Chapter 18: Puzzle Pieces

It was lucky that Subaru had just gotten back from his classes, since Agasa was busy at a scientific conference, and neither Shinichi nor Haibara was big enough to move Ran to a bed.

Haibara, in the face of the nosy, unwanted neighbor, opted to leave when she was certain Ran wasn't in any sort of danger. Once she was gone, and Ran was safely tucked into her bed upstairs, the FBI agent turned an inquisitive eye on the small detective.

"What happened?" he asked, and Shinichi could only shrug helplessly.

"I don't know," he whispered, still shaken by Ran's collapse. "That… that shouldn't have happened."

He explained what they'd been doing, and Subaru listened with an ever-increasing frown marring the features of his disguise. When Shinichi finished, the man let out a thoughtful hum.

"I won't pretend to know much about hypnotism," he admitted slowly, "but you are right enough to think that reaction was highly abnormal." He shook his head. "I can only think that whatever trauma she experienced was terrible enough to override the safety of the trance, but again, that's only a theory."

Shinichi somberly thanked the man both for his help and his input before going back to check on Ran. She was still unconscious, so he pulled the desk chair over to the bed and climbed into it. After that episode, he didn't feel too good about her waking up alone.

As he sat, he mused though what little they could get from the failed session. She may or may not have been underground—he was still uncertain on that point. People were screaming as Ran waited for her turn to… scream, for some reason. He frowned as he pieced a few things together.

It wouldn't be at all unreasonable to say that turning from one person into another was painful, especially considering how much pain Shinichi himself went through just from changing size.

The idea that children had also been taken was very concerning as well. The biggest problem there, though, was that neither he nor Heiji had turned up any missing children in their lists. He'd have to wait for Kaito Kid's list to be completely certain of that. The other issue was that, quite often, the children that tended to go missing were unwanted, and therefore went unreported.

He would need to ask Ran if she remembered anything when she woke up. The child problem aside, the only other thing he'd learned was that Ran hadn't been alone, and that there were more than a few people with her, since she was "waiting her turn", and the screams were more or less continuous, since they "wouldn't stop."

Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose. It really wasn't much, but in the face of the vast nothing they'd had before, it was a start. He just wished he could make some sense of it.

Another thing that bothered him was that Ran had a very strong maternal instinct. If there had been children there, he really didn't think Ran would forget about it; all the more so if she'd made friends with them. In the first place, why even put prisoners together? Wouldn't that be risking a jailbreak? Especially if they were cognizant enough to befriend each other. He couldn't see the perpetrators that went unnoticed for a few years at least doing something that would jeopardize their existence.

He cast a thoughtful glance at Ran's sleeping form. What exactly had she gone through that was traumatic enough to erase the existence of endangered children from her mind? He wouldn't be able to hypnotize her again—not with the threat of that reaction—so he'd have to make do with what he got and hope that maybe she remembered just a little more when she woke up.

But, he thought bitterly, I can't count on her remembering, so I shouldn't make any plans under the assumption that she will.

He glanced at the clock. She'd been unconscious for about an hour already, and he wasn't sure how much longer she would sleep. For a moment, he debated on bringing her case files up from downstairs, but ultimately discarded that idea. After that scare, he wasn't in a place where he could go over the same data again without succumbing to a sense of extreme hopelessness. Instead, he went to his room across the hall and retrieved an old, well-worn copy of The Sign of Four, and contented himself with rereading something he actually enjoyed that wouldn't send him spiraling into depression.

Evening gave way into night, and Ran still showed no signs of waking. Shinichi wasn't too surprised; she'd been incredibly stressed lately with all of the failed sessions. It wasn't too far of a stretch to assume she might have lost sleep over it.

Subaru came in to check on them when neither teen came down for dinner. Shinichi dismissed any concerns the man harbored, and told him not to wait for them. Subaru, seemingly satisfied, told the small teen that he would leave their portions covered in the fridge, should either he or Ran (when she woke) decide to eat them. Thanks were exchanged, and they were left alone again.

Shinichi rubbed his tired eyes and checked the clock. He needed to go to school in the morning, but he couldn't leave Ran's room until he was sure she was going to be alright. He yawned and went back to his book, vainly fighting against his heavy eyelids. He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back in the chair.

Something stirred near him, and he opened his eyes again. Ran was groggily looking at him from her place on the bed.

"Shinichi…?" she croaked out. He hurriedly went to close his book, only to find it had fallen to the floor. He grimaced; he must have fallen asleep.

"Are you okay?" he asked, tossing her the bottle of water that was on the nightstand. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

"My head hurts a little," she said after sipping the water. "What happened?"

"You collapsed after being hypnotized," he said slowly. "Do you remember anything?" She shook her head, brows raised.

"I actually went under?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah. We didn't learn much, though." He checked the clock again, surprised to find that it was three in the morning. "You've been unconscious for about ten hours now."

"What?!" she exclaimed, scrambling forward, only to lean back again, pressing a hand to her head with a groan. A loud rumble sounded immediately afterwards, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I think getting some food in you should help a bit with that headache," said Shinichi as he slid off the chair. He stretched, wincing as his back protested at having been asleep in that hard chair. Ran nodded and slowly climbed out of bed, following him out of the room.

Downstairs, Shinichi made a beeline for the kitchen. Ran wearily seated herself at the island counter, opting to eat there instead of the dining room. Given what time it was, it would have felt a little strange to eat in the "proper" place anyway. Shinichi opened the fridge, revealing two covered bowls. He pulled them out, noting without surprise that they were filled with cream stew.

This guy, really, he chuckled to himself. Is stew the only thing he can make? He stuck the bowls in the microwave and pulled out some spoons. Ran watched him move around the kitchen with melancholy.

"… You're so small," she whispered suddenly as he stood on his toes to put the bowls on the island counter. Shinichi blinked, unsure he'd heard her correctly. "Were you always so small?" Her voice cracked. He stared up at her, noting a few unshed tears collecting in eyes that were still a little fuzzy. She must not have been completely awake.

"Yeah," he said slowly, careful not to let too much discomfort in his voice. "I try not to think about it." Ran bit her lip, rubbing her eyes before the tears could fall.

"Why is everything so messed up?" she asked no one in particular, covering her face. Shinichi's gaze softened and after he climbed into the chair next to her, he gently put a hand on her arm. She didn't look at him.

"It won't do any good to worry about it now," he said softly. He realized too late that was the wrong thing to say.

"We're teenagers!" she snapped unexpectedly, catching Shinichi off guard. "We shouldn't have to be worried about stuff like this!" She buried her face in her hands, trembling a bit. "The only things we should be worried about are passing exams, who's dating whom, who broke up, getting to class on time—" She choked on a few sobs, and Shinichi rubbed her back, letting her ride out the emotional high she found herself in.

"—Doing homework, confessing to crushes, first kisses—NORMAL TEENAGE THINGS!" She shuddered and wiped her eyes, looking down at Shinichi. "Why do we have to go through stuff like this?" Shinichi regarded her sadly for a few moments before answering, choosing his words carefully.

"It's not really fair, is it?" he said, tone solemn. "And the people that do the things that affect us so unfairly don't really care about the consequences of their actions." He stared into his bowl at the rapidly cooling stew, stirring absently. "We should count ourselves lucky, I think."

"Lucky?!" she asked, incredulous. He nodded, still looking into the bowl.

"Yeah," he said, frowning a little. "I don't think I can imagine the kind of helplessness someone else would have to go through, since most normal people aren't detectives with friends who are scientists."

It sounded absurd, saying it out loud, like something a child might come up with when playing with their toys. Two transformed teens, a couple of experimental scientists, and two large, nameless organizations that go around secretly doing illegal and immoral things.

Ran stared silently into her bowl as well, her erratic breathing evening out as she calmed down. She rubbed the remaining tears from her eyes.

"… Sorry," she murmured. Shinichi shook his head.

"Don't be," he said, and swallowed a spoonful of stew without tasting it. "Like you said, we shouldn't have to worry about stuff like this, and the fact that we are is difficult to deal with sometimes." He forced down another spoonful. "Again, I try not to think about it, but sometimes…" He trailed off, staring into space. Ran only nodded. He didn't need to continue; she understood.

"You're better at ignoring it than I am," she finally said. He snorted.

"I've been stuck longer than you have," he pointed out. He tapped her bowl, nudging it a little closer to her. She grimaced and forced herself to take a few bites. After that outburst, neither of them really felt much like eating. "That, and having to pretend to be a child most of the time tends to keep my mind busy; not that that doesn't come with its own set of problems."

Ran hesitantly took a few more bites before leaning back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. Shinichi watched her as she massaged her temples.

"How's your head?" he asked. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not as much as before," she said quietly "I feel kind of foggy, though."

That'll be mostly from the crying, he thought, and slid out of his chair to get some water. It was gratifying, somehow, to know that Ran was still mostly governed by her emotions. She cried a lot—she always had, usually when she thought no one was looking (at least in more recent years).

"By the way," he said as he handed her the cool water, "I know I asked earlier, but do you really not remember anything?" Ran's brows furrowed together in thought as she gingerly sipped the drink.

"No," she said with a frown. "Is that weird? I mean, since I can still remember what happened in the alley after… forgetting." Shinichi shrugged.

"I think, just based on what I read, it's pretty normal for people to not remember being hypnotized, unless the hypnotist requests otherwise during the session."

"So, I guess you didn't?" Ran hazarded.

"I did!" said Shinichi, bristling a bit. "But you were already acting weird, so I guess it didn't work." Ran frowned a little, disheartened. "I think Haibara recorded the session, so you can hear what happened if you want."

"Alright," she said, pacified at the thought there was at least something available.

"Maybe not now, though," he added quickly, "since everyone's still asleep." Ran blushed, looking a bit sheepish. "I'll get it before I go to school later," he promised. "Maybe you'll remember something if you listen to it."

xXx

Ran did not, in fact, remember anything, which only served to frustrate her and Shinichi even further. He spent the entire school day lost in thought as he once more vainly attempted to go through the information.

He tried unsuccessfully to add the new information to what they already had, but he couldn't make any more inferences from it. He absently chewed on the end of his pen, stopping only when the teacher reprimanded him.

"Keep that up and you'll get ink poisoning," whispered Haibara dryly. Shinichi scoffed.

"Tell that to my dad, not me," he said, letting some of his old arrogance slip into his words, if for no other reason than to cover up his vexation. "He's been doing it since he was seven, and he's fine." Haibara rolled her eyes, but didn't press the issue.

Shinichi yawned, long and not nearly as quiet as he'd hoped. Kobayashi and all of his classmates turned to look at him, and he flushed with embarrassment, mumbling out a quick apology. He grimaced, realizing part of the problem stemmed from not getting enough sleep last night. And what little sleep he had gotten had been sitting upright in a chair, as his back and neck painfully reminded him every time he shifted positions at his desk. He sighed.

I guess I shouldn't try to think anymore today, he thought. He could already guess what Ran would have to say, so he decided not to give her the chance to say it. He stared absently at the other children in the classroom. Children… He blinked.

Come to think of it, I should probably ask Hattori about that… He glanced at the teacher before discretely pulling out his phone. Haibara glanced at it from the corner of her eye as he typed up the message and hit send.

"Hmm? Not sending that to Takagi, too?" she asked quietly. Shinichi slid his phone back into his pocket, looking straight ahead.

"If I ask him now, I'll only get scolded for texting during school," he murmured, pretending to pay attention to the lesson. "This just saves unnecessary time." Haibara regarded him thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging and turning her attention back to the front of the classroom.

Shinichi let his thoughts drift for a while, tuning into the lessons only briefly before tuning it back out. It was around lunchtime that he finally received a reply from Heiji. The phone buzzed against his thigh and he quickly slipped it out of his pocket, letting the animated conversations about Gomera wash over him.

Children, Kudo? read the text.

Really?

That's so messed up.

He rolled his eyes. Why did Heiji send multiple texts like that?

I didn't ask your opinion, he typed. I just want to know if you can find out if there are children that match the others where you are.

The list I sent was complete, came the reply.

Any kids that went missin' either never turned back up or don't line up with yer other facts.

Just adults.

Why?

Didja learn somethin'?

I'll send you the file after school, answered Shinichi. You'll understand then.

Shinichi hid his sigh in a well-timed yawn, ignoring his buzzing phone that he slipped back into his pocket. Heiji was probably demanding to know what he meant. He'd still have to wait. He noticed his lunch mates had gone silent and lifted his head. The Detective Boys were all staring at him.

"… What?"

"Conan-kun, you've been yawning all day," said Ayumi, a concerned frown on her face.

"Did you stay up all night reading again?" asked Mitsuhiko. "You really shouldn't do that. It's bad for your eyes, and you already wear glasses." Shinichi ignored Haibara's snicker and feigned guilt.

"Ahaha, yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I just got caught up with the story—I figured I've been worried too much, so I just wanted to keep my mind off things, you know." This seemed to placate them, and their faces took on notes of concern—except for Genta, who preached the importance of eating whenever he felt bad. Mitsuhiko elbowed the large boy's side sharply.

"We know you're very worried about Ran-oneesan," said Ayumi sympathetically. "But… you've done everything you can do, Conan-kun." Shinichi forced a smile.

"Thanks," he murmured half-heartedly.

"I think you need to go to bed early today, okay?" she continued. He nodded solemnly, promising he would do just that, and her face lit up with relief.

"M-maybe I'll go to bed early, too," said Mitsuhiko with a blush on his cheeks, sending a hopeful look Ayumi's way. She took no notice of him, and he gave Shinichi a withering glower. Shinichi suppressed a groan, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Despite constantly assuring the other two boys in their group that he held no interest in Ayumi other than friendship, they still saw everything he did as a means to gain her attention and favor. He couldn't do anything about Ayumi's feelings—in fact, he wasn't even sure what had made her latch onto him in the first place. He was still waiting for a confession out of her so that he could properly and clearly turn her down. Until then, he largely ignored her not-so-subtle advances, and shrugged off the angry, jealous glares of the other two.

He really hated being a child.

When school finally ended, Shinichi parted ways with the others under the guise of keeping his promise to Ayumi. They said goodbye, and as he started the trek back home, he messaged Takagi about the possibility of children being included in the list he'd asked for. The response was similar to Heiji's; all of the people that fit Shinichi's criteria were on the list he'd already received. No children, just adults.

He rubbed his temples and checked his watch. Heiji would still be in school for another few hours. He wanted to be absolutely certain that his fellow detective was alone when he listened to the recording of Ran's session. He didn't want the wrong ears to hear it, after all, since he still didn't know anything about the perpetrators. At least if Heiji was home, the only outsiders that could listen in were his parents. And if Heizo didn't already suspect something from his son's constant babbling, this would certainly tip him off. That might not necessarily be a bad thing, though, as the man was much more discreet than anyone related to Heiji had any right to be.

Now if I can just get in touch with Kid, he thought irritably. He needed the thief to include this new question in his search, but since he had no means of contacting him…

It's been… what, maybe two weeks? He asked himself. While he knew getting case files and testimonies from every jurisdiction in Japan was time-consuming, he somehow thought Kid could get it done quickly. He grimaced, supposing even Kid must have a daytime life, which would make it take even longer. Even if the man wasn't as young as he often appeared, he'd still have to have a job or some sort of social life.

As Shinichi sifted through those thoughts and walked through the gate to his house, he noticed something pinned to the front door right at his eyelevel. He barked out a dry laugh as he reached it.

My dearest Meitantei,

I humbly apologize for the information-less wait of the past fortnight. The work is only half finished, and will be delivered to you in person upon completion. As for your newest development, it is being looked into. Expect a visit in the near future,

Kaitou Kid.

The missive was written on a Kid Card, complete with his signature doodle. The message wasn't his usual fare, but that was overlooked since this wasn't, after all, a theft notice. The arrogant flair of the words had Shinichi shaking his head. Then he blinked, realizing the only way for him to have known about the new lead was if the thief had bugged the house or Shinichi's phone.

"… You ass."