more questions. Wait, the thought suddenly came to her, what if this person is related to that case he's been pursuing this whole time since he's been gone? If that's the case, then—

"Hey," Shinichi's voice broke her train of thought. She looked up, but Shinichi was still facing forward away from them. "I'm…sorry you two got dragged into this," he struggled to get the words out. "It's all my fault. It's because of that…case I've been working on." He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

"This case...is it why you've been gone?" Mizuna inquired hesitantly. "From class?"

"Yeah," Shinichi responded despondently. "These criminals I'm dealing with are extremely dangerous, and they aren't afraid to kill anyone who stands in their way." He's been dealing with such dangerous people this whole time? Ran thought worriedly. "The reason I've been so secretive recently is because I don't want to draw attention to myself…and to the ones I love," Shinichi added.

Sighing, he finally turned to face the girls in the back. "I wouldn't be able to stand you or anyone getting hurt because of me," he said, a slight look of helplessness on his face, until he became resolute. "So, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe from them."

"Here's the plan," Shinichi began, turning towards Mizuna. "Since they already know who you are and where you live, it's no longer safe to stay at your own home." Mizuna seemed shocked to hear this blunt truth, but she still nodded in comprehension. "As it stands, I think the safest course of action for you is to stay with the professor here," he said, gesturing towards Agasa. "To their knowledge, he has absolutely no connection to me, so they won't think to check for you there. I don't know how long it'll be for, but I'd make plans to stay a while, so make sure to tell your parents and friends some sort of excuse. The last thing we want is the police making an investigation and drawing even more attention. Can you do that?" Shinichi finished.

"I-I think so," Mizuna replied.

Apparently satisfied with her answer, Shinichi nodded and turned to Ran. "Now, Ran…in your case, I honestly think it's safer to stay where you are."

"Eh? Why?" Ran asked, confused.

"They're going to assume you'll tell your father about what happened as soon as you get home. Since he's a detective, they're also going to plan on him having a strong connection with the police, which he does." I think I see where he's going with this… "They've already lost the element of surprise, so they know that any additional action will be anticipated and rendered ineffective because of the police's intervention. We'll use their own caution against them," Shinichi finished, seeming characteristically smug again. That's actually really smart…

"But wait, the police will still be there, right?" Ran asked, a bit concerned.

"Of course," Shinichi waved her worry away. "But not obviously. I'll call on some undercover help for this unique situation," he answered quite vaguely. "You'll be protected, don't worry." He's talking about this as if he's not going to be here anymore…why…?

"Conan-kun too, right?" Ran persisted. She had just realized that poor little Conan-kun would be caught up in all this, and that it's even more dangerous for him.

"Y-yeah, him too," Shinichi affirmed, albeit somewhat hesitantly. I know he's still hiding a lot from us, like who he was communicating with back there…I'll drag it out of him once we're alone, she vowed.

She was apparently inadvertently giving him a death glare while she was thinking this, as he immediately panicked and added, "I swear! He'll be safe too!"

"O-oh, alright," Ran said, a bit surprised at his outburst. Not wanting to make him wonder why she'd be surprised, however, she quickly finished, "He'd better be! Or you're going to be sorry!" At this she held her fist in the air, which, as expected, terrified him to no end.

"Ah, yeah," Shinichi shakily continued, "don't worry. At any rate, here we are, Ran." Somehow he had timed their entire conversation perfectly, as they had just arrived in front of her home at that precise moment. Either that or he's just extremely lucky that he could get out of that awkward situation. After Shinichi hopped out of the car, he let the two girls out. Mizuna, apparently eager to get out of their hair, immediately hopped into the front seat of the car and closed the door. After receiving a thumbs-up sign from Shinichi, Agasa departed for his own home with Mizuna. Once they were out of sight, Shinichi began walking Ran up the stairs to her home.

Once they were safely inside her home, they could freely discuss things in privacy. And more than likely, she was going to be demanding some answers after what just happened. I know I shouldn't have revealed so much about my secret, Shinichi told himself, but it doesn't matter anymore since Ran has already been dragged into this anyway. At the very least, I won't tell her I'm Conan…

Opening the door, Ran called out, "I'm home!" She then closed the door and, after receiving no response, she mumbled, "He must have stayed out all night gambling…again." She sighed. I wouldn't expect any less of that guy, Shinichi thought to himself.

Suddenly swerving around to face him, she demanded, "Alright, now talk." Eh? Dissatisfied with the baffled look on his face, she elaborated, "I know you didn't tell the whole story in the car, and I want to hear it. Now." Shinichi was positive he had the look of a deer caught in headlights, because he sure wasn't expecting this. He already had to tell most of his story to a certain thief tonight, and he sure didn't want to tell it to Ran…but something about the determined look on her face told him he wasn't getting out of this. Great, just what I needed…

"Ah…which story?" He asked innocently, already knowing what the answer would be.

"What? Which one do you think!?" She yelled, obviously getting angry with him. "What happened the night we went to Tropical Land, what these criminals have to do with it, and why you've been—" she stopped abruptly, paused for a few seconds, then continued slowly—"why have you been gone all this time…?" She finished, starting to get tears in her eyes. Please, not again…I hate seeing her cry…

"Ran, I…" Shinichi had a hard time trying to phrase his response, especially with how hot it suddenly felt in there. "I didn't mean to leave you all this time. Really, I didn't. I just got wrapped up in that case, and with how dangerous those criminals are…I just didn't want to get you wrapped up in it too. But that didn't matter in the end, huh? You still got caught up in this…" He felt his heart starting to beat faster, in sync with his escalating emotions. Ran stared at him during all of this, apparently captivated by what he was saying. "Ran, I never wanted you to get hurt, and I'll never let it happen again!" This is it…this is my chance to tell her what I couldn't at the restaurant…! "I swear, I'll make it up to you, I'll do anything for you, because I—"

That familiar sensation suddenly cut him off. He felt like he was having a heart attack, and his whole body was racked with excruciating pain. No, not now! Not again! Dammit! Shinichi cursed internally, clutching his chest in agony. "Shinichi?" Ran asked shakily. One look at her told him that she knew what was coming, even if she hated it. Why now? Why!?

He had run to Agasa's house as fast as his tiny legs could take him, with only one objective in mind. The instant he'd arrived at the door, he rang the doorbell, only then allowing himself to catch his breath. Haibara had answered the door presently, and the instant she'd recognized him, she'd demanded, "Kudou-kun! Would you mind telling me what happened!?"

"Haibara! Ah, well…" He'd hesitated, unsure of how to nicely phrase what happened. Sighing, he'd continued, "You were right. I shouldn't have revealed myself like I did. It was stupid and thoughtless of me," Conan had reluctantly admitted to an expectant Haibara.

"And? What happened as a result of your carelessness?" Haibara had admonished, partly scornful yet partly worried. Seeing the sudden look of devastation on his face just at that moment had quickly changed her own expression to one of horror as she had realized what had happened. "No, it can't be…"

"They got Ran…" Conan had confirmed her greatest fear. Haibara had immediately pictured Ran dying at their hands the same way her sister did, and it terrified her to no end. "But," he'd continued, more confident, "I have a plan to save her." There's the Kudou-kun I know, Haibara had found herself thinking. "I've figured out where they'll be waiting for me, and they've made it clear I have to go alone. I know it's dangerous, but no matter what happens, I need to keep the apoptoxin's true effect on me secret, or else you'll be in danger too. I'm…going to need that antidote again," Conan had finished meekly.

As she had thought over what he had just said, she cursed herself again for ever creating that drug and getting involved with them. This time, he needed an antidote for a valid reason, and there was really no other choice. "Alright," she'd conceded, "I'll give you the antidote." Conan's face had brightened up just then, but she'd immediately added, "But it'll be risky. Since you just took the antidote a few days ago, I can't predict its effects or how long it'll last. It could last just as long, or it may not even work…" She'd stopped, realizing just how hopeless the whole situation seemed. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have no choice" was his simple reply.

I knew the antidote wouldn't last as long as it did before, but only a few hours!? Dammit! Shinichi cursed himself again as he felt his body disintegrating right in front of Ran. I can't stay, not like this… "R-Ran, I…h-have to…go…" he barely managed to get out. He hated the immediate look of hurt in her eyes, hated it to no end, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't reveal his secret, not at a time like this… "I'm…sorry…!" He finished, then ran out the door before she could say something to change his mind.

He ran in the night, trying to find a nearby deserted area where he could undergo the cursed transformation. As he pushed himself onwards, step by painful step, his mind kept returning to the terrible thing he had just done to Ran. Rescued from a deadly situation, just to have her heart broken by the one who rescued her. She was probably crying as he was thinking all this. She didn't deserve someone like him, someone who got her into such a dangerous situation and broke her heart. As he staggered into a deserted public restroom he'd just found, these were the only thoughts on his mind. Soon, however, the pain blocked out all thoughts until he faded into welcome unconsciousness.

He wasn't sure how long he was out, but it couldn't have been more than 30 minutes, judging by the unchanged positions of the stars and the moon when he walked back outside on his once-again tiny legs in his now-oversized clothes. Great, this feels just like that first night…I wish I'd brought extra clothes just in case, Conan cursed his own thoughtlessness.

"Man, I thought you were having some trouble in there, with how long that little bathroom break was," an all-too-familiar voice identical to his real one called out from the darkness. Oh no… It didn't take long for Conan to recognize the gaudy white outfit in the contrasting blackness. You have got to be kidding me… "But to think my great archrival, meitantei Kudou Shinichi, is actually that little brat who's been foiling my recent heists…who'd have thought?" Kid finished with a mischievous grin.

Author's Note: This is just not Shinichi's day, huh? :P So much...

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