A/N: OMG! YOU PEOPLE ARE RIGHT! I made a really stupid mistake -_- Heiji is the Great Detective of the WEST. Shinichi is the EAST. Damnnn... I didn't have internet while I was writing that chapter so I couldn't clarify it, and when I got my internet, I just forgot about it so... yeahh... Didn't have much to say there. ANYWAYSS... (why do I use that word alot?) ENJOYYYYY!

CHAPTER 6: WHAT SHE REALLY KNOWS

"Well, it looks like you're friend is coming here. Ha. He doesn't know what we have planned for him. And neither do you." Ushiro said in an amused tone. "Wait, I'll tell you. The moment he comes here, we knock him out, get the cash, set this place on fire and get the hell out of this place. Don't worry, we won't set a fire big enough to kill you. Just big enough to make sure you won't come after us."

Conan looked at the man in disgust as he continued his attempt on trying to untie his bonds.

Should have known. He's just gonna disable us and then get out of here with his brother. I wonder where his brother is... haven't seen him till I woke up tied to this damned chair. Anyways I have to alarm Hattori...

"You stabbed yourself, didn't you...Ushiro-san?" Conan looked up at the man standing next to the window. Takashi appeared near the doorway with a tank full of gasoline in his hand.

"Huh?" Ushiro turned around. "How did you know that?

"Didn't it hurt? How could someone do that to themselves? How could someone... just stab themselves?"

"I asked you how you knew!" the man reached out and slapped Conan, outraged that a little kid saw through what he did right away. Takashi gawked at Conan as the kid talked like a grown up.

"Baka. Isn't it obvious? You were stabbed buy an unknown assailant. Now, why wouldn't the police find the culprit right away? They couldn't - since it was you. You probably hid an icepick in your pocket that your brother secretly gave you when you were talking to him. Then when there was no one around in the bathroom, you stabbed yourself deep enough to get you sent to hospital but not deep enough to keep you for 2 weeks. After a few days at the hospital, you catched the guards at a surprising moment and escaped from the hospital. But why Ushiro-san? Was it just for me? Is that what revenge could do to a person? Don't you understand that you've comitted a crime? Don't you know that you have to pay the price for it... Ushiro-san?"

"Shut up, brat! You don't know what that guy did to me! He crushed my hopes so I crushed him! He deserved to die!"

"No one deserves to die. No matter what the reason is." Conan responded as he felt Takashi untying the ropes that bound him. But even so, Conan felt too tired and too hurt to move.

"What the hell are you doing, Takashi?" Ushiro yelled.

"Shh...There's someone outside. We got to hide."

Conan peeked at the window as Takashi untied the last bit of hopes bounding him. There was a middle-aged man walking down the street, looking for something.

Maybe if I let him know I'm here, then he'll call the police and Hattori won't have to come here.. And these guys wouldn't get away.

But I can't let him know I'm here if I don't have anything. Guess I'll have to take my chances...

He managed to spring up from his chair even though it was causing him pain, startling Takashi and making Ushiro turn around in wonder.

"HELP ME!" he yelled and took a few steps towards the window. "HELP!"

He felt one of Takashi's hands clamp on his mouth and the other around his neck, pulling him backwards. The rest of his words came out muffled. "You little brat! You'll pay for that!" he heard him whisper as he dragged him into the room opposite the one he was staying for. The man leaned on the wall and closed the door as his brother came in. Conan tried to struggle but with his ribs bruised or cracked, and wounds all over his body, he was overpowered. He saw Ushiro stare at him with merciless eyes and he stared back.

Conan raised his hand for his watch but realized it was crack. Kuso... it's broken.

Something cold pressed against his neck.

"One more movement, and you go to heaven - or hell. One or the other." the man whispered.

Conan seized breathing as the knife glinted in the poor light. He didn't move. Ran...

"That's it.. Good." he heard Ushiro say.

Kuso.

"He's gone." said Ushiro.

Conan closed his eyes as Takashi pulled his hand from his mouth hand and dragged him back to the room with one arm around his neck.

Everything's on Hattori. I trust you.

Ran sat on the bed and took the picture of him and Shinichi that was taken at Tropical Land in her hands. Thoughts circled in her brain.

I miss you, Shinichi.

When Shinichi wasn't here, there was Conan. And Conan made the pain go away. But when Conan was gone too, Ran didn't know what to hold on to. She thought of Heiji. He always seemed to hang around with Conan and knew what was up with Shinichi most of the time. Ran once had seen Conan talk with Heiji in a normal adult way and Heiji listen carefully. That had puzzled Ran. Why didn't Heiji react one bit that a kid was able to talk like an adult. Is it because..?

No, she always ended with the same conclusion. It had to be it. Conan was Shinichi and Shinichi was Conan. There were no other explanations. Something must have happened that night at Tropical Land. Something that must've made Shinichi turn into a kid. And then there was that girl. Haibara. She was the one that nearly never acted like a child. Also, Conan seemed to talk with Haibara more than he did with the Detective Boys.

Plus, his father's business had went great and Kogoro had became famous since Conan came. Ran always saw Conan pop out behind Kogoro when the case was over. Her father didn't usually remember the murders he solved either. It didn't look like he was moving his mouth when he did his "Sleeping Kogoro" act. And what was up with that bow-tie Conan always carried around?

What about the times that Shinchi turned up?

Must have been some kind of temporary antidote that Agasa-hakase made for him.

Ran had felt it. After Conan-kun came home from the hospital, he was acting somewhat peculiar. No, it wasn't because he was shot or Ran gave him his blood. And his face shape wasn't quite the same. But when Shinichi popped as the knight at the school play that day, her suspicions were correct. That kid wasn't Conan. Whoever it was, it must be one of the people that knew whatever secret Shinichi was hiding.

I'm sure both Agasa-hakase and Heiji knows, but they're not kids. Who else other than Haibara?

Whatever secret Shinichi must have been hiding from Ran, it must be big and it must be to protect her. Because Ran believed and trusted Shinichi.

But I won't try again. I won't try to prove that Conan is Shinichi because he always finds a way to escape from my grasp. He will tell me when the time is right.

He'll tell me when whatever's troubling him is finally over and that he's back to being Shinichi for good.

The important thing right now was to get Conan-or Shinichi back home safely.

A/N: So I decided to write this chapter based on Ran's thoughts. 'Cause whenever I watch Detective Conan (which is like 3 times a day) I always have a feeling that Ran knows Conan is Shinichi but she just doesn't want to believe it and/or admit it. Anyways...

I will try to put up the next chapter as soon as possible! (Ehehee. The next chapter is gonna be awesome.) LESS THAN THREE! (3) SUKI DESU!