Chapter 2: DNA Dilemma

Update: I fixed some typos.

It wasn't until the next morning that the two scientists emerged from the lab, faces grim with dark circles rimmed under their eyes. Shinichi anxiously greeted them, hope quickly disappearing as he saw their expressions.

"Shinichi," Agasa started quietly, glancing over into the next room. Ran was still asleep on the couch. "I've," he continued hesitantly, "I've never seen anything like this before…" Shinichi's brow furrowed. "The DNA… all of the testing, it's…" he shakily trailed off.

"It's what?" demanded the detective.

"It's you," coolly finished Haibara, expressionless as ever. There were a few seconds of silence.

"… What?"

"You heard me, Kudo-kun. Hakase and I have tested and retested every aspect, comparing it to yours. I had a hunch that the two samples would match." Shinichi choked at these words.

"You what?! Had a hunch?! How the hell could you possibly have foreseen that? Surgery, maybe: that's plausible enough, but why would a DNA comparison be what you immediately turn to?!" His voice had an accusing tone to it. He had expected the comparison to be with a sample of Ran's own DNA to prove that it was indeed her, but this revelation was beyond his comprehension.

"Shinichi," Agasa stepped forward, "calm down: you need to rest—"

"It was her voice," Haibara interrupted. Shinichi blinked. "No matter what kind of surgeries you do, experimental or otherwise, there's no way to make her voice sound exactly like yours. To change it to this extent requires something much more sinister than some exotic surgery. Besides, do you even know how long it takes to perform a complete sex change?" she hissed at him. It was clear his reaction irritated her. "You're a detective, so use your brain." Shinichi's head reeled, and he had to reach out and grab the arm of a chair to keep himself from collapsing.

"So she's… me…?" he asked in a shaky whisper.

"From DNA to iris patterns to fingerprints: someone has managed to turn her into you. I don't know how, but it has happened. We're dealing with something much bigger than even our own situation," replied Haibara, an unusual amount of concern in her voice.

"If that's the case, why isn't she me completely? I mean, why is she still Ran?" He couldn't quite word the question the way he wanted, though Haibara still understood the meaning.

"Memory and personality aren't based in DNA. Perhaps they haven't figured out how to do that? We're very lucky, if that's the case." Shinichi choked again, and Agasa turned an inquisitive eye to the other scientist.

"Lucky?" he asked before Shinichi could lose his temper again. She nodded.

"What do you think would have happened if her mind was also affected?" There was a moment of silence, neither man having figured out the dilemma. She continued, "We wouldn't even know it was her. For all we would know, she'd still be missing, and there would be a very convincing being who claimed to be Kudo Shinichi, with no knowledge of having ever been your missing Ran."

Shinichi was numb. Lucky… he thought, looking at Ran asleep on the couch. His stomach lurched as he thought about the prospect of losing her completely. Lucky was indeed a good word for the situation. He tried to clear his throat.

"Ca-can you fix it?" he whispered shakily. The silence told him they didn't know. Agasa spoke up again.

"It will definitely take some time to figure out what happened. All we can really do is wait and see."

Haibara finally spoke up again. "I will need some of her original DNA to start looking for potential discrepancies. If I can find something, I might have an idea of where to start." She turned to Shinichi. "You'll need to get that from her house. A strand of hair will do." Shinichi shook his head to compose himself.

"I'll go get it from the old man now," he said. "I guess I'll just tell him I need some extra clothes." Agasa nodded.

"It's probably best he doesn't find out yet. His temper will get the better of him."

Shinichi scoffed. "He wouldn't believe it even if he had no temper," he muttered, and moved to grab his skateboard. He hesitated, debating on whether or not to mention anything to Ran. He decided to leave her be, and left the house.

The confrontation between Kogoro and Shinichi did not go well. The worried father had been drinking, and when he saw Shinichi come in, he demanded to know where Ran was.

"She hasn't come back yet!" Shinichi protested as he attempted to scoot past the detective to get to the other room.

"Then why the hell are you here?!" he growled; the smell of beer burned Shinichi's nose.

"I came to get some extra clothes and my backpack," he lied. "Agasa Hakase's keeping watch," he added to pacify Kogoro's drunken rage. It wasn't a complete lie: Agasa was keeping an eye on things. The man relented and fell back onto the couch, looking between the phone and the door.

Shinichi quietly went into his room to grab his backpack and a few clothes, and then snuck into Ran's room to see if she had a brush lying around. He opened a drawer and found it. He was about to pick it up when he noticed something: the brush was empty. Ran had cleaned it out before she was kidnapped. He cursed her tidiness. Perhaps there was some hair on the carpet? He got down on his hands and knees to search the floor. Nothing.

He peeked around the corner to see Kogoro still watching the phone and door. Very quietly, he snuck into the bathroom to search there, and cursed again. She must have cleaned there as well, because the only evidence of usage came from Kogoro. An idea popped into his head, and he looked at the toothbrushes. His heart sank again. Ran's was missing. It was all he could do to keep from screaming out in frustration. He recomposed himself and walked back out to face Kogoro.

"I'm going back to Agasa's," he announced. Kogoro muttered an approval, and Shinichi left, feeling even more helpless than before. He decided he would ask Ran about it when he got back.

The trip back was grueling. Shinichi felt like he was moving through molasses as his brain turned to muddy thoughts full of whys and what ifs. The closer he got, the less he wanted to arrive. He couldn't think straight anymore, and a massive lump was forming in his throat. He steeled himself just before he got back, and numbly walked inside.

Ran was still on the couch, the only evidence of her having moved was a fresh position. The two scientists were out of sight, presumably in the lab working on possible explanations. He snuck past the living room to find Agasa.

"Did you tell her?" he whispered as he shut the door.

"Not yet," said the professor. "I thought she might take it better if you were here. Did you get her DNA?" Shinichi shook his head.

"No. She must have cleaned before the kidnapping. Her hairbrush is clean, and I can't even find her toothbrush," he lamented. "I was going to ask her about it after you told her." Agasa frowned, deep in thought, before nodding and heading towards the door.

"Let's tell her, then," he said, and Shinichi followed him out of the room. Ran still hadn't moved from the couch; she almost seemed like a statue. She didn't even look up when they approached her. She only responded when Shinichi climbed up next to her and gently touched her hand. Very slowly she looked up at Agasa, steeling herself when she saw his expression.

"You finished the tests?" she whispered. Agasa nodded. She sat up a little straighter. Shinichi stared at the floor.

"Your…" he cleared his throat. "Your DNA has been… altered." Ran's face went slack. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. Agasa solemnly continued. "I-I don't know how yet, but your DNA, fingerprints, and iris patterns all point to you being… Kudo… Shinichi." Shinichi ventured a glance at Ran's face. She had turned white as a sheet, her jaw clamped shut, eyes wide with horror. She seemed unlikely to say anything, so Shinichi spoke up.

"Hakase thinks he might be able to figure out something if he has some of your original DNA. Do you know where we can find some?" She swallowed and frowned down at Shinichi. "I couldn't find anything at your place," he added. She looked ready to punch herself.

"No, you wouldn't have: I thoroughly cleaned everything before I left. You would have been hard pressed to find anyone's DNA after one of my super cleaning sessions…."

"And your toothbrush?" he prompted. Ran guiltily blushed down at the floor.

"I threw it away," she said softly. At Shinichi's confused look she continued. "I always replace my toothbrush after three months. I was going to buy a new one on my way home the day that I…" her vice trailed off, and she bit her lip. After a few moments, she blinked. "Shinichi has some of my DNA, though."

"I d— he does?" She nodded. Shinichi racked his brain. Why would he have Ran's DNA?

"At least I hope he does," she amended. "I made a charm for him about seven years ago— I…" she blushed, "I snuck a lock of my hair in it, so he wouldn't be alone when his parents were away. He may have thrown it away, though." Shinichi blinked a few times, mouth hanging slightly open. They couldn't be that fortunate, could they? He knew the charm she meant: he would never admit it, but he used to sleep with it under his pillow when he had a bad day. He glanced hopefully at the professor.

"Would… Do you want to go look for it?" he asked, pretending not to know what it looks like. She nervously looked out the window at Shinichi's house.

"What… what if Shinichi comes back?" she whispered fearfully. Shinichi and Agasa exchanged guilty glances.

"He told me he's been working with Heiji-niisan and the Osakan police to find you," he lied. It wasn't a complete lie: he did have Heiji and his father searching for her. "So, so he won't be back for a while." She seemed to relax a little, but still looked fearful.

"Okay," she said under her breath. She closed her eyes and gripped the fabric of the sofa, taking in a deep breath before slowly standing up. Shinichi was halfway to the door when he realized she had stopped after only taking one step.

"What about Subaru-san? Isn't he caring for the house right now?" Shinichi stopped and blinked. He had forgotten about that. Agasa cleared his throat.

"Oh, Subaru-san left overseas on business. He told me he'd be gone for a few weeks and asked me to keep an eye on the place," said the professor sheepishly. He had quite forgotten about it in all the commotion. Shinichi glared at him for a moment before ushering a much more relaxed Ran out the door.

Once inside Shinichi's house, they began to search for the charm. To his dismay, Shinichi couldn't remember where he put it the last time he was there. He didn't keep it with his other keepsakes, but he remembered being in such a hurry that he didn't put it back in its usual spot. So he found himself searching all of the drawers in every room. Ran had gone to look in his room, and that's where he found her as she finished looking in his closet. He gritted his teeth, and his eyes and nose stung.

"He must not have kept it," Ran said, sounding a little disappointed. Shinichi desperately wanted to tell her she was wrong, but that would give him away. They both stood in silence for a few minutes, Shinichi staring miserably at the floor, and Ran carefully surveying the room. Finally, she spoke up.

"I don't think Subaru-san cleans," she said slowly. Shinichi blinked up at her, confused. Why would she start thinking about cleaning at a time like this? At his gaze, she continued, "If he doesn't clean, then nothing's been moved. If Shinichi kept the charm, it should still be here." There was a hopeful tone in her voice, determination lighting up her eyes. "Maybe we haven't looked in the right places." Shinichi stood straighter. He had forgotten how determined Ran could be. He nodded and they restored their search. Ran started to look in new places while Shinichi tried to remember the last time he was here to properly retrace his steps.

Ten minutes later, after severe concentration, Shinichi finally remembered where he put the charm. He peeked his head back into his room. Ran was searching his desk. Watching his own body move like Ran made him shudder involuntarily. He thought it felt weird to see her mope, but then she hadn't really been moving or talking. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about such useless things. He glanced at his bed. He had to think of a way to "discover" the charm without looking suspicious. He stepped into the room.

"I'm tired of looking, Ran-neechan!" he childishly pouted while flopping down on the bed. Ran looked up from the desk.

"Ah— Conan-kun: you shouldn't be in someone else's bed without permission!" she exclaimed as she hurried over to stop him.

"But why not? Shinichi-niichan isn't using it!" he whined. He began to squirm as Ran tired to move him, and a well placed kick knocked the pillow onto the floor.

"Really, Conan-kun, you should know better!" scolded Ran as she lowered him to the floor and picked up the fallen pillow. As she did so, something fell out of the pillowcase. "What's that?" she asked, turning back around. As she went to pick the object up, she stopped dead in her tracks as she realized what it was. "Eh~?" Shinichi suppressed an embarrassed smile as Ran looked from the pillow to the newly discovered charm, her face slowly turning a light shade of pink.

"Is that it?" he asked innocently as she slowly picked it up. She nodded. Shinichi leaned over her shoulder as she opened the pouch to look inside. As she had said, nestled inside was a lock of brown hair. They both stared at it for a full minute, letting the moment sink in. Shinichi finally spoke up.

"We should get this to the professor," he whispered. Ran nodded, and very carefully closed the charm again. Instead of putting it in her pocket, she clutched it tightly in her hands as if she were afraid it would disappear. She gave the pillow another glance before they went back to Agasa's house.

As relieved as Shinichi was, he was so embarrassed that he had forgotten to put the charm back in its proper place. Ran now knew how much it meant to him. Was it a bad thing that she knew? Not necessarily, but now she was going to think about him even more; and the more she thinks about him, the more worried she's going to be that he'll come back and see her in this state. He shivered. She would have to be told sooner or later, and he was not looking forward to that conversation.

Ran almost seemed reluctant to give the charm to the professor, but after hesitating, rationale won out. She sat back down on the couch, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she stared out the window. Shinichi followed Agasa to the door.

"What took so long?" whispered Agasa.

"I forgot where I put it last time: I ended up having to retrace... my…" He stopped talking and snapped his head back to the living room.

"Ne, Hakase," he said slowly. Agasa raised an eyebrow. "You don't suppose that if we got Ran to retrace her steps from that day, that she'd remember what happened?"

"Perhaps. It's certainly worth a shot, at any rate. It's going to take some time to figure out exactly what happened so we can attempt to undo it. Also," he added, glancing into the living room, "I'm not sure how much sulking Ran-kun can take. If she doesn't start doing something to keep her mind occupied, she's going to get depressed." Haibara opened the door just as Agasa finished speaking.

"I'll take that," she said, grabbing the charm from the professor and shutting the lab door before anyone could react.

The two looked at each other and then back at Ran. Shinichi took a deep breath and ventured back to the couch she was sitting on. He let go of the breath he hadn't realized he was holding before entering into "child mode." Stepping up to stand right in front of her, in the most syrupy sweet, inquisitive voice he could muster, he began.

"Ran-neechan?" She looked back from the window, snapping her head down to observe the boy, all previous thoughts temporarily forgotten. Her face assumed a questioning look. "You know how when you lose something, you're always told to retrace your steps?" he asked as childishly as he could. She slowly nodded, not quite getting his meaning. "What if you went back to the last place you remember being? Perhaps it will help you?" After a few moments, Ran replied.

"We could try it," she said slowly. "I can't think of anything else that would work… But what if someone sees me?" She looked mortified by the thought. Shinichi swallowed an exasperated sigh, and reminded himself that she was probably more uncomfortable with the situation than he was. He had, after all, gone through a similar phase when he first shrank. The only difference was that he was able to stifle his discomfort to get things done. He really couldn't understand why it wasn't that simple for her.

"Just… let's just get there. We need to try something, and worrying won't do us much good," he all but snapped. Ran bit her lip at the sharpness of his tone.

"You're right, Conan-kun," she said in a small voice. "I'm sorry for troubling you." She stood up and followed Shinichi to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, and the two of them started off to the high school to attempt to uncover some clues there.