File Nine: Lost in a Sea of Flames

"It wasn't you, was it?"

Asai Narumi's hands immediately stilled when the question reached her ears, and when the meaning finally sank in her mind, her fingers lost grip, letting the bandages slip and land softly on top of her patient's face. "Arthur-kun?" it came out in a shaky whisper. "What in the world...?"

Arthur could feel her gaze on him, but he didn't attempt to raise his head to meet it. Instead, he let it linger on her patient, who laid there on the bed, unaware of the uncomfortable silence that had settled over their shoulders. Murasawa Shuichi was his name, and he had been hit in the head with a blunt object, next to the supposedly cursed piano, but the culprit had fled from the window before he could even be recognized. At least he had survived the attack.

Nishimoto Ken hadn't been so lucky, as he had been found hanging from the ceiling. The third movement of Moonlight Sonata had been set to play, but apparently that little kid had found him before it could begin. In fact, the reason Narumi and Arthur were alone was that Conan was with Kogoro inspecting the crime scene.

"You're suspecting me, aren't you?"

"I tried not to, I really did." There was a look in his eyes, even if he still refused to face her, that not even the doctor could read. "But the victims… and your father's mysterious death, I mean..."

The doctor gazed at him for another couple of seconds before she, wordlessly, went back to his patient. Arthur didn't make a sound either, quietly watching until she finally finished her work and stood up.

"I've become a doctor to save lives," she said, her voice raising in a way that the boy had never heard before. "I would never take it away from someone else, Arthur-kun. I'm not that kind of person."

"No." His eyes narrowed a little. "You are not."

Nodding curtly, the woman brushed past him on her way out, not expecting her assistant to follow. In fact, he didn't. Just sat there, fists clenching over his lap, while he stared at the unconscious man in front of him.

At least, I hope you are not.

Conan wasn't surprised in the slightest when he saw, once more, Hirai Arthur staring at him curiously while he crouched down underneath the infamous piano ─ he had come into a sudden realization when he had seen a tuning hammer lying next to Murasawa when he had been found. So he did his best to ignore him in favor of opening a secret compartment he had found.

"A hidden drawer?" the teenager whispered, surprised, as he bent down to see. "What's something like that doing here?"

As he wondered about the same thing, Conan's gaze to the drop, and was surprised to see some kind of powder covering the floor, after falling from inside the secret drawer, he assumed. Wondering what it could be, the boy stuck his finger on it to give it an experimental lick. The strange, faint numbness that greeted his senses had him gasping in shock.

"This is..." He turned to Arthur, eyes wide open. "This is cocaine, Arthur-san!"

"Co-?!" Arthur spluttered. "And you licked it?!"

"Well, yes."

His reaction was instant ─ the next second, Conan found himself dragged from his spot beneath the piano and sat on top of it. "Hey..." he mumbled, raising an eyebrow when the teenager promptly opened his eye with his finger, checking carefully. "Hey, what are you-?"

"How do you feel?" he asked, and only then, Conan understood what was all that about. "Does something feel off?"

"I'm fine," Conan stressed out, annoyance lacing his voice. "No need to fuss over it."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, stepping away from the kid. "If it bothers you, maybe you should stop licking stuff off the ground."

"But-"

"No buts, you can't just do that!" Conan's gaze dulled with boredom while he watched Arthur scold him with all the sternness of a mother-hen. "What would you have done if that was, say, cyanide? This was the scene of a murder scene, anything could have happened! Besides-"

"Police do it all the time," the kid stated, calmly interrupting him before he could continue. "I'm truly surprised you didn't know that, considering you're a detective and everything."

Arthur opened his mouth, more than ready to say something back at him, but then seemed to decide not to, deflating with a groan and heading to the door, hand on his face, before he could lose his patience. Conan watched him go for a beat before hopping off the piano and onto the ground.

A serious expression made itself known on Conan's face as he jogged after him.

Hirai Arthur hadn't denied being a detective. But he clearly had the boy saying it, meaning that he didn't oppose the idea ─ as if he was so used to being called that, that he hadn't fully realized he wasn't supposed to be one.

But that's just a theory. Conan's frown deepened. Until there's evidence that my reasoning is right, I can't...

Sighing to himself, the boy decided to leave the adults alone watching photos of the crime scene in order to follow Hirata outside ─ there was still a serial murderer somewhere, the rest could wait.

After innocently pointing out the white powder on his sleeve, thus causing him to drop his change ─ foreign money, Conan didn't let that detail escape him ─ the child decided he could just allow the man to go for now. On his way back inside, he spotted the policeman, gasping for breath and holding an envelope. He was sweating profusely, giving the kid the impression that he had just been running ─ he probably had.

"I finally found them!" he shouted, between jaded breaths. "The papers Asou-san left behind twelve years ago!"

"Eh?!"

He proceeded to whisk the envelope away from the adult, giving him no chance to protest, and quickly opened it. When his eyes fell on the music sheet, similar to the ones left behind in the previous murders, he froze.

"To my son, Seiji."

"Officer-san?"

"Yes?"

"Did Asou-san have a son?"

"Ah, yes." He smiled at the memory. "He fell quite ill when he was young and had to be hospitalized. I think his name was Seiji- Where are you going, boy?!"

The next time Conan ran across Arthur was at the conference room, yet it was not by chance ─ he knew he was going to be there. He also knew the teenager had noted his presence, but made no further sign of acknowledgement. Merely stood there, gaze lingering ─ and unreadable ─ on the control panel, where the second body had been found.

Conan took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"The killer is Narumi-sensei."

There was not a glimpse of surprise on Hirai's face, just resignation, "I feared so." A humorless chuckle escaped from the confines of his throat. "I was hoping she wasn't the murderer, but proof is staring at me right in the face."

Having said that, Arthur sighed, but otherwise did nothing else. But Conan did. Saying nothing, he slowly crossed the distance between them and stopped when he was just behind the troubled teenager. Then he contemplated him for a beat before closing his eyes with a sigh.

"Even if it's painful and unbelievably sad, there is one and only truth," he said, softly. Arthur's head raised. "And it must always shine through."

After saying that, he waited until Arthur finally turned around. Their eyes locked, and Conan offered him a genuine, if sad, smile. "That's what my brother used to tell me all the time, at least."

Arthur emitted no word, but Conan didn't comment on it. Instead, he passed the music sheets he had been carrying and watched the teen's downbeat expression morph into surprise.

"You know what's the right thing to do." Arthur looked at Conan again, realizing that he wasn't smiling anymore. There was, in its place, a severe frown decorating his face. "Don't you, Arthur-niichan?"

It took a full minute for the older boy to finally replicate the kid's expression and nod after a moment of consideration. The younger one remained silently still as he approached the microphone and pushed the button when he was indicated to.

"I've solved it, Inspector."

Arthur's voice was calm and solemn, but it lacked the energy that it had when he had been scolding Conan a few hours ago. It dragged on slowly, but steadily, shining a light on the events that had taken place in the past two days.

A part of Conan couldn't stop wondering, however, the meaning of the sense of familiarity that struck him again, while listening to his deduction, to that voice ─ another part screamed to him he already knew the answer, even if he had yet to find any concrete evidence.

But he didn't speak of it. At this point, the not-detective was explaining to everyone that Hirata was a drug dealer who had intended to scare everyone off the piano with his stories because that was the place where he hid the cocaine. He had attacked Murasawa, too, after having seen him doing it, thus endangering his deals.

But he was not the killer. No, it was someone else, who had tricked everyone. Who had lied about the time of death.

"It was you." Arthur's eyes closed slowly. "It could have been only you, Narumi-sensei."

It was at that moment where he should speak of the motive, but for some reason, he hesitated. As the rest, shocked out of their mind, loudly demanded an explanation, he let his eyes wander to where Asou Keiji's last words had been left, right next to him, and sighed, turning back around.

But before he could say a word, one of Megure's men's startled cry:

"Inspector, the suspect is gone!"

Gone? Arthur took a step back, eyes widening as panic startled to settle in. Hey, hey, he can't be planning to...

Horror didn't take long to make his face pale when he turned around to find that he was all alone in that small conference room.

The papers were gone, as well.

Conan wasn't thinking straight when he ran straight into the fire, clutching Asou Keiji's dying message tightly against his chest as he fervently looked for the doctor. A gentle piano melody guided him through the flames, prompting his little feet to move faster, fearing that it would, just, stop.

And, indeed, it stopped.

Please, was the only thought crossing through his mind, forcing himself to run as quickly as possible. Please, be okay...

Please, don't die, Narumi-sensei!

And when he found her, head pressed against the keyboard, unmoving, fear gripped Conan's little chest, worrying he had been too late. When her hand raised, however, and pressed the last key, the kid felt himself breathe again.

"It's over." Her voice broke. "It's over, Father."

"It's not!" Only then did Narumi notice the young boy standing in the doorframe, arms full with papers. "You don't have to die, Narumi-san!"

Despite the current situation, Narumi smiled gently. "It's Seiji."

Conan stumbled, clumsily, forward. "Seiji-san, your father left this for you." A hopeful smile graced the kid's features as he offered him the papers he was holding. "It says 'Seiji, you must live a full life'! That's why…!"

Seiji looked surprised for a second, "Oh, I see," before he spoke, sighing heavily. "That's too bad. Had I known about it earlier, I probably wouldn't have..."

Lowering Asou Keiji's last message, Conan blinked at the doctor. "You didn't know?" he asked, genuinely confused. "Then, how did you-?"

"I always knew my father's death was unnatural," Seiji explained. "After graduating, I came to this island as a female doctor-"

Even if he wanted to, a cough stopped him from continuing with his story any further. It was because of the smoke, Conan quickly realized, spinning around in search of a quick way out ─ if they were to escape from the front door Seiji, who had been there from much longer than him, wouldn't make it.

That's it! He would have cried in happiness when he noticed the window beside Seiji but, instead of that, he bent down to activate his shoes.

The sound of glass shattering caused Seiji to look up, surprised, just to see Conan's foot raised as if he had kicked something. His other shoe was mysteriously missing, so it didn't take him long to understand what he had just kicked. He found it impressive, even if he didn't say it out loud, how this child managed to break a window with a mere shoe.

"We still can make it!" the boy insisted, dropping his father's letter on the ground without realizing. "So, please, Seiji-san!"

Seiji couldn't help but smile, feeling his heart warm up at the sight that was so desperately trying to save him, even after the terrible sins he had committed. When he stood up, the boy seemed to brighten, yet it went away when Seiji just lifted him into the air.

"It's too late. My hands, like theirs, are already tainted with blood."

It was too late for him, without a doubt, but that wasn't the case with this benevolent little boy that stared back at him, shock written all over his face. But, just as he was about to throw him away from the flames and back to safety, the boy frowned and, almost immediately, a wave of dizziness hit him like a brick. Whatever had happened had left him weak enough for the boy to drop back to the ground and easily push him back to the broken window behind.

He felt his body falling outside ─ that was all Seiji would remember before blacking out.

That was close, sighed Conan in relief, while he pressed the lid of his watch back in place. Who would have thought that this thing could be actually useful?

Smiling one last time at his gadget, he turned to the shattered window, and felt it widen at the sight of Ran, Kogoro and Arthur standing a safe distance away, looking undoubtedly worried about what was happening inside. The teenager, upon spotting them, had taken off running to help them escape.

Need to hurry, thought Conan, hands latching on the window, intending to climb.

That was, until his entire vision was blocked by a wall of flames, causing him to jump back, startled ─ the curtain had caught on fire, he noted right away, blocking out his only way out.

"CONAN!" Arthur's scream could be heard, even from the inside.

Cursing loudly, in a way that no seven year-old should and that would definitely get him grounded for a month if Ran heard ─ on his defense, however, he was pretty much screwed ─ the boy jumped back onto his feet, deciding that he couldn't waste more time.

He had to find another way out.

Gritting his teeth, the boy rushed to the slightly ajar door and, without thinking, threw it open. "Damn it!" he cried, shielding his face and taking a step back at the flames that, fueled by the new oxygen coming from the window, grew exponentially. This is bad...

Definitely bad, but Conan took a step forward anyway, running past them, still covering his face as he did so. By some kind of miracle, he got out of the room, yet, things didn't seem to get any better after that.

My only option should be the front door. With that through, he lowered to the ground and began to crawl. Need to keep moving forward!

If Conan had to describe his surroundings, it would definitely be 'inferno'. As he advanced, the flames continued to dance around him, as if to play, licking the entire building and burning every single thing in sight ─ the old piano, framed photos and, Conan was sure, Seiji's father's message. Don't look! Groaning, he forced himself to hurry. Just…

… Just…

He coughed. Just keep moving… And coughed again. Just a little… more...

Followed by that, he broke in another coughing fit. It hurts, he complained, his hand going to his throat that now was hurting, but couldn't stop. Without a doubt, the culprit of his discomfort was the black smoke slowly filling his lungs. No way… He tried to push forward again, but his vision was blurring despite his thick glasses. It… He coughed again, and this time he was very aware of the tears collecting on the rim of his eyes.

No matter how much he tried to hurry, his movements were just slowing down.

It can't… be...

And then he tried to move again, but his hand wouldn't respond.

Will I die... here?

"Because we're friends! Right?"

Behind his eyelids, that he didn't remember closing, he could see Ayumi's grinning face, then Mitsuhiko and Genta nodding along. They all laughed happily while they sat around him in an empty class.

"Co-chan~!"

His mother's smile appeared next out of nowhere, crouching closer to him with his father, grinning amusedly at his wife's antics. Professor Agasa was there, too, waving at him while he worked on another incredible, or useless, according to Conan himself, gadget.

A sudden poke in his nose surprised him. "Because I trust you, Conan-kun." Ran's sweet smile was there the next instant, giggling in amusement at something that Conan did not know about. From over her shoulder he saw Kogoro who grumbled something that the kid couldn't identify but prompted the girl to twirl around, ready to chew her father off because of it.

Everyone… In an impressive display of willpower, Conan succeeded in opening one of his eyes. I can't...

I can't let this end here.

His resolution was certainly strong yet, unfortunately, so was the unforgiving heat coming from the flames that wouldn't stop dancing around him, surrounding him in an unappreciated hug to the point that he wasn't able to tell left from right anymore.

If only that annoying ringing in his ears would just stop... I have… I have…The brightness of this began to, gradually, dim as darkness gradually closed on him. I have to… to get out… here...

Everything was fading, rendering him unable to do anything but to lie there, lost in a sea of flames.

Just as his surroundings became completely black, Conan raised his head slightly. There was someone there, in the distance, with his back facing him.

Then, the person looked over his shoulder and grinned upon seeing him. His eyes flew open in shock when he realized that he, without a doubt, was his one and only brother.

His smile, the little boy noticed, was strained. Sad. So he opened his mouth to ask him what was wrong, but no voice came out.

Suddenly, Shinichi turned back around and, very slowly, began to walk away.

No… Desperate, Conan tried to get up, but his body wouldn't obey him. Please, don't…

All he managed to do was stretch his hand towards him and helplessly watch as his brother disappeared into the darkness.

Please, don't leave!

"... Conan…" And then there was this muffled voice filtering through his numb brain. It sounded urgent, and worried, Conan would say, but it was far, too far for him to reach it.

"Conan!" It was getting closer now, and clearer as well. "You can't give up here, Conan!"

Gradually, his senses started to come back to him, and the darkness was beginning to vanish. He was slowly becoming aware of the chest he was being cradled to, and the hand that pressed his small body against it. There was a piece of cloth ─ a jacket? ─ draped over his entire frame, protecting him from the flames that made themselves known by that terrible heat.

And whoever was carrying him was still speaking to him, firmly yet rushed by some sort of urgency. Listening closely, he realized he was begging him to say something, anything.

... This voice...

A tiny fist weakly clenched around this person's shirt. "... Onii... chan...?" came the dreamy reply, so softly that this mysterious rescuer almost missed it.

There was a sigh of relief. Or maybe Conan just imagined it.

"Just hold on a little longer, okay, buddy? We're definitely making it out of here."

Conan could have sworn he had heard that same sentence before, but it might also be just the heat messing with his head. Either way, he didn't get to ponder about it any longer because he passed out soon thereafter.

His eyes did not flutter open until an undetermined amount of time later. Squinting, he tried to see something, but everything was too unfocused for him, causing a tired, and equally irritated, groan to escape the confines of his throat.

A blurred figure moved at the sound.

"Conan-kun?"

It was Ran's distinct, gentle whisper. His gaze focused on the shapeless blob and, slowly, a familiar face began to form in front of his eyes.

"Ran... neechan?"

She smiled tiredly, yet undoubtedly relieved. Her hand reached towards him, fingers flushing against his forehead while she tenderly smoothed back his bangs from his eyes. "That was too reckless," she scolded him lightly, with no real anger.

From the gentle rocking motion Conan deduced they were on a boat, perhaps heading back to the mainland. He was across a pair of seats and a thick blanket was keeping him warm from the sea breeze that caressed his cheeks.

"You're lucky, you know," she continued, shaking her head as she spoke. "If Hirai-san hadn't rescued you when he did, you- Hey, you can't be up yet!"

Ran had quickly grabbed onto the boy's shoulders when he, out of the blue, had attempted to get up. "What has gotten into you?!" she said, keeping a firm grip on him, refraining him from sitting up.

"Where is he?!" There was a wild glint in his eyes that made her feel uneasy. "Where is Arthur-niichan?!"

"He's back on the island," she replied, watching as the boy stilled in shock. Seeing that the child wasn't going to run off anywhere any longer, she sighed and settled on the seat next to his feet. "It seems he wanted to make sure the people on the island would be okay, even if their only doctor is gone."

At the memory of the doctor he had tried to save, his eyes flew open. "Is the doctor-?"

"Narumi-sensei is fine. She's somewhere on this ship with the police, even if she assured them she wouldn't try to escape..." Ran said, then continued with a slightly sadder tone. "I didn't expect Narumi-sensei to be the murderer… I wonder what would have pushed her to do such a thing… I didn't get to ask Hirai-san about it either."

Seiji-san didn't tell anyone. Neither about his motive, nor his true identity, Conan pondered, letting his gaze fall on the ceiling on top of him. Why?

"Anyway, Hirai-san said you'd be just fine," she said, after a beat. "He treated you, but said we should take you to a hospital for a thorough examination, just in case."

Conan went thoughtfully silent about the mention of that person, just lied there for a couple of seconds before, slower this time, sat until his eyes met the blue sea. Tsukikage Island looked so small now, and was gradually shrinking the more they separated from it.

And with it, the distance between him and that mysterious individual that went by the name of Hirai Artur became wider and wider.

"You know, Conan-kun..." It was the girl who broke the silence between the two. "Back then, when Hirai-san gave us his deduction, for a moment..." The child turned to face him and was surprised to see tears collecting in her eyes, which she valiantly kept from escaping. "I… I believed it was Shinichi's voice. For a second there, I genuinely thought he was him."

Conan could only stare silently at the girl. "But that's so silly, isn't it?" She let out a choked laugh while she wiped her eyes. "Just because they sound similar doesn't mean they are the same person, right?"

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak, but the sight of a single crystal tear rolling from her cheek when she looked at him had him clamping his mouth shut.

"Right," was all he said, focusing his gaze back ahead and away from her.

If he told her what he had been thinking, Conan realized, she might just miss him even more.

It wouldn't be fair.

It wasn't until a few hours later that Ran finally let him stand up, and another half an hour to be allowed to navigate his way through the ship on his own. So, eager to get away from Ran's concerned stare and to stretch his legs a little, he had taken the opportunity to wander aimlessly through the halls.

Then, music had reached his ears. Moonlight Sonata. The thought had made him freeze for a fraction of a second, until he rationalized that nobody would be killed ─ Seiji had finally understood what his father had wanted for his life, and was most likely never going to dirty his hands ever again. Besides, there was something gentle, melancholic even, in the way it was playing, prompting him to start looking for the source.

Eventually, he did. It was evident who it was from, judging by the guards that stood beside a door, watching closely everyone that passed by. He didn't care, and approached it, but none of the men actually tried to stop it, probably understanding that the criminal wasn't a danger any longer.

"Seiji-san?"

From the center of the room Seiji turned slightly and smiled, but had yet to stop playing.

Pretty convenient that there's a piano aboard, Conan privately mused. Seiji motioned to the seat next to him, so he obediently crossed the room and sat down.

And there he stayed, eyes closing gently, allowing the music to drown all those thoughts that constantly tormented such an active and hardworking, yet young, mind of his.

He didn't know how long he sat there, listening as Seiji's fingers skillfully danced across the keyboard, until they eventually stopped. But once it did, he opened his eyes back again and turned to the young man who, rather than disappointed over being caught, looked almost relieved.

As if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to breathe again.

"You didn't tell anyone," Conan then asked, after a brief moment of silence. "That you're actually Asou Seiji."

"I couldn't help it," he explained, his serene smile still fixed on his face. "After all, I have illegally changed my name and I don't want my sentence extended because of it."

"Illegally?" Conan's eyebrows raised. "Why would you do that?"

"I got into trouble once and I had to change my identity." His smile had faltered when he said that, as if he was reminiscing about something from a long, long time ago. "If you don't mind, I have no desire to talk about it ─ it has nothing to do with those sins I have committed."

Conan definitely wanted to inquire about it, but seeing that Seiji was serious about it, decided not to pursue the subject any further. "You didn't get to tell me why you did all this."

Gladly, he agreed to tell him everything, since he hadn't been able to at the fire. As it turned out, his father, Asou Keiji, alongside Kawashima, Nishimoto, Kuroiwa and Kameyama, had been involved in some shady business concerning drug dealing, but at some point, Keiji had stated he wasn't going to cooperate any longer. Predictably, that ended up with him being murdered alongside his daughter and wife.

But Seiji, who had been away, had survived and moved to the Tsukikage Island as a female doctor by the name of Asai Narumi. Then, he had approached the late mayor, Kameyama, and told him about his true identity. Terrified to the core, Kameyama had suffered from a heart-attack and died on the spot before he confessed everything. And then, as Seiji played the Moonlight Sonata his father loved so much to calm his soul, ever so slowly, a thought began to settle in.

Perhaps, with his own two hands, Seiji could bring some justice.

"But you sent that letter to Kogoro-ojisan. You wanted him to stop you," Conan concluded, yet only silence met him. "Do you regret what you have done?"

Seiji frowned, his eyes settling themselves on the piano in front of him. "I was blinded by fury and acted in a way no doctor should," he confessed. "I believed the only way I could redeem myself was to let the flames burn my soul away."

Having said that, he turned to the kid, who still listened attentively. "But my father's words, and your courage, made me realize this was not the right way," he said. "I need to serve my time, and then go back to being Asai Narumi-sensei. I want to help people this time around."

When the doctor smiled, so sweetly, back at Conan, he just blinked, overall confused about what he was supposed to do. But before he could attempt to say anything, however, the door opened again, revealing a hesitant Ran.

She told him they were going to arrive soon at their destination. Nodding at her, the boy hopped off his seat and jogged to join her.

"Ah, Conan-kun," but before he could leave, Seiji called. "If you see Arthur-kun around, please tell him that these are the consequences of my own actions. He's not to blame."

Conan gave him a genuinely confused look. "Shouldn't you be the one telling him that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think I'll see him around anytime soon."

"You will." The certainty in his voice took Conan off guard. "Sooner than you expect."

Not that he completely understood what he meant, but he nodded either way. A timid smile decorated his features while he waved and followed the girl outside.

He didn't even get to take another step before he paused to turn back around to gaze at the closed door. Music started to fill the air, yet this time around, it wasn't his beloved Moonlight Sonata. It was something else that he had never heard before in his life…

But didn't fail to make his smile widen. Closing his eyes, he took into Seiji's final, secret message, and finally left.

"Thank you, little detective."

In the blink of an eye, it was already Christmas' Eve.

But, instead of being at the agency like a little boy should, especially at this hour, Conan walked down the road, not caring about the snow that fell on top of his head, leaving his hair cold and wet. Just a little ago he had sneaked off Ran's watch, who definitely wouldn't want him running around when they were supposed to attend a party at Agasa's house in less than an hour.

Honestly, the child didn't feel in the mood for a party, especially when everything he had been through in Tsukikage Island had yet to leave his head. And not only the murders he hadn't been able to prevent, but also the mystery surrounding Hirai Arthur was still fresh in his mind.

Letting a long, exhausted sigh, Conan paused and gazed at the red light ahead, patiently waiting for it to change. So cold, he thought, wrapping his arms around himself to keep himself warm, as much as possible, despite the unforgiving, chilly wind striking his cheeks.

"Just hold on a little longer, okay, buddy?"

When the memory struck him, the boy couldn't help but hug himself tighter, as if he could somehow feel that comfortable warmth that voice produced. So it had been Arthur-niichan, huh? The light had changed already, so he started to walk again. But, his voice… Still absorbed in his own thoughts, he frowned. Is he, really-?

"That wasn't fair!"

His lungs immediately froze when that voice filled his ears, eyes instantly darting in the direction where the sound had come from.

"Why are you so shaken?" What he saw next made his shoulders drop, all hope rushing out his body as quickly as it had come. "It was only fish."

A boy and a girl were crossing the street as well, but heading in the opposite way he was walking. She had a teasing grin all over her face, raising an eyebrow at the boy, who was just as pale as the snow that decorated Conan's head.

The uncanny resemblance that boy had with his brother made the child pause and stare.

"Aaah! Don't say that word!" His voice was the same as well. "You're evil, Aoko. Evil I tell you!"

And then they passed right past him. So focused they were in their own little argument that they never noticed the small boy turning around, his gaze settled on the back of the guy's head.

No. Conan squinted his eyes slightly. That's not him.

Maybe Ran-neechan wasn't completely wrong back then. Giving them a last glance, he turned back around and continued his way. It is pointless to claim he is him just because their voices are similar.

He hugged himself again ─ he was still cold.

Eventually, he reached his destination. Little hands pushed the heavy gates open, which he had not touched ever since that close encounter with the men in black, and fished out the key from his pocket. Once inside his house, he could feel himself warming up just a bit.

Everything was exactly the way he remembered it.

The old sofa in front of the fireplace, which hadn't been lighted up in ages, where he remembered his father telling a younger Shinichi and Conan a story about a detective and a thief that once helped each other, as they impatiently waited for Christmas to come.

The kitchen, where his mother would bake delicious cookies, which she would have to protect from a pair of mischievous and starving brothers that would steal them in a heartbeat.

Without fully meaning to, Conan wandered to the library, a place full of memories. A place where his brother would play with him, teach him stuff and then read for him, because he wasn't old enough to read, until he fell asleep on the spot from complete exhaustion.

If he closed his eyes, Conan would see a home. Full of laughter and people.

But if he opened them, Conan would see an abandoned house. Silent and sad.

With a long sigh, the child plopped down in the middle of the enormous yet empty library. Alone.

Shinichi-niichan. He wrapped his arms around his knees, drawing them closer to his chest. Where are you?

And then a sound startled him, breaking the unsettling quietness that reigned over the entire house. It took him a full second to realize his phone was ringing, and another one to pull it out of his pocket, sighing all the while in anticipation from the month-long scolding he was going to receive from Ran for running away suddenly.

What he saw on the screen, however, wasn't Ran's name glaring angrily at him, but something else entirely ─ something completely unexpected that had him staring in surprise.

"Unknown Caller"

At the sight of it, Conan groaned ─ he wasn't in the mood for stupid pranks, or silly criminals ─ and went to ignore the call. Just as he was about to, he hesitated, leaving his finger wavering above the red button. Now, he didn't know why, but there was a feeble feeling settling in the pit of his stomach, warning that this was serious. That he needed to take this call.

So, he did.

"What is it?" Conan said as he answered, annoyance lacing his tone.

"Conan, it's me." The cheerful voice on the other side startled him so badly that he nearly dropped his phone. "Merry Christmas."

But Conan didn't respond, just remained sitting there in silence, so incredibly still that anyone would have thought that he was another piece of furniture in that abandoned house.

"Conan? Is everything okay?"

Slowly, the child let out the breath he had been holding back and closed his eyes.

"That's what I should be asking you." When they opened again, a small smirk had settled on his face. "What's wrong with you? It isn't even Christmas yet."

"You never change, do you?" Shinichi laughed wholeheartedly. "And here I thought you'd be a little concerned about me."

"Aren't you old enough to take care of yourself?" The boy snorted. "Where have you been all this time, by the way?"

"Ah, there's this tough case I still haven't been able to solve..." Conan's eyes narrowed at that. "And my phone broke suddenly. I haven't been able to buy another one until today."

But why is your caller ID masked if it's just a case? he would have asked, hadn't he known the answer already.

Though, he figured out it might be for the best if he just played along for the time being ─ if there was something he was absolutely certain about Shinichi's case was that he was involved with very dangerous people. If he knew his little brother had taken on investigating them, he might as well ship him off to Germany or, worse, send him back to his parents in America.

"I will solve this case soon." Shinichi sounded confident about his words, Conan couldn't help but notice. "I'll return in no time, I promise."

"You better." The child wouldn't doubt his words, not even for a second. "Anyway, you should give Ran-neechan a call. Even if she's pretending she is not, she's worried sick about you."

"I will, don't worry." Even if he couldn't see him, Conan was sure there was a smile decorating his brother's face. "Say, Conan. Remember that time you lied about staying at Genta-kun's for the night?"

"Oh, so you really saw through it? Well done, detective."

"Yeah, but I thought it was because you hated me." Conan was surprised to hear it. "But it was because you wanted me to be alone with Ran, wasn't it?"

The boy shifted so that he could sit cross-legged. "What can I say?" He said through a big, teasing smile. "For a detective, you're rather slow when it concerns your love life."

In his mind he could see Shinichi's head shaking as he sighed, even with his cheeks dyed with a lovely shade of red. The mental image made the child laugh even louder.

Shinichi chuckled, but then went quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, Conan." Conan went immediately silent, noticing the tint of sorrow in his voice. "I couldn't get you anything for Christmas."

"It's alright." Conan smiled warmly and cradled the phone with both hands. "I'm just glad you are okay, Oniichan."

And, in reality, that was the best gift he could ever have.

Shinichi stayed silent for a full second because of the shock that Conan attributed to the way he had just been addressed, but then let out another soft laugh ─ he sounded happy, the boy noticed.

Though the call eventually came to an end, Conan's grin remained as he left the room, feeling lighter and warmer than when he had first come in. Upon opening the door, he found Ran who, instead of the angry tirade that he was pretty much expecting, merely smiled compassionately. Perhaps she had figured out why he was there in the first place.

Crouching in front of him, the girl offered him her hand. "Let's go, Conan-kun."

And he took it without hesitation.

A/N:

Yose Hyuann: I really liked that suggestion, it's quite sweet indeed! I will take it into consideration when I write the final chapter. Thank you!

Published: 03-23-2020

Last edited: 06-29-2021

Based on Moonlight Sonata Murder Case.