Been awhile, since posting another story idea to play around with. This is one of the stories from my ideas page (Ch 1) and I had this sitting in my notes for a while. Hope you enjoy!

Story Title: Awake

Type: Story

Summary: He was always Awake, never asleep. Even in his sleep, he was wide awake elsewhere. In one, he was Conan, living with Ran who survived the accident. In the other, he is Shinichi, living with Haibara and going about life. Both equally painful lives, which one is correct and which one is fake? Until he decides, his life remains in an ever-wavering dream.

Idea: (Based on an old TV show where a father got into an accident and was living a different alternate reality of life. In one his wife survived and in the other, his son survived. I never finished it, but the story popped back into my head one day and I decided to just type it down.)

Sub-idea: Cause I thought it would be a cool idea, also to put our Detective in a tough spot to make a decision.

- Shinichi (Conan) along with Ran, Kogoro, and Haibara Ai were in the car accident. This was supposed to be the last time they would be together as their child personas for the Black Organization was no more.

- In one reality, Shinichi was able to take the antidote in order to save everyone. In another, he lost the antidote to the car fire and did his best to save everyone from the car.

- Reality 1: Shinichi and Haibara live together.

- Reality 2: Conan and Ran in another.

- Haibara's work was lost in both cases because she chose to remain young instead and live life over again with a new goal of life. She could try to remake the drug again, but there isn't much of a point in Reality 1. (Yeah, she decided to erase all traces of the drug after this last trip with the Mouri family. She did not give any copy to the FBI and she didn't make a backup.)

- Reality 2: Conan cannot get back to being Shinichi since the research died with her in the car accident fire, and Haibara's loss had a great effect on everyone.

- A little romantic but not a big focus in the story.

-.

.

It was a nice evening out in the country. Mouri Kogoro was behind the wheel of the car driving up the mountain road to drop off Conan, Ran, Haibara, and Sonoko at the campsite where Agasa and the Detective Boys were. It was their monthly camping trip and this time Ran and Sonoko wanted to come along, well mostly Sonoko since she found out that the campsite was also a sports ground and often visited by cute boys. Thus she convinced Ran and that's how they tagged along. It was starting to become sunset, they had left so late because Sonoko had quite a few items to bring this time around. Especially some girly clothing that she teased Ran with for her "Boyfriend" Shinichi. Conan blushed and Haibara hit him in the side muttering something along the lines of "pervert." All was going well until Kogoro began losing control of the car. What had happened was frightening, the car rode off the side of the road and fell into the ditch tumbling over. Then a fire started, and that was the last anyone really remembered.

"Conan-kun, do you want to eat curry for dinner tonight?" A young girl with long brown hair and a spike asked the boy with brown messy hair.

Conan was snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at her to reply "Haii Ran-nee-chan," then went back to his sitting position on the floor of the dining room. Ran nodded back and went straight to the kitchen to get started with tonight's meal.

She looked at young Conan lying down on the floor staring at the TV and felt the sadness. It had been several weeks since that day, the car accident. Conan was never the same after that, always off in his own world and unsure what was running through his head anymore. He was still nosy on cases, always offering help to her father, Mouri Kogoro, but something felt off about him each time. It all felt fake as if with each action there was a sense of denial. He always acted as if She wasn't gone. But, how do you help someone who lost a best friend, especially a child so young as Conan? Sure, he has seen multiple cases, but this was the first time that this was an actual friend who was his age. Just what could she do for him?

Conan's gaze was toward the door where Ran was in the kitchen, but his mind was elsewhere. He was tired, life seemed to feel bleak and dim. Even though he was with Ran, he was still in the body of a seven-year-old child. How could he even face her? If she did tell her the truth, would she still be willing to wait for him? He could not risk it even now, oh how deeply he wanted to tell the truth with him being Shinichi and to go back to his former life, but with Haibara not here it wasn't possible. The only other option was to go away with the witness protection program. Ever since the FBI found out the truth, they wanted nothing more than to protect him cause what happened was no accident, but a deliberate threat of action on his life. Even with the Black Organization case soon to come to a verdict, there were still the lesser members who got away and were out for revenge on those who were involved. Confidentiality still could not hide the fact that the Conan, who was staying with Mouri family, helped in the BO case, and so the "accident" took place. What was he to do? He continued to mull it over as he was lost deep in thought and didn't realize he was getting sleepy.

.

Haibara had just come back with a stack of documents to find Shinichi asleep on Agasa's couch, again. She nudged him awake and spoke, "Here are the papers for the case you needed. Now wake up!" Shinichi slowly opened his eyes, but he was only staring as if he wasn't even aware of where he was.

"Kudo-kun, are you listening to me?" Haibara scolded the young teen with messy brown hair hitting him with a few documents she held. He simply looked at her and blinked coming out of his daze only to apologize. She sighed repeating her words.

"We have to finish up our statements for the case." He simply nodded and went back to the papers he was working on.

He was getting more distracted lately and taking naps often, but this was understandable due to the nature of the so-called "accident." This was a deliberate attempt on his life, to silence his side of the story as to what the organization tried to do to him the first time. The lesser members who escaped knew how important his statements would be. No, it wasn't just the attempt at his life, it was what happened that night. He lost Her, the one he loved. He just wasn't the same anymore, but it was different from the usual idea of loss. Every time they interacted, it was as if he were in denial, that She wasn't gone at all. It was difficult to explain what it was that felt different. Most who go through the stages of grief will go about denial in a more, I don't believe it sort of way. But the way he acts, it's as if sleep will solve all his problems and that She was right there to wake him up. How could he help Kudo-kun accept the fact that "She" was gone? How could she even help him at all now that he was back to his old self again and her means to an antidote was no more?

Shinichi stared at the papers, rereading his statements to be used for the case. But his mind was elsewhere, he was back to being Shinichi and no longer Conan. Thanks to the only antidote Haibara had made, he was able to save everyone. But it didn't come without casualties since Ran wasn't here. Haibara had decided not to join him in adulthood cause she wanted to start fresh and make a difference with her second chance. He understood, and that day was supposed to be their last day of fun as well as the day they would rid themselves of all evidence of the drug that started it all. On one USB and several old papers from her family's past research, they would burn it at the fire and hope no one would ever replicate this dangerous research again. But then the "accident" happened. The joyous time became quickly sorrowful and a grim reminder that he was not out of the woods yet. The research was lost to those fires and she didn't commit it to memory. He needed them, but there was no way to convince her now. A new plan of action was needed to get that. But for now, he would take every opportunity with Haibara to get the BO case closed as quickly as possible, then maybe she would consider making another antidote all over again. If she did agree, then he could finally tell Ran the truth and let her witness the moment he becomes Shinichi again once and for all. For right now, he need only sleep to see Ran again, and fall asleep again he did.

.

Ran came into the room to find Conan still staring at the TV in a daze, his lips grimacing. She bent down to pet Conan's hair and sweetly she whispered, "It's okay, it's okay. Know I'll always be here for you." With that, Conan's lips curled into a small smile unknowingly being comforted by Ran's words.

TBC?

.

The idea is kinda there, Shinichi/Conan is using both realities in order to close the case once and for all. Along the way, he figures out a way to accept this strange new situation he finds himself in and watches it crumble as scenarios and situations diverge. The idea is sorta kinda there, but not at the same time.

So what do you think? Oh yeah, just a reminder, if you like any of these ideas feel free to expand upon them. I just ask you let me know, cause I would love to read how you would tell any of these stories.

That's all for now, Anyway, if you have any ideas, suggestions, or any comments, feel free to let me know. Thank you so much for reading! See you next chapter! :D