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Chapter Text

Prologue: Missing

It was a crisp, cold night: not a cloud in the sky. The stars twinkled happily while the moon cast its pale light on the sleeping streets of Beika Prefecture. All the houses had their windows darkened for the night save for one. In this lit window, a small, quick shadow paced back and forth.

Kudo Shinichi was pacing in front of Mouri Kogoro's telephone, waiting for something. Of course, anyone who saw this and didn't know any better would see a restless seven-year-old boy who was probably having trouble getting to sleep, and not a seventeen-year-old genius trapped in a child's body, who was pacing in worry and frustration. Kogoro, himself, had fallen asleep next to the phone, his energy spent for the day.

"It's already been a week—why haven't we heard from anyone?!" Shinichi growled. He stopped pacing long enough to stare with longing at a picture frame on Kogoro's desk. "Ran… Where are you?"

His childhood friend, Mouri Ran, had mysteriously disappeared the week before. He didn't think too much of it when she didn't come home from school—it was the last day before break, and she could easily have decided to go shopping or hang out with Sonoko. When it started to get late, Shinichi began to worry, but Kogoro insisted she was probably spending the night with one of her friends and just forgot to call. When she didn't come home or call the next day, Shinichi tried to call her. No answer. He called Sonoko to see if she was with her, but Sonoko was surprised to hear Ran didn't come home. Apparently Ran wanted to go home early so she could try a new recipe she picked up. More calls were made, but no one had seen or heard from her after class let out. After the third day, Kogoro had started to accuse "that detective brat" of hiding her in his house, to which, of course, Shinichi angrily denied. "I already called Shinichi-niichan," he'd say, and eventually Kogoro ceased entertaining that idea.

The police couldn't find her, either, and begged Kogoro to stop calling them: they'd call him when she was found. So here the two were, waiting next to the phone late into the night and the early hours of the morning for a call that might not come. By about three in the morning, Shinichi started to slow down. How long had he been pacing? He couldn't keep his eyes open, and eventually passed out on the floor next to the phone. As if feeling his exhaustion, the lights flickered and completely burned out.

***

"I don't get it, Hakase," Shinichi spouted. "Everything points to kidnapping, but there's been no ransom calls, and no indication at all that she left against her will!" He slammed his hand down on the table in frustration. He had decided to let Kogoro have the phone, and traveled over to his old neighbor, Professor Agasa to vent.

"That won't do, Kudo-kun," said a nonchalant voice from the next room. A little half Japanese girl entered the room, expression as warm as an icecap. "There's no use taking your anger out on Hakase's table. We can't fix your problems any more than you can."

"Haibara…" Shinichi calmed down just a bit as he watched Haibara calmly sipping a cup of tea. He doubted he would ever fully understand what went on in that scientist's mind. "Aren't you worried at all?"

"What good would it do to worry?" she asked. "Worry clouds your mind and interferes with the efficiency of your thoughts; I assumed a master detective would know that." She stated this last bit with a slight mocking tone, but Shinichi dismissed it in favor of resuming his rant.

"What do you think it is, then?" he asked angrily. "If it wasn't kidnapping, then what?"

Haibara set down her cup after a moment of silence. "Perhaps she decided to leave."

"What?! She wou—"

"Think about it for a minute, Kudo-kun: you said so yourself that there were no signs she left against her will." Shinichi gritted his teeth.

"Ran has no reason to leave without so much as a call or a note," he growled angrily. Haibara let out a sigh as she picked her cup back up.

"Perhaps she went looking for you?" she said after taking a long sip of tea. "And perhaps she didn't call because Mouri-san would worry and complain. Or perhaps she was taken by someone who was only interested in the thrill of torture and murder." There was a long silence as Shinichi angrily stared at the shrunken scientist. He knew she was right, but he wouldn't believe that Ran was dead. Sure, there were no news reports, but so what?

"Now, Ai-kun: that's a pretty pessimistic thing to—"

"I'm being realistic. She had no reason to run away, and there haven't been any calls or letters or emails asking for ransom. With these facts, perhaps thinking she's still alive and unharmed is being too optimistic?" Haibara finished her tea and set her cup back down. "Of course, all I have is speculation, but you're no better off." Shinichi angrily stormed out of the room and looked out the window. The sun had already begun to set: had he been there that long? He had informed Kogoro he would be sleeping over at Hakase's, just in case Ran showed up there. The old man reluctantly agreed that it was possible, informing the child that he would not leave the phone.

Three days passed this way, and still there was no word, good or bad.

On the night of the fourth day, Shinichi fell asleep near the window, too exhausted to drag himself into bed. At one in the morning, he was awoken with a start as a car squealed up near the house. There was a loud thud, a car door slam, and the sound of squealing tires fleeing the scene, all before he reached the door. He dashed outside, quickly looking around the street, but the vehicle was long gone. The other two residents of the house were also awoken by the noise, but they were still quite groggily stumbling towards the den. Shinichi didn't wait for them before venturing forth in search of the object responsible for the thud he had heard.

There, thrown against the gate in front of Shinichi's house, a crumpled figure sat, head hung low. As Shinichi got closer, he identified the crumpled mass as a young man, arms tied behind his back. He was unconscious. He cautiously ventured forward until he could almost touch the stranger. Soon, he was standing right in front of the unconscious man. He seemed harmless enough with his hands bound, but that posed a big question. Why were they bound?

"Hey, mister," he said quietly, gently shaking the young man's shoulder, "Are you alright?" There was a groan as the man stirred, but he still had not lifted his head. Shinichi's touch hardened, his voice rose. "Hey, mister—" The man jumped, head snapping up. Shinichi's heart stopped. The man's eyes were wide open, mouth taped shut. He was only seventeen or eighteen years old, but what had made his blood run cold was the young man's face: it was the face of Kudo Shinichi.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: An Impossible Situation

There was a stunned silence as Shinichi stared at his own face. This face's eyes were open wide, scared and unfocused. The stranger started to squirm around, quickly realizing he was tied up.

"Wh-who are—" Shinichi caught his tongue, remembering that right now, he was Edogawa Conan. He recomposed himself. "Sh-Shinichi… niichan…?" he asked, feigning ignorance to see how the impostor would respond. He froze in his struggle, looking confused. Slowly, he shook his head. In his eyes, Shinichi saw that this stranger expected him to know who he was. "…Kid…?" Another head shake. Tears were forming. So… it was someone Shinichi should know… Who else did he know with his face? Or maybe, there was a mask and the person didn't know about it. He pinched the stranger's face. Not a mask. Finally, he remembered the duct tape on the man's mouth. As he reached for it, he realized that something about this man seemed very familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on it. Not the shocking appearance of his face, but in his movements and reactions.

He carefully pulled off the duct tape, trying to make it as painless as possible. The impostor winced, a natural reaction for anyone, so why did it feel so… off? "Who are you?" he asked. The man's eyes welled up with tears, and he struggled to get his voice out.

"C-Conan-kun!" he stuttered out, the tears now rolling down his face. Shinichi froze again. It was unthinkable, impossible. But the way his name was said… was how… Ran… would say it. He stared into the man's eyes. They were definitely his own eyes, but the presence behind them….

"R… Ran… neechan…?" A nod. Such a simple thing sent Shinichi reeling. He felt lightheaded and ill. "You don't… look like Ran-neechan," he finally stated, attempting to fish for information. A scared and confused look on his— her face, she turned around and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the gate, and promptly fainted.

Agasa finally made it to the door, and took a step out, yawning. "Oi, Shinichi! What's going on?" Shinichi swallowed a few times, trying to recompose himself.

"Hakase… I need some help," he finally croaked out.

***

"Shinichi, be reasonable," Agasa whispered. "Think about what you're saying!" They had moved the supposed Ran into Agasa's living room, and Shinichi had attempted to explain the situation.

"I know it sounds crazy, but look at me!" Shinichi hissed back. "Isn't what happened to me supposed to be impossible?" Agasa didn't have an answer. Ran stirred on the couch, and they turned to face her.

"Wh-what's going on…?" she croaked. As soon as she said this, her eyes got wide, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. That wasn't her voice at all! She hoped she woke up from a nightmare, but she was still in one, it seemed. She looked around and recognized Agasa's house. Remembering there should be a mirror nearby, she turned and froze completely upon officially seeing her reflection. Trembling, she glanced back at the speechless Shinichi and the skeptical professor. "What's going on…?" she repeated in a shaky whisper. "Th-this is a nightmare, right?" She didn't dare raise her voice: hearing it again would only confirm her fears.

"If it is, we're in the same one," murmured Shinichi. He turned to Agasa. "You can examine her, right?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Don't argue, just do it," Shinichi hissed. Agasa rarely saw the detective so completely bothered about something. Shinichi slowly ventured to the couch.

"You're… really Ran-neechan…?" The question was pointless, as the more he watched her movements, the more he realized he couldn't ignore the terrifying truth. Ran's gaze turned downward towards her hands. She clenched her fists and nodded, a few tears escaping down her face.

"You've been missing for two weeks!" he said. "Where were you?! Can… can you remember what happened?" Ran continued to stare at her hands.

"I-I… remember leaving the school… and… and…" She shook her head. "It's no good— I-I can't remember!"

Two weeks worth of memories… thought Shinichi incredulously. He glanced at the professor; he was gathering instruments together, making preparations. He turned his attention back to Ran. Her eyes were shut tight, as were her fists. Shinichi didn't think it was possible for his heart to sink lower than his toes— he was wrong.

Agasa came back with a small push-cart which carried a few familiar-looking instruments, like what you might find in a doctor's office. He stopped in front of Ran and hesitated, a skeptical expression still on his face. He cleared his throat, snapping Ran back to attention.

"Please hold out your arm— it doesn't matter which one," he said, taking a syringe in hand. She stiffly did as she was told, careful to keep her gaze averted. Shinichi numbly watched on for the next hour as Agasa pulled blood, hair, and saliva samples, and took pictures of her irises with a small modified camera resembling a penlight. By the time he had finished, his skepticism had begun to vanish, concern taking its place.

"How's it look, Hakase?" Shinichi asked. Agasa gripped the syringe in his hand.

"I-I don't know yet— I have to test these samples." Doubt was still in his mind, but the skepticism had melted away when he was taking the samples. He glanced at Ran for a moment before heading towards the lab, Haibara hot on his heels. Shinichi watched silently as the door closed behind them. Perhaps Haibara could help him find some clues. The little scientist had been keeping silent at the door of the room since Ran had arrived. Shinichi turned his attention back to the couch.

Ran was carefully studying the pattern on the rug, most likely to keep her thoughts preoccupied. He ventured back over. He was going to do it— he was going to tell her who he was: her safety was already compromised by this terrible incident. She was involved, though he was still uncertain exactly how. He stood for a moment to compose himself, trying to muster up the courage to say the words he'd so much wanted to say for so long. Just as he opened his mouth, Ran spoke up.

"Ne, Conan-kun?" she started. Shinichi looked up at her. Her eyes were red and tear swollen. She blearily looked down at him. "Don't… please don't tell Shinichi." She allowed a sad, hopeless smile. "I don't want him… to see me like this," she whispered, looking back down at her hands. "Please promise you won't tell him."

"… I promise…" Guilt stabbed Shinichi's heart like daggers as he said those words. He turned around so she couldn't see the tortured expression on his face. She raised her eyebrows.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, then added, "besides the obvious, I mean."

"Ah, no— it's… it's nothing," he said as he turned to smile at her. If only he'd been quicker. Perhaps it was best if he kept his mouth shut: she was already upset enough as it was. They all were, and the last thing they needed was more anxiety to torment them. He debated sitting on the couch next to her. Agasa would need some time to complete the tests, but being alone with her like this was already proving to be painful.

He went for it. She needed some sense of comfort right now, so he quietly sucked his breath in and climbed up on the couch next to her. He closed his eyes, and felt her warmth next to him. His warmth… The bitter thought crossed his mind, but he shoved it down. He focused on her presence rather than the physical form. That helped a little. She was alive. That was the most important thing, wasn't it? He ventured a glance at her face. Her eyes were shut tight again. She felt his eyes on her and turned her face away. He sighed, and moved to get off the couch.

"Don't go," she whispered. "I-I don't want to be by myself, just…please don't look at me. Just for a little while," she pleaded. Shinichi's expression softened as he sat back down next to her.

"All right," he assured her, and gently put his hand on top of hers. She squeezed her hand under his, but made no moves against the touch.

***

Agasa quietly closed his door. Worry and doubt was etched on his face as he turned to Haibara, who had kept silently out of sight since Ran's arrival.

"What do you think, Ai-kun?" he asked, nervously adjusting his glasses. "Is that Ran-kun? How could something like this possibly be real?" Haibara stared coolly up at the professor.

"How indeed," she muttered quietly before straightening up to look at him. "At any rate, we should finish the testing. I still have some of Kudo-kun's blood so we can compare." Agasa gave her an odd look.

"Shinichi's blood?" he asked. Haibara nodded.

"Of course! This isn't merely some case of forced cosmetic surgery— her voice has changed as well. We might as well compare the two. I've got a theory I want to test." With that, the little scientist turned on her heels, and got straight to work, a tentative professor right behind her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: DNA Dilemma

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 voice 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.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: The Invisible Shot

The walk to the high school was a quiet one. Ran kept her hands in her pockets and her gaze on the ground in front of her. Her lips were pressed together in a tight line, concentrating on the task at hand. Shinichi felt slightly guilty for snapping at her, but reasoned it was the only way to get her out of the house. He glanced up at her. A part of him reminisced at walking to school together, but the unfortunate circumstances kept him from enjoying it.

Relief swept over both of them when they finally arrived at the building. Break was still in session, so the only people inside were staff trying to complete tasks before their deadlines. Shinichi turned to Ran.

"Do you remember what you did here?" he asked. She took a moment to collect herself before looking around the outside of the school.

"I was talking to Sonoko…" she started, looking from the doors to the sidewalk. She started slowly following the sidewalk as she continued. "I wanted to try out a new recipe one of the teachers gave me…" She stopped after a few yards and turned to the street. "Sonoko had to leave, and her car was waiting there…" As she trailed off, she began walking again in the opposite direction of her house. Shinichi recognized it as the route she liked to take to get to the supermarket. She suddenly stopped in front of an alley, and Shinichi almost fell over to keep from bumping into her. Straightening his shirt, he stared into the alley and then up at her.

"Did you go in there?" A nod. "Why? You've never gone that way before."

"I thought I would try a shortcut," came the reply in a whisper. Her face had gone white, eyes wide with terror. She pointed to the far side of the small street. "There was a van there," she whispered. Shinichi slowly followed her in.

"What kind of van?" he asked.

"I-I don't know… a red one?" was her unsure reply. They were halfway in, and she looked panicked now. She was hyperventilating. Shinichi didn't notice right away because he was looking to where she pointed.

"Was it a company van?" he asked, attempting to narrow down the possibilities. He walked over to see if he could spot any tire tracks. Ran remained rooted in place, trembling.

"N-no. It was a mini van," she whispered. Hearing how shaky her voice was, Shinichi turned around to find her clutching her head. Her muscles stiff, she slowly crouched into a ball as Shinichi bolted towards her, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he pressed, peering into her face. She was terrified. "What happened?" he demanded, trying to sound as soft as possible. Though his face was right in front of hers, she didn't see him. She was reliving her abduction. "Tell me what happened," he repeated.

"He came out of the car," she whispered. "H-h-he… he had a gun… I tried to run…" She gasped loudly and squeezed her eyes shut, her whole body trembling. Shinichi's body froze, eyes widening.

"What?!" He shook her shoulder a few times. "Were you shot?!" he asked frantically, but she wouldn't answer. "Oi, Ran, try to remember! Did he shoot you? Where? What did he look like? C'mon, answer me!" He waited for her to respond, but she couldn't say any more. Shinichi's grip on her shoulder slipped when he realized he wouldn't get anything more from her, but this new information was certainly enough for the moment.

So she was shot, he inferred, looking around the alley. He quietly left Ran's side when he spotted a dark stain on the concrete. If she was shot, then it would explain why a karate champion couldn't fight back… he thought to himself. But… a gunshot wound wouldn't heal in two weeks, and Ran doesn't seem to have any severe injuries. He looked back at her, still cowering near the wall, eyes still closed. Turning back to the stain, he pulled a small flask of water and his handkerchief out of his pocket, and proceeded to wet the stain, kneeling down to mop some of it up with the handkerchief. When he was finished, he hurried back to Ran. She was standing back up now, taking in big, shaky breaths. Her eyes were still closed, but it looked like she was starting to calm down.

"Ran-neechan," he said softly, placing a hand on her arm. She stirred a little, opening her red, swollen eyes, still breathing hard. "I'm sorry. You don't have to remember anymore; let's just go back to Hakase's okay?" Ran nodded and wiped her eyes. Taking care not to look at the scene, she followed closely behind Shinichi, trying to compose herself.

She straightened up as they exited the alley. Her breathing was still shaky but it wasn't as heavy as before. Suddenly, Shinichi stopped and whirled around to look up at her.

"Hey, Ran-neechan? Do you think you would remember the van if you saw it again?" he asked excitedly. She blinked, a little surprised at the sudden question, then slowly nodded.

"Y… yes… yes, I think I would," she replied. "But how are you going to find it?" Running to the corner, he pointed to something across the street. There, facing the alley, almost hidden from view, was a small traffic camera. Grinning for the first time in two weeks, Shinichi excitedly bounded back to her side.

"There's one on both ends!" he exclaimed happily. Ran whipped around to view the other end of the alley. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank god," she breathed. Looking down at Shinichi, she asked, "How will we get the footage, though?"

"We'll send an anonymous tip to the police, and they'll show us the footage when they find it," he replied as he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the house.

"Huh? Why will they show us the footage?" she asked, stumbling to keep up.

"Assuming you were taped on that camera, it should be a key clue to the case. Naturally, the police will show it to your dad and ask a bunch of standard questions."

"Heeeeh… You sure know a lot about this kind of stuff," she commented thoughtfully.

"It's because I watch so many crime shows," he nervously stammered. He surmised she was too distracted to notice, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"More importantly," Ran began again, "how are we going to tell Inspector Megure? What did you mean by 'an anonymous tip'?"

"Oh, that. Well, the police aren't likely to listen to a child—especially one who's been pestering them so much since you disappeared," he said a little sheepishly.

"Not even you? They've never had an issue before," she commented thoughtfully. Then she blinked a few times. "Wait, you were pestering them?!"

"What was I supposed to do? You were missing for two weeks! Your dad was pestering them as well—" He stopped when he saw the look on her face. "Ran-neechan…?" She shook her head.

"Sorry, it's nothing. Not important right now," she replied almost bitterly. "What is important is notifying the police. You said anonymous, but won't they be more likely to ignore a suspicious tip like that?" They continued walking.

"Ah… you're probably right. I could call Shinichi-niichan and—" Shinichi's arm was yanked back as Ran swung him around to face her.

"You absolutely can NOT tell Shinichi!" she hissed.

"But—"

"No buts! If you tell him there's a clue here, he'll come back straight away!" She was visibly upset by the thought.

I'm here now, Shinichi thought with some annoyance.

"You could tell them," he offered. Ran's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You could pretend to be Shinichi-niichan," he elaborated.

"T-there's no way," she stammered. She seemed even more upset by this idea.

"Well, we have to tell them somehow. They won't even pick up the phone for me anymore." Ran stared down at the small detective. Just how many times had he called them?

"What about Agasa Hakase?" she offered. Shinichi shook his head, and let out a nervous laugh.

"They won't answer his number, either. I, uh, I might've started using his phone when they stopped answering mine," he guiltily mumbled. He glanced up at her. She was giving him a hard blank stare. He could tell she was trying to decide whether or not she should be angry at this news. Finally she let out an irritated sigh.

"Let's just get back to Agasa's, and we can decide what to do from there," she said moodily, and the two once again resumed walking.

"Ne, Conan-kun?" she started after a few minutes of walking in silence. "How is he?" Shinichi looked up at her. "My father?" she asked quietly. Shinichi looked back at the ground.

"Very worried about you," he replied in an equally soft tone. She lowered her head, and they both walked the remainder of the way in silence.

As they reached Shinichi's street, the detective sighed and pulled out his phone.

"I guess I'll have to call Takagi-keiji— if he'll answer," he said. Ran frowned.

"Doesn't Takagi-keiji work in the Criminal Investigations division?"

"Ahh… Yeah it's true he isn't involved directly with missing persons, but he's the only one who's likely to answer the phone for me. He'll do just about anything you ask, too, so…"

"Is that so?" Ran said, giving Shinichi a disapproving stare.

"Ahaha… Well this is important, so…" He took out his phone and quickly dialed the number, turning away from her gaze. Takagi picked up after several rings.

"Didn't I ask you to stop calling me, Conan-kun?" came the policeman's agitated voice. "I already said I'd call back if I got any new information!"

"Ahh— actually, I might have found some new info."

"Really? What is it?"

"You'll need to check some traffic footage."

***

"Is that true Shinichi?!" exclaimed Agasa Hakase. Shinichi shushed him while glancing into the next room. Ran had resumed sitting on the couch and was fidgeting in her seat. It looked like she didn't hear them, so they continued talking.

"Based on what Ran told me, there's a high chance the culprit's van was recorded leaving the scene. If the cameras were working that day, then it should be enough evidence for the Criminal Investigation Division to take over the search." Agasa frowned at those words.

"But isn't Ran-kun a karate champion? Shouldn't she have been able to get away from them?"

"About that— I think they may have shot her. She wouldn't say much, but based on her reaction and the stain I found on the concrete," he said as he took out the handkerchief, "I'd say it's highly likely." He handed the small piece of evidence to the professor. "If we test that against her hair, we'll know for certain."

"That's impossible— she's not in any kind of pain… Well, physical pain, anyway," said the professor looking towards Ran. "Gunshot wounds don't just disappear."

"Now that she's calmed down a bit, I can ask her about it properly," said Shinichi as he also looked towards her. "Anyway, get that sample to Haibara and see if she can match it. There might be some contamination, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't rained at all…" The professor nodded and began to head down to the lab while Shinichi made his way back to the once teen-aged girl. A light pink dusted her cheeks, but he didn't notice this at first.

"Ne, Ran-neechan," he started. Ran's head snapped up. Her brow was slightly bent like she was worried about something, but Shinichi dismissed this as residue from the day's events. "Can you remember it properly now?" he asked. "Of what happened that day?"

Ran slowly nodded, but didn't volunteer any information. She seemed to be slightly distracted, but Shinichi pressed forward anyway.

"You were shot at?" he prompted.

"… Yes…" She sounded a bit unsure. "I… I was definitely shot, but…"

"Where?" he asked. She pointed to the right side of her stomach just as the professor reentered the room.

"I-it was here," she said quietly. "It definitely happened, but… I don't… feel anything now…" she trailed off. She couldn't have dreamt it, right? The professor cleared his throat.

"Would you mind if I took a look at the area?" he asked, stepping forward. She bit her lip, nodded, and then reached for the hem of her shirt. She hesitated, took a deep breath, and slowly lifted the edge up to reveal a small portion of her stomach, her face turning several shades of pink as she did so. Curious, Shinichi leaned forward with the professor to view the spot in question. Agasa frowned, probing the skin slightly.

"Are you sure it was here?" he asked, maneuvering to see her back as well. Ran looked down, a surprised look on her face.

"No way!" she said, craning her neck to look at her back. "I was definitely… it… it went right through! How?!" Indeed, the skin on her stomach was as smooth and clean as if she had just been born. While her shirt was raised, Shinichi snuck a look at the other side of her stomach. There was nothing there, either. He absently placed a hand over his own scar, lost in thought.

I guess scars don't transfer, huh? Makes sense, he thought to himself. But where did hers go…? He frowned as he stared at her scar-less stomach. His eyes moved up slightly to look at her shirt, and his frown deepened. He glanced at her pants, too.

Those aren't her clothes… Naturally, Ran's clothes would be too small on a male body, but they didn't look like any Shinichi owned, either. Which meant the culprit bought them.

"Ahh! Conan-kun, what—?!" exclaimed Ran when Shinichi jumped onto the couch and grabbed the back of her shirt collar.

"Hanes…" he murmured, looking at the label. Admittedly, he knew nothing about clothes, so he asked, "Ran-neechan, do you know this brand? Hanes?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because it looks like the culprit may have dressed you. I thought maybe we could create a suspect list based on this…" Immediately, Ran looked down at her clothes. She hadn't realized she wasn't wearing her clothes. They all had taken it for granted until now, and the clothing was so inconspicuous that even Shinichi hadn't noticed it at first.

"Mmmm… I'm afraid your suspect list will be very long," she said after a moment. "This is just a regular cotton shirt. You can buy this brand almost anywhere." Shinichi let out a dejected sigh.

No good, huh? The jeans are probably the same… he thought. So our only clue is the red minivan. He blinked. Why is it a minivan? There are many more capable vehicles, so why bother with a minivan? He glanced back at Ran's attire. So they won't stand out, maybe?

While Shinichi was lost in his thoughts, Agasa made one last examination of the spot in question, shook his head, and took a few notes before leaving the room again. Shinichi absently looked up to watch the professor leave before turning his attention back to Ran. She had that worried expression again, and her face was flushed. She'd begun to rock back and forth slightly. Shinichi blinked a few times.

"Ran-neechan?" Ran's head snapped in his direction. She almost looked scared.

"C-Conan-kun… I-I don't think I can hold it much longer, but I don't know what I should do~" she stammered.

"What's wrong?" he asked, apprehension rising. Her face turned beet red.

"I-I… really have to use the restroom."

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Happy Mask

A few days passed, and they were still no closer to figuring out what had happened to Ran. Shinichi was starting to get anxious. Every time he saw her, his gut twisted painfully, so he'd adopted the habit of only looking past her, or at her shoulder. It didn't help much, though, so he avoided her whenever possible. On the third day, the professor pulled Shinichi aside.

"I don't mind you staying here," he said quietly, "but won't it start to look suspicious if Kudo Shinichi doesn't stay in his own house?" Shinichi gave him a flat look.

"Kudo Shinichi is supposed to be dead, remember?" He crossed his arms. "Besides, I haven't been staying at my house for months."

"Yes," said Haibara, coming quietly into the room, making him jump. "But someone who looks like you is actively staying next door. People will start to notice, and unwanted attention will be pointed at us." She fingered the edge of her jacket. "It might be better for Ran-san to stay in your house, to keep curious eyes away. It won't look strange, so people won't talk. And if people don't talk, the crows can't hear about it." She gave him a sharp look. "You're too distracted If you haven't figured that out." The hairs on Shinichi's neck bristled at the insinuation.

"I'm not—" He stopped, letting out a sigh. "…Fine. What about Subaru-san?"

"You're the one who put him there, remember? That's your problem."

Shinichi sighed again and nodded. Even though he suspected Subaru— or rather, Akai— already knew who he was, he also knew the man wouldn't ask any questions unless it affected his safety. Ran would be safe there, even when he came back from wherever it was he went.

"I'll tell her this evening," he said finally. Haibara gave him a measuring look, but only nodded in approval, saying nothing. There was a ringing at the door, and Agasa Hakase left to answer it. A big commotion at the door had Shinichi wincing.

"Ahh! Conan-kun! Ai-chan! Why aren't you ready? We'll be late for school!" Ayumi's shrill voice grated on his ears.

Crap, I forgot… School's back in session… he thought absently.

"We won't be late," Haibara reassured her, heading over to the doorway. "You came a bit early, after all."

The Detective Boys pooled into the house to wait for the two shrunken teens to prepare. Ayumi looked curiously into the living room where Ran was resting. Her brows pinched together, and she whispered something to Genta and Mitsuhiko, who looked over at Ran as well.

"Isn't that the niisan that lives next door?" asked Mitsuhiko quietly as Shinichi approached. "What's he doing over here? Shouldn't he be in school?"

"He looks really sick," said Ayumi, a worried lilt to her voice. Shinichi glanced at the object of their discussion and let out a nervous laugh.

"He's just really worried about Ran-neechan, since we haven't found her yet," he said, ushering them out the door. "He's taking time off from school to help with the investigation." It wasn't exactly a lie. Mitsuhiko nodded enthusiastically.

"With him looking, they're bound to find her in no time."

I wish it was that simple, Shinichi thought as Haibara sent an amused smile his way.

School seemed to last forever. Shinichi kept glancing at the clock, waiting for when they could get out and go back home. He was so distracted that he was genuinely shocked when the teacher reprimanded him for spelling a simple kanji wrong. It didn't help that Haibara seemed to find this all amusing. She kept sending cynical smiles his way anytime he slipped up during class. When the bell finally rang, he couldn't get out quickly enough, much to the chagrin of the detective boys.

"Conan-kun, why are you in such a hurry?" asked Mitsuhiko as Shinichi flung open his shoe locker and snatched his shoes out of it.

"I've gotta get back to the professor's," he said without looking at them.

"Why don't we all go?" asked Ayumi eagerly. "We haven't hung out in so long!" Before Shinichi could snap at her, Haibara calmly spoke up.

"We can hang out tomorrow," she said. At Ayumi's distress, she added, "Agasa Hakase worked too hard yesterday, so he can't chaperon us while we're there."

"What about that Shinichi-niichan? He's there, right?" Haibara shook her head.

"He's busy looking for Ran-san, remember? He was only there today to check in with the professor for possible updates." It was believable enough, so the kids grudgingly dropped the issue. They said their goodbyes and parted ways.

"… Thanks," said Shinichi quietly. Haibara turned away from him.

"Even if I enjoy seeing you uncomfortable, it wouldn't do for them to talk to her and realize something was off," she said. Shinichi sighed.

"A simple 'You're welcome' would've sufficed," he grumbled. She smiled, but didn't respond.

When they got back to the professor's, before going in, Haibara grabbed Shinichi's arm.

"Remember," she said, "that you must convince that girl that she needs to stay at your house," Shinichi yanked his arm from her, scowling.

"I know that," he hissed. "What do you think I was doing all day?"

"Oh, were you doing something besides making errors today? I hadn't noticed." She smiled again, and it felt like spiders crawling down Shinichi's back. He shoved past her and opened the door, still trying to think how best to approach Ran, flipping through the ideas he'd come up with during class. He settled on one and headed for the living room, spotting Ran on the couch as he rounded the corner. He took a deep breath and ventured into the room.

"Ran-neechan?" he asked sweetly. She looked up.

"Oh, Conan-kun. What is it?" He frowned a little bit as he searched for the words.

"I was just thinking," he said as innocently as possible, "that staying here might not be so good for you." Her eyebrows shot up.

"But why? Where else can I go?" Here it comes.

"You could stay at Shinichi-niichan's house."

"What?!"

"Think about it," he said before she could protest. "You look like Shinichi-niichan right now, right?" A nod. "So," he continued, "the neighbors are gonna notice someone that looks like Shinichi-niichan staying in someone else's house. They might call him, and ask why; which undoubtedly will bring him back here to see what's going on." Ran stared at him in horror, terribly conflicted at staying in his house or risking him coming back to see her like this, despite the fact that he was here now. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I—" she choked. "W-what…" Her eyes teared up as she struggled with the decision. Finally, she slumped forward in defeat.

"…Alright," she said quietly. The guilt clawed painfully at Shinichi's chest.

"I'll stay there, too," he offered. She sent him a grateful look, brow still bent with worry.

"Does Agasa Hakase think so, too?" she asked. He nodded. She sighed and got up from the couch and followed him back to the door.

"It'll be better than sleeping on the couch," said Shinichi in an attempt to cheer her up. She nodded as they walked next door. She hesitated at the gate, looking up at his house, before following him inside. He led her to one of the guest rooms. He'd played with the idea of making her stay in his room so Subaru wouldn't get too suspicious when he got back, but he knew she'd flat out refuse, no matter the circumstances.

"You can use Shinichi-niichan's pajamas," he suggested. "He won't know if we clean them and put them back before we fix everything." Her face went pale, the dark circles under her eyes seeming to grow darker, but she didn't protest. He left her there to get used to it while he ventured into his room to fish out pajamas for the both of them.

He looked around his old bedroom and sighed. He wouldn't be able to sleep in here. He contented himself on actually getting to stay in his own house, even though it brought back the ache of longing to be himself again. He shook his head and strode over to the closet.

He pulled out a pair of pajamas he'd bought just before the unfortunate day at Tropical Land, his chest tightening. He never got to wear them, which meant Ran hadn't seen them. He hoped she'd feel better about that. He pressed further into the closet, looking for a box of his children's clothes. Most of them were at the detective agency. He did find a box of his eight-year-old clothes. The PJs would be a bit big, but they'd fit well enough. He looked back at his room one last time before leaving for the other free guest room.

He quickly changed into his pajamas, feeling a bit nostalgic as he looked at the Gomera print in the mirror. He glanced at the sleepwear on the bed, not quite ready to face Ran again, but he pressed on anyway. He grabbed them and headed to the room he left Ran in.

She was sitting on the floor with her back against the bed, her head buried in the knees she hugged to her chest. She looked up when she heard him come in. No tears. Good. He wasn't sure he could handle her crying right now. She eyed the pajamas in his hands.

"Those are Shinichi's?" she asked as he handed them to her.

"They were in his room," he said. She held them up. They were red: her favorite color. She blushed a bit.

"Goodnight, Ran-neechan," he said as he turned to leave.

"Don't you want something for supper?"

"Ahaha— I'm not really hungry, so I'm just gonna go to bed, okay?"

"O-okay. Good… goodnight, Conan-kun," she said quietly. He closed the door, wishing she would be in a better mood tomorrow. It was painful watching her mope, especially since he couldn't do anything for her. He went back to the other guest room, turned out the lights, and climbed into bed. He stared up at the ceiling for three hours, eyes stinging, before finally drifting off to sleep.

***

Shinichi woke the next morning to the heavenly aromas of eggs and bacon and… was that coffee? He got up quickly. Ran never allowed him to have coffee in the morning— not while he was Conan, at least. She was either in a really good mood or she was so down she wasn't thinking properly. A trip to the kitchen revealed the former, a strange contrast to the last few days that had his head reeling from the virtual whiplash.

"Good morning, Conan-kun," she chirped. It sounded odd with his voice.

"… Good morning," he said slowly, unsure if he was walking into a mine field. "You seem… happy. Good dream?" She laughed, a nervous sounding thing, and her brows pinched together just a bit.

"Not really," she replied. "I just— I just needed some time to wrap my head around things. Might as well be useful, you know?" He nodded slowly. He could understand that. Plus, she probably didn't like the idea of making him worry— she never did. She was probably embarrassed from being so vulnerable in front of him. He had to admit it was better than watching her constantly trying not to cry.

He slid into a chair at the table where a fresh breakfast awaited him. He looked around, but only saw the one plate.

"Ran-neechan, aren't you going to eat?" he asked. She smiled apologetically.

"I already ate. I'm sorry for not waiting for you." He shook his head and greedily eyed the coffee cup she set in front of him, choosing not to say anything lest she change her mind. Coffee now, contemplate later.

After he finished breakfast, Ran quickly ushered him back to his guest room.

"Get dressed, Conan-kun: you're friends will be at Agasa Hakase's very soon," she said. He nodded, and watched her leave with some confusion. She'd done a complete 180 from yesterday. Breakfast wasn't a fluke. He hid a small frown in his shirt as he pulled it over his head. Ran was pretty resilient. He wouldn't have to spend the whole school day worrying, but…. He finished getting dressed and peered into the kitchen where Ran was washing dishes.

"Ran-neechan?"

"Hmm?"

"Ayumi-chan and the others wanted to play today, but I can come back here instead, if you want." She smiled at him.

"You go play with your friends. I don't mind. Besides, it's been a while since I cleaned Shinichi's house, so I expect I'll be busy all day. Have fun at school." She turned back to the dishes, leaving Shinichi to nervously keep looking at her over his shoulder as he headed out.

Haibara greeted him at the professor's door, expectantly glancing over at the Kudo house.

"Well, how'd she take it?" she asked. At his expression, she added, "Is she okay?" He nodded.

"She was terrible yesterday," he started slowly. "I expected that. But this morning…." He shook his head. "She's acting like there's nothing wrong."

"Then maybe nothing's wrong. What did she say?"

"That she just needed some time to get used to it."

"And you don't believe her?" she asked inquisitively. The doorbell rang.

"It's not that," he said as she went to answer the door. "I just can't believe she's okay so quickly. I guess I shouldn't worry."

"Hmm." Haibara opened the door and greeted the children, and they all left for school. While Ayumi was happily chattering away about last night's Yaiba episode, Haibara slowed her pace to talk to Shinichi.

"You said you shouldn't worry, so why are you?"

"Well, I wasn't at first, but…"

"But?"

"Something didn't quite feel right about the way she smiled."

"Isn't that just because she did it with your face?"

"… Maybe that's it." He glanced at the kids and lowered his voice. "Did you find anything yet?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I'm not even sure what I'm looking for," she admitted. "We just keep running tests for different aspects. Everything still comes up you." She sighed. "Just for the sake of it, I ran a comparison between the hair lock and her current DNA."

"And?"

"And nothing. It's still running. I expect it'll come back negative, though."

"… Still running?" he asked incredulously. "Doesn't that mean there's something wrong with your equipment?"

"I guess there must be. I'll see if I can fix it later."

"What are you two whispering about?" asked Mitsuhiko, irritated. Ayumi turned to face them as well, a discontented look on her face.

"Conan-kun and Ai-chan are always sharing secrets," she complained. Shinichi held up his hands in an attempt to appease them.

"Ahh— no, it's just—"

"Edogawa-kun downloaded something weird on my computer, so now it's acting funny," said Haibara calmly, walking ahead of them. He immediately played along.

"I said I was sorry!"

The children appeared to be pacified by the fake quarrel, noting that Conan was such a trouble maker, before walking the rest of the way to school as they resumed their Masked Yaiba conversation. Shinichi sighed and began the school day, pushing any worries he might have had aside.

When school let out, the children argued about what they should do.

"I think we should play soccer," insisted Mitsuhiko.

"Or we could go to Agasa Hakase's and play games and eat cake," said Genta.

"You're always thinking about food, Genta-kun," said Ayumi. "But I like both ideas. What about you two?" Haibara spoke up before Shinichi could think of something to say.

"Since Ran-san hasn't turned up yet," she said gently, "I think we should stick to the professor's house, just in case." They all nodded in approval.

"Play games it is, then," said Mitsuhiko with a sigh. "I suppose we'll have to practice soccer some other time." Shinichi smiled, remembering when they weren't the least bit interested in his favorite sport.

When they got to Agasa's house, Shinichi glanced at his house. There was movement behind one of the windows, so he figured Ran was still cleaning. Normally, she'd be done by now. He'd ask her later, once he could get away from the children without them getting angry. They went inside and played games for a few hours, laughing and eating Hakase's food. Haibara occasionally slipped into her lab in the guise of going to the restroom. Each time she came back, she wordlessly shook her head at Shinichi. They still had nothing.

When the children finally left, Shinichi sighed dejectedly. "Nothing at all?" he asked. He didn't need to elaborate.

"Nothing at all. The samples came back negative, as I thought they would. I'm still not sure why my equipment froze up like that— it's working fine, now." Shinichi hummed.

"I guess I'll check on Ran. She planned to clean all day, but it usually doesn't take that long for her." Haibara looked thoughtful, but waved him away without a word, slipping back into the lab. He sighed again and left for his house. His mouth hung open in shock when he got inside.

Everything was so clean, it practically sparkled. He spotted Ran, finishing up scrubbing the floor on the far side of the library. She'd never done anything like this before.

"Ran-neechan? What is all this?" She looked up from her spot on the floor, wiping some sweat off her forehead.

"Oh, Conan-kun! Ah, this? I found some mold in the kitchen and thought, 'better safe than sorry.' Did you know there was mildew in here? That's not very healthy for little seven-year-old lungs."

"You…" He was lost for words, looking around at a cleanliness a museum would be envious of. He ventured over to her, careful to choose patches of floor that were mostly dry. "You're all sweaty," he commented, finding his voice.

"I… I am, aren't I?" Her face fell slightly. "I wasn't really thinking. I'll… I'll have to take a bath." Her brows knitted together, and her face flushed dark red at the thought. Shinichi also felt a blush creeping up the back of his neck.

"Y-you were gonna have to do it eventually," he stammered, more to justify it to himself than to her. He wasn't too keen on Ran seeing his naked body, and from her reaction, neither was she. She sat back, looking fretfully up at the ceiling. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

"Ah!" She looked back at him. "I could take a shower— that way, I won't have to look at anything." She smiled, nodding to herself in approval. The idea made Shinichi feel less apprehensive as well.

"Good idea. You'll have to wear Shinichi-niichan's clothes." At her expression, he quickly added, "Only— only for a little bit: this weekend, we can go shopping for some separate clothes for you." Her shoulders relaxed, and she slowly looked down at her clothes.

"Alright," she said, not looking up at him. "Alright, we… we can do that." She got up slowly, moving uncertainly up the stairs towards Shinichi's room. Shinichi followed, noting the brilliantly polished banisters. She'd never cleaned this furiously before, but now he was remembering that she usually did her especially big cleaning sessions when she needed to blow off steam.

He regarded her as she rummaged around his dresser and closet, looking for clothes she didn't associate too closely with him. This proved to be very difficult: he didn't own too many clothes as he didn't put too much stock in his appearance. Everywhere she looked was met with painful memories.

Sighing heavily, she settled on the navy sweater with the plaid collar he'd worn at the aquarium and a light pair of jeans. He watched as she nervously headed towards the bathroom, hesitating in its doorway. When she closed the door, his knees finally buckled and he crumpled to the floor, still staring at the bathroom door.

He trusted her not to look, but… accidents happen. He tried to console himself. If she does see, he thought, we'll be even for the Benkei Onsen incident. His face and ears burned at the memory, and he put a hand up to his chest in attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart. He breathed out a chuckle— a shaky wisp of a sound. It would be fine.

After a while, he heard Ran's voice drift over from the bathroom.

"Conan-kun? Come here for a minute. I found something strange." Shinichi frowned and headed over to the bathroom. He cautiously opened the door, only to find her partially dressed; the jeans were on, and it looked like she was about to put on the sweater, but stopped before she pulled it over her head. He frowned.

"You found something weird?" he asked. She nodded, coming closer, lowering the sweater a bit to reveal part of her chest.

"Here," she said, pointing to the right of her heart, her face flushing again. His frown deepened as he leaned forward to look at the spot. There was a perfect ring shaped scar there, that looked as if it came from a burn, about the size of an American silver dollar. He reached out to touch it and she immediately recoiled, crossing her arms in front of her chest to cover it.

"What are you embarrassed about?" he asked. "You aren't a girl anymore, so—" He clamped his mouth shut as he realized what he said. The glare she gave him looked so betrayed. Oops…

"W-what I mean is," he stammered, "y-you're going to have to show it to Agasa Hakase, whether you're embarrassed or not." Her expression softened back into melancholy.

"I… You're right." She pulled the sweater over her head. "I should probably do that now, huh?"

"I'll come with you," he said, hoping she'd forget his earlier comment. "I wanna know what Hakase thinks about it." She smiled down at him and nodded, her earlier discomfort forgotten. They headed for Agasa's house to tell him about the strange scar.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Dressed for Death

The professor didn't know what to make of the scar on Ran's chest. On closer inspection, inside the ring were three evenly spaced puncture marks. He inferred it might be a clue to whatever procedure was used on her, but it was only a guess, so they were no better off than when they started. He thanked her for showing him, and informed them he would attempt to form plausible theories from the new information. Then he disappeared back into his lab, presumably to tell Haibara the new update, leaving Ran and Shinichi alone again.

"Well, now that that's done," said Ran brightly, "what would you like for supper, Conan-kun?"

"I was thinking I'd just have rice," he said. He didn't want to put too much of a strain on her since she'd worked all day.

"If you want rice, I could make curry," she offered. He held up his hands.

"No, really. You're probably tired, right?" He thought back to how shiny everything at his house looked. She shook her head.

"I'm fine. Curry is easy, anyway, and growing boys need more than just rice." She headed for the door. "Unless you just don't want curry?" He knew he couldn't argue with her, so he relented.

"Curry's fine." She smiled at him and they went back to his house. She disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Shinichi alone in the library to ponder about the scar. He couldn't come up with any feasible reason for it to be there other than that it somehow had to do with how she got this way. He sighed. He'd been sighing a lot lately.

When supper was ready, Ran called him into the dining room. Once again, there was only one plate. At his questioning stare, Ran smiled uncomfortably.

"I'll eat in a little bit," she promised. "I've got a few more things to take care of in the kitchen, first."

"If you're sure," he said slowly. "I could wait for you." She shook her head.

"It's okay: go ahead and eat, Conan-kun. The sooner you're done, the sooner you can finish your homework." He hid a dry smile. His kiddie homework was the least of his concerns right now, but he didn't voice this train of thought. Instead, he innocently chirped an "okay," and dug into his dinner halfheartedly while he continued to draw up and discard theories.

When he finished, he brought his dishes into the kitchen where Ran was busily scrubbing away at a large skillet. He handed her his plate and spoon, then looked around. There was another plate of curry rice next to the stove, presumably waiting there for Ran to finish washing the other dishes. He thought it a bit odd that she was doing dishes before eating, but since she told him she would eat later, he didn't protest. Instead, he told her goodnight and headed for bed.

Once again, he lay awake for several hours, staring numbly up at the ceiling while all his discarded theories danced around in his head, taunting him. Then he had a thought. He sat up slowly, staring at the wall now as the vague idea turned into a single solid question. Just how many people has this happened to?

He turned the question over and over, wondering why he hadn't asked it before. Probably because something like this would've been on the news, unless, of course, any others were also keeping quiet like they were. Just to be sure, he unplugged his phone and did a quick search. "People missing for two weeks turn up claiming to be a different person." When that didn't pan out, he deleted the last part. 'People missing for two weeks turn up." He got a bunch of kidnapping stories. He added, "with no memory of missing period." There were maybe one or two articles about missing persons with amnesia. He growled in frustration. He checked the time. He couldn't call Takagi, but he might be able to get away with texting Heiji a question as long as he didn't give out too many details. He wanted help, but he didn't want the detective of the west poking his nose in on this. At least not yet.

Carefully choosing his words, he messaged Heiji, asking him to look into missing people who turned up again later with no memory of the time they were missing. He sighed when almost immediately, he got a call.

"Hattori?" he asked wryly. "I texted you for a reason."

"Kudo, did something happen? What's with this weird text? Does it have something to do with neechan?" He was pushy as usual, but he did sound genuinely concerned.

"No, it's just… wishful thinking, I guess? I had the thought, and I just wanted to cover all possibilities, that's all. Like what if she does turn up with lost time?" It wasn't exactly a lie. She had turned up, just like that. He heard a sigh on the other end, the sound crackling a bit in the receiver.

"Damn, ya got my hopes up," said the Osakan. Shinichi smiled wryly.

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Don't worry, I can at least look into such cases over here. You'll hafta figure out how to get that info from Tokyo."

"I was going to call Takagi tomorrow," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "I only just had the idea, so it's a bit late to call him now," There was a pause on the other end. Then,

"You're gettin' enough sleep, right?" he asked, unusually concerned. "I know it's hard, but you can't find her if you don't take care of yourself." Shinichi allowed a tired smile.

"I'm… I'm fine, Hattori. I was just about to get some sleep when the thought hit. I'll go to bed when I get off the phone." Heiji relented, promising him any updates, and hung up. Shinichi plugged his phone back in and sighed. Maybe this would go somewhere. He actually felt good when he drifted off into sleep.

***

The next morning, Shinichi called Takagi before heading down for breakfast. He picked up after only the second ring.

"Conan-kun? I was just about to call you!" Shinichi blinked in surprise.

"You were?"

"Yeah. It took a while, but that lead you got? We caught Ran-san on camera entering an alley but not leaving it, and a red minivan leaving the scene. We've got people looking into the alley in question, but after so long I doubt there'll be any evidence left." Shinichi hummed thoughtfully.

"Did you get the license plate of the van?" he asked. There was an exaggerated sigh.

"Yes, but they turned out to be fake," the officer replied. "We followed it for a while on traffic footage, but we lost it somewhere in Shibuya." Shinichi made a mental note of the place and continued listening. "Anyway, I don't know how you figured out that Ran-san went that way, but we're on the lookout now. It's the first real lead we've had, so… thanks." Shinichi smiled.

"I only wish we'd discovered it sooner," he said truthfully. "Anyway, there's another question I'd like to ask that's… unrelated to our case."

"As long as you're not badgering us about Ran-san, anything!"

"Can I get a list of missing persons that have turned back up?" There was a long pause as Takagi processed the question.

"Uh… yyyees," he said, sounding unsure. "Why do you want that?"

"Just a project I'm working on. Also, can you narrow the list down to just the ones who have no memories of the time they were missing?"

"That's… oddly specific, but…" He hesitated. "I can look into it if you promise me two things."

"Shoot."

"Don't tell Megure-keibu, and… please don't call about Ran-san anymore unless you have another lead." Shinichi grinned.

"You've got it," he promised, and Takagi hung up.

With that taken care of, and in a considerably better mood, Shinichi went downstairs to be greeted by pancakes and a glass of milk. His face fell slightly at the lack of coffee, but he straightened up again: he'd gone without coffee before and he could do it again. He startled a bit when he heard Ran humming tunelessly in the kitchen.

I guess being tone deaf is genetic, he thought, half amused, half sad, because Ran had such a good voice before all of this… this nonsense, regardless of how many times she denied the fact. The humming stopped. Either she realized what she was doing, or she was experimenting without realizing anyone could hear her. There was a sigh, followed by the sound of running water.

Not wanting to disturb her, Shinichi ate in silence, letting his mind wander to the thought he'd had last night and wondering just what would come of it. He wasn't sure which was more frightening: the thought that there might be others this was happening to, or the thought that they were alone in this. Ran came in just as he finished his milk.

"Good morning, Conan-kun!" she said, smiling down at him. "Did you sleep well?" He nodded.

"Yeah, and I called Takagi-keiji. They found the footage of you going in and the van coming out of the alley, so their division's taking over the investigation. They lost track of the van, though."

"That's still good news, though, isn't it?" asked Ran happily as she took Shinichi's dishes. "They're bound to find it again." He nodded enthusiastically and hopped off his chair to get ready for school. Ran smiled at him and disappeared back into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, his smile faded into something more contemplative as he went back upstairs to get ready for the day.

***

The remainder of the week yielded similar results: theories danced around in Shinichi's head all day, he'd go to the professor's to be told they had nothing, then he'd return to his house to find a different room sparkling clean, and Ran seemingly okay with everything. When Saturday came around, he was more than ready to tear out his hair in frustration. He'd promised to take Ran shopping for her own clothes to wear, so perhaps being in a different environment would trigger some new ideas.

Shinichi fished around in his closet for an old baseball cap for Ran to help keep people from recognizing her as him, and soon after they departed for the Beika Department Store. When they arrived, Ran looked longingly at the girls' clothes before being pulled towards the men's section by Shinichi. He silently vowed to himself that he'd take her shopping properly once they fixed everything and Ran and Shinichi both were their proper selves.

He supposed the good thing about all this was that Ran occasionally shopped for him, so she already knew his size and wouldn't have to actually try anything on. She sullenly glanced around at the clothes until she found a few geared slightly more towards her taste without being too ostentatious: a pink button-down, a light blue pullover, a red sweater, a few pairs of jeans, among other things. Before they got to the counter, she worriedly pulled Shinichi aside.

"Conan-kun, how are we going to pay for this? My wallet's missing; it's probably with whoever did this to me," she whispered. He put on one of his childish smiles.

"Don't worry, I've been saving the allowance my mom gives me for a while now," he assured her. She gaped at him.

"Conan-kun, I can't take your money!" she exclaimed. "You were saving that for something, right?"

Not really, he thought.

"Just books. It's fine, really. Okay Ran-neechan?" She looked down at the clothes in her arms, then back at Shinichi, brows bent, before reluctantly agreeing. He gave her some of his cash, and they checked out. As they were about to leave the building, there was a scream from upstairs. Shinichi jerked his head towards the sound, cursing the timing under his breath.

"Stay here," he said, and before Ran could stop him, he was off like a shot to the floor above. As he leapt up the last two stairs, he rounded the corner and nearly rammed into Sera Masumi. Without stopping to say hello, the two of them rushed towards a small growing crowd of people near the dressing rooms. A woman was standing near one of the rooms, her hands pressed against her mouth to keep more screams from escaping. They slowly inched forward towards the open dressing room until they saw what caused the commotion. A middle-aged man was lying on the floor, hands curled towards his neck, lips blue, completely motionless. Sera moved in to check his pulse, and shook her head.

"Somebody call the police," she said, turning around. "And nobody leave. This man's been murdered."

As they waited for the police to arrive, Shinichi inspected the scene. The first thing he noticed were the scratches on the man's neck. A closer look revealed blood and skin under his fingernails. There was a thin line around his neck, indicating strangulation. He looked around. Where was the murder weapon?

"Say, Conan-kun," said Sera as he continued his search, "what're you doing here?" Shinichi didn't even spare her a glance.

"Isn't it obvious? Of course I came here to shop. Why else would one be at a department store? Why did you come here?" Sera chuckled and scratched her cheek.

"Point taken. But where's your stuff?"

"Downstairs. Look at this strangulation mark," he said, pushing Sera back on track. "It's a bit thin, isn't it?" She leaned in. The sound of patrol cars grew outside.

"Hey, yeah, you're right." She looked around. "Where and what caused that?"

"I'm not sure, but we'll find out. There's a security camera facing this hallway. This could be over fairly quickly." Sera nodded.

"Perhaps we won't be needed. Has there been any news on Ran-kun?" Shinichi glanced up at her. There was genuine concern on her face. He decided to share what the police knew.

"They caught her on camera entering an alley, and a minivan leaving the alley. That's it. It's not much," he offered. He'd rather she didn't know everything. She was… unpredictable, and he wasn't entirely sure how she'd handle that knowledge on top of trying to get him to unmask himself. Thankfully, she seemed to be too concerned with Ran's disappearance to even try catching him slipping. She hummed thoughtfully just as the police came upstairs.

Inspector Megure's frustration at Conan's appearance was very apparent, though he relaxed a tad when the boy didn't press him for details about Ran's case. He and Sera relayed their information, and a quick check of the CCTV footage revealed three people who went into the dressing room area around the time the victim did. While officers were rounding up the suspects, Takagi read out the report so far.

"The victim is Yamada Asao, fifty-three; he owned a loan firm. Cause of death appears to be suffocation by strangulation. The murder weapon is thought to be thinner than a rope, but thicker than a piano wire, and it's nowhere to be found. The lack of a weapon and the claw marks on his neck indicate this was a homicide." He closed his detective pad and faced the inspector. "The CCTV footage indicates three people entered the area around the same time as Yamada: two females, and one male."

"Hmm…" grunted the inspector thoughtfully. "Three suspects and no murder weapon. Perhaps a body check—"

"I don't think so," said Shinichi and Sera in unison. They looked at each other, and Shinichi motioned for the girl to continue. She cleared her throat.

"They've had time to discard the weapon," she explained. "I would check the areas they went to after leaving the dressing rooms." Megure nodded, Takagi taking a note for when they questioned the three suspects. Just then, the other officers came in with said suspects in tow.

The first was a tall, tanned man in his mid-forties, name of Takahashi Fuyoki. He was complaining loudly about being taken in, and when the situation was explained, and the body was revealed, he spat out a "serves him right." He went on to admit he was the deceased's employee, and that Yamada treated his employees like trash.

The second was Matsuda Keiko, a small, timid thing in her mid-twenties. When asked if she knew the victim, she revealed that her brother had taken a loan from him and had been unable to pay him back. She swore that if she'd known he was here today, she would've shopped somewhere else.

The last was Harada Akiko, not much taller than Keiko, early thirties. She was much more vocal about being dragged up here. She revealed that she took a loan from Yamada, and when she'd seen him here, went to ask him for some extra time. She also revealed that the man had kept hinting at an alternative form of payment, much to her obvious disgust.

"Ah-le-le~? All of you have bandages on," said Shinichi innocently. "What happened?"

"Ah, this?" said Takahashi, reaching for the band-aid on his cheek. "Yamada-san tripped me the other day, the bastard, and I fell on my face."

"I cut myself chopping vegetables," said Harada, holding up her finger. "But I don't see how that's relevant."

"I was careless and smashed my hand into a counter corner," said Matsuda quietly, holding up her right hand. "There was a nail sticking out, so it broke the skin." Takagi winced in sympathy.

"Where did you go after leaving this area?" asked Megure.

"What is this— are we being suspected?!" snapped Harada. "I only came to ask for a time extension: it's got nothing to do with me!"

"You had a motive," pointed out Takagi delicately. He flinched when she glared daggers at him. "We just need to know for reference." She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Fine. I went to the restroom. Happy?" A motion from Megure, and an officer went to inspect the area.

"I went to the restaurant a floor up," said Takahashi. "I was waiting for Yamada-san to finish here."

"I didn't like the clothes I got, so I kept shopping," said Matsuda. Two more officers left to check the respective areas.

All three officers came up with nothing. Shinichi hummed thoughtfully to himself, as did Sera.

"We're missing something," Sera murmured, glancing down at Shinichi. He nodded. Then, an idea hit him.

"These hangers… they're wire, aren't they?" he asked slowly. Sera nodded, understanding glinting in her eyes.

"Wanna check the CCTV footage again?" A nod, and they were off.

As it turned out, Matsuda Keiko's right hand was clearly visible on the recorded footage— with no bandage going into the dressing room. Shinichi took note of the dress style, and the two detectives prompted the police to search the hangers with those dresses. They found an oddly bent hanger among them that tested positive for blood both where the man scratched at his neck, and the edge of the hanger; presumably the murderer's blood. Confronted with this evidence, Matsuda broke down and admitted her guilt.

"He killed my brother!" she cried.

"Your brother?"

"Yes, my brother. He committed suicide when he couldn't pay back his loan."

"If he couldn't pay back his loan—" Takagi began.

"If it was just that, I wouldn't have done it," she said, cutting him off. "But I found out that he kept raising the interest rate every time my brother got close to paying him off. He bled him dry, and it killed him! He wasn't a man; he was a demon!"

As Matsuda Keiko was arrested and escorted out of the building, Sera came to stand beside Shinichi.

"You sure your stuff's okay? I know you said it was downstairs, but someone could have taken it."

"Nah, it's fine," he answered as he headed for the stairs. She followed him. "R— er… My cousin's watching it for me." Sera stopped.

"You have a cousin?" she asked incredulously. Shinichi turned and blinked, wide-eyed, up at her.

"You don't?" he asked as innocently as he could, adding just a hint of shock.

"… Touché…"

She followed him down the stairs where he bid her goodbye and ran over to where he left Ran. She looked utterly relieved to see him.

"Conan-kun, what kept you? Even the police are here," she said as she glanced out the door at the flashing lights, tugging nervously at her cap.

"Ahaha… Someone was murdered. But we caught the culprit," he said. He snuck a glance back at Sera who stood rooted to the spot several yards away. She was staring hard at Ran and Shinichi. "A-anyway, let's go." Ran nodded, and they left the department store before Sera could get too curious.

When they got back to the Kudo house, a familiar car was parked in the driveway. Shinichi muttered an "aw, great," and Ran involuntarily stiffened beside him. Subaru was back.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Identity Crisis

Shinichi led a very stiff Ran towards the front door. When she showed no signs of moving, he whispered up at her, "It's okay. Subaru-san doesn't have Shinichi-niichan's phone number, so he won't attempt to call you, which means Shinichi-niichan won't hear about it." When she still didn't move, he added, "He'll also likely keep to himself." She gave a rigid nod, and Shinichi unlocked the door, leading her inside. As he shut and locked the door again, a surprised Subaru poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Conan-kun? What are you doing here? And who is this?" he asked, coming all the way into the living room. Shinichi felt Ran shift uncomfortably beside him.

"This is Shinichi-niichan, the son of the owners of this house—my distant cousin." Subaru's gaze flicked between the two as he processed this, and Shinichi could see the questions flitting through his mind. He quickly straightened up, though, and held out his hand for Ran to shake. She hesitantly took it.

"I don't believe we've met," he said lightly. "Though I was told that you're incredibly busy, and that I shouldn't expect to see you. I'm Subaru Okiya, by the way."

"…Kudo Shinichi," introduced Ran stiffly. "I—I came back to help search for Ran." Shinichi winced as she stumbled over the word for 'I', switching from the standard 'watashi' to the masculine 'ore' he preferred to use. This did not go unnoticed by Subaru, and the hairs on the back of Shinichi's neck stood on end when he saw the thoughtful gleam in the man's eye.

"It's nice to finally meet you," he said as he let go of Ran's hand. "You probably already know, but your parents have graciously allowed me to stay here for the time being." She nodded. "Well, you needn't worry about me—I've a lot of catching up to do for my engineering classes, since I've been away on personal business. You won't even know I'm here," he finished, smiling. Shinichi briefly wondered if the man actually enjoyed the classes he'd been forced to take to maintain this undercover guise. Subaru turned back to head into the kitchen, but then stopped.

"By the way," he said, glancing back at them. "Were you the one who cleaned the place so beautifully?" Ran gave an awkward laugh.

"Ah, yeah… It's been a while so…"

"I see," he said, turning back around. "It's funny: you didn't exactly strike me as the cleaning sort." Before she could respond, he disappeared back into the kitchen. Ran let out a long breath, placing a hand over her probably racing heart. That posed another problem. Shinichi worriedly looked up at her.

"I know you don't want to," he began quietly, causing her to look down at him, "but you might want to start sleeping in Shinichi-niichan's room. Subaru-san is very observant, so he'll notice if you stay in the guest room." Ran frowned down at him, worry quickly overtaking her features. He knew she wanted to protest, but couldn't think of another solution. She finally gave in and nodded.

"Alright," she said, voice barely a whisper. She set her jaw, determined not to show her discomfort. "Let me… I'll just… put my stuff upstairs." She sighed and headed for the staircase. Shinichi trudged into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Subaru glanced at him through the kitchen doorway, a glass of bourbon in his hand.

"Is there something I should know?" he asked as he came back into the living room, voice calculating. Shinichi gave him a long, tired look before deciding on an answer.

"Not yet," he sighed, looking moodily up at the ceiling. "Though I've no doubt you'll figure it out without my telling you." He mumbled the last part, though he knew the man heard him. Subaru gave a thoughtful "hmm," and sat down in the chair across from Shinichi, nursing his drink as he observed the boy, eyes glinting with the curiosity detectives seemed to be cursed with. Still, he decided not to press the issue, for which Shinichi was grateful.

"Kudo-san doesn't look very well," he said instead, leaning forward in his seat. Shinichi took his gaze off the ceiling. Ayumi had said the same thing earlier that week.

"It's because Ran-neechan's still missing," he lied. Subaru gave him a measuring look before settling back in his seat, choosing to accept the explanation, though he probably didn't buy it.

"I see," was all he said before going back to his drink. When Ran came back downstairs, he put his glass down on the coffee table and stood up, calling out to her.

"Oh, Kudo-san!" When she didn't respond and kept heading for the kitchen, he repeated the name. She stopped and blinked over at him. He closed the gap between them. "You seem a bit distracted," he observed.

"I guess?" she said, laughing nervously. "I just… I'm just worried, that's all." Despite her earlier slip, she was using the right speech patterns now. Shinichi was thankful she knew him well enough to at least mimic that. "Was there something you wanted?"

"I was just going to ask if you had lunch," said Subaru. "I made some soup earlier that you're more than welcome to." She smiled.

"Thanks," she said, "but maybe later. I'm not really hungry right now." Subaru nodded, and she disappeared into the kitchen. He walked back to where Shinichi was sitting.

"What about you, Conan-kun? Would you like some soup?"

"Sure," he replied as his stomach growled. He hopped off the couch and headed for the dining room.

"But if Kudo-san's not hungry, why did he go into the kitchen?" the older man wondered aloud, following behind Shinichi. The teen hummed thoughtfully.

"He probably went to see if there're any dishes he can wash," he said without really thinking about it.

"Oh? Is he usually this clean? I know I haven't met him, but I've caught a glimpse of his room. The state of it made it seem unlikely he was that sort of person."

Crap, thought Shinichi. He quickly turned to flash an innocent smile up at him.

"I'm sure it's just because he's worried about Ran-neechan. He's done everything he can do with the police, so he's probably just restless doing nothing all day." His demeanor was friendly, but his tone said to drop it. Subaru took the hint and didn't ask any more questions, though his smile indicated he'd still be thinking about it.

***

A few more days passed without incident. Subaru was true to his word—Ran and Shinichi only caught a few glimpses of him as he headed off to campus in the mornings and came home again to study in the afternoons. Agasa requested to see Ran a few times for testing, which of course always ended with nothing. Ran would cheerily see Shinichi off to school in the mornings, and in the evenings she would already have supper made by the time he got home. Finally, when the elementary school had a half day and Shinichi spent the rest of the afternoon at the professor's, Agasa pulled him aside before he could return to his own house.

"I'm worried about Ran-kun," he said, concern clearly etched on his face. "She hasn't been eating." Shinichi blinked a few times.

"Sure she has," he said. "She always makes enough food for me, her, and Subaru-san." Agasa frowned down at him.

"You've been avoiding her," he said sternly. Shinichi glowered up at him.

"I can't help it!" he snapped. "It's just… it's weird watching her move and talk. Besides, that's got nothing to do with this. What makes you think she hasn't been eating?" The professor sighed.

"If you'd bothered to look at her once in a while, you'd see how thin she's gotten." Shinichi raised an eyebrow. Stress could cause that. "Plus, I asked her about it." He blinked, surprised.

"She actually told you she wasn't eating?" A nod. "Why? She's never… not eaten before—even when she's nervous, she'll snack on something." Agasa's brow bent with concern and his frown deepened.

"I asked her about that, too. She told me it had something to do with the taste."

"The… taste? What does that mean?" Agasa shook his head.

"I'm not sure. She just said that the taste bothered her," he replied as Haibara emerged from the lab.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, stretching. There were dark circles under her eyes. At their blank stares, she continued. "She means the taste of her mouth."

"Her mouth?" asked Shinichi, confused. "Why would that stop her from eating?"

"Think about it, Kudo-kun," she said as she suppressed a yawn. "She's trapped in a perfect genetic copy of the boy she's liked for God knows how long. While she normally tries not to think about it, eating stimulates the response for taste in the brain, making her hyper aware of how the inside of her mouth tastes: a mouth that doesn't belong to her. It's like she's kissing you without permission. At least, based on her personality, I suspect that's what the problem is." Shinichi's heart sank like lead in water. He hadn't even thought about things like that.

"But… that's…" He struggled to find words.

"Irresponsible?" prompted Haibara. "Indeed, if things keep going this way, she might starve before we can help her." Shinichi's chest went ice cold at those words. He took a step backwards towards the door.

"I'm gonna go check on her," he managed to breathe out before turning and rushing back to his house.

Shinichi searched for Ran downstairs, but only found Subaru in the library, studying. He ventured upstairs. The bathroom door was open, so she wasn't in there. He stuck his head in his room to see if she was resting, but she wasn't there despite agreeing to stay there. He frowned and checked the guest room she used to stay in. There were cleaning supplies just inside the door. He crept into the room. Ran was resting in a chair next to the window, gazing out of it with unseeing eyes. Shinichi took in the unnatural way her clothes hung off her, chest panging with guilt. He took a step forward. Hearing the floor creak, she turned to look at him. He saw a happy mask visibly slide onto her face.

"Oh, Conan-kun! Is it dinner time already?" she asked.

"Not for me," he said softly. " Agasa hakase says you haven't been eating." Her mask slipped a bit at those words.

"I… I can't," she said quietly.

"Because the taste bothers you?" he pressed. She nodded. "Something like that shouldn't stop you from eating," he said firmly.

"It's not," she started, brow creasing. "It's not just the taste." She slid off the chair and sat on her knees to look at him.

"What?"

"It's not just the taste," she repeated, "it's everything. I can feel everything." At this statement, Shinichi tore his gaze from its habitual place on her shoulder and forced himself to look directly into her eyes. There were dark circles under them. "When I sit, when I stand, when I eat, when I sleep, walking, talking; all of my old muscles feel different, and I'm hypersensitive of every new muscle that I didn't have before." She stared at her hands, trembling. "I can feel things girls were never meant to feel," she continued shakily, "and I don't… I can't… stop it. It's… it just… isn't fair… to Shinichi… or to me. It's too personal, too invasive. We haven't even… We haven't even…" She choked, unable to continue, eyes clenched shut as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

A numbness crept over Shinichi as he listened to her speak. Watching his own face making such foreign expressions was mortifying, but he didn't dare look away. Ran's original face flashed across his mind as he stared at her, and something inside of him snapped. Somehow…. This was his fault. She was hurting because of him. She was hurting and he needed to fix it. Before he even knew what he was doing, his mouth opened.

"If… Shinichi-niichan… said it's okay… how would you feel?" Ran swallowed a sob and blearily stared at him.

"Huh?"

"If… if I said…it's okay," he said as he took off his glasses, switching to his preferred pronoun, "would you feel better?"

Rational thought caught up to him as he realized what he'd just done. He could only watch helplessly as Ran's expression changed as she put the pieces together.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, her bleary eyes cleared up as she stared at him, confusion and disbelief etched into her features. He could see the wheels turning in her mind as realization slowly crept over her face. This quickly gave way to horror and the color drained from her face.

"Y-you're joking, right?" she asked, mouth twitching. "You have to be joking!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "You can't be Shinichi! Say you're not him! Say it!" Resigned to his fate, Shinichi could only give her a sad, regret-filled look.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Ran recoiled, jerking her hands back as if he had burned them. She fearfully gazed down at him, chin quivering. Fear quickly turned to rage, however, and he could practically see flames licking her body as her shoulders shook. She raised a hand, preparing to strike him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow… but it never came. He cracked an eye open.

Ran had frozen, hand still poised to strike, her expression a mixture of fear and uncertainty. She clenched her teeth and raised her hand higher to try again, but stopped. She closed her eyes and balled her fist as she slowly brought her hand back down, trembling. She couldn't do it. A tiny, strangled cry escaped her lips as she covered her face with her hands. Shinichi hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to gently lay a hand on her shoulder. She immediately tensed up and jerked away.

"Ran…"

"Get out."

"I—"

"GET. OUT."

Shinichi stared at her a moment longer before slowly turning to leave, feeling very heavy. As he closed the door, he glanced through it just in time to see Ran grab a pillow off the bed. Once closed, he pressed his back against the frame and shakily slid down it as he heard Ran's muffled screams through her pillow.

"…Shit…"

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Explanations and Mitigations

"So let me get this straight," said Haibara as she massaged her temples. "In an attempt to get Ran-san to eat, you revealed your identity while she was having a mental breakdown." Shinichi winced.

"I… I couldn't think of anything else to do—and when I saw her like that, I just…" He waved his hand as if that explained his actions.

"…And? Where is she now?"

"In the guest room, hopefully sleeping. I came over here an hour after the screams stopped," he said shakily, looking down at the glasses he still held in his hands. Haibara sighed.

"Guaranteed: if she didn't have an appetite before, she definitely won't have one now. So? What did you come over here for? I can't dig you out of this hole."

"… I was… hoping for an antidote," he ventured. She gaped at him. "Y'know, so she can… so she can hit me without feeling bad about it," he added quickly. Haibara recovered and gave him a flat stare.

"No."

"But—"

"You really are stupid when it comes to others' feelings," she spat, cutting him off. "That girl was going through an existential crisis, which you made worse, by the way," she said as he tried to splutter an excuse, "and now you think it's a good idea to show up in front of her as your original self before she's had any time to recover? I don't think so. You made this mess—you clean it up." And with that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the lab, slamming the door behind her. Shinichi sighed.

"No good, huh?" he muttered. He looked up at the professor, who'd been silent the entire time. "Any ideas?" He looked helplessly down at the teen.

"I'm afraid not," he said apologetically.

"Might I make a suggestion?" came a voice from the door, startling the two. Shinichi quickly put his glasses back on and turned around. Subaru was standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "Women tend to be more susceptible to forgiveness if the apology is accompanied by a home-cooked meal." Shinichi gave him a long, tired stare before answering.

"You discovered it quicker than I expected," he commented, too drained to attempt an excuse. Agasa gaped at them.

"There were a lot of tells," Subaru admitted. "Starting with that slip of the tongue when we met. She's extremely rigid and uncertain when she speaks to me—a far cry from the confident know-it-all Ran-san herself used to tell me about. That, and I've seen Ran-san clean enough times to recognize the way she moves, even if she's a little off balance. I'm not sure what happened, but if you want to pass her off as Kudo Shinichi, she needs to be a little more mindful of her actions when others are present."

"Well, we don't know what happened, either," huffed Shinichi. "I didn't tell you because it's safer if no one knows about it." The man smiled apologetically.

"For what it's worth, I wasn't actively trying to figure it out," he admitted. "But then, she wasn't actively trying to hide it either. Back to my original point, though: she'll be more likely to eat something if it's made by someone she cares for."

"You came over here to tell me that?"

"I came over here because I was concerned about how thin she's gotten, and I knew she wouldn't listen to me if I brought it up," said Subaru. Agasa finally recovered from his initial shock, and spoke up.

"… How long have you been there?" he asked. Subaru gave another apologetic smile.

"I followed him in," he said, pointing at Shinichi. "He didn't respond when I called out to him to discuss Ran-san's health, so I went after him. No one seems to have noticed me, though: you were all too preoccupied, I suppose." Shinichi groaned. It's not as if Subaru didn't already suspect who he was… It was just easier for him not to tell the man. "You don't have to give me any details if you don't want to—I won't ask. Perhaps next time, though, you'll be a little more mindful of who's in the room before holding that kind of discussion." Shinichi relaxed a bit, sending him a thankful glance.

"And?" he prompted. "Ran's in a foul mood: she's unlikely to want anything to do with me, let alone eat my food, especially since I can't cook."

"Yes, I suspect she'll still be in a bad mood when she wakes up; but if she cares for you as much as I think she does, it won't last long. As for the latter: I can help with that."

***

Shinichi ventured into Ran's room with a bottle of cold water under his arm. The room was dark, the only light streaming in through the window as the sun was setting. There was a lump on the bed where Ran lay. He took a moment to ready himself before approaching the bed. She was facing the window, so he strode around the bed to that side and peered at her face. As he expected, her eyes were raw and swollen, her brows knitted together in an unrestful sleep. He cleared his throat as he thought about what he might say, but she woke up at the sound. She frowned at him.

"What do you want?" she asked, voice a hoarse whisper. A pang of guilt tugged at Shinichi's chest, but he shoved it down. He offered her the water bottle.

"At the very least," he said, mouth dry, "I owe you an explanation." Clearly not expecting that response, Ran blinked and slowly sat up. She suspiciously eyed the bottle but took it from him without a word. He took a shaky breath, and waited for some indication he could start. She took a drink of the cold water and nodded at him, but did not speak.

Shinichi took a deep breath and, starting with the day of the roller coaster, laid out the story for her. He told her about the men in black, about how close he'd come to a proper antidote, about keeping her in the dark. Ran's eyes grew wider and wider as he went on—or as wide as the swollen things could be—until her expression was shocked and dismayed as opposed to angry, bitter, and betrayed. There was silence for a few minutes as she processed his words. Finally, she spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, voice not so much angry as disappointed. "Couldn't you trust me?"

"I just… I just wanted you to be safe," he said helplessly.

"Does this look safe to you?" Ran snapped, angrily glaring at him, gesturing at herself. Shinichi winced. "Even if it wasn't the same organization, don't you think I would have been more careful about taking shortcuts if I'd known that kind of danger was in Beika?" Shinichi looked down at his slippers. She continued.

"It sounds like these guys would have killed me regardless of what I knew, simply because you decided to stay with us" she said, voice stern. She gave him a sharp look, and after a moment let out a big, exasperated sigh.

"I want to hate you so much," she said quietly, "but I can't." Shinichi looked up at her. She was eyeing him warily, disappointment still clearly there, but the anger was gone. She slipped off the bed and onto her knees in front of him. Her chin wavered, threatening more tears, just before she threw her arms around him, hugging him so tightly he thought he might suffocate.

The crushing weight that had a hold of Shinichi's heart since telling her the truth finally lifted. One by one, muscles that he didn't realize were tense relaxed. Then, with elation, he realized that Ran was hugging him. She was hugging Shinichi, and not Conan. With this thought, he melted into the hug, resting his head in the crook of her neck and closing his eyes. She was trembling.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled into her shoulder. "I almost told you so many times, but… I just couldn't." He lifted his arms in a pitiful attempt at reciprocating the hug, trapped by Ran's embrace. She loosened up long enough for him to slip his small arms around her neck, and then she tightened her arms again.

"I'm so scared," she finally choked out, still trembling. "I don't know what to do." Shinichi rubbed her back rhythmically for a moment before answering.

"Right now," he whispered gently, "try to relax. It won't do either of us any good if you suffocate me." At that, Ran quickly let go of him, blushing furiously. He bit back his disappointment, reminding himself of the situation at hand.

Shinichi studied Ran's gaunt face as the euphoria of the moment ebbed away. He felt as if he was staring at his own ghost: the pale, thin thing she had become, a haunting addition to the room. It was rather fitting in a dark, humorless way, considering he was meant to be dead. He shook off these thoughts as the scent of food wafted in through the open door, signaling it was finished cooking. Ran's empty stomach loudly complained, making her flush an even deeper red. He held out his hand.

"Let's fix that," he said as she took his hand and attempted to lever herself up off the floor. He lamented the fact that he was too small to help her up properly. Ran followed him out of the room, squinting as the hallway light irritated her raw eyes.

When they got to the dining room, Shinichi firmly instructed her to sit, and then moved to the kitchen to check the stove. Just in time. He ladled the stew into two bowls and brought them back to the dining room, setting them down on the table. He went back a second time to fetch two glasses of ice water. Once back in the dining room, hands free of glasses, he climbed into the chair next to Ran, who was warily eyeing the food in front of her.

"Eat," he instructed.

"But—"

"No buts! We can't help you if you starve first! Please just ignore those… sensations… and just eat something! You don't have to eat all of it." Obviously conflicted, Ran stared down at the bowl in front of her, back at Shinichi, and again at the bowl.

"… You made this?" she asked quietly. He nodded. She picked up the spoon with a shaky hand. Her stomach growled again, deciding for her. She took a slow mouthful, closing her eyes almost painfully as the stew heightened the taste of her mouth. Shinichi watched in melancholic fascination. It had never occurred to him that the inside of the mouth had flavor and sensations, much less that it was different for every person. He guessed that before this it hadn't occurred to Ran, either. Regardless, it was something she desperately needed to get used to.

When he was sure she was going to continue eating, he started on his own stew. He couldn't hold a candle to Ran's cooking, but he felt a sense of pride that it was more than just edible. He would have to thank Subaru for the tips and pointers later.

After a few minutes, he glanced back at Ran's bowl and was delighted to see that she had eaten most of it. She seemed to be making a point not to look at him while she ate, face still red. He could only imagine what she was feeling right now, and he briefly wondered if he'd feel the same if he was trapped in her body. Try as he might, he couldn't put himself in her shoes; his mind was just too logical to panic the same way she did.

As Ran slowly nursed her water, she stared intently at the grain of the table. Her eyes wandered to Shinichi once or twice before quickly flicking back to the table, cheeks flushing deeper each time. So it was finally sinking in. Shinichi took a sip of his own water to wet his lips before speaking up.

"I'd imagine that you have a plethora of questions," he said slowly, carefully choosing his words. "I'm prepared to answer them. No more secrets. No more lies," he vowed gravely. Ran blinked a few times, staring at him in surprise.

"… Any questions?" she asked slowly. He nodded. She almost looked relieved. She pondered for a bit before turning back to him.

"So… Ai-chan is like you?" A nod. "So… you and… you and her…" She floundered for words. Shinichi snorted, almost choking on his drink.

"It's not like that, honest," he said after he recovered. "She's a scientist. She's actually the one who created the drug that did this to me."

"What?!" He held up his hands.

"I don't know what they were researching, but she swears it wasn't meant to be used as a poison. That was Gin's idea when it was discovered that it only killed, with a few incredibly rare side effects." He looked at his hands. "If Gin had known about the side effects, I'm sure he would have stayed to make sure I died." He laughed bitterly at the thought before clearing his throat and meeting Ran's sympathetic gaze.

"But she's on our side now?" He nodded again.

"She betrayed them when she found out they killed her sister. Apparently, she was researching the same thing her parents were researching before they died, with the understanding that her sister was to be protected." He sighed. "But… her sister thought that they'd let Haibara go if she did some of their dirty work, and was killed for her troubles." Ran was silent for a long time before changing the subject.

"What's it like?" she asked.

"What?"

"When you… change. What's it like?" He regarded her for a long, painful moment. He'd just promised no more lies, but he didn't really want her to worry. His promise won out.

"It's… painful. Like my bones are melting, and my heart feels like it's going to burst. A lot like being poisoned, actually," he said with a morbid chuckle. At Ran's mortified expression, he added, "which is why I don't take the antidote very often. It's only temporary, anyway, and it loses effectiveness every time I take it."

"That's why you only called," she realized. He nodded apologetically.

"I hated lying to you. I really did," he offered.

"To keep me safe," she said in a flat tone. "… I wish you'd told me." A surge of anger rose up from the pit of Shinichi's stomach.

"I said I was sorry," he snapped. "And what about you? Weren't you the one who made Conan promise not to tell Shinichi you were like this?" Ran shrank back at the sharpness of his words.

"T-That's different!" she exclaimed. "I… I was going to tell you, but… I just… wasn't ready." Her voice grew quiet as she finished, and Shinichi instantly regretted his words when he saw tears pricking her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to snap at you. What's important is that the truth is out." She nodded, wiping her eyes. He rested his chin on the palm of his hand, elbow on the table. "Did you have any more questions for me?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.

"… Who else knows about you?" she asked cautiously. He sighed. This was the question he'd been waiting for.

"Well, I told Agasa," he said, stating the obvious first. She nodded. "And even though he told me not to tell anyone, he's the one who told my parents." She quirked an eyebrow, but nodded slowly. "Hattori found out on his own." She frowned, probably remembering all of the slips out of the Osakan's mouth. "Kaito Kid probably knows, but he hasn't said anything. Vermouth—she's one of the men in black—" He elected not to tell her that it was Chris/Sharon Vinyard. Ran's eyebrows raised so high they disappeared behind her bangs. "For some reason, she's kept that fact a secret from them. Sera-san definitely suspects, but hasn't officially confirmed with me..." Ran's expression turned complicated when she replayed their interactions with the girl. "Subaru-san found out today, due to an accident on my part. Or… I guess he confirmed it, because I'm pretty sure he suspected for a while. And…" He hesitated. "And… Hondou Eiskuke knows…"

"What?!" she exclaimed. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I… kinda told him when he wanted Kudo Shinichi's permission to ask you out…" Heat flooded his cheeks, and he knew his face must be red. Ran blinked in surprise.

"Eisuke-kun did?" She gave him a dry stare. "And you revealed yourself over that?"

"In my defense, it turned out that he already knew, and riled me up specifically to verify it." Even now, his blood boiled just thinking about it.

"Heeeeh… Eisuke-kun's that sharp, huh? You really can't tell…" She seemed impressed. Shinichi frowned.

"Are you gonna start pining after him?" he asked a bit too sharply. Ran frowned, side-eyeing him.

"Is that really any of your business?" she snapped. "You already took it upon yourself to make that decision for me, didn't you?" Shinichi clamped his mouth shut and stared down into his water glass. "Can you not trust me to make my own decisions?" she asked a bit more softly, but still clearly irritated.

"I… I'm sorry," he muttered, eyes still glued to the glass. The grain of the table warped through the glass and the water, reflecting his currently twisting stomach. "I just…" He looked helplessly up at her. "W-when it comes to you, I just get so…" Pink blossomed across Ran's cheeks.

"… Jealous?" she prompted. He looked back down and nodded.

"I… I meant what I said in London." He looked back up at her, determined. "I still do." Ran's eyes widened and she regarded him for a few moments before her expression twisted into something painful.

"What… what if we can't fix this?" she whispered shakily. "What then?" Shinichi reached out and gently grabbed her hand. He squeezed it.

"I'll still be here," he replied. "I promise." She gaped at him, a few tears escaping down her face. She wiped them away with her free hand, face turning a darker red as she looked down, studying Shinichi's too small hand on top of her too big one.

"Really?"

"Really." He smiled up at her and squeezed her hand again. Ran shakily reciprocated the smile, eyes watery, and his heart swelled. "Really," he repeated gently. He meant it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Visit from the West

After eating, Shinichi informed Ran that Subaru was aware of the situation, so she didn't need to stay in his room anymore. She grimaced and mumbled out an apology for her inability to conceal her habits, which of course he waved off. It was only a matter of time, anyway. He encouraged her to get some sleep, and they both headed upstairs to get ready for bed. As Shinichi neared the top of the staircase, his phone rang. He ushered Ran into her room before answering it.

"Conan-kun?"

"Ah—Takagi-keiji!" he shifted the phone to his other ear. "Did you find anything?" A pause.

"Er… yes and no," he said. Shinichi waited. "We still don't have any updates on the minivan, but I did manage to narrow down that list you asked for to about… nine people, I think it was. I'm emailing the list to you now." Shinichi hummed.

"Was there anything… strange about any of them?" he asked.

"I… Strange like what?"

"Like…" He struggled to find words. "Did… any one of them claim to be someone else?"

"Uh… no? Conan-kun, what's this about?" asked Takagi, concern tinting his voice. Shinichi's phone buzzed against his ear.

"Nothing, nothing! Just curious," said Shinichi, trying to play the question off as inconsequential. "Listen, I gotta go: it's bed time. Thanks for the info." He hung up before the man could protest. Shinichi let out a long sigh as he checked his phone. There was Takagi's email and… it looked like Heiji messaged him, too. He opened the messenger.

Kudo: narrowed it down to six people, it read. Another buzz indicated an email from the Osakan: probably the list of people. He quickly typed up a response.

Did any of them say they were someone else?

Almost immediately, Heiji responded with, No. What kinda question is that? Shinichi rolled his eyes but didn't respond. Instead, he turned to face the door to his room. Since both Ran and Subaru knew who he was, he could sleep in his own room without worry. He walked in and closed the door before rushing to the bed. He climbed up and shoved his face into the pillow, sighing contentedly. His room, his bed… the only thing missing was a permanent antidote. His phone pinged at him a few times—probably Heiji demanding an answer—before he drifted off to sleep.

When Shinichi came downstairs the next morning, he was greeted by a plate of scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee. He blinked, the events of yesterday slowly coming back to him.

That's right, he thought. She knows, now. He eyed the coffee appreciatively before looking around. Ran was nowhere in sight, and even the kitchen was quiet. He frowned, poking his head in the kitchen. Empty, save for a half eaten plate of eggs. At least she was eating… He shrugged it off and returned to his breakfast. She was probably in the bathroom or something.

Once he finished eating, he began to plan the course of the day while he nursed his coffee. With two lists of people under his belt, he'd need to start looking into each one. Find an address, plan when he would go to see them directly so he could ask questions the police wouldn't know to ask. It wasn't until he returned to the kitchen with his empty dishes that he wondered where Ran was. She didn't usually leave unwashed dishes in the sink, but there were a few. He hummed thoughtfully as he placed his dishes in the sink, and then poked his head into the living room.

"Found you," he murmured. She was curled up on the couch, eyes closed. Was she sleeping? "Ran?" No answer. Asleep, then. He strode over to the couch and shook her shoulder, softly calling her name. Her eyes slowly opened and took a moment to focus. They were still puffy from yesterday, the dark circles still there.

"Shinichi?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Must've dozed off," she mumbled groggily.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked. She slowly nodded.

"… Yeah… I… I had a lot to process," she said, stifling a yawn. Guilt once again tugged at his chest, but it wasn't as severe as before. He should have expected this—it was a lot to take in. He checked his watch.

"I have to leave soon," he said apologetically. "Still gotta keep up the façade." He spoke with more bitterness than he'd intended, causing Ran's brows to bend slightly in sympathy. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, if you still need to sleep, I suggest doing it in bed—you'll catch a cold here." Before she could respond, he gave her a little wave before heading off to the professor's to meet the other children. Once at Agasa's, Haibara confronted him.

"Well?" she asked. "How is she?"

"Better—she's started eating, at least," he said in a tired voice. She nodded approvingly.

"No doubt she now knows about me," she said without emotion as she packed up her backpack. Shinichi nodded, and she sighed. "I suppose there really wasn't any other option once your secret got out. And right now, it's not as if she can tell anyone." She was talking to herself now, reassuring herself that she was still safe, at least for the time being. He decided to change the subject.

"I'll need you to cover for me with the kids—there's something I need to look into after school." She raised an eyebrow. "A possible lead," he elaborated. She nodded.

"Alright. I suppose I can play with them by myself for a day," she said. Shinichi shot her a grateful look just as the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the children. "Anything I should know about?" she asked as she moved towards the door.

"I'll let you know if I find something," he replied. She nodded and opened the door, three eager children spilling inside.

"Good morning Ai-chan!" chirped Ayumi. Haibara smiled.

"Good morning," she said softly. Genta and Mitsuhiko beamed at her. "Did something good happen?"

"It's Friday," Genta announced proudly. Shinichi and Haibara blinked a few times, waiting for an explanation.

"We were thinking," began Mitsuhiko, "that since it's the start of the weekend, maybe we could go to the park today." Haibara opened her mouth to speak, but Ayumi piped up first.

"We know Ran-oneesan is still missing," she said quietly, "but… it's just for the weekend. Agasa-hakase is more than enough to keep watch, right?" Shinichi's shoulders slumped a bit at the three's eagerness and desperation to play with their friends.

"It doesn't have to be the park," said Genta. "We could walk around the neighborhood and solve cases, right?" Mitsuhiko nodded.

"Yeah, yeah! We might even find a clue about Ran-oneesan's disappearance."

Shinichi guiltily averted his gaze while the children threw out ideas. Haibara finally stepped in and saved him from answering.

"Let's talk while we walk to school," she said quietly. "We don't want to be late." The children all chirped in agreement, their tones hopeful, and they all set out for school. Shinichi glanced over at his house as he left, hoping Ran would at least get a few hours of sleep. His thoughts were pushed aside as Ayumi addressed him.

"How about it, Conan-kun?" she asked. "What do you want to do?" He floundered for an excuse when Haibara once again stepped in.

"I'm afraid Edogawa-kun will be unable to join us this time," she said smoothly, "as he has preexisting plans with Kudo-san."

"EEEH?!" the three exclaimed in disappointment.

"Just cancel those plans!" said Genta angrily. Shinichi held up a hand.

"I can't," he said. "I already promised last week that I'd assist Shinichi-niichan this time." Ayumi frowned deeply.

"If you promised I guess there's nothing for it," she said softly. Mitsuhiko crossed his arms.

"What does a famous high school detective even want with a first grader, anyway?" he said, tone accusational.

"You mean besides the fact that they're related?" asked Haibara coolly.

"They are?"

"Distantly," amended Shinichi. "But anyway, Shinichi-niichan told me there's things children hear and places they can go that aren't easily accessible to adults. He thinks I can help with his investigation."

"In that case, he should have asked all of the Detective Boys," pouted Mitsuhiko.

"I-I'll ask him about it this evening," said Shinichi, laughing nervously. "Maybe he'll have something for you in the future." This seemed to appease the children, and the rest of the walk to school consisted of talk about homework, Kamen Yaiba, and high hopes for the promised detective work from Shinichi. The shrunken teen sighed, wondering exactly what sort of work he could give them that could keep them out of trouble and still yield results for his investigation. By the time they arrived at the school, they'd come up with a fantastical spy thriller plot that had Shinichi deeply sighing in resignation. They'd be sorely disappointed with whatever he came up with.

"All that aside," said Haibara as they reached the classroom, "the park sounds lovely. I'm just sorry Edogawa-kun will miss out on all of the fun we're going to have." She gave him a 'you owe me' smile, causing Shinichi to force a grin back at her in response. It would probably be some expensive brand-name purse.

Once again, all day at school, Shinichi's mind wasn't with his classes. It was brimming over with excitement at the prospect of this possible lead, despite having to remind himself that it would most likely lead to a dead end. Thankfully, though, he was not reprimanded by his teacher for not paying attention this time.

Once class ended, he parted ways with the children as they excitedly headed for the park. He hurried back to his house, impatient to get started. As he opened the door, he was greeted by the scent of beef stew. His stomach growled—an irritating sign that he would have to delay the start of his research. He sighed as he passed Subaru in the doorway. He looked up at the man, and then down at his watch.

"Aren't classes over…?" he asked. Subaru nodded.

"Yes, but I've got a lab project to finish, which can't be moved from the university," he explained as he stepped out of the door. "I'll likely not be back till early tomorrow morning." Then he left before Shinichi could respond. The teen almost felt guilty. Almost, but Subaru actually seemed to enjoy the extra work, so he put it out of his mind.

Venturing into the kitchen, Shinichi found Ran leaning over a large pot as she carefully ladled the stew into two bowls. He suppressed a shiver at the sight of his body moving like Ran. Not important, he thought, reminding himself that she wasn't moving "like Ran": she was Ran. He cleared his throat, startling her. Thankfully, she'd already put the bowls down on the counter.

"Ah, sorry—did I scare you?"

"N-no," she said as she quickly glanced at him. "Just surprised. Dinner's already ready." She picked the bowls back up and headed into the dining room, Shinichi trailing behind. He climbed into his seat as she placed the bowls before she turned back to get their drinks. He noted there was already rice at the table. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he remembered the routine he'd fallen into at the Mouris' house. She returned quickly, setting down the glasses of water as she slowly took her own seat. Just like yesterday, she mostly kept her gaze averted, silently eating her dinner.

"I've got some research to do after dinner," said Shinichi casually.

"Research?"

"I've got a list of people who disappeared and reappeared two weeks later with no memory of their time gone." Ran's spoon slipped from her hand.

"There're others like me?"

"Possibly. None of them are claiming to be someone else. Publicly, that is. So I need to find their addresses and question them myself. I've got nine to look into here in Tokyo, and six more in Osaka. There are probably more in other cities, but I don't exactly have access to other police forces."

"Fifteen people," she said thoughtfully. "That's an awful lot."

"And it looks like this goes back a few years," said Shinichi as he absently stirred his stew a bit before taking a mouthful. "We just don't know that it's pertinent to our case yet." Despite the uncertainty, Ran's eyes sparkled with hope, and Shinichi just wished this didn't lead to a dead end.

After dinner, Shinichi excused himself, disappearing upstairs to his room while Ran washed and put away the dishes. Once she finished, she headed upstairs herself. As she reached the top, a knock echoed downstairs. She frowned and headed to Shinichi's room, standing awkwardly in the doorway. He was sitting at his computer, already pulling up different web pages.

"Shinichi, there's someone at the door," she called nervously. Shinichi looked over, pausing his research.

"You should probably answer it," he said. Before she could complain, he added, "It'll look weird if I answer it. Just tell whoever it is it's not a good time, and send them away." He turned back to his computer, not giving her a say in the matter. She sighed as another knock resonated in the air, and she reluctantly headed downstairs, sucking in a breath as she prepared for the encounter. She looked at the intercom and grimaced as she realized whoever was knocking had bypassed the gate.

"Hello," she began as she opened the door, preparing to shoo away the unwanted visitor as politely as possible. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Kudo?" Hattori Heiji was at the door, looking almost as shocked as Ran did. He eyed her up and down. "Geez, ya coulda warned me," he mumbled. "Y'look like shit," he added as an afterthought as he attempted to push his way past the door. Ran kept her weight against it.

"W-what are you doing here?" she managed to squeak out.

"Cold as usual," he muttered, leaning casually against the frame. "The prof said ya were over here. I wanted t'compare notes, an' frankly, yer last text kinda weirded me out, so I wanted t'see how ya were holdin' up." Ran blinked a few times, trying to sort out what to say, when she noticed a shadow behind Heiji. Before she could do anything, he forcefully pushed past the door, another person coming in close behind him.

"This idiot came, too. Sorry 'bout that," he said, more as an afterthought than an apology. Ran took a few steps back, not sure what to do.

"K-Kazuha-chan…" Kazuha stuck her tongue out at the dark skinned detective before turning an inquisitive eye in Ran's direction.

"Kudo-kun?" She stopped and her brow knitted together. "Are ya okay? Y'look really pale."

"Of course he's not okay: his girl's missin'!"

"I…" Ran stiffly looked from the Osakans to the door. "Th-this… really isn't a good time," she said, voice cracking. Heiji let out a dry laugh.

"If you think for one second," he started, voice rising in irritation, "that y'can get rid of us after we came all this way t'cheer ya up, yer sorely mistaken!" He slammed the door shut to emphasize his point while Kazuha tried to pacify him.

"Well, we did come uninvited," she was saying as panic set in, rooting Ran to the spot. "If he really doesn't want us here, we should leave."

"Screw that! He's just being an ass as usual," scoffed Heiji, turning to scrutinize who he thought was Shinichi. "Ain't that right, you ungrateful little…" He trailed off as he saw just how terrified Ran's expression was. He frowned as he looked her up and down, taking in her stance. She squirmed under his sharp gaze, and his eyes narrowed.

"Yer not Kudo," he said, taking a defensive step back. His accusatory glare was nothing short of venomous. Kazuha blinked, confused.

"Heiji?"

"Who the hell are you?!" he demanded just as Shinichi entered the room to see what the commotion was.

"Yer actin' weird, Heiji! It's just Kudo-kun!" Kazuha said. Before Shinichi had any time to act, Heiji bellowed,

"THAT CAN'T BE KUDO BECAUSE KUDO IS RIGHT THERE!!!" He violently pointed a finger at the shrunken teen.

All eyes were on Shinichi now, as stunned silence filled the air. Heiji blinked a few times before slapping a hand over his mouth.

"K-k-kiddo! I meant kiddo! Right, C-Conan-kun?" he stammered out, attempting to salvage his slip while Shinichi glared daggers at him. Kazuha looked utterly unimpressed.

"I ain't stupid," she said as her eyes narrowed. "You clearly just called him Kudo." She stared at Shinichi. "An' this ain't the first time ya've done it, either."

"W-wha—" Heiji sputtered. Shinichi could see the wheels straining in his head as he tried to come up with a good excuse.

"Forget it, Hattori," he sighed, dropping all child-like pretenses. "You can't clean up after this mess." Kazuha's eyes widened in surprise as he walked past them towards Ran. "Maybe I should just put a sign on my head." He gave Ran an irritated glare. "Why didn't you get rid of them?" he half hissed, snapping Ran out of her shocked stupor.

"I tried to—he forced his way in," she explained, tone apologetic.

"You…" Kazuha started, a bit confused. "If yer Kudo, then who's that?" she asked incredulously.

"That's what I've been askin'," Heiji barked in agitation. Ran winced at the aggressiveness of their tones, and Shinichi glared at them for a moment before answering. He discreetly grabbed Ran's hand and squeezed it.

"This," he said, expression softening slightly, "This is… is Ran." Ran stared down at her slippers as the two Osakans simultaneously gave a start.

"WHAT??!!"

Ran bit her lip and frowned as she tried in vain to will down the embarrassed flush that was creeping up her face. Heiji stood, stunned, for a full minute before laughing nervously.

"Alright, Kudo, really, who is this?" Shinichi gave him a flat stare, opting to remain silent. When he didn't acknowledge that he was joking, the grin faded from Heiji's face. "Yer not kiddin'," he whispered shakily. Shinichi shook his head.

"How?!" asked Kazuha in dismay.

"We don't know yet," said Shinichi as he let go of Ran's hand and crossed his arms. "We just know that somehow, her DNA is actually mine." Heiji's mouth hung open for a moment before stupor turned to rage, and he turned his fury onto the small teen.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" he shouted, angry at having been left in the dark. "Didn't ya think I could help ya?" Shinichi sighed.

"Its because you're too impulsive," he replied. "I didn't want you in on this until I was certain I couldn't do this myself."

"But I'm yer best bud!" Heiji protested. "Why would ya keep me out of the loop?!"

"Why? So you could bust your way in without a lead and make Ran uncomfortable like you're doing right now? Even if I'd told you, you wouldn't have believed me right away, anyway," he said in a flat tone. Heiji winced a bit, sheepishly glancing up at Ran. He shivered involuntarily and turned away.

"Fine, fine, I get yer point," he said, waving his hand.

Do you? thought Shinichi irritably. He sighed.

"Guess I should've expected this," he muttered. "Especially after asking that question last night." Heiji straightened up.

"Y'know," he started, face serious, "I might not'a come if ya'd explained yerself. Ya come up with fake excuses all the time, right?"

"Tell me, honestly, would you really have stayed away if I had come up with a dismissal to that question?"

"… No…"

Ran and Kazuha silently watched the back and forth not-quite-bickering. Kazuha slowly inched her way over to Ran, stopping just beside her. She took her eyes off of the detectives and cast a worried glance at Ran's face. Feeling her gaze, Ran looked up, greeting Kazuha's eyes with her own, albeit briefly. She quickly looked down again, uncomfortable.

"Yer really… Ran-chan…?" A nod was the only answer given, though a heavy weight traveled on that gesture. Before more could be said, Shinichi threw his hands up in an attempt to end the argument Heiji had started.

"Fine," he said loudly enough that the girls redirected their attention to him. "If you'll quit complaining, I'll tell you what I know so far!" They could almost feel the triumphant grin Heiji was so poorly trying to suppress.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Game Plan

"And that's all we know right now," said Shinichi as he finished explaining the situation. They'd all retired to the living room, Ran and Kazuha on the couch, and the two detectives on the chairs.

"And ya think that list I gave ya could be a lead…?"

"Right now, it's the only one we've got."

"How's that a lead?" asked Kazuha, who was just barely holding on to the facts the boys so easily threw around. "None of 'em claimed to be someone else, right?"

"The time they were all missing is exactly the same," explained Shinichi. "And none of them can remember what happened during the two weeks in question. I was going to go to each one's house and ask my own line of questioning—I was making a list of addresses when you guys came." He cleared his throat. "Which, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to doing." Before anyone could reply, he hopped off the chair and marched out of the room. Ran looked hesitantly at the Osakans.

"Er… How long will you be staying here?" she asked. She already knew they wouldn't leave today. Heiji hummed.

"Maybe till Sunday? We've still got school after all, even if I can get away with skippin' a few days." Ran twisted her hands in her lap.

"There's only one guest bedroom left," she said quietly. Heiji let out a bark-like laugh.

"Guess I'll just hafta stay in Kudo's room," he said, grinning. He got up. "Speakin' of which, I'm gonna go pick his brain some more." And he left the room, leaving the girls by themselves. Kazuha huffed.

"That moron—he's takin' this too lightly."

"Well, it isn't exactly his problem," Ran pointed out. "At least he's willing to help out. Anyway I should probably show you where the guest room is." She got up from the couch.

"Are you okay?" asked Kazuha in a small voice. Ran's face fell a bit.

"… I… I'd rather not talk about it."

"But—"

"Please?" She didn't look Kazuha in the eye, but her pleading tone made Kazuha nod. "Let's just get you to the spare room."

Ran left first, Kazuha following behind after a moment of hesitation.

***

When Shinichi came down for breakfast the next morning, he was greeted by an overly energetic Osakan.

"G'mornin' sleepyhead!" exclaimed Heiji. He ruffled Shinichi's hair as he walked past him to the table. Shinichi groggily batted his hand away with a small growl. "Oops," he laughed. "Forgot ya need yer caffeine." Shinichi just gave him a halfhearted glare before eyeing the table and finding his place already set with breakfast and coffee.

"Hm? Didn't know Kudo-kun wasn't a mornin' person," commented Kazuha as Heiji returned to his own breakfast. Shinichi ignored the two in favor of taking a sip of his coffee. Kazuha looked around. "Shouldn't Ran-chan be eatin' with us?" Shinichi set down his cup without looking up.

"She eats breakfast in the kitchen," he mumbled as he started on his waffle. Heiji frowned at him.

"Why the kitchen? You sure she's eatin'?"

"She does look abnormally thin," whispered Kazuha.

"Look—I'd really rather not talk about this, at the very least not so early," said Shinichi irritably. Heiji raised an eyebrow, but dropped it without much of a fight.

"So what's today's plan?" asked Heiji after Shinichi had emptied half of his cup. Shinichi stabbed at a slice of bacon before answering.

"I've got nine people to look into here in Tokyo," he said slowly. "In the interest of time, I've decided to employ the help of the Detective Boys—two houses per child with the exception of Haibara. I'll take the remaining three."

"You sure that's wise? Leavin' it to children?"

"It's fine. It's not dangerous, and I've compiled a list of questions to give them to ask. It'll appease them, too, since they'll be helping in an investigation." He sipped on his coffee. "I'm not sending them too far out of the way, either, so their parents won't worry too much."

"You sure about that? Tokyo's pretty big, after all."

"Which is why they're only going to the people located here in Beika, or in Haido. I'll handle the two in Shibuya and the one in Ekoda."

"Y'need some help? That's pretty outta the way, an' a little kid wanderin' around by himself's bound to raise a few eyebrows." Shinichi shrugged.

"You can come if you want- I planned to go with Ran to get her out of the house for a bit," he said as he scraped his plate clean and turned to put all of his focus on finishing the coffee. Kazuha watched this back-and-forth-ing with a frown on her face before finally speaking up.

"Why're y'all actin' like everythin's normal?" The two detectives blinked at her.

"An' how're we s'pposed ta act?" asked Heiji irritably. Shinichi raised a hand to silence them, and looked gravely into Kazuha's eyes.

"When you make a mistake in aikido, do you spend time worrying about it?"

"Of course not! You could lose the match that way!" She blinked a few times as the meaning sank in. "... Oh..."

"The same can be said of investigations," he said calmly. "Strong emotions just get in the way, especially if it involves friends and family. I did all of my panicking the day Ran came back, and even Ran finished her meltdown a few days later. At least until she found out who I was." He finished his coffee and wiggled off his chair, collecting his dishes to bring to the kitchen. "You're welcome to panic or be upset, but don't make Ran uncomfortable. She's got enough stress already."

"Ain't that what I've been tellin' ya?" asked Heiji sourly.

"Ya never explained it that way, idiot!"

Shinichi left the two to bicker while he moved into the kitchen. Ran was there, scrubbing away at her own breakfast dishes. She glanced at him as he approached and silently pointed to the empty side of the sink. He complied by putting his plate and silverware in, but kept his cup and headed for the coffee pot. He was going to need a lot more than one cup today.

***

Once the bickering settled and breakfast was over, Shinichi pulled out his detective badge to call the children over to Agasa's house. They didn't really need to know where he was staying, or see Ran and run the risk of them asking questions that would upset her. He gave Heiji a warning glare that meant to stay put before going next door to wait for them. When they arrived, he gave them their instructions.

"Shinichi-niichan wanted everything done by the end of the day," he said, peering into their excited faces. "There were just too many to tackle by himself."

"How come he's not giving us this info himself?" asked Mitsuhiko. "If it's this important, why ask you to ask us?" A fond smile tugged at the corners of Shinichi's mouth. These kids were really too smart. He didn't want to have to think about the future possibility of them seeing through his web of lies.

"He's got an early start," he explained, "since he's got to go to Ekoda and Shibuya."

"EEEHH?!" cried Mitsuhiko and Ayumi together. "How come we don't get to go to those places?! That's not fair!" Shinichi felt a muscle under his eye twitch.

And right after I basically praised them, too... he thought irritably. Haibara answered for him, not looking up from the fashion magazine she was reading.

"Don't be selfish," she said coolly. "He didn't have to ask you at all, now, did he?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Besides, he'd get in trouble with your parents if he let you go to those places unchaperoned. This isn't a vacation, after all." She flipped the page. "It's real detective work." At the very least, the idea of doing investigations for Kudo Shinichi pacified them enough to not continue grumbling.

"Just remember to bring your reports back here," said the professor. "And when you're done, I'll treat you to dinner." That had their attention, and they all cheered before rushing out the door, scattering into the street.

Actually, it was Shinichi who'd be treating them, saving Agasa's wallet from a big gaping hole, since he was certain they'd all want the most expensive things from the menu of wherever it was they ended up going. He'd already secretly given the man his credit card, asking him to pretend to treat them.

Having the children write down their findings and bring them back to the professor's house served two purposes: first, it meant that they would have to go straight to the restaurant afterwards, which prevented them from being disappointed that they didn't give "Shinichi" himself their reports; second, he could easily find them in one place without the chaotic hassle children so often came with. He let out a relieved sigh. If it was just him, this might have taken a week or two. The faster this was done, the better.

He made his way back to his house to find a grinning Heiji waiting for him. He rubbed his hands together.

"So, when're we goin'?" he asked eagerly as Shinichi passed him to get to the study. He followed him in, waiting for Shinichi's answer. As they passed through the study to the living room, Shinichi spotted a very tired-looking Ran sitting on the couch. He stared at her for a moment before turning to look at Heiji.

"Actually, would you mind going to one of the last two locations? I'll take Ran to the other one." Heiji stared down at him, pointedly not looking at Ran, and shrugged.

"Yeah, alright." He didn't seem too put out that he wasn't going with Shinichi, so that was good at least. He left the teen by the door and stopped by the couch in front of Ran.

"Ran?" he called softly. She opened her eyes and stared down at him. "I need to go to Shibuya and Ekoda today—Hattori's agreed to go to one location to save time. Where do you want to go?" Ran made a face.

"Do you really need me to go?" she asked.

"I need an adult with me." He didn't, but it would be easier for him. She sighed.

"In that case, I'd rather not go to Shibuya, since Sonoko frequents that area." Shinichi blinked.

That's right, he thought. I'd forgotten she likes to shop there.

"I thought she was yer best friend," said Heiji from his spot in the doorway. "Why avoid her?" Ran and Shinichi both shot him flat glares, causing him to shiver.

"Obviously, it's for the same reason I didn't tell anyone," said Shinichi. Ran blushed and looked away.

"Sonoko is..." she started quietly, "... a very talkative person. She only keeps secrets if it benefits her, but she'll still constantly drop hints about it."

There's that, too... Shinichi thought. Since Ran was closest to the heiress, she could easily predict what would happen if she were to find out. Heiji's brows rose, but he just shrugged. He didn't really know the girl, after all, having only briefly met her when she was around Shinichi.

"Then I guess I'm goin' ta Shibuya," he said dismissively. "Got an extra list of questions, Kudo, or am I just wingin' it?"

"I have a list, don't worry. You can't really 'wing it' if you don't know what I want to ask, right?" said Shinichi, scowling halfheartedly at the grin Heiji gave him. Cheeky bastard... He turned back to Ran.

"How long do you need to get ready?" he asked her, expecting her to request some extra time to psyche herself up.

"Just a few minutes," she said, surprising him. "I just need to find a hat..."

"The one you used last time is still in my room," he called after her as she left the room. She waved a hand to indicate she'd heard him.

"... A hat?" asked Heiji. "What's she need a hat for?" Shinichi sighed.

"It's mostly so people don't recognize her as me," he said quietly as he stared at the television set, even though it was turned off. "But also, because Kudo Shinichi is supposed to be dead, and if she's recognized there's no guarantee those involved will keep quiet. Either way, though, she'd have to pretend to be me, which I think is too hard on her."

He'd already told Heiji about what happened with Subaru when the fellow detective had pressed him for information last night, so he already knew what Shinichi was talking about. Plus, he wouldn't have to dance around Ran's or Shinichi's identities when the grad student was around.

Subaru's identity was still a secret, though. Shinichi had promised not to keep anymore secrets, but that one technically wasn't his, even if he was the one who set it up. Heiji would have his hide if he ever found out, though, even with a good explanation. He just hoped he'd be the proper age when that eventuality came to fruition.

"Dunno what's so hard about it—you do it twenty-four/seven, practically," said Heiji offhandedly. Shinichi sighed again.

"Well... It's not like she can't do it—she knows me well enough to be able to pull it off, but..." He paused, trying to put his thoughts into words. Surprisingly, Heiji waited for him, which he was silently thankful for.

"... But there's a big difference in pretending to be someone else versus emulating a persona. That's all Edogawa Conan is, after all. I made him up, got to choose his mannerisms, and because of that some of me gets to leak through. Ran... Ran doesn't have that leisure." Granted, his mom could probably do it, but as an actress, that was her job.

Heiji was unusually quiet as Ran came back, with Kazuha following behind her. They must have met upstairs. Kazuha bounded towards Heiji, bouncing on her heels while Ran proceeded more slowly, putting on Shinichi's cap as she closed the last few steps to the group. Shinichi looked up at everyone, suddenly painfully aware he was the only teenager in the group that barely passed anyone's knees. The feeling was fleeting and insignificant in the face of the current issue, though. He set his jaw and turned towards the door.

"Let's go."

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: A Familiar Face

Ekoda was about an hour away via subway, Shibuya only thirty minutes. The first part of their journey, Shinichi and Ran were accompanied by Heiji and Kazuha, the Osakans transferring midway, leaving Ran and Shinichi alone, pressed in from all sides by the weekend travelers.

Lacking seats, Ran held on to one of the straps, while Shinichi was so crowded, he was forced to cling to her leg. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, but Ran knowing who he was made things acutely uncomfortable for the both of them. Needless to say, when they finally arrived at Ekoda Station, they stumbled out a little more breathless than they otherwise would have been.

"M-maybe we should take the bus back?" Shinichi stammered. It would take twice as long, but the cost was about the same. Ran hesitated before shaking her head.

"We just didn't plan ahead—we'll need to figure out the best time to leave." She was right; he hadn't planned this out, and as a result, they'd gotten on during one of the busiest times of the day. He was so focused on the possible lead, he hadn't been thinking of anything else.

"Sorry..." She shook her head again, fully aware of what Shinichi was like when he was focusing on something.

"It's okay," she assured him. "So where are we going? Do we need to take a taxi?" Shinichi checked the address from his maps app and shook his head.

"It's only a twenty-minute walk," he said. They were used to walking much farther than that on a regular basis, and though she wouldn't admit it, Ran needed the exercise after being cooped up in the house for so long. With that, Ran followed him out of the station.

As they passed by a park, Shinichi noticed something on a public bench—or rather, someone. Ran noticed him, too, it seemed, because she stopped and stared in curiosity.

There, on the other side of the street, snoring quite loudly, was a high schooler who looked just like Shinichi, except for a shock of wild hair that curled out in different directions.

"Do you think...?" he started to ask, but stopped when he saw the recognition in her eyes. "... Ran?"

"I think that's the boy I saw in Shibuya," she whispered to him just as someone passed them and crossed the street.

"Huh?"

"You know, when I was with Sonoko, and I thought I saw you." She turned to face him. "And you insisted I was mistaken, which makes a lot more sense, now."

Shinichi looked back at the boy on the bench, the vague memory resurfacing. The person who had just passed them had strode up to the sleeper, hands on their hips. It was a girl, whose hair was just as wild as the boy's, but he couldn't see her face.

"BAKAITO!" she bellowed, causing Ran and Shinichi to jump in surprise. The boy jumped so high he actually fell off the bench. He sat up and glared at her, rubbing his ear.

"The hell was that for, Ahoko?!" he screamed back at her.

Shinichi suppressed a shiver. This guy even sounded like him, though the drawl in his voice made him sound a bit more mischievous than Shinichi.

"Are you a baby?" said the girl, arms crossed. "Who said you could sleep in the middle of the day? You were supposed to meet Aoko an hour ago!" Completely unaware they were attracting the attention of passersby, the shouting match continued.

"And whose fault is that?" said the boy, standing up and dusting himself off. "If you hadn't insisted on watching that horror movie last night, and then called me every hour since, I wouldn't have needed a nap today." The girl, Aoko, turned around in an embarrassed pout. She looked eerily similar to Ran, but her voice, at least, was different.

"That's..." Whatever she said was mumbled, so they couldn't hear it from across the street. Shinichi shook his head to clear it, before gesturing to Ran that they should leave. Whoever these look-a-likes were, they were unrelated to Ran's case. There was only one returned missing person reported in Ekoda, and it wasn't one of them.

Besides, he thought dryly as they turned to leave, having multiples of the same people turning up would cause a lot of unwanted attention, which I'm sure whoever's behind this mess wants to avoid.

It was as they were leaving that he felt eyes on him. He glanced back, only to find the boy watching them leave with a curious, slightly puzzled expression on his face. There was a hint of recognition there, before he turned back to the raging girl in front of him, seemingly losing interest. Shinichi turned back around, frowning slightly.

Ah... Maybe he recognized me from the papers, he realized. Since I was at a Kid heist recently.

That must have been it. He must've wondered what the Kid Killer was doing in Ekoda, since it was common knowledge that he was from Beika. He put it out of his mind fairly quickly.

"I guess that means you have two doppelgängers," said Ran thoughtfully.

"...What?"

"That guy, and Okita Soshi—you remember, Hattori-kun mentioned before that his kendo rival looks just like you."

"Now that you mention it, I guess he did say something like that."

"We'll have to keep him from meeting you," she said, a teasing lilt creeping into her voice. "Something bad might happen." Shinichi rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Please," he said with a snort. "Enough bad stuff has happened before now—I think meeting my doppelgängers are well overdue." She didn't laugh, but he was pleased to see a small smile grace her lips when he glanced up at her.

Bittersweet nostalgia settled in his gut. He hadn't realized how sorely he'd missed these kinds of interactions with Ran. It almost felt normal. But then he was reminded that neither of them was normal. At the very least, it helped a bit that he wasn't alone.

They walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. It was just as well it was a nice day out—the sun seemed to lift Ran's spirits. The mood didn't last, though, as they rounded the corner to the street their destination was on.

"Did something happen...?" muttered Ran, who'd seen it first. Shinichi blinked and redirected his attention to a house halfway down the street, where an ambulance was waiting. He frowned and checked his map.

"That's... where we need to go..." A sinking feeling gripped him as they got closer. There was a police car behind the ambulance, and a familiar officer standing at the front door.

"Wait here," he told her when they got close. She nodded, and he went up the front steps to the officer who was just putting his notebook back in his pocket.

"Takagi-keiji!" he called out, startling the man.

"Wha—Conan-kun?! What are you doing here?!"

"That's what I wanna ask—did something happen?" He eyed the ambulance warily, hoping his hunch was wrong.

"If you're asking if there's a case, then no," sighed Takagi. "The man who lived here, Ito Daiji, passed away in his sleep last night. Since he lives alone, his neighbor was the one who found him." Shinichi's brows furrowed, despite his best efforts to keep up an innocently curious expression. Thankfully, Takagi didn't seem to notice. "Since I was in the area when the call came in, I was ordered to do a routine check."

"'In his sleep'...? You sure?"

"Well, yeah. He was ninety-four years old, after all. So why are you here, Conan-kun?"

"Oh... Um..." Shinichi dejectedly watched the ambulance drive away. "I'd just wanted to ask him some questions, that's all." Takagi raised a brow.

"Some questions, huh?" he said flatly. "Is this about Ran-kun?"

"No!" Yes... "Just—he was on that list you gave me, remember?"

"Was he?" said the man thoughtfully. "Ah... so this should be for your 'unrelated project,' right? I'm sorry you didn't get to him in time. Would you like a ride home? I'm headed back to Beika very soon." Shinichi forced a smile and shook his head.

"No thanks. I'm here with my cousin today," he said, gesturing in Ran's direction.

"...Cousin...?" Takagi glanced over at Ran for a moment, but because she was wearing a hat, he didn't recognize her from that distance. As it should be. "Well, all right, then. Don't trouble him too much, alright?"

"'Kaaaay!" chirped Shinichi. He bade the man goodbye and made his way back to Ran. He dropped the smile as he got close to her.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, kneeling down so they could whisper to each other. "It wasn't a murder, was it?" Shinichi bit back a dry laugh. It really wasn't normal that that was the very first thing that occurred to them.

"Old age," he said. "At least, that's how it looks, but I'm pretty sure it's right." He heaved a dejected sigh. "Seems like I have to get all of my information second hand, now." Ran stood back up as Shinichi glanced at the teary-eyed woman standing in the doorway of the house next door. "She must be the neighbor who found him..."

He waited for Takagi to drive away before approaching the woman, dragging Ran with him by the wrist. The lady was just turning to go back inside when he called out to her.

"What happened to Ito-san, ma'am? Do you know? He promised to tell me some stories today." He used his most innocuous sounding voice, and felt Ran stiffen slightly beside him.

Right, he thought, somewhat guiltily. The personality shift must be jarring now that she knows the act...

"What? Oh, little boy... Ito-san died—last night, they told me. While he was sleeping, he just... He'd have been ninety-five next week, too..." She stifled a sob.

"Were you really close to him?" A nod.

"He practically raised most of the people in the neighborhood," she said in a wavering voice. "He was the nicest man—he never raised his voice, and was quick to dispel arguments. It... I always felt he'd be around forever..." She wiped at her eyes. "So, when he wasn't on the porch this morning..."

"You knew something was wrong just from that?"

"Sh—Conan-kun!" hissed Ran. Thankfully, the partial name slip just sounded like part of the scolding. The woman took no offense, however.

"Oh, yes," she said as if everyone would have known. "For as long as I've lived here, he sat on his porch at 8:30 A.M. The only other time he didn't was when he was kidnapped a few years ago." This was the part of the conversation he was anticipating.

"He was kidnapped? You mean like with bad guys and ransom and stuff?" he asked, making his eyes look as big as he could get away with without looking creepy. He inwardly cringed: that might've been too much.

"Oh, well... not exactly," she said with an amused smile. "Since there was no demand for a ransom, and no one actually saw him get taken." Shinichi frowned.

"No ransom? Then how do you know he was kidnapped?"

"Because two weeks later he was returned to his front door in the middle of the night, bound and gagged." Shinichi and Ran exchanged a glance.

"Huh... I guess they realized he lived alone," chirped Shinichi in what he hoped was a naïve tone. "He must've been really scared."

"No, he wasn't scared. In fact, when I asked him about it, he said he couldn't remember any of it." She seemed to remember something, looking thoughtfully to the side. "Perhaps he dreamed about it? He did mention having weird recurring dreams since then, but he never told me what they were." More tears spilled out. "And now he never will."

Sensing the conversation would go no further, Ran placed her hands on Shinichi's shoulders.

"Conan-kun, it's time to go," she said in a tone that brooked no argument. She looked up at the woman who'd started sobbing again. "We're terribly sorry for your loss, ma'am. I'm sorry we took up your time." The woman shook her head, indicating she hadn't minded, but was unable to express anything into words through the tears. She went back inside as Ran led Shinichi back to the street. She sighed.

"I guess he's unrelated," she said in a disheartened tone.

"What makes you say that?" asked Shinichi as they started walking back the way they came.

"Well, if he was that well known by everyone, someone definitely would have noticed if he started acting differently, right? Isn't it safe to assume he was taken by different people? Even if the disappearance and return was similar to mine, I mean." Shinichi smiled. It was a reasonable assumption.

"You're right," he said genially. "It's a good deduction, but we also don't have the full story. Unfortunately, with Ito-san's death, we won't get all the facts, either. The most suspicious thing so far is that not only was he missing for two weeks, his return was nearly identical to yours, if his neighbor was telling the truth." Ran frowned up at the sky.

"So where do we go from here?" she asked, glancing back, probably at the house.

"I should probably ask if he had a scar like yours on his chest," mused Shinichi as he took out his phone and pulled up his contacts list. "It's not likely something his neighbors would know about, so I'll just send Takagi-keiji a message. I doubt this will pan out, though, since he did appear to be the same person."

When he was satisfied with the inquiry, he hit 'send,' and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He glanced back up at Ran, who was nervously tugging at the brim of her cap, as if she was afraid her face was showing too much.

"If you keep acting like that, it'll draw more attention," he said in a bored voice. Ran grimaced, dropping her hand from the hat and shoved it into her pocket like she was afraid it would come back up to mess with the brim against her will. She didn't stop glancing around, though. Shinichi suppressed a dry chuckle.

That's not much better, you know, he thought before clearing his throat.

"Should we have lunch before we go back? It's already past one..." He trailed off at the odd look she gave him before he realized he'd slipped into his more childish speech. He grimaced. "Sorry," he murmured. Thankfully, she opted not to comment on it, responding instead to his suggestion.

"Something light would be okay- I still don't have much of an appetite."

Shinichi hummed thoughtfully as he pulled his phone back out to search for nearby restaurants.

The restaurant they ended up going to was a simple, cheap sushi place. It was fairly crowded, and the only spots open were two booths near the window. Ideally, Shinichi would've chosen somewhere near the back so he could keep an eye on the whole place, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Things seemed like they were going well, until the waitress got a glimpse of Ran's face. She started flirting heavily after that, leaving a very red-faced, embarrassed Ran, and a very disgruntled and somewhat confused Shinichi. When she finally left, Ran leaned forward against the table, burying her face in her arms.

"I want to disappear," said Ran, voice muffled through her arms. Shinichi looked sourly at the waitress's back before speaking.

"You'd think she could take a hint," he said as he rested his chin in his hand, elbow propped up on the table. "That's some of the most aggressive flirting I've ever seen." He sighed as the bell on the door signaled a new customer. "Well, you can either ignore it, or tell her off." Ran peeked up at him from under the brim of her hat.

"I've met girls like that before," she groaned. "They won't back down just from that." As if on cue, the waitress came back with their platter and flirted a bit more, much to Ran's chagrin. Thankfully, whoever it was that had just come in cleared their throat.

"Excuse me, miss?" came a familiar voice that had Ran and Shinichi both raising their heads. "My friend and I are ready to order; if you're not too busy, that is." It was the couple they'd seen fighting earlier.

The waitress, having been interrupted, irritably looked over at the booth behind them, before her face lit up at the sight of the speaker.

"Sure thing, handsome! What'll you have?"

Ran and Shinichi exchanged glances as she switched targets. She didn't even seem to care that this new prospect already had a girl with him. Even more surprising, the boy started flirting back with just as much force, causing the surprised waitress visible discomfort.

"Hm? Something wrong?" he asked with a predatory grin. "Oh, right- we'll have the number fifteen, thanks." The waitress left, face beet red, and the restaurant was finally quiet.

"… Aoko can't believe Kaito did that…" said Aoko in a surprisingly resigned voice. The boy, Kaito, flashed a sharp grin at her.

"I flirt with everyone, you know that!" he defended. "It's not my fault she can't take what she dishes out. Besides, I can't resist an open invitation to tease." Aoko frowned at him.

"Anyway, what kind of person comes to a sushi restaurant and doesn't even order any sushi?"

"Obviously, the Kaito kind. Plus, this place has the best shoguyaki in town. It's hardly my fault if no one realizes it because they're too busy ordering… fish." He shuddered.

Shinichi was only half paying attention to the conversation behind him as he loaded his plate up with sushi. When Ran didn't take any, he looked up only to find her glancing around again. He frowned.

"Hey… You've been doing that since earlier," he whispered. "What's wrong?" Ran leaned forward and spoke in a low voice, holding a hand up to help project her words to him.

"I'm not sure when it started, but I feel like someone's watching me."

Immediately alert, Shinichi sat up straighter and glanced out the window they were sitting next to. He didn't see anyone suspicious from his vantage point, but he couldn't turn around without looking suspicious himself.

"Don't look around," he said authoritatively. "Act natural and load up your plate. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" she asked, voice trembling at the thought of being left alone.

"Just to the toilet," he said loudly in his Conan voice. She blinked in surprise and sat back, nervously eyeing the food in front of her. Shinichi slid out of his seat and headed to the restrooms in the back of the restaurant, finding—to his delight—a small alcove he could tuck himself into. He did just that and peered around the wall, surveying the entire floor with ease.

There was nothing out of the ordinary that he could see here, either. He prided his ability to sense eyes on him, which he hadn't felt, but if the target was Ran, it would make sense he didn't feel anything. His frown deepened. He didn't think she was being paranoid—even before her disappearance, she'd been pretty sensitive with stuff like that…

When he came back to the booth, Ran raised a brow in silent question, to which he answered with a small head shake. She bit her lip.

"I believe you," he assured her. "I just don't see the responsible party. When we're done here, we'll go back home and hopefully they'll stop." Of course, it wasn't a guarantee, but unless the gaze she was feeling was malicious, there was a very low chance of anyone taking the hour-long train ride just to follow her.

True to his word, when they finished eating, they left straight for the subway station. It was blessedly less crowded than before, and Ran seemed to relax more as they got farther from Ekoda. Shinichi had been right; whoever the mystery watcher was, they opted not to follow them home. It was just as well—if he wasn't dealing with potential stalkers, he could put all his focus on hopefully breaking this case wide open.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Devious Details

Shinichi scowled down at the reports the children had made; they were spread out on the table, so he could easily compare them. The only issue was that they offered no insight into what happened to Ran.

"Maybe yer barkin' up the wrong tree?" asked Heiji. "Includin' the two I interviewed, every single one of 'em was the same before an' after the kidnappin'."

"That's the only thing that doesn't fit," groused Shinichi, looking back at his hastily scrawled notes. "The style of kidnapping, the length of time, the return, the memory loss—they're all identical to Ran! And with the confirmation I got from Takagi, it looks like they all have the same weird burn scar, too." He chewed on the tip of his pen. "There's something we're missing."

He'd been shocked when he got Takagi's email confirming the existence of the scar on the old man—having already ruled him out, it was bewildering to find out otherwise. After all, very few things could cause a burn like that, and it definitely couldn't be called a coincidence that it was in the same place as Ran's.

Even more shocking was that the Detective Boys had all come back wielding the same results, scar and all. Not long after, Heiji also came back with the same news. It was maddening.

"What even is that thing, anyway?" said Heiji at the mention of the burn mark. "Some kinda brand?" Shinichi shook his head.

"I don't think so. I'd thought it might have something to do with Ran's current state, but…" He stared up at the ceiling. "Now I'm not so sure."

Kazuha had taken Ran upstairs, possibly to either ask questions or cheer her up, leaving the two detectives to go over the information. It was probably better that way, since Shinichi didn't really want her to see him rage at dead-end clues. He looked over at Heiji.

"… What do you think?"

"Hmm…" The dark teen crossed his arms, frowning. "I'm not much better off 'n you are—worse off, actually, since ya've had more time to think about it," he gruffed out. He still seemed a bit miffed that Shinichi hadn't told him. "But…"

"But?" Shinichi perked up. Heiji sighed, uncrossing his arms to shove his hands into his pockets.

"Maybe she was kidnapped twice?" he offered weakly. Shinichi sent him an unamused glare. "No, really! Like—the first time coulda been by who turned her, an' the second time coulda been by whoever took the others?"

Ignoring the fact that the times wouldn't match up if that were true, it sounded as lame as one of Kogoro's hair brained deductions. Judging from the grimace on Heiji's face, he knew it, too.

"L-look, all I know is if the identity thing is the only thing that doesn't match up, then we're lookin' at this from the wrong angle," he said, defending himself. Shinichi sighed.

"You're right," he muttered, eliciting an infuriatingly victorious grin from Heiji.

"Don't look so smug—that doesn't make you the better detective. It just makes you right about one thing," he snapped as the other teen snickered.

"So?" he continued, prompting Heiji to cut his reverie short. "Do you have any ideas on where we should be looking, oh great detective?" The sarcasm he laced his last words with made Heiji scowl at him, which he returned with a smirk of his own.

"Not really," he admitted with a pout that was unbecoming of a seventeen-year-old.

… Who's the child here, really? thought Shinichi with a bit of amusement.

The two spent the rest of the evening sulkily mulling over the problem, and only stopped when Ran forcibly removed Shinichi from the room because it was dinnertime, darn it, and she'd already called him five times! He knew better than to argue, though, from years of going through this interaction with her. Heiji didn't argue either, but then… he actually ate when he was hungry.

Dinner was eaten in relative silence as Shinichi absently shoveled food into his mouth while thinking on what he could possibly be missing. Ran had taken to the kitchen, opting to eat there instead of in the dining room with everyone else. She probably didn't want to eat under the scrutiny of the Detective of the West.

With dinner over and Shinichi and Heiji back in the library, Shinichi found himself wishing one of the many books that stared down at them contained an answer. He stared at the shelves. Mysteries, fiction and nonfiction, lined the walls. Novels, case files (recent and cold), all manner of reference material used by his father to write more mysteries… none of which were anywhere close to the one he was desperately trying to solve. His eyes stung.

This doesn't make any sense! he thought angrily as he poured over the reports again. Why is she the only one who came back differently? Why is she the only one… who… The blood drained from his face as a thought occurred to him.

"No way," he whispered. Heiji frowned down at him.

"Didja figure somethin' out?" he asked carefully, noting how pale Shinichi looked.

"This whole time, I was working under the assumption that Ran was the one who came back, right?"

"… Didn't she…?" asked Heiji, now thoroughly confused.

"Technically," he said slowly, trying to put his thoughts into words that made some kind of sense. "Technically, Kudo Shinichi came back to Kudo Shinichi's house, claiming to be someone else." Heiji blinked, frown deepening.

"You weren't kidnapped, though," he pointed out.

"I know that, but most people don't, right?" A slow nod. "Everyone that was missing were returned to their respective houses except for Ran," he continued, voice low, "because Ran looks like Kudo Shinichi."

"… And?"

"If everyone else is who they say they are, then it stands to reason that Ran was brought here because whoever had her was positive that she was me."

"… Ya lost me."

"Well, I'm lost, myself, but…" Shinichi swallowed hard, the words thick on his tongue. "I'm starting to think… she wasn't supposed to come back with her memories intact." Heiji paled.

What do you think would have happened if her mind had been affected as well? echoed Haibara's words in his head. 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 ever having been your missing Ran.

"That…" Heiji floundered for words. "Whaa—wouldn't that be found out immediately though? There can't be two Kudo Shinichis without one of 'em sayin' somethin' about it! And in the first place you weren't kidnapped like the rest of the guys!"

"Yes, but to the general population, technically I'm considered missing, with widespread rumors that I'm actually dead." Shinichi slumped in the desk chair. Heiji's legs gave out and he dropped to the floor.

"Ha… hahaha… This's crazy—an' ya can't prove any of it…"

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," quoted Shinichi. "And because what happened somehow is possible, it's the only reasonable explanation I've got."

Heiji sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, face ashen. Neither boy felt much like continuing the investigation, at least not until the next day. Shinichi had never considered evidence, truth, or a lead to be a mood killer investigation wise, so this feeling was a bit foreign to him.

"… This's crazy," Heiji said again. "What… what're we supposed t'do about this?" A valid question, even if it set Shinichi's teeth on edge because he didn't have an answer.

"Like I said, it's only a possibility," said Shinichi as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But it's the only one that makes sense right now. I think…" He swept his gaze up to the ceiling. "I think right now, we need to determine if the Osaka disappearances are the same. I might be able to compile a list from Gunma and Shizuoka using occhan's voice… but since I'm not living at the detective agency right now, that's a bit risky. I don't even know where to start about the other cities."

If this was nationwide, he might be in over his head. Heiji let out a shaky sigh.

"I can snoop around in the Kansai area, at least," he said solemnly. Shinichi nodded absently as he contemplated what the easiest way to get access to all of Japan's police records would be. Well… there was no easy solution to that… and he didn't think he could get it done in a reasonable amount of time, either.

"I'm going to need some time to think about this," muttered Shinichi irritably. Heiji stood up from his place on the floor.

"Not much else we can do right now," he said, tone apologetic even though he had no reason to apologize. "Kazuha 'n I are goin' back home tomorrow, so I can visit the people on yer list durin' the week after school." Shinichi could only nod. Heiji looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it and left the room, probably to get ready to go back home.

Shinichi remained in the library for some time, stewing over how he was supposed to get over this new hurdle. At the very least, he needed to see how widespread this was. Were just a few cities affected or was it nationwide? Was it also happening in other countries, or just in Japan? It seemed like every half step forward created more questions and complications. He sighed.

For now, let's hope this is contained to Japan—I'm not sure I can deal with another international secret organization, he thought wearily. One was more than enough, and he wasn't any closer to cracking that one, either.

He supposed he could ask his father for help. The man had so many connections, it would be an easy thing to get the case files he needed. And since he was an active presence in America, he could also check with authorities there to make sure the same thing wasn't happening, but…

Asking Yusaku for help came with its own set of complications. Even without giving details, the man would suspect something was up, and start his own line of investigations. At the end of the day, asking him basically guaranteed that his parents would become aware of Ran's situation. While they probably wouldn't make light of it like they did with him, whether they knew or not should be up to Ran, on her own terms.

It was well past midnight when he finally decided to turn in, still lost and utterly unsatisfied.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: A Sense of Normalcy

"Well, we're off," said Heiji. His bag was carelessly slung over his shoulder, and Kazuha hovered by his side. She sent an apologetic look to Ran.

"Sorry I couldn't be more helpful," she said glumly. Ran allowed a small smile to cross her face as she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not much help either, and I'm the one with the… problem," she said quietly. Kazuha sent a sad smile her way before both Osakans left. Ran closed the door when she was sure they'd gone, and sighed.

"This weekend felt really… strange," she admitted when she spotted Shinichi staring inquisitively at her. "Or… well, I guess stranger than the past few weeks have been…"

"How so?" He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary aside from the obvious. Ran puffed out her cheeks for a moment in mild irritation—it sent a painful twinge to his heart. It was a very 'Ran' expression, and he wondered if he'd ever see it on the proper face again.

"Well, it wasn't that long ago that you were still just Conan-kun," she explained a bit sheepishly, "and everyone was treating you as such. Suddenly you're not, and I just spent the weekend with people who weren't pretending, even though they used to." Shinichi grimaced.

"Sure, if you can call what Hattori does 'pretending.' But Toyama-san didn't know, either, and only just found out as well." He scratched his cheek. "But I guess I can see where you're coming from."

"You sound so formal when you address Kazuha-chan like that," said Ran with a frown. "It's not as if you're strangers." Shinichi huffed, mildly irritable, as he turned and headed for the living room, Ran following behind him.

"Technically, we are strangers," he said glumly. "She's only met 'me' a few times, after all. Up until now I've only spoken to her as Conan, so I'm not exactly sure how to address her." Ran blinked a few times before snorting.

"I guess being little has done you some good, after all," she remarked at his confused expression. "You never considered stuff like that before, so you always came off as rude." Shinichi rolled his eyes.

"This situation doesn't count," he said coolly. "After only treating her as a 'neechan,' where exactly am I supposed to go from there? I don't think she'd particularly like a more familiar form of address."

His words were meant as a denial, but they only served to make Ran laugh harder, much to his bewilderment. Not that seeing her in a good mood was bad, per se, but…

"That right there!" she said with a knowing smile. "Before Tropical Land, you never would have been so considerate. You'd have called her however you liked regardless of how she felt about it." He opened his mouth to refute that, but promptly shut it again when he realized she was right.

"I-it's lunchtime!" he exclaimed loudly in a clumsy attempt to change the subject. "When are we eating? I'm starving!" He could hear Ran stifling a snicker behind him as he hurried to the kitchen.

He looked around as Ran came to a stop behind him, half expecting to see Subaru cooking something. Although it was Sunday, the man was nowhere to be found. Well, at the very least, Ran would be more comfortable without him around, but Shinichi just hoped he was laying as low as possible. After the Bourbon incident, he worried the agent would be caught if he went someplace other than here or the university. Not that Akai couldn't take care of himself, but all of that careful planning could potentially be wasted. Amuro proved that.

While Shinichi was busy with those thoughts, Ran side-stepped around him and checked the fridge and the pantry, frowning a little.

"… We have packaged curry and instant ramen," she said flatly. Shinichi blinked.

"Huh?"

"We were running a bit low on ingredients, and I'd planned on shopping for more sometime next week, but," she said with a bit of a sigh as she closed the pantry door, "we did have unexpected company, and Hattori-kun eats a lot more than I'd realized."

"In that case, we'll go with the Ramen, and then head to the market later this afternoon," said Shinichi rather dismissively. Ran's expression turned sheepish.

"Actually, could we go to the department store, instead?" she asked hesitantly. Shinichi blinked. While they could still get groceries from the department store, it was a little out of the way.

"I guess? Why?" he asked. She flushed and averted her gaze.

"I… I don't want to keep using the guest soap," she replied in a tiny voice. Shinichi blinked again, an amused laugh threatening to bubble out of his chest.

"What's wrong with the guest soap?"

"… I think you might be allergic to it…" came the unexpected reply.

"Are you sure?" he asked incredulously. She gave him a flat glare.

"Have you ever used the guest soap?" she asked.

"No, I haven't. Why are you only bringing this up now, though?"

"I wasn't entirely sure at first—mind you, I'm still not sure. The reaction's mild enough to dismiss a couple of times." She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "I just… don't really like being itchy all the time…" Her cheeks flushed lightly. Shinichi frowned despite his own warming cheeks.

"What kind of itchy?" he asked hesitantly. "More importantly, what kind of guest soap did my parents get? I didn't think I was allergic to anything…" He mumbled to himself, puzzling over what he could possibly have an allergy to. It was a nice distraction from everything that was going on lately, and he really didn't want Ran to be even more uncomfortable than she already was.

"I'm not sure what the brand is," admitted Ran as she followed him to the bathroom. "But it smells nice." Shinichi stifled a laugh, so it came out sounding like a snort.

"With my mom, it would have to smell nice," he said as they entered the room. "Where is it?"

Ran pointed to a block of soap that was rose pink in color, and Shinichi got closer to analyze it better. There were letters engraved in the bar, mostly worn away from use, but he could still make out what it said.

L'ESSENCE DE BEAUTÉ

"… Of course, she would buy French soap for our guests," he scoffed. He mussed his hair. "It's guest soap. It's not supposed to be that fancy!" Ran gave an almost apologetic smile.

"Isn't it okay? It makes the guests feel special," she said quietly.

"Or itchy," Shinichi pointed out. She flushed, and averted her gaze. He hid a smirk as he coughed into his fist.

"Anyway, I guess we're going to the department store after lunch," he said off-handedly as he walked back to the hall. Ran quickly ran to the kitchen ahead of him to pull out the cup ramen.

Instant ramen, huh? He thought idly. It's been a long time… I wonder if I haven't been spoiled by Ran's cooking…

While Shinichi wasn't a picky eater, living with Ran for so long made him acclimated to her cooking or eating out. The two weeks she'd gone missing, he'd eaten nothing but takeout—when he could eat through the anxiety, that is. When was the last time he'd even had instant food…?

He let out a laugh of disbelief. Why was he even thinking about this? It's not as if he was even going to pay attention to the taste.

It's another distraction, said a small voice in the back of his head that sounded disconcertingly like Haibara. You're latching on to anything that will take your mind off of this hopeless situation.

Of course, then he reprimanded himself for thinking things were hopeless. They weren't hopeless, just… they'd just hit a road block, that's all. Don't be pessimistic—that's Haibara's job.

By the time he settled his inner thoughts, he was surprised to find they'd already eaten and were headed out the door.

I guess it didn't matter, huh?

"Shinichi? Are you okay?" asked Ran, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You've been quiet for a long time—are you still thinking about the soap?"

The innocence of the question caught him off guard, so he let out a snort to hide his discomfort.

"Oh, that," he said, slipping on a mask of indifference. "I'm not sure it's an allergy—a lot of those expensive soaps use different perfumes that can act as an irritant to some people." Ran blinked a few times.

"And people still buy it?" she asked. He nodded.

"Essentially, they're just paying for a brand name to show off how much money they have, or pretend to have—no one buys Prada because it looks good."

"I'm pretty sure your mom's not like that."

"Maybe not in front of you, but she does do it… I'm not sure she even knows she's doing it, to be honest. In this case, though, I think that soap was probably a gift from a company she modeled for when she was in France, or she bought it because she's supporting the company. Knowing her, it's probably the second one."

Ran gave a thoughtful hum as they walked, having opted not to take a taxi. It was only a little farther than the market, and they could always just take one back if they ended up getting too much stuff.

As they walked, they properly caught up with each other—something they hadn't been able to do since Shinichi revealed his identity. Since Shinichi had been living with Ran as Conan, they didn't talk about life at home. Instead, Ran caught him up with everything that had happened at school before her disappearance. Who was dating who, who broke up with who, how well the soccer team was doing. Even though Shinichi wasn't actually on the team, he appreciated knowing anyway.

It was all trivial, everyday stuff he never really cared about or paid attention to before he was poisoned, but he'd eventually hear about it because Sonoko would come to gossip with Ran, and he'd always stuck close by Ran while pretending not to have feelings for her. He didn't realize how much he missed hearing this stuff.

And now that Shinichi could be truthful, he could talk about more than just the latest mystery book he'd read. He told her what it was like attending elementary school for a second time, and about the shenanigans the children in his class got up to. He told her about Kobayashi-sensei's obsession with Edogawa Ranpo, playfully ignoring when Ran made a jab at his own obsession with Sherlock Holmes.

It felt… nice. Normal. Or as normal as it could be given the circumstances. There was no pretense, no trying not to screw up and give himself away, no fake names. There was just them.

This was how it should have been. How it could have been if he'd told the truth that first day as Conan. How it would have been if he hadn't been shrunk in the first place. Just two teenagers being teenagers together. The nostalgia that hit him was painful, but he found he didn't much care. Right now, he was him and Ran was Ran, and that was all that mattered in that moment.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Scratching an Itch

"Why are you laughing, Haibara? It's not even that funny!"

"I'm sorry, but the great Kudo Shinichi, who's heavily influenced by his Gallicized mother, is allergic to French soap," wheezed Haibara. Shinichi scowled at her. Agasa was stifling his own giggles.

"You have to admit the irony there, Shinichi," he said through his laughter.

The trip to the department store hadn't taken very long. Ran had gone ahead by herself to get her own toiletries. Evidently, she already knew exactly what she'd wanted and was back too quickly for Shinichi to browse the bookstore next door. He didn't know what she'd bought, but it was probably the same stuff she used back home, so he didn't really think too much about it.

He'd followed almost aimlessly behind Ran as she picked out different foods from the grocer's downstairs, only bothering to give input when Ran asked a question about his preferences for the week. The whole experience was a bit surreal, as he'd had the same interactions with her as both Shinichi and Conan, and now he was still Shinichi, just… smaller, and Ran looked like him, but the interaction was still the same. He wasn't entirely sure if he should be glad of that or if it should bother him more.

After they'd gotten back, Shinichi had washed his hands with the offending soap to sate his curiosity. When nothing happened, he'd gone next door to tell the two scientists about it, but he hardly expected them to burst out laughing.

"Haibara be serious," he growled. He'd never expected to say that to her of all people. "I used the stuff on my hands, and I don't feel anything, so why does Ran?"

Haibara recovered so quickly it sent Agasa into another bout of laughter.

"She said the reaction was mild, didn't she?" she said, no trace of her laughing fit visible. "You're going to have to do more than wash your hands with it for a fair comparison." Shinichi rolled his eyes, but begrudgingly conceded.

I needed a bath, anyway, he thought sourly as he went back to his house. Ran had already put all the groceries away and was making dinner preparations. Evidently, what she had planned took several hours to cook. He rolled his eyes to hide how fond he was of the familiar scene, and made his way to the bathroom.

Normally, he bathed at night. In order to have time to observe this experiment's results, he didn't mind doing it earlier in the day. Three in the afternoon was a weird time to bathe, too, so with two other people in the house, he didn't need to wait or fight over who got to go first.

After laying out fresh clothes and a towel, he entered. The soap was there, in all its pale pink glory, waiting to be used. He sighed and started on his early shower. The soap, as he'd expected of the color, smelled like roses. He could just imagine his mom's grin as she talked to guests about Versailles or some other such nonsense.

With the shower over, and him dried and dressed, all that was left to do was wait. He remembered reading somewhere that allergies could sometimes take up to an hour to manifest symptoms, so he set that as the time frame.

An hour came and went, but aside from a slightly irritated nose (which he should have expected given its usual sensitivity), he didn't feel any different. He adjusted his clothes a few times, just to be sure moving didn't trigger it or anything. Nothing. He frowned.

Now thoroughly concerned, he didn't even take the time to go next door. He just whipped out his phone and called Haibara directly.

"Yes?" came the somewhat irritable voice on the other end.

"I did what you said and showered with the stuff," he said, not wasting any time with formalities. "I even waited an hour, just in case, but nothing happened. You said she's me genetically, so why does she itch, and I don't?"

There was a brief, stunned silence on the other end before the little scientist answered.

"… I'll look into it." Her tone was much more serious now. "In the meantime, keep an eye out for any other abnormal reactions." She hung up before he could respond. He sighed. Things just kept getting more and more confusing.

At 4:30 pm, he decided to head into the kitchen to see what would even take so long to cook, deciding to ignore the fact that he'd stared blankly at a wall for thirty minutes, definitely not stressed out at the situation.

"Still cooking?" he asked as he entered the kitchen. The aroma was absolutely divine, and he could actually taste it in the air as he opened his mouth. Against his will, his stomach loudly complained that he wasn't currently shoveling whatever the smell was into his gullet this very instant. He blushed.

"Just another thirty minutes," said Ran absently as she checked first the oven timer, and then the wall clock. "It will be ready just in time for dinner."

"What is it?"

"Dutch Oven Beef Stew," she replied, finally looking down at him. "I was originally going to try making it the day that I…" She cleared her throat. "A-anyway, because you seemed to like beef stew so much, I wanted to try out different recipes for it, and it was recommended by one of our teachers…"

It must be the recipe Sonoko mentioned the day after she disappeared, thought Shinichi, a blush creeping up his face at the thought that she'd done this for him, even if it was just for 'Conan' at the time.

"How'd you even remember it after all this time? You didn't have anything on you when you were… returned, and I highly doubt they'd have even given it back to you, considering you… well…" He trailed off.

"Oh, that... Most of the ingredients were similar, so I didn't really have to memorize anything. I vaguely remembered the instructions for it, and just… used that to do a reverse Glegle search. It popped up straight away." Her expression was sheepish, as if she expected Shinichi to laugh at her methods, but he just smiled.

"Well, if it tastes anywhere near as good as it smells, I'm sure it'll be amazing," he said just before his stomach growled again. He blushed, looking helplessly around the kitchen.

"Is there something I can do?" he asked uncertainly. Ran shook her head.

"No—the only thing left is to take out the plates, but…" She gave him an apologetic look.

"Right," he said as carefree as he could. The plates in question required Ran to stand on her toes to reach. Even with a stool, he was much too small to do that safely. He found himself cursing the house design even as he threw her a casual grin. To be completely fair, the house had been designed with adults in mind, and it's not as if anyone could have predicted and accounted for shrunken people when it was built. Or now, even.

It was even more humiliating when he thought back to the day he revealed himself to Ran. When he'd been instructed on how to properly make beef stew, he hadn't even questioned the dishes that were already laid out on the counter. Subaru had quietly taken that into account and prepared accordingly. He was just thankful the man didn't seem interested in teasing him about it the way Heiji or his own mother would have.

"I'll wait in the library, then," he said simply, and didn't wait for her reply before leaving.

There wasn't much he could do in the library except go over what he already knew, but it didn't hurt to look again now that he'd had a few hours away from it.

Shinichi sighed as he added Ran's supposed allergy in the margins of the notes he'd made yesterday. He needed to bring up the subject to Ran, it having slipped his mind in the kitchen when his stomach had basically taken over.

He spent the remainder of his waiting time absently staring at his notes and the reports, as if staring long enough would yield different results. Really, he needed Haibara's report to see if any of the variables changed. By the time Ran came to get him, he was more than glad to rest his brain for a while.

Shinichi had initially planned to bring up the soap issue while they ate, but the moment the stew entered his mouth, he realized this meal needed his full attention. He ate with unrestrained pleasure, which he was certain made Ran happy that her efforts paid off. Soon he was nursing his drink, trying to decide how to best start the conversation.

"I tried out the guest soap," he decided to say, hoping he sounded causal about it. Ran looked up from her glass, brows pinched together.

"… Why?"

"Well," he said, frowning up at the ceiling, "I was curious about how you described your reaction, and I thought that maybe I could pinpoint what was causing it, but…"

"But?"

"Well… It didn't do anything." He glanced back at her to gauge her reaction. She stared at him blankly, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she processed his words.

"… It didn't… You didn't have any kind of reaction at all?" She was thoroughly confused now, a frown marring her features.

"I told Haibara about it—she's looking into it right now," he said quietly. Ran sat back in her seat and squeezed her temples. "She also wanted to know if you had any kind of reaction to other things."

"None that I know of," she said wearily. "But then, I haven't really been looking for problems." She sighed. "Why is Ai-chan looking into it and not Professor Agasa?" She sounded a bit confused. He frowned.

"Why wouldn't she be?"

"Ah… it's because so far all of the testing has been done by the professor," she said. "Ai-chan wasn't ever in the room. Now that I think of it, I've only seen her maybe twice since this whole thing started." Shinichi's eye twitched when he realized why that was.

"Well, in answer to your question," he started, "Haibara is basically a geneticist. Agasa dabbles in a lot of different fields, but his primary focus is mechanical engineering. He can't really do much more than be an assistant right now."

"She's a geneticist?" asked Ran, awe lacing her voice.

"Or some kind of biologist. I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that she works within that area." She would have had to be well versed in that field in order to make the drug that shrunk them, taking into account that she hadn't actually been working on a poison. "She's our best hope of fixing this."

"You trust her a lot huh?" asked Ran. Shinichi barked out a cynical laugh. Ran's brows rose in surprise.

"I trust her to be cryptic," he said. "And I'm almost positive she's been withholding information, but considering her background and how terrified she is of those people, that's to be expected."

As they were talking, Shinichi's phone rang. He glanced at the screen.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered before answering. "Yes?"

"I have a plausible theory," came the blunt reply. "Get over here." She hung up. Shinichi chuckled humorlessly.

"I've been summoned," he said at Ran's perplexed look. "You might as well come, too, since this involves you."

"Did she ask for me…?"

"No, but she can't keep avoiding you, so come on." He didn't give Ran any time to question what he meant, because he immediately hopped off of his chair and headed for the door. The dishes could wait—it's not as if Ran would leave them overnight.

***

Haibara scowled at Shinichi, pointedly not looking in Ran's direction.

"Why did you bring her?" she seethed, though her anger was directed at him and not at Ran. Despite the tone, it was mostly heatless. Shinichi smiled innocently.

"You didn't say not to," he said simply. "And it does involve her, so what's the problem?"

"S-should I leave?" asked Ran, voice wavering uncertainly.

"No," said Shinichi, not taking his eyes off Haibara, who only huffed angrily in response. "I don't need to be the middleman for something like this."

Whether Haibara realized he wouldn't take no for an answer, or she couldn't be bothered to continue arguing, he didn't know. The only thing that mattered was that she relented much more quickly than he'd anticipated, which suited him just fine.

"Fine," she snapped irritably. Ran's brows pinched together in a small frown. Shinichi didn't think much about the expression—she'd been making similar faces ever since she came back.

"You said you had a theory," prompted Shinichi as he followed Haibara to the couch, Ran trailing behind them.

"Right," she said, all business now. Ran stilled beside Shinichi, probably surprised at the other girl's no-nonsense tone. Either that or she was trying to figure out why she never questioned the incredibly adult behavior before.

"I did some tests using the samples we collected so far," she said, reaching for a file folder that was sitting on the coffee table. "As far as I can tell, it's not an allergy."

"It's not?" asked Ran in surprise, eyebrows raised high.

"I'm ninety-eight percent certain you're just sensitive to the perfume they put in the soap."

"That had been my guess, too," said Shinichi. "That still doesn't explain why she's affected and I'm not." Haibara grimaced as she idly flipped through the file in her hands.

"There are too many variables to know for certain what's going on there," she said moodily. "For starters, you are already under the influence of the apotoxin—the variables are different in your case, so it's not as if I have access to a controlled experiment. It could be that your body reacts differently to things now than it did before, but we have no way of testing that.

"What's more likely, though—and this is the theory I find most believable—is that it's because Ran-san's skin is new," she said, scanning one of the documents in the folder.

"'New'…?" Ran looked curiously at her arm.

"'New'?" echoed Shinichi, tilting his head with a frown. Haibara nodded.

"Think about it," she said as she set the folder down and crossed her arms. "She obviously didn't switch bodies with you since you're right here." Shinichi nodded slowly. "But genetically, she is you. Whatever happened to her, her DNA was changed, so that surface skin isn't the same as before her kidnapping. It's really less than a month old."

"Would that really matter?" asked Shinichi. Haibara leveled a flat stare in his direction.

"It would," she said firmly, "given that she hasn't spent her whole life acclimating to the skin she has now. It's why babies need gentle soap. And I imagine that if we scrub you hard enough, you'd probably itch, too." She leaned back and cast a quick glance at Ran before continuing to talk to Shinichi.

"For now, just keep an eye on it. If she hasn't noticed a reaction to anything else, it could just be that she thinks it's from that soap."

"I'm changing soaps, though," said Ran quietly.

"Then you'll find out soon enough whether you react to other things, unless what you get is gentler or you've gotten past the 'getting used to it' phase." There was a finality to her tone that suggested she was finished talking. She gathered up the file and slid off the couch. Ran fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Um… Did I do something wrong?" she asked in a small voice. Haibara stilled and frowned at her, fully looking at her for the first time. Something Shinichi recognized as trepidation flashed behind her eyes for a moment.

"No," she said, tone clipped, before turning on her heel and disappearing into the downstairs lab. Shinichi sighed.

"Don't mind her too much," he said as Ran chewed nervously at her bottom lip. "She's like that with most people, and…" He stopped, wondering if it was okay to say.

"And…?" She asked. He sighed again, resolved.

"And I think… you remind her of her sister, so she's afraid to get close to you." He wasn't completely certain, but a lot of things would make sense if that was the case. Ran's expression immediately softened, sympathetic and melancholy.

"Come on," he said with a stretch. "Just do what she says and watch for other reactions. I need to get my stuff together for school tomorrow." He didn't, but the less Ran dwelled on Haibara the better.

Ran nodded and, after a final glance at the door Haibara had gone through, followed Shinichi back to his house. They were surprised to find Subaru in the dining room, eating some of Ran's oven stew.

"Where have you been?" asked Shinichi. The man had been completely out of sight for most of the weekend.

"I had to attend an important meeting," he said simply, eating another spoonful of stew with clear delight. "Don't worry about the dishes, Ran-san—I'll take care of them when I'm done eating. The stew is exceptional, by the way."

"Thanks," said Ran a bit awkwardly. "A meeting, like an assembly? The university does stuff like that on Sundays? That must be tough."

The cryptic smile Subaru gave her was more than enough to tell Shinichi that the meeting was with other FBI agents. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He turned to look up at Ran.

"You go on up," he said quietly." I need to check something first." She glanced down at him, brows pinching together slightly, but nodded and hurried out of the room after bidding Subaru a good night.

"I make her uncomfortable," the man observed with a small chuckle. He turned his attention to Shinichi, eyes glinting with curiosity. "What can I do for you?" As expected, he'd already guessed Shinichi wanted to speak with him.

"I need you to look into something for me."

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: A Grin Without a Cat

It took a while for Shinichi to explain to Subaru what he needed. He didn't want too many people in on this, but since the man already knew who Ran was, he decided to press his luck. If he could utilize the FBI to find out what he wanted to know, it would ensure unnecessary persons wouldn't get involved. In theory, at least.

"I just need to ascertain how widespread this is," he'd said when the agent gave him a hard, perplexed look. "If this is happening outside of Japan, we'll need a lot more help than just two detectives and a scientist to figure out how to fix it."

Subaru was slow to agree, but after seeing Shinichi's notes, he decided it would be worth at least looking into. He couldn't promise accurate results, since America was many, many times larger than Japan, and people went missing all the time, but he could find out discretely (as per Shinichi's request).

He also couldn't promise to do anything about it, whatever the result ended up being, since he was technically on a different job, but he at least acquiesced to help when he could. Shinichi couldn't have asked for more if he'd wanted—it was more than enough for now.

With that taken care of, Shinichi went upstairs to his room feeling like a weight had been lifted. Subaru—or rather, Akai—was even less trusting than Haibara was, so he definitely wouldn't give out too many details to others, even his own people. He'd tell them just enough to get the right information, and since he was pretty highly respected, they wouldn't ask too many questions. It wasn't a perfect plan, but at least this way, his father wouldn't find out what was up.

Once in his room, he looked towards his backpack and sighed. He thought this every week, but he really didn't want to go to elementary school. Especially now, since it wasn't just him with an issue anymore. Going to school took away from time that could potentially be used to research and look for clues.

It's gonna be a long week, he thought wearily as he carelessly stuffed what he needed for Monday into the bag. Even if he forgot to bring something, he was more than smart enough to get by for a day or two. Or even the whole week, but he knew from experience that Kobayashi-sensei wouldn't excuse him not having the right books for that many days in a row.

And then there were the children. He pinched the bridge of his nose. They were going to demand to know what "Shinichi" thought of their reports, followed by asking him what he wanted them to do next. He could do the former easily enough—he was Shinichi, and the reports were helpful—but for the latter…. He couldn't in good conscience involve them anymore, and no matter what excuse he gave, they would be disappointed, which wouldn't be an issue if he knew they weren't going to be vocal about it. Guaranteed, the whole school would hear about it by the end of the day.

Haibara would be there to help diffuse the situation, he reminded himself. For some reason he couldn't fathom, they usually listened to her. He squeezed his eyes shut and clicked his tongue. He was too tired to think about this. He'd face whatever tomorrow threw at him the same way he always did: one step at a time.

The next day was just as he'd expected; the moment the children arrived at the professor's house, they bombarded Shinichi with questions and demanded to know what they would do next.

"Ah, well he said you did great work yesterday—you were very helpful," he said, and the children preened. "As for what's next… He didn't say anything, so I guess we're done for now?" He tried to sound unsure, so that they wouldn't be too upset. Their grins immediately dropped.

"Conan-kun," said Mitsuhiko, eyes narrowed, "you're not lying just so you can get all the fun for yourself, are you?" The other two frowned at him, immediately latching onto Mitsuhiko's accusation. Shinichi scowled.

"Of course not!" he said, just barely keeping his voice level. He was going to follow up with the fact that it wasn't "fun," but serious detective work, but stopped himself. They would probably take it to mean they were right about him lying, so he held his tongue.

"Really?" asked Mitsuhiko, a dissatisfied frown on his face. Haibara cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention away from Shinichi.

"I'm sure if that guy has any more work he needs your help with, you'll be the first to know" she said as she pulled her backpack on. "But guaranteed, if you keep accusing Edogawa-kun of keeping things to himself, he won't want to include you if his niichan does need your help again."

The children wilted at her words, and gave Shinichi reluctant apologies. Genta and Mitsuhiko still looked at him suspiciously, but Ayumi was quick to move them along towards the door, telling them that she knew Conan-kun wouldn't hide it from them if someone else requested help from all of them.

"Think about positive things," she said in a bright voice as they all headed out the door. "Like, maybe we'll have a request after school." This put them all in a better mood, their ire at Shinichi forgotten. He sighed as he trudged after them.

"You know they wouldn't have that opinion of you if you didn't constantly trick them so you could do things yourself," said Haibara quietly as she fell into step beside him.

"I only do it to try and keep them out of trouble," he complained, mussing his hair. "They don't seem to care that they could be seriously hurt, or worse."

"That's because they're children," she said simply. "From what little I've heard about your childhood, you were just as reckless. You still are, actually."

"Yeah, yeah." The rest of the walk to school was quiet, or as quiet as it could be with three energetic seven-year-olds chattering away about this or that.

School was much the same as it always was, so Shinichi didn't have any trouble tuning everything out in favor of puzzling out "Ran's Case," as he'd taken to think of it as. He hadn't brought his notes or the kids' reports—the children were too perceptive to not notice their own handiwork. So, he went through everything in his head repeatedly, while absently doing the worksheets assigned that day.

As the school day came to a close, Shinichi came to one bitter conclusion: as long as Ran couldn't remember anything about the place she'd been held, they probably wouldn't get any real answers or insight into what had been done.

His dissatisfaction must have shown on his face, since Ayumi asked him if he was feeling sick.

"Just a little," he admitted, though it wasn't the kind of ill she was thinking about.

"I eat eel soup when I'm sick," said Genta authoritatively. Mitsuhiko snorted.

"You'd eat that even if you weren't sick," he scoffed. Genta grinned.

"So? Good food makes everything better."

"If you don't feel good, maybe you should go home and rest," said Ayumi, brows creased with worry. "Otherwise, it might turn serious."

"EEEH?! But we were gonna play soccer today!" groused Mitsuhiko.

"We can still play soccer," said Haibara. "It might even be more fun since Edogawa-kun won't be there to win no matter what we try."

"Yeah," said Genta, thumping Mitsuhiko on the back. "Last time it was four-to-one, and he still beat us, remember?" The freckled boy scowled at the memory and nodded vigorously. Haibara hid a smirk.

"It's settled then. Edogawa-kun will go home and rest, while the four of us engage in a nice, fun, fair game of soccer."

"But—" started Ayumi, clearly upset that Shinichi would essentially be "left out," even if she was the first one to suggest he go home.

"Think of it this way," said Haibara as she gently steered Ayumi away from Shinichi. "We're training to go up against Edogawa-kun. Maybe we'll even beat him next time."

Fat chance of that, thought Shinichi as he suppressed a smirk. But playing without me for a change may be good for their self-esteems.

Ayumi shot him an apologetic glance before ultimately agreeing with Haibara. The other two boys bid him goodbye while wearing conspiratorial grins. Haibara didn't even spare him a glance. He was probably going to break bank just to thank her for all the times she'd covered for him recently.

He watched them go before setting off for home himself, content in the knowledge that Haibara would keep them out of trouble.

As he walked, he tried to think of ways to get Ran to remember anything about those two missing weeks. He didn't want to force it, but since she was the only one who even knew she was someone else before, she was the best bet on getting any information at all.

They could try hypnosis, but that sort of thing never worked on Shinichi, and even as trusting as Ran was, it never worked on her before her disappearance, either. He frowned up at the blue sky.

Well, it's at least worth looking into—that's the easiest way I can think of… His frown deepened. But if it works and she reacts the same way she did in the alley, it might not be worth it.

He sighed again. He wasn't a psychologist, so he'd have to do a little more research to see if there was another way to retrieve those memories.

He worried about the subject so much that by the time he got home, he really did feel sick.

His head burned as he shucked off his shoes. There were too many things to think about, too many questions without answers, and too many things he wasn't capable of doing. He squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his temples, took in a deep breath to compose himself, and headed for the stairs so he could drop his kiddie backpack in his room.

As he shrugged off his backpack, he felt a faint, yet familiar prickle of eyes being trained on him. He frowned and glanced at the doorway, expecting to see either Ran or Subaru—or maybe even Agasa—but was met with an empty hallway. Eyes narrowing, he turned to the window and quickly strode over, ripping the curtains open.

The only thing he accomplished was startling a bird off of the windowsill.

He stared intently out the window, scanning every inch of space he could see, but the feeling was already gone. Then he remembered the bird, and tried to find it, but it was gone as well.

I can't be that high-strung, right? he thought with a small chuckle. To be jumpy at a curious bird… He hadn't even seen what kind of bird it was, but since he'd gotten a face full of gray-brown feathers, it was probably just one of the many common birds in the area. He shook his head and closed the curtains again.

A small break from thinking might do him some good. He rubbed at his temples again as he made his way back downstairs. He found himself automatically heading for the living room, where he stopped and glanced at the wall clock. A new Detective Samonji episode would be airing soon, and he found himself longing for the simplicity televised mysteries often brought.

Just for a bit, he vowed to himself. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty that he wasn't going over the reports again. Worse still, he knew Ran wouldn't mind—she'd even encourage him to take a break, and somehow that just made him feel even more guilty.

It was that thought that changed his mind. He gave a wistful look towards the television before going back to the library. He reasoned that since he had a small headache anyway, it was better not to look at the LED screen. And as he sat down and began rifling through his notes, his guilt dissipated, solidifying in his mind that this was the right decision.

His headache got worse as he poured over his notes for the hundredth time, desperately searching for something, anything, that would help make sense of everything. By the time Ran dragged him to the dining room, it had become a full-blown migraine.

Dinner was leftover stew. Just like Ran's other cooking ventures, it was just as good the day after as it was before. Subaru wasn't there, but that was hardly surprising: that guy came and went as he pleased.

"Shinichi?" Ran's voice was quiet.

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright? You look a little pale…"

"I'm fine," he mumbled, waving her off. "Just a little headache." He sipped his water. "Nothing hydration can't fix." If it persisted, he could always take some pain killers, but he didn't think it would come to that.

Despite his reassurances, Ran still made sure he drank all the water in his glass.

***

Shinichi groaned, squinting against the painful light streaming through the window. His head throbbed as he tried to sit up, blankets falling into his lap. He didn't remember going to sleep last night. In fact, he didn't even remember going to his room. There was movement beside him, the quiet sound grating against his ears.

"You're up," came Ran's dangerously soft voice. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. They felt a little swollen. He frowned.

"… Ran…?" He turned to squint at the owner of the voice. Ran was seated in a chair pulled up next to the bed, giving him a stern, disapproving expression usually reserved for when her father did something stupid. "What happened?"

"You passed out at your dad's desk," she huffed.

Passed out…? He glanced at the light coming through the window. Well, that would explain a few things… He sighed.

"Sorry for worrying you," he said as he grabbed the blanket, starting to pull it off. He blinked when Ran grabbed his wrist, his brows raising high.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" He recognized that tone. She wasn't angry, but she would be if he wasn't careful.

"Going to school," he said slowly. He glanced at the clock and grimaced. "If I leave now, I can still make it before third period." Ran closed her eyes and sat back in the chair, taking in a long, drawn-out breath.

"No," she said shortly as she frowned down at him. Shinichi blinked again.

"Ran—"

"No," she said again. "You're on bed rest." He gaped at her.

"I need to maintain my cover."

"You are maintaining your cover." He wasn't getting anywhere like this.

"Ran, do you know how weird it is for a little kid to not go to school?" he asked as he massaged his throbbing temples. "I let you get away with it before because you didn't know about my situation, but it will look too suspicious if I don't go." Ran stared at him, a stern, contemplative look on her face. Just when he thought she'd give in, though, she retaliated.

"And this is how I know you're not well enough to go to school." He opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. "Shinichi, did you never once stop to think that a sick kid going to school looks even more suspicious than a sick kid staying home?" He snapped his mouth shut and stared down at his hands, clenching them around the blanket. Ran's expression softened.

"Look," she said gently, placing a warm hand on his shoulder, "I know you want to help me, and I'm very thankful for that, but…" She lightly squeezed his shoulder. "I don't want that help to come at the expense of your health."

"It's just a cold," he grumbled. She sighed.

"A cold that came from pushing yourself too hard," she admonished. He scowled, but before he could protest, she continued. "Ai-chan came over earlier this morning, since you didn't show up when you usually do, and you didn't answer your phone."

Shinichi's mouth clicked shut again. She didn't need to continue—he could easily guess what Haibara had to say once Ran told her what happened last night. He groaned as his head gave a particularly painful throb, and he buried his face in his hands.

Ran's hand left his shoulder, taking the warmth of its presence with it. He opened his eyes only to find her outstretched hands in front of him: one with a glass of water, one with a tablet that looked suspiciously like a painkiller. He stared for a moment, his mind slower to work than usual. When it clicked, he flushed with embarrassment as he grudgingly took the items from her.

"Try to get some more sleep, even if it's just for an hour," she said softly. He nodded as he took the medicine, chasing it down with the water. She stood up.

"I want you to promise that, unless you get some new information, you won't try to go back over my case for the rest of the week."

"But—"

"Please? It's the only way I can think of to keep you from doing this to yourself again." She searched his eyes expectantly, and any argument he had died down, shoulders sagging as he deflated.

"Fine," he grumbled as he flopped back onto the pillow. His head still hurt, so he closed his eyes. "But if I get new info before the week is up, the deal's off."

"Of course." He could almost hear her smiling. "Then, I'll let you rest." He suppressed a snort and listened to her footsteps as she headed out of the room. She paused in the doorway. He cracked an eye open—she was peering into the hall.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said slowly, a confused frown on her face. "I thought…" She shook her head. "Nothing. Just my imagination." She gave him a small smile and stepped fully out of the room, carefully closing the door behind her. If Shinichi had been in possession of all his faculties, he might have found her behavior strange. As it was, he was too tired to care much, and easily drifted off to sleep once more.

***

He hated to admit it, but he already felt better the next day. He was still a bit dazed, of course, but the lack of a migraine was worlds better than before.

Ran kept a close eye on Shinichi for the rest of the week, as did the Detective Boys (or rather, Ayumi kept an eye on him because she was worried about his health and the boys kept an eye on him because they thought he might make a move on Ayumi). It was heartwarming in an annoying sort of way.

Throughout the week, since he wasn't using his brain like he normally would have, he became increasingly desperate for some sort of stimulus. It was most likely due to that, that he became incredibly sensitive to a foreign stare directed at him. It only ever happened around his house, and it wasn't just him; he'd noticed Ran had been nervously looking around sometimes, as well.

Someone was watching them.

It wasn't until Friday night that the owner of the suspicious gazes revealed themselves. As Ran and Shinichi were finishing up a (rather boring, in Shinichi's opinion) movie, the power in the house went out. He looked out the window—Agasa's lights were still on, so unless the man had somehow started up his generator immediately after the outage, it was just them. An amused chuckle rode into the room on the moonlight that streamed in from the window.

"Well, well, well," came a strikingly familiar voice. "Color me surprised."

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Unlikely Alliance

At the unexpected voice, Ran let out a small gasp and leapt off the couch to stand behind Shinichi. He looked back at the window. Despite nothing having been there just moments ago, a striking figure now stood, silhouetted against the moonlight. The white of the man's suit glowed around the edges where the light caught it from behind. A glint near the face signified the wide, cat-like grin being directed at them.

The entire scene was quite picturesque. Shinichi scowled.

"What are you doing here?" he gruffed. Ran shuffled nervously on her feet behind him. The figure gracefully moved from the window so that the backlight no longer obscured his features. Not that anyone had been left wondering—there was only one person this could be, after all.

"Now, now, tantei-kun," said Kaitou Kid lightly. "There's no need to be hostile. I just came to see your new houseguest." Ran froze in place as his gaze trained intensely on her. Shinichi's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you really here?" he asked, not bothering to give any free information. The thief grinned like he'd won something, and Shinichi realized too late that he hadn't denied Ran was his houseguest. This was the Kudo estate, so technically Conan would be the one visiting. He tried not to let that realization show. If anything, this only confirmed that Kid already knew who he was. A serious mask immediately slid over the thief's face.

"… I was… ah… casing an area when I happened to see you snooping around with your new friend," he said, carefully choosing his words as a curious gaze landed on Ran. Shinichi also glanced up at her. She was rooted to the spot, eyes almost comically wide in a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. The last time she'd left the house for an extended period of time was…

He suppressed an irritated groan as things clicked. The person watching Ran in Ekoda must have been Kid. If he had secretly known about Shinichi's identity (all signs pointed to that being the case), it would only make sense that he'd be confused and curious about someone who looked like Shinichi accompanying… Shinichi. And then, like a creep, decided to spy on them for a week. Assuming that was him. Shinichi clicked his tongue.

"If you were the one watching us all week, you already know who this is," he said in a flat tone. He wasn't even going to try to hide this, but his pride also wouldn't allow him to show his hand first.

"You're no fun," pouted Kid, but the grin was back. Ran continued fidgeting behind Shinichi. Kid snapped his fingers and a rose appeared in his hand. He tossed it in the air and it disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke, miraculously reappearing behind Ran's ear. She jumped slightly, and looked down at Shinichi, worried and unsure. The sleuth rolled his eyes, and she relaxed a little.

"If you're not here to talk, then get out," he spat. "Or else, turn the lights back on and get out of that eyesore you call a suit before it draws the neighbors' attention." Kid clicked his tongue a few times.

"Temper, temper," he said lightly, but the lights came on with another snap of his fingers. Shinichi and Ran both blinked away the discomfort, and by the time their eyes adjusted to the light, Kid was in an inconspicuous black outfit, a cap pulled low over his face.

"I didn't come to pick a fight, honest," he said, lifting his hands placatingly. Shinichi's eyes narrowed as he scanned the man before them suspiciously. He couldn't find any hidden tricks, but that didn't mean anything where Kid was concerned. He relaxed only a little, but left his guard up.

"Just my luck Subaru's out," he grumbled. Kid laughed.

"Luck had nothing to do with it, tantei-kun," he said. "Now, suppose we talk about why your missing princess is masquerading as you? I'm dying to know."

"Why?"

"Because I'm curious," he said, gaze snapping back to Ran, who hadn't moved since the rose appeared. Shinichi could see a few drops of sweat beading along her temples, and saw the corner of her mouth twitch uncomfortably. Kid stared hard at her for a few more moments, studying her. Then, his expression softened. "And I might be of some help."

"… A thief willingly offering to help a detective?" Shinichi asked, voice laced with skepticism. "What makes you think I won't catch you right now?"

"Because you haven't, yet." His grin was smug. "And because you enjoy the chase." Shinichi glowered at him, but couldn't exactly refute his words. Instead of answering, though, he only glanced back up at Ran and nudged her a bit, snapping her out of whatever thoughts kept her frozen to the spot.

She jumped and blinked down at him. He jerked his head to the door. Her gaze nervously flicked between him and the thief for a moment before she finally moved again.

"W-w-would you like some tea…?" she squeaked out. Kid shrugged. Perhaps sensing her discomfort, his grin was a bit less predatory.

"Sure, why not?" He gave an over-the-top bow. "Thank you, miss."

Ran suppressed a grimace and hurried out of the room, escaping into the kitchen. Shinichi sighed.

"How much do you know?" he asked in a resigned tone.

"Only that she is your princess," said Kid, tone more serious than Shinichi'd ever heard it. "She's not wearing a disguise, is she?"

Shinichi wearily sank back onto the couch and nodded.

"Care to explain?" His tone was light, but careful. Shinichi glanced up at him, but couldn't read Kid's expression, as most of his face was kept hidden.

"… I wish I could," he said darkly, staring at the door Ran disappeared into. "But… If I tell you what we know, I need you to do something for me." This encounter might turn things around, he decided. Kid hummed thoughtfully.

"That would depend on what you want me to do, wouldn't it?" he said, tilting his head with a dry smile. Shinichi found himself grimly chuckling.

"I think you might actually get a kick out of it," he said, and Kid's smile morphed into a grin that bordered on downright wicked.

***

Shinichi explained the situation first, since his request would make more sense to the thief if he knew exactly why he needed what he needed. He grudgingly admitted to himself that it was nice to have your informants well informed—a luxury he hadn't been able to indulge in with Takagi and the children.

Kaitou Kid's expression never changed throughout the whole explanation, gaze sharp and attentive. Despite the poker face, the atmosphere was grim. Ran came in with freshly made tea right after Shinichi's brief exposition, and after thoughtfully regarding her for a moment, Kid gratefully accepted the refreshment.

"So," he said, leaning back with the cup after an appreciative sip, "what does my cute little tantei-kun need from me?"

"I'm not cute and I'm not yours," growled Shinichi. He opted not to dwell on how cutesy he tended to make some of Conan's interactions. "Don't act like you didn't offer your help first." Kid smirked.

"But teasing you is so much fun!" He took another sip of tea and placed the cup on the coffee table. "I never said I wouldn't help. Besides, what kind of gentleman would I be if I ignored a princess in distress?" Ran flushed and stared intently down at the hands in her lap.

"I didn't know teasing was acceptable behavior for a gentleman," said Shinichi with a scoff.

"It is if they're of the phantom thief variety," said Kid, grinning wider. "As long as it's in good taste, I see no reason not to have a little fun."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. It was a very Kid thing to say, but it was hardly the time or place for his mischief. He opened his mouth, about to attempt to get the conversation back on track, when the thief's gaze shifted, along with his attention.

"Before we get down to business, it appears your princess has a request," he said, voice surprisingly soft. Shinichi blinked and looked up at Ran, who was nervously wringing her hands in her lap, eyes darting from the table to Kid. She flinched at the attention, and bit her lip. Kid waited patiently for her to speak, as did Shinichi, curious to know what she could possibly want from the thief.

"I just—I mean… I-I thought that maybe, s-since you're a master of disguise, that…" She clenched her hands into fists on her lap, looking up at Kid with a hopeful expression. "M-maybe… y-you could make me look like… me…?"

Shinichi blinked in surprise. He hadn't thought of that. It was by no means a perfect solution, and it wouldn't fix the problems at hand, but it might help to ease some of the tense atmosphere. Kid regarded her with an unreadable expression for a few moments before answering.

"I'm afraid not," he said, tone carefully neutral. Ran stood up from her seat, a desperate look on her face.

"B-but—!"

"I'm a magician, not a wizard; even if I had the right materials with me, I wouldn't be able to give you what you want," he said. Ran looked dejectedly at the floor.

"I… I see… Forgive me, it was a selfish thing to ask." She turned towards the door.

"Ran," Shinichi called after her, but she just walked out of the room, shoulders slumped. He glared at the thief.

"What was that about? I've seen you easily put disguises on others just to shake things up! Did you really have to be so cruel?!"

"Cruel?" said Kid in a low voice, leaning back. "If I wanted to be cruel, I would have agreed to do it."

"… What do you mean?"

"Do you know why my disguises are perfect, tantei-kun?" Shinichi frowned at the non-sequitur and shook his head. "It's because I'm the one underneath."

"Isn't that a bit conceited, even for—" Kid raised a hand to stop Shinichi before turning his full attention on the shrunken teen. The intense seriousness of his expression sent chills down Shinichi's spine.

"Hear me out, first. Let's say I did make up your princess to look the way she's supposed to look. And let's say your professor rigs up a hands-free voice changer. What do you think would happen?" At Shinichi's wordless stare, he continued. "Definitely, she'd be happy at first, and she might even feel relatively normal. But after a while, something else will happen." He leaned back again and glanced at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts.

"The problem lies in the fact that she isn't asking for a disguise. I'm not making her look like someone else, I'm making her look like her. No matter how good the mask is, it's not perfect, and eventually, she'll notice that.

"The costume is only half of the disguise, tantei-kun. The part that really sells it is the performance that's given. She won't be performing, so she'll only notice the discrepancies of the costume.

"But let's say none of that is an issue. Let's pretend for a moment that the costume by itself is perfect in every detail, down to the smallest scratch." Here, Kid's demeanor changed, something dark flitting behind his gaze. "Once more, it's still just a costume, and must be taken off at the end of the day." He looked gravely at Shinichi, the air seeming to chill around them. "How do you think she'll react to having to take off her own face every day, only to reveal someone else's underneath?"

Shinichi felt sick, and his mouth was suddenly too dry. He sipped his tea to wet it before speaking.

"A-are you—" His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "Has this… happened before…?" Kid didn't answer, only giving a cryptic smile before his demeanor changed again, demolishing the oppressive atmosphere.

"So, meitantei; what is it you need me to do?" he asked brightly, flashing his trademark grin. Shinichi was certain he'd have whiplash before the night was through. He shook his head to recollect his thoughts.

"I…" He licked his dry lips. "Right. I need you to get information from the police." Kid blinked a few times.

"Is that all? Don't get me wrong; I absolutely love the idea that a detective wants me to acquire police records, but that's something you can do yourself, isn't it?"

"If I could, I wouldn't be asking you," Shinichi snapped. "You already know what I need—I've already taken care of all the cases here in Tokyo, and Hattori's checking out the ones in Osaka. There are a few places I might be able to get the information from, if I use the name of Sleeping Kogoro, but…" He frowned. "That runs the risk of the man himself finding out."

"And the added risk of your perpetrators finding out someone's digging," Kid supplied. Shinichi's shoulders slumped slightly despite his best efforts to appear in control.

"Yeah."

"Well," said Kid as he stood up, "since I can't leave a lady in need, I will officially offer my services." He touched the brim of his cap, and despite being in casual dress, he somehow still looked classy. "I have one condition."

Shinichi straightened his posture, looking curiously at the thief.

"Don't come to my next few heists."

"… Why?" asked Shinichi, completely taken aback. He'd expected a harder request. "I thought you enjoyed the challenge." Kid grinned, but it looked a little strained to him.

"As fun as it is to have to push my abilities to the limit, I really can't afford to be distracted right now." Something about the way he said that didn't ring quite true to Shinichi, but he elected not to comment on it.

"If that's all you want for your help," he said slowly, "then I really don't have a choice. Just don't mention this to anyone, even if it's for teasing Nakamori-keibu."

"Of course not!" Kid's tone was light again, imitating offense at Shinichi's words. "Now, I think you'll find your princess is in need of some comfort, so I will take my leave." And just as Shinichi blinked, the thief was gone, no trace of him ever having been there besides an empty teacup he was sure was free of fingerprints.

He huffed irritably, not even bothering to look for the vanished thief—he wouldn't find him, anyway. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of Kid's request, but consoled himself with the fact that if anyone could discreetly get police records, it was Kaitou Kid. As he turned to go find Ran, his phone rang.

"Hello?" he said, not looking at the caller ID.

"What the hell, Kudo?!"

"… Hattori?"

"Were you takin' a dump or somethin'? I've been tryin' to call ya for the last thirty minutes!" Shinichi pulled his phone away to look at the list of recent calls, before realizing this was probably Kid's doing. He glared at the spot the pest had been standing, and growled at the empty air.

"Jerk!"

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Lingering Feelings

"… So yer trusting a thief…?"

After calming down and assuring Heiji that he hadn't been ignoring his calls, Shinichi explained what happened. Heiji was far from impressed.

"He offered his help," Shinichi said simply. "It's not as if he's going to go around telling people about it. And it's the best way to get police records from all over Japan rather than one or two places." A chuckle crackled through the receiver.

"Yer walkin' a fine line, Kudo."

"I've been walking that line since I was poisoned," he pointed out. For someone so intent on finding and revealing the truth, he'd surrounded himself in a massive web of lies. "Besides, no one's getting hurt, and we're not stealing or falsifying records. I need information as quickly and discretely as possible, and that opportunity just falls in my lap? I'm not passing that up." Heiji laughed.

"I was just makin' an observation—didn't mean to sound like I was accusin' ya. Come to think of it, I've been walkin' that line a lot since meetin' ya." Shinichi smirked at that. "Anyway, that's not why I called." Shinichi straightened up.

"Did you find anything?"

"Just more of the same," he admitted. "Well, outta the ones I could get."

"'The ones you could get'? What does that mean?"

"Three of 'em died," came the solemn answer. "One had a heart attack at thirty." Shinichi's brows shot up, surprised. "One had an aneurysm. The last one," said Heiji, voice taking up a harder tone, "committed suicide."

"Suicide?" said Shinichi, more alert now.

"Yeah. An' get this; she had no previous history of mental illness or depression. She had a stable job, a steady income, and everythin' at home was just peachy, even accordin' to the neighbors."

"That's… very strange," said Shinichi slowly. "So why did she kill herself?" Heiji hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, usually in cases like this, there may have been an undiagnosed issue, but… it's unlikely family an' best friends wouldn't notice something, even if she never said anythin' outright…"

"And you questioned her friends as well?"

"Of course! And everyone said she was fine before she disappeared."

"Only before?" asked Shinichi. "I take it she wasn't fine after?"

"Mmm… She was more or less the same, but her best friend said she started complainin' about some weird dreams," said Heiji. Shinichi frowned.

"Weird dreams…" he repeated slowly, vaguely remembering the old man in Ekoda's neighbor saying something similar.

"Yeah. Is that important?" asked Heiji, hearing the uncertainty in Shinichi's tone.

"I'm not sure. It might be. Did you find out what the dreams were?"

"No, I didn't—an' she didn't tell her friend what they were, either. Why?"

"…I'm not sure. It could be nothing," said Shinichi, glancing at the door Ran had left through. "They all had the same burn mark, too?"

"Yup. The same size, in the same place. There's definitely somethin' about that, but I haven't figured out what."

"Me neither," sighed Shinichi. He glanced at the door again. "I have to go—can you email me what you've got?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah," said Heiji. Usually, he'd make some remark about Shinichi hanging up on him, but he must have heard something in his voice because he let it go without a fuss. "I'll see about gettin' a list fer the rest of Kansai, 'kay? Unless yer thief gets there first." He hung up. Shinichi snorted.

Jealous much? he thought with no small amount of amusement. His smile faded, though, as he remembered Ran's dejected attitude, and he left the room to search for her.

Thankfully, he didn't have to search for too long, since she'd only gone back to her room. She was seated at the small desk in the corner (something his parents had installed in all of the bedrooms for some unknown reason), slumped over it, her face hidden in her arms. He regarded her sadly for a moment before knocking on the door frame. She tensed, but otherwise gave no indication of having heard him. He sighed.

"Ran," he called softly as he stepped into the room. She responded only by tightening her arms around her head. Her breath hitched with stifled sobs. He moved to stand beside her and hesitantly lifted a hand to her back, gently rubbing in small, rhythmic circles.

"I just… wanted to be me," came a small, shaky whisper.

"I know," said Shinichi, voice soft. He closed his eyes and focused on the slow movement of his hand on her trembling back, choosing his next words carefully and purposefully. "But you are still you." She peeked out of her arms at that.

"But I—" She swallowed and hid her head again.

"What's your name?" asked Shinichi, deciding to drill some logic into her.

"Huh?"

"Your name," he prompted. "What is it?"

"… Mouri… Ran…" she said slowly.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She lifted her head, sitting up, and looked down at him with a confused frown.

"Of course!" she said instantly. "Since that's my name." He pointed at her.

"You can say that because you are Mouri Ran," he said. "And as long as you know that is your name, you are still Mouri Ran." Ran blinked down at him, stunned, before her shoulders slumped a bit.

"But," she said again, gaze training on her hands, "still…" Shinichi also looked at her hands—hands that belonged to him, or should have, if it weren't for the poison. He looked at his own, much smaller hands.

"I know it's hard," he said, balling those tiny hands into fists. "I know that more than anyone." He looked back up. Ran refused to meet his gaze, fresh tears bubbling over. "But we can't ever lose sight of who we really are, even if we look different on the outside." He leaned forward and gave her hand a light squeeze. "I'm not asking you to be okay. You don't have to always be okay." Ran finally looked at him "You just have to remember that you're not alone." He squeezed her hand again. "Alright?"

Ran's chin quivered, and more tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared down at Shinichi. For the second time, she slipped off the chair onto her knees, and flung her arms around him, holding onto him like a lifeline. Unlike last time, she buried her face into his tiny shoulder as best she could, and the dam broke. Her whole body shook with unrestrained sobs, and he could do nothing but rub her back with a sad calm he barely felt.

It was more than a little unnerving, hearing his own voice weeping like that. Even with the Shiragami case, he only got to see his face in tears. This was so much worse. He closed his eyes and forced himself not to think about it.

Ran continued to weep onto his shoulder until well after midnight, when she was too tired to continue. Shinichi somehow managed to guide her into the bed, where she collapsed almost immediately. Carefully, he tucked the blanket around her. He left for the kitchen and returned with a glass of water which he left on the bedside table. He switched off the light and took one last look at her before retiring to his own room for the night, heart heavy.

His last thought before drifting off into a fitful sleep was that he was glad tomorrow was Saturday, since he didn't need to wake up early.

***

Shinichi woke up late the next morning, head aching and feeling like it had been stuffed with cotton. His night, as he probably should have expected, had been filled with nightmares about wandering into the bathroom, only to find Ran's body lying in a pool of blood, a knife held loosely in her lifeless hand.

He shivered as he tried not to remember the image of what had been left of her face.

"Damned thief," he growled as he climbed out of bed. He hadn't actually said anything explicitly, but the implications of yesterday's conversation plagued Shinichi all night.

The smell of food drifting up from downstairs made his stomach turn at the memory of the dream. He swallowed down the desire to gag, reminding himself that the smell of food from downstairs meant that Ran was alive and well. It was just a stupid dream.

He shook his head to clear it, wincing at the twinge in his brain from the movement. The smell of fresh coffee alleviated the ache somewhat, and he headed downstairs. He didn't have much of an appetite, but coffee was always welcome.

Once downstairs, Shinichi poked his head in the kitchen, just to reassure himself. Ran was there, scrubbing away at a skillet. She didn't see him—probably because her eyes were too puffy to see much of anything that wasn't directly in front of her: the evidence of last night's breakdown.

Curiosity satisfied, he made his way to the dining room where breakfast and coffee was already waiting for him. He wearily eyed the food, wondering if he could even keep it down, before turning his attention to the coffee. The rich aroma decided him, and he gingerly sipped it. The nausea he'd awoken to slowly dissipated just enough for him to pick listlessly at the food.

I should feel better by lunch, he told himself. It was ridiculous that a dream could affect his appetite, but it had. He sighed into his cup.

At least now I don't have to worry about getting the information I need… He stared at his reflection, a dark shadow in the black liquid. I just hope Hattori doesn't view Kid's involvement as a challenge of his own capabilities. The last thing they needed right now was for Heiji's competitive drive to get in the way of the investigation. Of course, since this was for Ran's sake (and possibly the sake of all of Japan), perhaps he'd keep a level head. He didn't really see the thief as a rival, at least not in the way he used to consider Shinichi. He sighed again.

"Is something wrong?"

Shinichi startled out of his muddled thoughts at the sound of Ran's voice. He looked up to find her seated across from him, staring at him with a hint of concern. He breathed out a dry chuckle.

"Not really," he assured her. "Just thinking about a few things." He downed the rest of his coffee. She eyed his mostly untouched plate, a small frown forming, but thankfully didn't press him about it.

"About last night…" she said, looking down at the grain of the table. "I'm sorry." Shinichi's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"What for?" he asked. She fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, pointedly not looking at him.

"For… for worrying you, I guess." She grimaced. "… And for crying with your face." To her surprise, Shinichi actually snorted.

"You don't need to apologize for something like that," he said, waving a hand in the air to dismiss her concerns. "I told you last night, right? You don't have to be okay all the time. And honestly, in that situation, it'd be weirder if you didn't cry." He mumbled the last part, averting his eyes as a slight blush dusted his cheeks. He'd be lying if he said the crying didn't make him uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to tell her that, lest she bottle everything up again.

Ran flushed a little at the last statement as well, but chose not to refute it, despite opening her mouth a few times (presumably to attempt a defense).

"I-if… you say so," she said instead, voice laced with uncertainty. Shinichi hid a smile behind his now empty coffee cup.

Technically, his words were more than a little hypocritical, he knew, since he also pretended to be fine, but her situation was different. She didn't have to pretend twenty-four/seven.

Well, now he didn't have to pretend all the time either, but for some reason he still felt he needed to be strong. Maybe she also felt that way.

He let her take his still full breakfast plate without complaint, since his appetite still hadn't come back from the realm of his nightmares. Speaking of nightmares…

"Ne, Ran," he said as he followed her into the kitchen with his cup. "I meant to ask you last night, but—" She blushed at the reminder— "have you had any weird dreams lately?" She frowned at him as she took the cup he handed her for a caffeine refill.

"I don't think so," she said slowly after a moment of thought as she filled the cup again. "Of course, I've always had trouble remembering my dreams unless they were especially scary… Why?" Shinichi shook his head.

"If you haven't, then it's probably nothing," he said as he climbed into one of the chairs at the island counter. Ran set the cup in front of him before turning to work on the rest of the dishes.

"Why the sudden interest?" she asked over the running faucet. "Did you start having weird dreams?" Shinichi flushed, chuckling a bit.

"… I guess I did," he muttered darkly. He felt a little stupid—any number of things could trigger strange dreams: in his case, stress on top of last night's conversation. Since he didn't know for certain the conditions the two dead people lived in, he couldn't pinpoint any common variables. It just showed he was desperate enough to grasp at straws.

He downed the contents of the cup so quickly he might have been taking a shot of liquor. The hot coffee scalded his throat on its way down, effectively—if painfully—waking him up completely.

No matter how many times he went over what they knew, it didn't change the fact that more information was needed. He'd need to be extra diligent from here on out and—grudgingly—stay away from the reports he had for the time being. At the very least, he wouldn't be worrying Ran like he had the past week.

It was time to switch gears, starting with Ran's missing memories.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Repression Digression

Shinichi spent his time after school the next week at the public library, researching different methods to try and retrieve the memories Ran had lost. The Detective Boys were mostly displeased with this new development and, when they were unable to convince him to play with them, took to accompanying him under the guise of getting their homework done quickly so they could do what they wanted when they got home.

That's what they'd said, anyway. Most of their time there was spent reading comic books or trying to get Shinichi away from the psychology books a child "his age" shouldn't be reading.

He wasn't sure if his distinct lack of progress was from the constant distractions or from the limited availability of the books he needed, but he did manage to gather enough information to at least try something.

The biggest disappointment by far was that no matter what method he tried, there was no guarantee of it working. A few methods he threw out the window—they were very similar to the first thing he tried with Ran, and the only thing they'd gleaned from that was that she'd been shot the day she was kidnapped, and that caused Ran to have a massive panic attack.

The talking method wasn't going to work, either. Really, getting her to talk about what happened would only work if she could remember it, and any time she tried to remember, she would develop a migraine. Which left them with the only real option—hypnosis.

He sighed. It wouldn't hurt to try, at least. The biggest obstacle would be getting her to go under. His time at the library unearthed many more methods to do that than he'd originally thought. They'd start with, in his thought, the most clichéd and well-known method—the fixed-gaze induction.

After a thorough explanation of his plans to unearth her memories, Ran was surprisingly easy to convince. He'd expected some kind of pushback, but she had always believed in most things without a hint of skepticism, so perhaps he shouldn't have worried.

"Honestly, I want to know what happened, too," she'd told him. "I've… I've never had so much time missing, you know? Even in that case in New York, I only forgot a day at most."

So she'd been scared. Not that he blamed her, of course. He hadn't really noticed, since the concern of not remembering had been greatly overshadowed by every other, more visibly pressing fear.

So they'd began setting up for the first attempt. The most common object used in the fixed-gaze method was a pocket watch, which his father naturally had on hand. Actually, he had an entire drawer full of them, since he'd once mentioned in an interview in his early years that he was rather fond of how they looked. Kudo Yusaku fans never forgot that tidbit, so the gentleman's item came in a steady stream.

Shinichi, having witnessed that absurdity in his youth, had been very careful not to say anything too incriminating to the press during his own brief stint with fame, lest he find himself up to his eyeballs in something like, say, deerstalker caps or magnifying glasses. Not that he hadn't received a few of those items from fans as a joke referencing his inspiration in Holmes, but if he'd actually said he enjoyed those things out loud…

Well, the zeal of fans was beneficial in this case. They had a surplus of pocket watches at their disposal, and it was only a matter of finding one with a good weight and a decent-sized chain.

"Your dad's fans are kind of scary, huh?" said Ran as she peered into the drawer Shinichi was rummaging through. He pulled out a watch to examine it.

"Actually, I think his fans are pretty tame compared to the others out there," he said, finally settling on one of the many watches. "It could have been worse." He closed the drawer and stood up, clutching his prize in triumph. Ran just shrugged as she followed Shinichi into the living room, apathetic to the ways fan cultures differed from one another.

"Just so you know," she said in an apologetic tone, "Sonoko's already tried this trick on me a few times."

"And? Did she succeed?" he asked. He didn't need to inquire as to when this transpired—hypnotism was, surprisingly, a common party game at sleepovers.

"No," she said, confirming what Shinichi already suspected.

"Yeah, she's tried it on me, too," he admitted. "Again, with nothing to show for it." He allowed a smug pride to slip into the last comment.

"… Then why are we trying this if it doesn't work on either of us?" she asked, her surprise readily apparent.

"The variables are different," he said, as if that should have explained everything. At her blank stare, he grimaced inwardly. "Er… Right. It's very likely nothing will happen since this method didn't work on either of us," he said.

"Then—"

"Like I said, the variables are different," said Shinichi, raising a hand to stop her. "We were both normal at the time, right?" She frowned, nodding hesitantly. "But you're not really you right now." Her frown deepened.

"You just said this didn't work on you, either," she said, the confusion evident.

"And you're not me, either," he pointed out. Ran reached up to rub at her temples. "Basically," he said, trying to sum up the dilemma, "you're not you and you're not me, and the way the mind works is still mostly a scientific mystery. We're just doing this to cover every possibility."

Ran only gave a tired nod, and Shinichi sent her an apologetic look with a small chuckle. He hadn't meant to be confusing, but this sort of situation was impossible not to be.

So they set up in the living room and began the experiment, both sporting embarrassed flushes at the cheesiness of it all. As they'd expected, nothing happened. Ran lamented the wasted time until Shinichi reminded her that Haibara would very likely have had their necks if they'd dismissed the possibility all together.

Throughout the week, they tried variations on the fixed-gaze method, monitored closely by the stern gaze of Haibara, who'd been irate when she discovered they'd made the first attempt alone. Not that she was capable of providing professional input, but at the very least she wanted to make certain they weren't messing around. Shinichi had wanted to refute that, but the reputation hypnotism had, coupled with the little scientist's challenging glare, shut him up pretty quickly.

Ran had initially wanted to try multiple variations per day to save time, but Haibara shut down that thought almost immediately. If they kept failing over and over in the same afternoon, they were bound to get much more frustrated, which would, in turn, make hypnotism virtually impossible.

Other methods were tried as the days went by, but nothing seemed to work. Haibara lamented the fact that Shinichi was an amateur, which only led him to snap back at her.

"Maybe I should go out and bring in a professional?" he asked waspishly. "It'll require a few secrets to come out, but I'm sure you won't mind." That shut her up real quick, but it did bring up a point.

Like therapy, hypnotism required both skill in the craft and a good understanding and rapport with the patient. The latter, he had in abundance. The former was quite understandably lacking, even with all of the extra research he'd been doing on the subject.

He drummed his fingers on the coffee table, deep in thought. It was obvious enough that no variation on the fixed-gaze method would work. He couldn't shock or confuse her into a trance (both, very surprisingly, methods that worked for some); Ran, being a karate expert, was much too vigilant for the shock method to work. Anyone who tried that on her would more than likely end up with a broken wrist from her gut reaction to that.

The confusion method might work on a simpleton, he thought, but while Ran wasn't a genius, she was hardly simple-minded. He'd have better luck trying to talk to her in her sleep.

Shinichi scowled at the floor. He needed more information.

Another trip to the library yielded only one other result—any more information would need to be gathered either from a bigger library or the highly unreliable internet.

He frowned at the book, studying the page. Revivication…? It was worth a shot, anyway. He wasn't entirely sure how getting her to remember the feeling of random things would help, but he thought that about most hypnosis methods anyway. It definitely wouldn't hurt anything, except perhaps in wasting some time. He nodded resolutely to himself.

Considering how much time we already wasted, this is nothing.

***

After some study and preparation, Shinichi had Ran back in the living room to try again. Haibara watched moodily, sending disdainful glances at Shinichi's notes for this session. She was in a similar mind with him on the reliability of the seemingly useless induction method, but she held her tongue knowing they were out of options.

After some discussion, Ran settled on cherry blossom viewing as the focal point. Shinichi flushed as he remembered how they used to go together every year, Ran dragging him around while he loudly protested (which was mostly for show, so that he kept his feelings hidden). All in all, it was a good choice since they were both familiar with the experience.

Shinichi dimmed the lights and started, ignoring Haibara's failed attempt at suppressing a scoff as he began slowly describing Ran's favorite viewing spot: the weather, how the gentle breeze carried the scent of Sakura with it. He felt foolish, but he kept going, making sure his embarrassment didn't show in his voice.

He was more than ready to give up after thirty minutes of this nonsense, even if he grudgingly admitted it was sort of relaxing to recount something so pleasant and (most importantly) murder free. He looked up at Ran, ready to stop, when he noticed with surprise that she seemed to have nodded off. While still sitting up perfectly straight.

He blinked and nudged Haibara, who also stared in surprise, before quietly consulting his notes. Very carefully picking his words, he took Ran from whatever state of mind she was currently experiencing into a complete trance.

That actually worked??? he thought to himself. He was a little hesitant to continue, afraid that he'd mess it up, so he took things very slowly.

"Ran?" he asked softly. "Can you hear my voice?"

"… Yes…" she said, eyes remaining closed. Shinichi frowned down at his notes. Not for the first time, he sorely wished he could have brought in a pro since he had no clue about how to properly ask what he wanted. He stifled a wistful sigh and plowed on.

"A while back, you were kidnapped while taking a shortcut on the way home from school," he said, careful not to talk too fast. "Do you remember?"

"… Yes… I was… shot…" she said, her words sluggish.

"Where did he take you?" he asked, making sure not to ask if she remembered that bit—this question implied that she did remember, and he was counting on the hypnotized mind to believe that. It was hardly a perfect plan, but they had no more options.

"… It's… dark…" she said after a short silence. "… Cold…"

"Where are you?" he asked, hoping the repeat question would get a proper answer out of her. Her brows pinched together.

"… Waiting… my turn…" Shinichi and Haibara exchanged frowns.

"Your turn for what?"

"… The screaming… won't stop…"

"Who's screaming?"

"… The… others… until my… turn…" Ran's breathing was becoming unsteady. Shinichi felt sick.

"You said it was dark and cold," Haibara cut in. "Are you underground?" Shinichi sighed. He'd wanted to avoid possibly leading the conversation (which could potentially bring in misremembered things), but seeing as they weren't getting anywhere, he allowed it.

Ran frowned at the question for a long time, and just as Shinichi thought she wouldn't answer, she did.

"Under… ground…" It almost sounded like she was agreeing with Haibara, which was what he'd been afraid of. Then, "… The children are in danger." Shinichi straightened up, now thoroughly concerned.

"Children? What children?" he demanded. Experimenting on unsuspecting adults was depraved enough without adding children to the mix.

"… Tomo… dachi…" said Ran slowly, brows furrowing in distress.

'Tomodachi'… friends? Shinichi frowned. Ran didn't have any child friends outside of the Detective Boys, and they hadn't been kidnapped or missing for any amount of time. Even then, what she felt for them was more akin to a maternal instinct than anything. Did she make these friends at the place she was held? As he mused through this information, Ran's face contorted.

"… It… h-hurts…!" she whimpered. "I-it hurts!" She clutched her head, shaking. Shinichi paled and jumped out of his seat.

"Ran! What's happening?! Are you okay?!" he asked, poorly suppressed panic creeping into his voice. Her only reply came in the form of pained grunts and whimpers as she curled into herself.

"Kudo-kun—the trance!" snapped Haibara breathlessly. "Break the trance!"

"R-right." He fumbled with his notes and proceeded to try bringing Ran out of her hypnotized state, voice resolute but shaky. Nothing happened, and Ran's tremors became more violent as she gritted her teeth, desperately clutching her head.

"C'mon Ran, snap out of it!" said Shinichi, urgently placing a hand on her shoulder. The shaking stopped abruptly, and she fell forward, collapsing on the floor.

"RAN!!!"

Chapter Text

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 through 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."

***

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 eye level. 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."

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: A Different Direction

After a very thorough sweep of the house and the disposal of two listening devices, Shinichi finally settled down in his room, sprawling limply on the bed. He should probably check the time to see if Heiji was out of class yet, but he just felt so… heavy. He let his leaden eyelids droop closed, promising himself just a few minutes rest.

He woke up to his phone ringing. He groaned as he sat up, pulling his phone from his pocket, and answered without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"H'llo?" he mumbled out, yawning.

"Oi, Kudo," came an irritated voice. "Were you asleep just now? You sure yer not actually seven?" Shinichi blinked a few times, his head still feeling heavy.

"… Hattori…? Ah… What time's it?" he slurred, rubbing his eyes.

"It's eleven-thirty, ya jerk. I've been tryin' to call ya fer a few hours, now."

"Sorry," he said, yawning again. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Does this have somethin' ta do with that file ya said you were gonna send?"

"Yeah," said Shinichi as he pulled out his other phone. "I'm sending it to you now."

Heiji was silent as he listened to the recording, so Shinichi had some extra time to stretch out his stiff limbs. As he picked his phone back up, he noticed a note propped up on his nightstand, written in Ran's handwriting.

I tried to wake you, but you were sleeping too deeply, it read. If you wake up before breakfast, there's some rice and grilled mackerel in the fridge for you.

I'm going to have to fix my sleep schedule if stuff like this keeps happening, he thought. As he put the note aside, Heiji cleared his throat, the sound crackling in the receiver.

"Well, that was disturbing," he said grimly. "If there were children there, they definitely didn't come from Osaka."

"They didn't come from Tokyo, either," sighed Shinichi. "I confirmed that with Takagi earlier." He ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe Kid's list will turn up something."

"And?" pressed Heiji. "Did Neechan remember anythin' else?"

"Unfortunately not." Shinichi slid off the bed and stumbled out of the room, prompted by his growling stomach. "I know we got more information from that, but…"

"It doesn't seem like it fits anywhere, right?" finished Heiji.

"Right," said Shinichi as he headed into the kitchen for a late supper. "It feels like no matter how much info we get, there's even more we don't know."

"Yeah, like a void," agreed Heiji. "I guess all we can do is to keep lookin'. A good place to start right now might be to keep an eye on any new missin' persons cases that pop up."

"Good idea. We can investigate the areas people were last seen in with much better results if they're fresh." Or as fresh as forty-eight hours later could be, considering that was how long it took for a report to be made.

"How'll ya sift through 'em, though?" asked Heiji, tone pondering. "Ya won't be able t'tell if it was the same kidnappers until two weeks pass, right?"

"Right," said Shinichi. "But we can't really afford to ignore anything at this point. And… Well, I don't know about Osaka, or anywhere else, but I know for sure Ran was taken away in a red minivan." Shinichi pulled out the cold food, not even bothering to heat it up. "It's highly likely that there are multiple people with different vehicles, but it's still a start. Just keep your eyes peeled and keep tabs on the traffic cameras along with the missing persons, alright?"

"Will do," said Heiji, voice sounding much more energetic now that he could actively do something to help. "I'll keep ya posted." He hung up, and Shinichi ate his cold food thoughtfully.

We should've been doing this from the start, he thought, chewing idly. I guess I was just too focused on where Ran went… It was something no one would blame him for, but that negligence had wasted an awful lot of time.

If we can just figure out where they go, we might actually be able to do something about this. The biggest problem with this plan, of course, was that every car would look suspicious, and it wasn't really all that feasible to follow every move every car made on something as limited as traffic cameras. And no matter what, trying to get all of the footage for every one of the people who already came back would be impossible even for a police officer, so they would have to focus their efforts on the most recent missing people, whether they came back or not.

Shinichi polished off his plate and, after some hesitation, made some herbal tea to help him go back to sleep. He needed all of his faculties tomorrow to think properly. He needed to decide whether he should wait for Kid to contact him or just call in a favor from Takagi. If he called Takagi, he needed to decide whether to call as Conan or as Shinichi. Since the request was more obviously related to Ran's disappearance, the officer might be more willing to fulfill a job of that size if Shinichi was the one asking for it.

The tea turned out to be a very good idea, since he had excited himself thinking about everything they could do to track down potential leads. Really, why hadn't he thought of this before? He shook his head. He was thinking of it now, and it shouldn't be too late unless Ran was inexplicably the last one after the perpetrators were operating for who knew how many years. He sipped his tea slowly, trying to will his brain to stop buzzing. Sleep first, theorize later.

He paused after finishing the tea, then grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. If he woke up in the wee hours of the morning or couldn't sleep at all, having the water nearby might be helpful. Even if it didn't put him back to sleep, he would at least be hydrated. He chuckled to himself as he went back upstairs.

Maybe I should keep a minifridge up here, he thought with a small smirk.

As he walked down the hall, he stopped, noticing a light coming from under the bottom of Ran's door. He frowned and checked his watch. It was a bit past midnight. As he approached the door, he heard the bed creak periodically. His frown deepened and he knocked twice before opening the door, not even bothering to wait for a response. Which was probably the right call, since it looked like she hadn't even heard him come in.

She was sitting on the bed, hugging knees that were tucked into her chest. The blanket was over her legs, so either she woke up or she meant to sleep but couldn't. Judging from the way she was rocking back and forth, staring wide-eyed at nothing, it was probably the latter. He had witnessed similar behavior from her a few times, usually after Sonoko dragged her off earlier in the day to watch a scary movie.

"… Ran?" he asked, still holding onto the door handle. She jerked her head, gasping a little in surprise, and that wide-eyed stare turned onto him. She blinked, then flushed from embarrassment.

"Ah—Shinichi…" It didn't seem like she was going to send him away, so he fully entered the room.

"… Did you watch a horror program on TV or something while I was asleep?" he asked, giving her an unimpressed stare. Her blush deepened.

"Ah, n-no… Th-this is…" The corner of her mouth lifted as she unsuccessfully attempted to laugh off her discomfort. "I just… can't stop thinking about the session recording you let me listen to this morning."

Ah… that's what it was. Not that he blamed her. Even Heiji had said it was disturbing, and he didn't scare easily. He should have realized it would haunt Ran like this. His expression softened.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to it," he said, approaching the bed. He handed her the bottle of water he'd brought up with him. She shook her head as she accepted the drink.

"I'd listen to it again if I thought it would help," she said quietly. "That won't stop it from being creepy, though." She took a long sip of the water. "Every time I close my eyes, I hear it." The last sentence was whispered as she clutched the bottle close, once more staring hard at nothing in particular. "… I'm scared."

Shinichi glanced at the wall she'd been staring at, unsure what he could say to put her at ease. He blinked when he noticed a blanket hanging off part of the wall, and his chest tightened when he realized that it was covering the large mirror his mom had installed in every bedroom. He wasn't sure when Ran decided to cover it up, but he definitely didn't need to guess why. He decided not to bring it up.

"… We're pursuing a different possibility with the case," he said, wrenching his eyes away from the wall. He hoped this would help distract her, at least. "Hattori and I, I mean."

"A different possibility?" she asked, perking up a bit. Some of the tightness in Shinichi's chest ebbed a bit when he saw her attention successfully shift away from the recording.

"Yeah. We can't do anything about the past cases at the moment, so we're going to watch for new missing people, and then see if they leave a trail we can follow like we did with you and the red minivan."

"People go missing all the time," Ran pointed out, echoing a similar concern as Heiji. "Won't following unsure clues just waste time?" Shinichi shook his head.

"We can't afford to wait for the ones related to us to turn back up again. At least this way, we can see if there's a pattern or not. And we might even be able to solve some normal kidnapping cases while we're at it."

Ran nodded thoughtfully as she considered his reasoning. "I guess that makes sense," she said. Shinichi noted that the tension in her body had reduced significantly.

"And when Kid comes back, I'm hoping he can help with a good chunk of this, specifically with the traffic footage," he continued. Ran grimaced.

"Kid's coming back?" she asked, sounding less than thrilled. "I thought he'd just magically drop off his report or something."

"I think it works out better this way," said Shinichi as he fished the Kid Card out of his pocket and gave it to Ran to look at. She scrunched up her nose a bit as she read it. "He really rubbed you the wrong way, huh?" She heaved a sigh, handing the card back to him.

"Not exactly," she said hesitantly. Her gaze briefly flicked over to the covered mirror on the far wall. "I just… well, I don't know him, not really. And he knows about all of this…" She gestured between herself and Shinichi. "And I'm not entirely sure how to feel about that."

"You don't really know Subaru-san, either," he pointed out. She made a face.

"Subaru-san lives here. Kid doesn't." It was as simple as that. Shinichi just shrugged and checked his watch again.

"Well, it's a little past 12:30," he said, as the conversation seemed to have ended. "You should try to get some sleep." He bade her goodnight and turned around to leave.

"Wait!" cried Ran, hurriedly grabbing onto Shinichi's sleeve. He blinked in surprise and turned back to look at her. For a split second, the expression she wore was one of panic before it morphed into an embarrassed realization. Her mouth flapped open and shut a few times, cheeks turning bright red. She let go of his shirt, quickly averting her gaze.

"I—that—" She floundered for words. "Sorry…" She clasped her hands tightly in her lap. "I don't… I really don't want to be alone right now." He watched her fidget for a few moments.

"Alright," he said softly.

"Really?" she asked hopefully. "It's not annoying?"

"Nope," he said matter-of-factly as he climbed up to sit on the edge of the bed. "Especially since I already slept all afternoon. I drank some tea, but I doubt that'll be too helpful."

"Sorry," she said again, even thought it wasn't her fault. He shook his head and idly swung his feet around as they hung over the edge of the bed, his legs too short to touch the floor. He probably resembled very much the child he looked doing that.

"Don't worry about it."

"… Thanks," murmured Ran, relaxing again. He gave her a reassuring smile. Ran finished the water in one long swig, and quietly placed the empty bottle on the nightstand. He stared at the bottle thoughtfully.

Maybe I should keep a minifridge up here…

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Follow That Car

It's hot… was Shinichi's first thought after waking up. His whole body felt like lead, his head stuffed with cotton. He didn't even bother with trying to open his heavy eyelids. He would have been content to go right back to sleep were it not for the feeling he was being stifled. It wasn't even that hot, but the warmth surrounded him on all sides, his head included, so it felt more oppressive than it actually was.

He moved, trying to at least get some cool air, but found he'd somehow become tangled up in his blankets last night. What sort of dreams must he have had for that to happen? He couldn't remember. Something hard was pressing against his leg, too. He must have fallen asleep with his phone in the bed.

His phone buzzed against his side, in his jacket pocket. He frowned. Grunting irritably, he reached down to his leg to remove the offending object. A low moan sounded somewhere above his head. His frown deepened as he struggled to clear the cobwebs in his head. He felt around for the object again, and the blankets moved around him as another moan surfaced. His eyes snapped open, and he jerked his hand back as if he'd been burned.

… I'm in Ran's room, he thought slowly, blinking a few times in the darkness. Why am I in Ran's room?

As his eyes adjusted and he registered a faint light filtering through his prison, he realized he was not, in fact, tangled up in the blankets, but being treated very much like a teddy bear by the bed's owner. He didn't remember going to sleep, but during the course of the night, he'd somehow gotten under the covers. It was so hot because he was surrounded by Ran's body heat on top of being under the blankets. Which meant the hard thing pressed against his leg must have been…

He swallowed hard, completely awake now. He really shouldn't have been so surprised, but since becoming Conan, he had quite forgotten about that little… inconvenience. Far from being embarrassed, though, it really just hammered home the reality of the situation.

He very carefully tried to extricate himself from Ran's arms, but she held fast, her grip as a man much stronger than it used to be. He really didn't want her to wake up in this situation. Normally, he could be as rough as he needed, since Ran could sleep through even the loudest of explosions. Unfortunately for him, studies showed that sleeping habits and patterns were more or less genetic, and since Shinichi could wake up at the drop of a pin unless he was especially exhausted…. Well, he didn't want to risk it. So he waited.

He didn't have to wait long before she finally let go and rolled over, taking the blanket with her. He resisted the urge to gasp at the cool air in the room—a sharp contrast from the heat under the blanket—and very carefully slid out of the bed. Very slowly, he crept to the door and looked back as he quietly opened it to make sure he didn't wake her up. Only when he was safely in the hallway, door closed, did he breathe a sigh of relief.

She'll kill me if she ever finds out about this… he thought, huffing out a wry laugh. It wasn't the first time they'd shared a bed—it happened quite frequently before she was kidnapped, when she still thought he was Conan—but he didn't think she'd take it very well if she learned that he'd discovered her morning wood the way that he had.

Better keep this to myself, he decided before he checked his phone. The battery was almost spent. He pulled up the text that he'd gotten earlier, but it was just Heiji expressing excitement that he would actually get to do something. A quick look at the time told him he still had two hours before class.

Shinichi glanced at the closed door for a moment before turning back towards his room, lest he think too deeply about what just happened. He stopped by his room to charge his phone and grab some fresh clothes, which he brought with him to the bathroom. He had more than enough time for a shower, so he did just that, washing off the remainder of his exhaustion.

Since he was the first one awake—an extremely rare occurrence—he had to make his coffee himself. It was a little strange to think that it was usually already ready for him when he woke up, courtesy of Ran, especially considering he'd usually done it for himself before Tropical Land. He stared bitterly at the brewing coffee, wondering if any of this would have happened if he'd just kept his nose out of other people's business.

He shook his head as his vision blurred. It was a truly useless line of thought for a number of reasons. In the first place, time travel didn't exist, so he couldn't go back and change things. And even if he hadn't followed Vodka that day, his work as a detective would have had him bumping into the crows eventually. Also, being his normal self also didn't guarantee Ran wouldn't get kidnapped. The only thing that would have been guaranteed was that she wouldn't have been turned into him, since those people—whoever they were—couldn't have two of the same person wandering around.

He rubbed at steadily throbbing temples. Coffee first, think later. He didn't even wait for the pot to finish filling before swiping his first cup. As the coffee entered his system, his mind finally cleared. He went for a second cup, taking more time to savor it this time, and thoughtfully stared into space.

As I thought, I can't wait for Kid to come, he thought. I'll call Takagi as Shinichi before school, and then fill Kid in later, if he hasn't already discovered the new plan…

A noise at the doorway interrupted his thoughts. He turned just in time to see Ran sluggishly shuffle in, eyes half closed. He blinked a few times at her zombie-like state as she shambled to the island counter and sat down. She put her head down on the linoleum, and stopped moving. Shinichi frowned. Ran was a morning person, so why…?

Right, he thought, mentally berating himself. It's because I'm not. Since she'd always woken up before him, he hadn't realized it.

"There's coffee," he offered, peering at Ran's face. She stared blearily at him. He hesitated, then, "I can't be that bad in the morning, right?" She blinked slowly, almost as if she were trying to digest his words.

"… 'm not used t'it…" she mumbled, her words slurring strangely since her cheek was still pressed against the countertop. She yawned. "If we'd switched bodies, maybe you could understand a little…."

He nodded thoughtfully. It would be an enlightening experience at the very least. He couldn't imagine being a morning person in the first place, much less imagine what it would feel like to suddenly not be one.

Shinichi slipped out of his chair as Ran closed her eyes again, and brought her a cup of coffee. He set it in front of her face, hoping the aroma would help just enough to at least have her sitting upright. He checked his watch. It was still very early.

"I need to make a phone call," he said as she slowly sat back up. "I'll be back in a bit." She belatedly grunted in acknowledgement as he left the room to retrieve his still charging phone. He bumped into Subaru in the hallway, and the man stared down at him in mild surprise.

"You're up early," he commented. Shinichi just shrugged.

"Don't get used to it," was all he said. Subaru chuckled a bit as the small teen stalked upstairs. Once in his room, he grabbed his phone and voice changer. He sat on the edge of his bed as he prepared the latter, twisting the dial in the familiar pattern he knew would imitate his real voice. On his phone, he quickly picked out Takagi's number from his contacts list and hit "call." The man picked up after two rings.

"Hello?"

"Takagi-keiji; this is Kudo Shinichi."

***

It didn't take nearly as long as he thought to convince Takagi of what he needed. He just had to claim he'd heard about the red minivan from Conan, and everything else went smoothly.

With that taken care of, he packed up his backpack and headed back down the stairs. By the time he'd finished, Ran had already woken up completely, and was just finishing making breakfast. It was a little eerie, to think that if he'd woken up at his usual time, he'd have never known she struggled so much in the mornings.

As he re-entered the kitchen, Ran turned to look at him, taking a skillet from the stovetop.

"Did you finish? Who did you call?" she asked as she prepared a plate for him. It was almost as if her earlier strain hadn't happened at all.

"Just Takagi-keiji," he said as he went back for his coffee cup. "He's going to see what he can do to monitor the traffic footage around recent kidnappings." Ran hummed thoughtfully, recalling their conversation from last night. She handed him the plate she was holding.

"Is it okay if I get my hopes up?" she asked. Her words were said in jest, but there was a sad, desperate tone tingeing them. Shinichi's chest felt tight.

"I can't really say no, since my hopes are up, too," he replied honestly. Tentative relief flooded her face. There was still trepidation, of course, since he hadn't given a definitive answer; that was something he couldn't do, given how little he knew at this point. The outcome of this leg of investigation could still go either way, so until they got some kind of result, everyone was more or less in the dark.

On the other hand, it was highly unlikely they wouldn't snag something out of this, which was why Shinichi was so hopeful. Of course, the fact that they needed to wait for results wasn't exactly something either of them wanted to hear, given how much time had already passed.

Shinichi came out of his thoughts as he watched Ran take a few bites of her breakfast while standing next to the sink.

"I've been meaning to ask you," he said carefully as he settled himself into a chair at the island counter. "How come you don't eat breakfast in the dining room?" Ran's movements stilled. "I mean, you do everything the same way you did at the detective agency except for eating, and you still eat lunch and supper in the dining room…"

Ran was quiet for a long time. Shinichi wondered if he hadn't stepped into a minefield.

"… I… I don't really want to talk about it right now," she whispered, still facing the sink. Shinichi backed off immediately; he had no desire to lose the trust he'd gotten back, nor did he wish to become minced meat. He had more than enough personal experience in pushing Ran's buttons, and this time he recognized the warning signs.

"Okay," he said softly, hoping to diffuse her current mood quickly. "Forget I said anything." She still wouldn't look at him, but he did see her give a nod. As long as he kept his mouth shut for a while, she'd be okay. He quietly ate his breakfast.

By the time he was ready to meet the children at the professor's house, Ran's mood had improved considerably. He nodded to himself, making a mental note to not bring up breakfast again.

The rest of the day went on, uneventful. It almost didn't seem fair that everything went on normally while he and Ran experienced life-changing horrors. It was Friday, so the mundane talk of the classroom was all about weekend plans and the like—most of which Shinichi tried to tune out.

He spent the day thinking about traffic footage. It wouldn't be long until he could see it himself, he hoped. Or at least receive some sort of update. He frowned. He was still waiting on information from both Kid and Akai—the latter was excused for taking his time since America was so big, and he wasn't personally looking into it. But he was also easily accessible. Shinichi had no way to contact Kid, so the only thing he could do was wait patiently, completely in the dark as to how much longer he would take.

"… un…"

Perhaps he could buy a cheap phone and force the thief to take it with him…

"… n-kun…"

Or he could secretly stick one of his trackers to the man, but there was a very high chance that sort of thing would be found out before he could glean anything from it….

"CONAN-KUN!"

Shinichi jumped, staring wide-eyed at the little girl who'd just screamed his name with the sort of volume one would expect from using a bullhorn.

"Conan-kun, are you still not feeling well? Class ended ten minutes ago, you know?"

"… I… wha…?" He blinked a few times. Haibara observed him for a few moments, eyes flickering between him and the other children.

"Honestly, Edogawa-kun," she said with an exaggerated sigh, "if you were still sick, you shouldn't have continued coming to school in the first place."

"What, you were still sick?!" exclaimed Mitsuhiko.

"Of course not!" said Shinichi with a scowl. He glanced at Haibara, who was giving him a flat 'just play along' glare. "I-I just…" His gaze nervously averted to the window, and his blood ran cold.

"I HAVE TO GO!" he shouted suddenly, startling even the stoic Haibara.

"Think he's got diarrhea?" he heard Genta ask as he dashed out the door. He might have been mildly amused if he hadn't just spied a red minivan going at a suspiciously slow pace near the front of the school.

It can't be! He thought as he ran out of the building, desperately hoping to get to the street in time. As he rushed past dawdling students, stopping only briefly to grab his outside shoes, he cursed as he got outside just as the van rounded a corner. He raced after it, but lost it almost immediately—he did, after all, only have his own short legs to assist him. He huffed heavily, trying to catch his breath as he looked around desperately for any sign of the van.

"… Shit…"

***

"Now, Shinichi, be reasonable!" said the professor after the teen told him what had happened. "That could have been anyone!"

"He's right," said a particularly bedraggled-looking Haibara, tone irritable. "Unlike Gin's car, red minivans aren't exactly rare around here." She sank into the couch, exhausted from having to shake the children off with a believable excuse—what she'd told them exactly, Shinichi didn't know.

"And driving at a crawl in front of the school?" Shinichi demanded.

"They could have been lost," said Agasa. He smiled sheepishly. "I do that sometimes instead of stopping to look at a map."

"Or maybe they were American and thought they could pick their kid up from school—that was quite common when I studied overseas," added Haibara. Shinichi glowered.

"First off, if they were waiting for someone, they'd have been parked. Second, we don't have any foreigners at our school—it would be the only thing anyone talks about, since they're pretty rare here."

"Then they were lost," said Agasa decisively.

"Or they were casing the area," growled Shinichi.

"They were lost," said a new voice from the doorway. Everyone jumped and turned to find a plainly dressed man grinning widely at them, a cap pulled low over his eyes. Shinichi relaxed almost immediately.

"Kid? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I told you I would come soon, didn't I?" came the matter-of-fact reply. "And when I didn't find you next door, your princess informed me you were most likely here." He grinned again. Haibara's eyes narrowed.

"'They were lost'—you mean the van we were talking about? How would you know?" she asked.

"Well, tantei-kun just looked so concerned about it, so I followed them." Tense silence reigned for a few moments.

"Why were you at my school?!" Shinichi shouted.

"Should we be worried?" asked Haibara, looking much more interested now, a mildly amused smile crossing her face. The thief held up his hands.

"I was only waiting for an opportunity to speak with my favorite little detective," he said, mischief dripping from his voice in a way that made Shinichi's eyes narrow.

"What are you planning?"

"Planning? My dear tantei-kun, whatever do you mean?"

"I mean, if you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was wait until I got home; not wait outside my school like a creep." Shinichi scowled as Kid's grin only seemed to grow wider. He bent down closer to the tiny sleuth.

"Hmm? Do you really want to know?" he asked loftily. "What will you do if I tell you?" He stood back up. "What will the others think?"

"Think about what? Anything that comes out of your mouth reflects on you, not me."

"I suppose so," he said in a tone that suggested otherwise. He straightened up, crossing his arms. "And as fun as teasing you is, truthfully, I do have other things to do today." Shinichi rolled his eyes.

"In that case, you shouldn't have wasted time playing around."

"Hahaha! You're right, of course. I just can't help myself sometimes." The laughter died immediately, followed by a seriousness so drastically different from earlier, it made Shinichi dizzy. He couldn't imagine what Nakamori-keibu went through, since the older man dealt with the thief on a more regular basis than the small teen did.

"First of all," said Kid, putting a hand into his jacket, "I took the liberty of putting everything on here." From some inner pocket, he produced a small flash drive. "Before you ask; no, there are no children listed—I triple checked because you seemed especially worried about that point." Shinichi frowned.

"None at all?" he asked. "But—"

"I'm just telling you the results. As the detective, finding out the reason behind this is your job," said Kid firmly. Shinichi shut his mouth, biting back an indignant reply. He was, after all, right about that.

"Fine," he said sourly. "There's something else I want your help with." He gravely accepted the USB as he prepared for the next request to be met with resistance. The thief held up a hand.

"You'll find what you want on your computer," he said. Before Shinichi even had time to process the statement, Kid was already gone, leaving behind an irritated detective and two very confused scientists.

"… What just happened?" asked Haibara after a few moments of stunned silence.

"Progress, I think," said Shinichi, frowning down at the USB in his hand.

If he was going to hack into my computer anyway, what was the point in giving me this…? he wondered.

"I guess I'll go see what he managed to find out," he mumbled, ignoring the curious questions that bubbled out of Agasa as he headed for the door.

"Shinichi! Hold on—Shinichi!"

"Let him be, professor," he heard Haibara say as he closed the door. "You know what that idiot is like. Give him some time to focus on this new toy."

Shinichi rolled his eyes as he left the two scientists. But Haibara was right—he wasn't going to do anything before verifying what Kid gave him.

He heard Ran in the kitchen as he passed by it on his way to the staircase. The smell of pork told him what to expect when he was done with his business. He allowed a faint smile to cross his lips briefly before schooling his expression as he headed for his room.

He frowned at his computer as he slipped his backpack off his shoulders. It was on, the screensaver having been changed to Kid's signature doodle. The thing bumped around the sides of the screen, grinning at him. He clicked his tongue irritably.

I might actually relish in catching him if I weren't certain he'd still manage to pull off these pranks from prison, he thought, resigned to his new fate of being teased outside of heists. He sighed as he sat down at the desk. He jiggled the mouse and grimaced. The wallpaper had been changed as well. A grinning doodle of Conan greeted him from the screen, looking much too like the Kid doodle for his liking. He's enjoying his freedom a little too much.

He shook his head. He could change it back later, after he was done checking the files on the USB. He plugged it in, and immediately opened the folder. He was graced with a long list of text files.

He skimmed through the content, making absolutely certain all of the information he needed was present. He could look at everything more thoroughly after figuring out what exactly Kid had done to his computer besides mess with the settings. Minimizing the window, he scanned the desktop. His eyes landed on an unnamed file with no thumbnail. He clicked it.

Password Required

Password…? He blinked a few times, then scanned the desktop for anything else that shouldn't be there. Nothing. He frowned, eyes lingering on the USB window. He pulled it back up and browsed the list of documents. After carefully sifting, he found one document with no name, sitting inconspicuously in the middle of the list. He opened it and let an irritated smirk cross his face as he saw what could only be a password typed in it. His agitation faded when he typed it in to the other application and saw what was on it. His mouth hung open dumbly.

Live traffic footage, sorted by city, filled the screen. A map of Japan functioned as a sort of hub menu. One click into any city brought up a list of prefectures with thumbnails. Clicking on a prefecture brought up a list of wards, wards brought a list of blocks, and from blocks to individual streets. Closer investigation revealed he could look up saved footage as far back as two weeks ago before the system deleted it.

He gaped at the screen, completely overwhelmed by the whole thing.

"… How…?" He couldn't even give voice to his thoughts. He didn't know how Kid had pulled it off, but he was willing to let the thief walk free for the foreseeable future for the amount of work he'd done.

It was time to make some real progress.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Natural Causes

As Shinichi was trying to decide what he should look at first, Ran came upstairs to get him for dinner. When he tried to protest, she gave him a very stern look: one that he knew from experience meant that if he didn't come on his own two feet, she would literally drag him to the dining room herself. Only now he was small enough for her to carry him instead of pulling him by the ear or the collar.

He sighed as he slid off the chair and followed her downstairs.

It's fine, he told himself. The files aren't going anywhere. Not even Kid would pull a prank as tasteless and cruel as deleting them.

"We're having katsudon tonight," said Ran, interrupting his thoughts. Shinichi's stomach growled in response, and an embarrassed flush crept up his cheeks.

"Sounds great," he mumbled as Ran stifled a chuckle.

She steered him to the dining room, where the table was already set. Subaru was there, too, already seated and waiting for them. Ran gingerly sat next to Shinichi, using him as a buffer between her and the disguised FBI agent. She still wasn't comfortable with him, it seemed, though if he was offended, he didn't show it. He merely smiled politely, raising his glass in greeting.

"When you're finished eating, I have something to discuss with you, Shinichi-kun," he said casually, glasses glinting in the light as he took a sip from his cup. "At your convenience, of course."

Shinichi perked up. If he wasn't saying anything during dinner, then it meant the discussion involved the FBI. Ran wasn't privy to any of his dealings with the American organization, and the disguised agent was content to leave it that way.

He didn't miss the way Ran flinched when the man said Shinichi's name, though. She was probably still blaming herself for his identity being revealed the way it had. He would have to clear that up with her later—it was his own fault for not paying attention to who was in the room before he started talking.

Dinner continued in mostly amiable silence, though Ran was a little stiff. She ate quicker than usual and promptly excused herself, then disappeared into the kitchen. Subaru chuckled, but said nothing about her behavior. Shinichi pulled his gaze from the doorway and redirected it at the agent.

'You have news?" he asked in a low voice. Subaru glanced at the door before he reached up to his neck and clicked off the voice changer hidden there, giving his report as Akai Shuichi rather than the fictional grad student he'd become.

"Yes and no," he said, tone serious. "In order to keep the investigation as quiet as possible, I could only enlist the help of a few people in Washington D.C.—where FBI headquarters is located." Shinichi nodded thoughtfully.

"I can't imagine much ground was covered, then," he said, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible. Akai hummed.

"More than you'd think," he offered, piquing Shinichi's interest again. "But you are right. Due to the limited number of people, only six states have been searched so far; all of them surrounding the capital, of course." Shinichi blinked.

"Really?" In spite of his efforts to school his emotions, he still sounded more eager than he'd intended.

Out of fifty states, six didn't sound like all that much, but with Shinichi's knowledge of the country's geography, he could estimate that the states in question amounted to two or three Japans (depending on which six states, of course). It was a fantastic start, all things considered.

"Don't get too excited," warned Akai. "I'm afraid nothing came out of it."

"… Nothing…?" asked Shinichi. Wasn't that a good thing? The man nodded.

"Keep in mind, Shinichi-kun," he said, "that the states in question were the ones around the United States capital, where a good many government agency headquarters are located. I doubt anything is going on; but if it is, people as shrewd as the culprits in your case definitely wouldn't do anything that suspicious so near that area."

Shinichi frowned at that, disappointment sinking in. If that was the case, then they still didn't know whether or not they were facing an international problem or a local one. Still, progress was progress, and no news was good news until proven otherwise. The fewer hiding places for the perpetrators, the better.

"Alright," said Shinichi as he turned his thoughts over in his head. "Just… keep me posted." Akai just smiled and gave a slight nod before reaching back up to turn on the voice changer, and with a click, became Subaru once more.

With that out of the way, and dinner finished, Shinichi went back up to his room. With a fresh mind, he chose to deal with the traffic footage first. He could look at the footage later, but since two-week-old files were automatically deleted by the program (something he understood as a space-saver, but that wasn't convenient for him), he set to work saving the oldest footage to a hard drive. He could delete it himself at his leisure once he'd gone through it and determined it was of no value to him. He returned his attention to the reports.

The reports appeared to be arranged by date—with the most recent cases listed first. That was very helpful, since it meant he didn't have to arrange them himself. He pulled up the oldest case (he assumed it was the oldest, since it was last) and froze, staring intently at the date. It was nearly twenty years ago, before he was even born.

Hori Kenzo, from Nagano, was twenty-three when he disappeared and came back. He died two months later from a heart attack.

Araki Jun, forty-two, disappeared from Omiya two years later. A week after returning, he suffered a circulatory collapse and passed away before the ambulance could arrive.

Shinichi frowned as he pulled up files, his frustration growing with each mouse click. Aneurism, lung collapse, heart failure, stroke, cardiac arrest, hypertension, liver failure, hernia…

None of the people kidnapped more than ten years ago were still alive, all of them having succumbed to various different circumstances. Which was unfortunate, because it meant that Shinichi couldn't question any of them, even if Kid's reports were beautifully detailed.

That was another issue, too. The fact that they were all dead was suspicious, but he couldn't figure out a reason for why that could be. They all died from different things, so it had to be some sick coincidence, but he still couldn't put it out of his mind completely. After all, most of the people afterwards were still alive.

Shinichi suppressed a groan and rubbed his temples. The deaths, he decided, were unlikely to be the work of the kidnappers. The causes were all too extensive and random. There were only a very few ways to induce a death by natural causes, after all, and an even fewer variety that looked like natural causes on the outside. More importantly, there wasn't any reason to kill off their victims. Doing so only put them in danger of discovery. He heaved a sigh, feeling for all the world like he was doomed to failure in this search.

Shaking his head to clear it, he looked at the first victim again. Perhaps Nagano, the city where the first person disappeared, held some clues. It wouldn't be exactly related to anything from that case, unfortunately, since it was twenty years ago, but… Well, it was as good a place to start as any, especially since as far as he could tell, it was the start of all this. If he was very careful with what he said, he might be able to enlist the help of Yamato Kansuke. The one-eyed inspector seemed to like Conan to some degree, and somehow instinctually understood that the child was more than he let on, even if the man didn't understand why that was, exactly.

Shinichi smiled to himself. Kansuke was perfect for this job. Asking for a favor wasn't likely to arouse suspicion in the man, as long as he could concoct a believable reason for his interest in a twenty-year-old closed case. The inspector's personal pride virtually guaranteed no one else would know about it if it was something he thought he could do himself. He wouldn't tell Morofushi about it, since that would be like admitting he wasn't capable of doing a favor for a child (even an unusually intelligent child). He wouldn't tell Yui, either, for the same reason, since she was likely to bring it up to Morofushi.

He frowned again. Not having Morofushi's help would be a considerable waste, but the tactician-like inspector was much too sharp and inquisitive for Shinichi's comfort. There were already too many people like that in his life. Kansuke was just as sharp, of course, but he was more straightforward than the other man, and much less likely to ask too many questions or go digging on his own to satisfy any sort of unrelated hunches: specifically, hunches related to the shrunken teen.

He sat back in his chair and sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. He really needed to be in Nagano in person, since he didn't even know what he was looking for, but the city was just far enough that going without a chaperone would be a huge hassle. Kogoro was out of the question and Agasa was busy. He might have considered asking Subaru to go with him under different circumstances—going in a car would be much faster than a bus or train, and cheaper than a cab. But he wasn't too keen on exposing someone in disguise and undercover to someone as perceptive as Kansuke, even if he wasn't likely to ask too many questions beyond surface level curiosity.

He could ask Haibara for an antidote and go as himself, negating the need for a chaperone altogether, but… He needed Kansuke's help, and the man knew Conan, not Shinichi.

I should probably call him first, thought Shinichi, to make sure he's actually free to help me, and then plan accordingly. If the man wasn't even free, then all Shinichi would need to do was persuade Haibara to give him an antidote. Then he could investigate by himself, with the only hurdle being the lack of police presence to make people more willing to speak to him. Or, perhaps, get into places he couldn't without an officer. He didn't anticipate the latter, but with unknown circumstances, it was hard to tell for sure.

A soft knock at the door interrupted him as he pulled out his phone. He looked up. Ran stood in the doorway holding a tray laden with what looked like snacks. He blinked.

"I made some daifuku," she said, holding up the tray. "Since you seem pretty busy, and it doesn't look like you'll be getting any sleep soon."

"… Didn't we just eat?" he asked with some surprise. His stomach decided to protest that statement, and he frowned. Ran gave him a knowing smile.

"It's past ten o'clock," she said as she stepped into the room. "We ate four hours ago." She walked up next to him and set the tray down. Besides the daifuku, there was hot tea as well. "What have you been looking at so intently?" Shinichi flushed with embarrassment at her indifferent demeanor—she was very used to this kind of behavior from him, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. But she didn't comment on it, and he greatly appreciated that.

"It's the records Kid gave me," he said as he sat back in his chair so she could see the screen. She leaned forward with interest. He'd pulled up the oldest one again to confirm the location. Ran's eyes grew very round when she spotted the date.

"But—this is from twenty years ago!" she exclaimed, voice rising in growing panic. Shinichi nodded solemnly as he reached for one of the daifuku on the tray she'd brought.

"I know," he said gravely. "This is much bigger than I thought." He scrolled up to the top and zoomed in to the location. "So, we have a case that's twenty years old in the biggest city of Nagano prefecture. Finding any clues is probably a lost cause at this point…"

"You were planning on going there?" said Ran incredulously.

"I'm still planning on it," he said calmly as he picked his phone back up and scrolled through his contacts list. "Since this is the first recorded case, it would be unwise not to check it out, even if it's just the general area the victim lived."

He took a bite of the daifuku as Ran took a deep breath to calm herself. He nibbled as he stared at his phone, debating whether to call or message the inspector. He opted to message—he wasn't too keen on getting yelled at on the off chance that the man wasn't still awake. He quickly typed up an innocuous inquiry and hit send before going back to the unfinished snack in his other hand.

"So you're going to Nagano," sighed Ran as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "When?"

"Tomorrow, since it's Saturday," he said as he finished the last bite of his snack. A muscle below Ran's eye twitched. Shinichi frowned. "… What's wrong?"

"Er… Who're you going with?" she asked cautiously. Shinichi grimaced.

"No one at the moment," he admitted. "I just messaged Yamato-keibu, so his reply will determine whether I should keep looking for someone or just persuade Haibara to give me an antidote and go by myself."

"Yamato-keibu?" she said slowly. "If you can't get anyone here, why not ask Yui-san to come get you, since you're talking to Yamato-keibu?"

"Because she'll want to know why I'm going, and then tell Morofushi-keibu about it at the very least, if not the entire division. Yamato-keibu won't tell anyone if he can help it," he explained. Ran frowned, humming thoughtfully.

"Why don't you take me?" she asked, making Shinichi blink in surprise at her willingness.

"… Well, you'd have to pretend to be me, since we'll probably be with the inspector. He'd recognize you, too, and might figure out something's not quite right."

"That's nothing we'd need to worry about," she said matter-of-factly. "Since he was in that avalanche accident before you got really famous, and was out of the hospital after you disappeared, he won't know your adult face. And he doesn't really seem like the kind of person that would care too much about someone not directly related to his day-to-day activities."

Shinichi mulled that over. She did have a point… And he wouldn't need to resort to uselessly pleading for the antidote from Haibara, which would save him a lot of time and pain.

"I don't mind, but why are you volunteering?" he asked. "It's not a guarantee that you won't be recognized, and I know you don't like pretending to be me." Ran's expression looked a bit guilty.

"I just…" She averted her eyes, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "I don't want to be alone in the house with that guy…"

"'That guy'… You mean Subaru-san?" he asked. She pressed her lips into a thin line. "If this is about our identities, then—"

"No, no! That's not it!" she said quickly, waving her hands in front of her. "I-it's not that, I just… He feels kind of… off. Even when I first met him something about him felt off—I could never pinpoint what it was, so I just ignored it since I didn't have to see him every day, but now…" The corner of Shinichi's mouth tugged upward—she really was much more perceptive than everyone gave her credit for.

"Then I guess we're going to Nagano," he said. "I should probably give these files to Haibara before we leave, though. Preferably tonight."

"Why? What's the hurry?" asked Ran. "You're the one that puts most of the information together, right?"

"There's just something bothering me about the earliest cases." His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"And you can't ask the victims themselves?" she asked as Shinichi looked at the messages on his phone. "We're going to Nagano, right? You can ask the first guy."

"We can't," he said, after confirming the received message. "He had a heart attack shortly after he came back, and died. The ones that came after are all pretty similar: they all died from natural causes."

"What?!" she breathed, blood draining from her face.

"Relax. I don't think the deaths are related—I just wanted a second opinion. Haibara might see something I missed." He held up his phone and waved it. "And since Yamato-keibu said okay, we can at least ask him if he knows something about the first case. I doubt it'll be much, though, since besides living in a small village away from the city, he was only a teenager at the time."

"… Somehow, I can't really imagine him as a teenager," muttered Ran. Shinichi snorted.

"Me, neither." He turned back to the computer and transferred all the files to a separate thumb drive, and then stretched. "At any rate, since I want to leave early, we'll need to go ahead and sleep." He grabbed the drive in one hand and another daifuku in the other before sliding off his chair. "I just need to get this to Haibara, and then I'll turn in right after."

"O-okay," he heard Ran say as he left the room. He felt a little guilty about rushing out like that, but the sooner Haibara checked the files, the more at ease he would be.

He couldn't help but feel like every step forward put them four steps back. It was even more frustrating than trying to deal with the Black Organization—at least with them, he had a few faces and names. They were codenames, but it was still more than what they had with Ran's case.

He was finished with the snack by the time he got to the professor's house, and handed Haibara the drive, giving her a quick explanation of what was bothering him, as well as his plans for tomorrow. She pursed her lips, expression grim, as she listened to him.

"I'll look into it," she promised when he finished, "but unless I have something like the victims' medical histories, I doubt I'll be of much use." Shinichi shook his head.

"For right now, we can only use what we already have—it will have to be enough. While I'm out tomorrow, I'll see if I can dig up any more information, but I'm not getting my hopes up." He turned to leave. Haibara put a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful, Kudo-kun," she said, voice low. "I have a bad feeling about this." Shinichi flashed her a reassuring grin.

"Don't worry," he said. "We won't be alone. The worst that can happen is we won't find anything." With that he left, suppressing his own bad feelings about all this. He just hoped they could glean something from this venture, even if it was seemingly insignificant at the time. But hope was all he could do, and that left a bad taste in his mouth.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Cold Case, Post-Haste

"So, where are we going, exactly?" asked Ran with a yawn as she gave Shinichi an early breakfast, which he opted to eat at the island counter. They'd woken up around four o'clock, which gave them plenty of time to get ready.

"We're going to the place Hori Kenzo supposedly disappeared from," said Shinichi as he dug into the food in front of him. "He was working for a ramen place at the time, and made a delivery to an apartment somewhere, but didn't come back even though his shift wasn't over."

"'An apartment somewhere'," Ran repeated groggily. "Do I need to prepare for a hike?"

"No, it should be near the station—it's Nagano City, after all. I can't imagine anyone building an apartment complex in the mountains, when most of the people who live there are likely to work somewhere within the city boundaries."

"Don't they have hotels in the mountains?" asked Ran with another yawn. She took a cup of coffee from the pot, not even bothering to ask if Shinichi was okay with that. He was, of course—she was the one who made it after all, and in that body, she needed it as much as he did.

"Hotels are for tourists," he said, taking a sip from his own coffee cup. Then added thoughtfully, "And for people trying to get a night away from their spouses." He knew of at least two occasions when Kogoro had done just that, and more than five occasions when his own mother did the same.

"Anyway, if you went to take a vacation in an area known for its mountain shrines, would you want to stay at a place in a city that looks similar to the one you already live in?"

"… I guess not," she replied, rubbing at a spot on her neck. She was waking up properly now, and her words came less slurred than they'd been just a few minutes ago. "So, I take it we're going to both the apartment and the ramen shop?"

"That's the plan," said Shinichi. "I just hope the shop still has someone working there who remembers Hori-san."

They finished breakfast fairly quickly, and started getting ready for the trip ahead of them.

***

Ran and Shinichi took the 6:15 bullet train. It would take a full hour and a half to reach Nagano, and if it was for anything else, Shinichi might have felt guilty for forcing Kansuke to be awake so early to meet them at the station. As it was, he just couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it, even when they saw the inspector scowling at them from the other side of the gates.

"Alright, kid," he said when they got close, completely ignoring Ran for the moment, "what's this all about?" Shinichi gave the inspector an innocent look he was certain the man saw right through.

"Didn't I say it in my text?" he asked. "I'm working on a project." It was a line that only really worked with someone like Takagi, but he hoped Kansuke wouldn't ask too many questions. To ensure he wouldn't, he followed up with, "But if you really can't do it, maybe I should just ask Morofushi-keibu to help instead." Kansuke's eye flashed angrily.

"I never said I couldn't," he growled. "I just don't understand why it has to be so early."

"The sooner I start, the sooner I finish," said Shinichi as he put his hands behind his head in a carefree manner. He hummed. "Maybe I should call him anyway, so you can go back to sleep if you really need it that badly." He started to reach for his phone. Kansuke irritably swept his free hand through his hair.

"Look, kid, I'll help you—just don't bring up that bastard again, got it?" Shinichi beamed at him and nodded. Kansuke sighed heavily and turned away, muttering darkly to himself, to call for a cab. Ran crouched down next to Shinichi.

"You do know he's probably going to tell Morofushi-keibu about this later, right?" she whispered. He nodded.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that for a second," he agreed. "But we won't be here when he does. I don't mind if Morofushi-keibu knows we were here looking for something, but letting him see me work without someone like your dad to guide, he might get more suspicious than he probably already is." He glanced at Kansuke's back while the man tried to find an unoccupied taxi. "It's safer with Yamato-keibu."

"Why's that?" asked Ran with a frown. "He's just as smart, isn't he?" Shinichi grimaced.

"Yes, but their personalities are what's at play here. Morofushi-keibu notices everything, and mentally catalogues the information. Yamato-keibu does the same, but with one key difference: Morofushi goes over everything in his head at once, while Yamato focuses on one thing at a time, ignoring anything that isn't related to what he's thinking about." At least, that's how it looked to Shinichi, and he took the gamble that Kansuke was exactly what he seemed to be. It wasn't hard to come to that conclusion—the one-eyed inspector had a sort of blunt honesty about him that made it difficult to see him as anything else.

"What're you whispering about over here?" asked the man in question, startling Ran and Shinichi out of their contemplations. Ran stood up and greeted him with a polite bow.

"Conan-kun was just telling me about how you two met," she said, thinking quickly. Kansuke made a noncommittal hum as he looked at Shinichi before returning his sharp gaze to Ran.

"And? Who're you?"

"This's my cousin, Shinichi-niichan!" said Shinichi in his child voice before Ran could respond. "He came with me since everyone else was busy."

"That so?" asked Kansuke. He looked Ran up and down before coming to some sort of conclusion privy only to himself.

"Nice to meet you," said Ran, holding out her hand. Kansuke eyed it for only a moment before briefly gripping it.

"Yeah, likewise," he muttered before letting go and turning around. "C'mon, then. I got us a cab." Ran and Shinichi exchanged mildly amused looks. He'd unknowingly proved Shinichi's point. Ran and Shinichi followed a few paces behind him. Ran's expression was slightly disconcerted, but Shinichi couldn't ask what was wrong with the inspector so close, so he reached for her hand and squeezed it.

Kansuke continued grumbling after they climbed into the cab, and looked sourly at the two teens in the backseat before giving a destination.

"I'm sure you've no objection to getting breakfast first, right?" he said, tone daring them to object. Ran and Shinichi exchanged glances and quickly nodded their heads. He'd agreed to lend his help, after all, and they had made him get up early; neither of them particularly wanted to deal with a Kansuke that was grumpier than usual.

Kansuke gruffed out their destination to the driver while Ran absently reached up to pull on the brim of the cap she was wearing. Shinichi made sure no one noticed before gently nudging her side. She flinched and brought her hand back down, clenched tightly on her lap.

The destination turned out to be a little breakfast place that was pretty close to where Shinichi wanted to go. Despite attempts to convince him otherwise, Kansuke ordered for all three of them. It wasn't until he was nursing his coffee when he finally spoke.

"Alright, kid," he said without looking up from his mug, "dunno what you want to snoop around a condemned apartment building for, and I don't really care at the moment. But why do you need me there?" Ran tensed up at the mention of Shinichi's target, and quickly sent him an accusatory side glare. He'd forgotten to tell her about the location.

"Because it's condemned—you just said it," Shinichi replied. "Isn't that the sort of thing a police inspector should worry about?" Kansuke huffed out a dry laugh.

"You were gonna go even if I said no, right?" he said. He tipped his mug back and downed the rest of the coffee. "So what's even the point of my being there?"

"It's better to have the police there and not get caught than it is to be caught without the police," said Shinichi lightly, as if everyone should have known that fact.

And maybe, he thought, I might be able to ask you some questions about the case twenty years ago.

"Besides, you wouldn't have said no," he said, daring to tease the man in favor of a slightly lighter mood—Ran's aura was starting to get a little uncomfortable, and he couldn't risk nudging her this time, since Kansuke was looking at them. Kansuke leered at Shinichi.

"You don't know that—I could very well have said no," he said, prickling a bit at Shinichi's assertion. "So would Koumei—"

"Except that he'd have agreed to it if he learned you refused," said Shinichi, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice. Kansuke scowled at him before grumbling something about needing to use the restroom without even responding to that last comment; because Shinichi was right, even if he'd had no intention of calling up Morofushi in the first place.

As soon as the inspector left the table, Ran turned angrily on Shinichi.

"We're going to a condemned apartment?!" she hissed.

"It's fine, isn't it?" he asked. "We're going during the day, after all, and we have a policeman with us. No one should bother us—anyone staying there illegally would be very foolish to try."

"That's not the point!" she said, brows pinching together in a way Shinichi recognized with a little surprise.

"I promise, it's not haunted," he said. She winced: so he'd guessed right. "There're no such things as ghosts—I've said this before, right?" He'd said it multiple times, actually. She flushed and averted her gaze with a small frown.

"… You can't prove it, though," she murmured in a small voice. Shinichi raised an eyebrow, ego bristling a bit.

"I'm pretty sure I have, though?"

"But you—"

Whatever she was about to say, Shinichi didn't get to hear it since Kansuke chose that moment to come back from the restroom.

"Time to go," he said, standing just beside the table. "Let's get this over with."

Shinichi bit back his irritation, resolved to prove once again that there were no ghosts. Ran had better pay close attention, since it was a guarantee that nothing supernatural would show up while they were there.

Of course, as they walked along the street towards the apartment in question, his initial irritation cooled. Ran was Ran, after all, and she would continue to fear the supernatural no matter how many times he proved it didn't exist. That, and it wouldn't do them any good for him to focus on that instead of the reason they came in the first place.

"S-so," said Ran, breaking the silence, "why was the apartment condemned?" Kansuke gave her a disinterested shrug.

"Same reasons any building's condemned, I suppose. And it'll have only gotten worse with neglect in the past ten or so years it's been standing there."

"I heard they found out the construction company that built it was using questionable materials that they imported from an unknown company overseas," offered Shinichi. "They only built a few buildings with that stuff, but when the government found out, that was the end for them."

"You seem to know a lot about it already," said the inspector as they rounded the corner. The building was in view, now.

"That's 'cause I looked into it before coming here. But there's only so much reading old articles can do, though," Shinichi said as he eyed their quarry.

This is the last known place Hori Kenzo was before he disappeared, Shinichi thought grimly. That was twenty years ago. The building itself was condemned around twelve years ago, which means any possible evidence left from then was probably destroyed by the residents here during the eight years leading up to the building's vacation. He supposed it could have been worse, and he'd definitely found evidence from poorer prospects than this, but it wouldn't be easy.

They stopped in front of the building, thoughtfully regarding the degraded exterior before entering. Ran hung back, nervously following behind everyone. She didn't relax even after stepping inside, despite there being a sufficient amount of daylight streaming in through the broken windows.

Shinichi frowned, looking around at the thick carpet of dust, wondering just where he should start. It wasn't a guarantee that the victim was taken from the building itself—the actual abduction could have occurred between here and his workplace.

"See anything interesting, kid?" asked Kansuke as he also eyed the carpet of undisturbed dust.

"At the moment?" said Shinichi as he spotted the stairwell. "Just that no one's been through the front lobby in a long time." The inspector let out a short huff of a laugh.

"Yeah, I noticed."

"I bet this place was pretty full when it was open," commented Shinichi as he carefully moved to the back of the lobby, trying not to kick up too much dust.

"Of course it was," said Kansuke as he also moved further into the room. "Since it's near the densest part of the city." He coughed as he kicked the dust around. "Why?"

"No reason," said Shinichi, taking note of the shoeprints near the back door. They weren't very old, but not too fresh, either—a week old at the very least. He prepared his next line of inquiry. "I bet that ramen place we passed on the way here got most of its customers here." There was a noncommittal grunt. "Do you know if they're any good? What was it? Dragon Ramen, right?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I guess," said the inspector. He sounded distracted. Shinichi turned back to see what was going on. Kansuke had his phone out, and from the looks of it, he was checking his messages. "I think I ate there once, but it'd have been when I was in high school." He closed his phone again. "I don't much remember the taste, and it's probably different nowadays anyway."

Shinichi tried his best not to be disappointed—he hadn't expected the man to have ever eaten there in the first place, after all, much less during the time the victim worked there. He glanced over at Ran, who was still loitering by the doorway.

"Maybe we'll stop by there for lunch, if we take long enough here," he said, sweeping his gaze back across the area. There wasn't anything of interest here, besides the footprints of a possible vagrant passing through.

"I'm gonna have to pass on that," said Kansuke as he tucked his phone away again. "When you're done here, I've got something else to look into."

"I thought you were off today? If you got called in for a case, then—"

"Kid, if I'd been called in, I'd've told you to wrap it up or save it for another time," came the gruff reply. "It's nothing urgent."

"If you're sure…" Shinichi glanced back at the stairwell and pointed at it. "Is it okay if I check upstairs?" Kansuke scowled, though the expression wasn't really directed at him.

"… Fine. Bring your cousin with you," he said, jerking his head towards the doorway. Ran flinched.

"M-me?" Her eyes were so wide, Shinichi wondered if they might pop out.

"If I try to go up there, we'll be here all day," he snapped. "As his cousin you need to take responsibility. Unless you're afraid you'll run into the more dangerous type of squatter up there?" The last was said in a slightly mocking tone, as if he thought men above the age of twelve shouldn't be afraid of anything. He didn't, of course—Shinichi was almost certain he said it because he was in a bad mood. Whatever the reason, Ran bristled at the comment, expression turning defiant.

"Of course not!" she said firmly.

"Then get your ass up those stairs," Kansuke growled.

"Yes!" said Ran, almost instinctually. She rushed past the inspector and followed Shinichi into the stairwell. Shinichi schooled his expression, a smug smile attempting to pull at the corners of his mouth.

"Weren't you just complaining to me about coming to such a scary place?" whispered Shinichi as they climbed the dusty stairs. There were week-old footprints here, too. "Why'd you tell him you weren't afraid?" It was meant in jest, but Ran set her jaw resolutely, a sulky expression forming on her face.

"I'm not afraid of people," she said, tone firm. He tried not to chuckle.

"I already told you there are no ghosts," he said, the topic of their earlier conversation coming back to mind. "I can prove it again, if it'll make you feel better."

"… Right," she said quietly, half-heartedly. He frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"… Nothing. I'm just a bit tired, I guess." She kept her eyes on the stairs, not bothering to look his way.

We did wake up early, he thought absently. And I bet all this dust isn't helping anything.

They climbed the rest of the stairs in silence, stopping at the third floor. The week-old footprints continued on upstairs, so if anyone was still here, the third floor, at least, was empty.

"What are we looking for, exactly?" asked Ran as she stared down the dusty hallway. Cobwebs lined the corners of the ceiling, and Shinichi knew without having to look that she was squirming at the thought of running into the weavers' descendants.

"The address Hori-san delivered to was listed on the police report," he explained. "I just want to take a look at the room." She cast a skeptical eye down the decrepit hallway, looked back at him, and shrugged.

"Okay, then." It seemed she'd decided to stop trying to understand what was going on.

The room in question was located halfway down the hall. As they stopped in front of it, Shinichi suddenly wondered if it wasn't locked. It was something he'd forgotten to consider. He reached out and tried the handle.

The door slowly creaked open, the rusty hinges' protests echoing in the empty building.

He peered inside.

As he'd expected, the room was bare, thickly blanketed in undisturbed dust. There was nothing—no furniture or random items left behind. Just some trash no one bothered to throw away. He stepped carefully into the room, dust clouding up despite his caution. Once again, Ran hung back in the doorway as Shinichi carefully walked around the perimeter of the room to complete a cursory scan of the place.

He irritably clicked his tongue.

"There's nothing here," he sighed as he walked back into the hallway. "I didn't expect there would be, but it's still a bit…" His shoulders slumped. Ran gave him a sympathetic look.

"So, we can go now, right?" she asked hesitantly. He shook his head.

"Did you see the footprints on the stairs coming up here?" he asked. She frowned.

"… Yes…" she said slowly, cautiously. "Don't tell me you want to follow them?" He gave her an apologetic smile.

"They go up, but don't come back down," he said solemnly. "And they're a week old at the very least. I just want to confirm whether it's a vagrant or not—you can stay here if you want." She bristled again.

"Why would I let you go there alone if there's actually someone up there?! What if it's someone dangerous?!" She sounded mad. Shinichi blinked owlishly up at her, completely taken aback.

"… I'm not a child," he said sharply, anger welling up in his chest. "You know that. You never stopped me before Tropical Land." She gaped at him.

"That's not—" Her voice cracked. "That's not what this is about! Before Tropical Land, you were this big!" She gestured to herself, and Shinichi ignored the cold, sinking feeling in his chest. Something must have shown in his expression because immediately after those words, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's fine," Shinichi sighed, too emotionally drained to keep being angry. He turned to the staircase and started walking. "Come if you're going to come. Stay here if you're not." There was silence for a few moments before the sound of footsteps behind him signaled Ran rushing to catch up.

They climbed the stairs in strained silence. Ran cleared her throat.

"I really didn't mean to say that," she said quietly. "At least, not the way I said it." Shinichi peered over his shoulder and took stock of her guilty expression.

"… I also jumped to some conclusions…" he mumbled. "I'm just… I'm tired of having to act like a grade-schooler, and I'm tired of being treated like one, and I think I took some anger out on you. I'm sorry." He kept his gaze trained on the dusty trail of footprints in front of him.

"… So," said Ran after a few beats of silence, "what are you expecting to find up there?" Shinichi latched onto the change of topic.

"Probably not a dangerous criminal," he said, getting that worry out of the way. "The prints indicate an adult shoe, but the size is a tad small—possibly a woman, maybe a teen male…" He frowned up into the stairwell as they passed the fourth floor. "Since they never came back down, it could be a runaway case—unhappy teen or wife, maybe—or a drug addict, which I doubt since the prints are fairly steady.

"They aren't running from the law—again, the prints are steady and indicate a calm walk rather than a panicked run…" They passed the fifth floor. Ran was very quiet as she listened to him theorize out loud. He contemplated the possibilities.

"My best guess is a homeless woman with nowhere to go, since a homeless teenager, while not impossible, is highly improbable."

"Why homeless?"

"Well… I guess it could be an amnesiac, but barring that—I can't think of a good reason a sober woman who's not on the run would hole herself up in an abandoned building. Or—well, I guess it could be an unusually small man, too." The last comment, which he'd said in a lighter tone, brought a small, nervous laugh out of Ran's tense demeanor. He hid a relieved smile.

The prints stopped at the sixth floor and disappeared down the hallway. Ran tensed up again. There were even more cobwebs here than the first and second floors, and Shinichi counted no less than nine fresh webs immediately near them. He supposed the squatter wasn't bothered much by such things.

Their quarry led them all the way down to the last room on the left, where a strange smell mingled with the musty scents of dust, mold, and rotting wood. Shinichi frowned, tried the door handle, and pushed open the door. It squealed on its hinges as the smell got stronger and… more familiar. Ran gasped.

Nestled in the far corner of the room, a dead body sat waiting for them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: A Familiar Foe

The stench of stale, dry death flooded out of the room as if trying to chase them away. After the initial shock wore off, Shinichi looked up at Ran wondering why she hadn't screamed, since—while it wasn't a constant factor—she usually reacted that way with such things.

She was frozen to the spot, looking like she very much wanted to bolt but couldn't. Which meant that she was likely too scared to do anything more than stare. That was good for him, actually, since it meant he had time to investigate before Kansuke was alerted. It would have been a very different story if the person wasn't so obviously dead.

"Don't move," he said in a low voice as he took in the scene from the doorway. The only footprints in the room were the set that led to the corpse. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture, just in case, before considering his options.

He could go right in and investigate—the police here would definitely let him get away with that, especially since he was with Kansuke. On the other hand, since even from here he could tell the victim had died of dehydration, it was probably best to leave the dust undisturbed.

He fiddled idly with his glasses as he pondered, but then remembered a seldom used function in them—the zoom feature. He hadn't used it since that snowman case in Gunma. Now was as good a time as any to use it again. And if needed, he could still go inside with minimal to no scolding.

He pressed the appropriate button and got a close-up view of the body. Woman, possibly mid-thirties, though with the emaciation it was difficult to gauge an accurate age. Dark brown hair, possibly lightened by the sun if the tan was anything to go by. Died no more recently than three days ago, judging by the limp state and relatively undecomposed skin.

The lack of disturbed dust around her suggested minimal movement since sitting… So she just came in, sat down, and… waited to die. He swallowed down any feelings about that that tried to surface. Focus. What else?

The clothes seemed oddly new considering she had nowhere to go and nothing to eat….

He frowned at that, zooming in again to examine the garments. Plain, dark blue V-neck t-shirt; ordinary, everyday jean pants; cheap, convenience store tennis shoes… Something about that nagged at the back of his mind, but he couldn't place what it was.

Turning off the zoom on his glasses, he pulled his phone back out and brought up Kansuke's number. He hit call and waited.

"Ah, Yamato-keibu—there's a dead body up here."

"… Shit."

***

It didn't take very long for the police to arrive—probably because Kansuke was the one who called them. Thankfully, because, like Shinichi, the inspector also came to the conclusion that there was no foul play, his division wasn't called. If they could leave Nagano before Morofushi knew Shinichi was there, the risk of Ran and Shinichi both being discovered went down considerably.

He and Ran were only briefly questioned—their being acquainted with Kansuke kept questions of what they were doing there in the first place to a minimum.

They were back on the ground floor when Shinichi overheard some of the officers talking as they carried the body out.

"—no other outside injuries besides that weird burn mark, which obviously couldn't have killed her."

The blood drained from Shinichi's face.

"A weird burn mark?" he asked as he tugged at the jacket of the officer nearer to him. "It wasn't on her chest, was it?" The officer glanced down at him, recognition flashing across his face.

"Yeah—in a ring shape. How'd you know?"

Without answering, Shinichi turned on his heel and rushed towards the stairwell again, then followed the footprints backwards to find out where the dead woman had entered. He cursed under his breath when he exited into a back alley that looked pretty well-traveled. There wouldn't be any clues he could pick up in the time he had left in Nagano.

He looked around the alley and felt a surge of relief when he spotted a traffic camera located on the street beyond the building.

I guess that'll be the first of the footage I check when we get back home, he thought. He just needed to find out when the woman came in and follow her trail using the camera footage Kid had provided. Really, not going to a few heists was too little a trade for the help the thief had given.

He returned to the building lobby to find an irate inspector.

"Alright, kid, you're done here," he said before Shinichi could say anything. "Take your cousin and do whatever, but do it away from here." He had his phone in his hand again, gripping it tightly. Shinichi's eyes darted from the phone to the inspector's face, and he quickly concluded that whatever the "thing" he'd mentioned before was, it had turned from "nothing urgent" to something more pressing. He didn't even think of attempting to barter for more time.

"Okay," he said easily, which had the unfortunate effect of causing Kansuke to narrow his eye suspiciously. "Did something happen?" The man sighed irritably.

"Just Uehara being a worry-wart," he scoffed. "It's probably nothing, especially since it involves Komei." Shinichi hid an uncomfortable smile. That was definitely an issue he wanted to say out of, whatever it was.

Those two seriously need to grow up, he thought sardonically. I don't know how the rest of their department puts up with them all the time.

Since lingering would only make the inspector angrier, he opted to leave graciously, tugging on Ran's hand as he headed for the door.

"What happened?" Ran whispered as they squeezed past the other officers. "You went white as a sheet before running out the back door." Right. She hadn't been near enough to hear the conversation.

"She had the same mark as you on her chest," he murmured angrily. What were the odds a new victim showed up and died in the same building Shinichi was investigating for clues about the first victim? Actually, scratch that—with his luck, he probably should have seen it coming. Ran's face paled.

"What?" she asked breathlessly. "And we're just leaving?"

"She entered through a back alley that looked like it gets frequent use, probably from the students playing hooky from one of the three high schools I know of in the area." She grimaced. He continued. "I did see a traffic camera on the corner, so unless it wasn't working the day she came, I should be able to track her movements back to… wherever she was before." This was, of course, assuming she'd come to the building right after her kidnappers dumped her. If she'd been wandering around for more than two weeks before dying here, he wouldn't be able to see what vehicles could have been used to transport her. Regardless, some of the tension in Ran's shoulders eased as he spoke.

"So that's two victims here in Nagano connected to that building," she said thoughtfully, then shivered. "That's… kind of creepy. Do you think that was a coincidence, or…?" Shinichi shook his head.

"I definitely don't think it was on purpose," he said, grimacing a bit as he tried to keep up with Ran's nervous stride. She tended to move faster when she was anxious, and he was too embarrassed by his short legs to ask her to slow down. "Unless they forgot about the first guy, since it was so long ago, they wouldn't have given anyone something to suspect on purpose. They probably would've already been found out or caught if they were the sort to do something like that."

"I suppose you're right," she said, slowing down again, though whether it was because she was less nervous or because she had noticed Shinichi's struggle to keep up, he couldn't have said.

"That being the case, I think we should forgo the ramen shop—we can always come back another—"

"Shinichi," said Ran, interrupting him. "Look at your clothes." He blinked a few times at the non-sequitur.

"… My clothes…?" he asked, looking down. He was covered in dust. "What the—?"

"You kicked up an awful lot of dust when you bolted out of here," she said. "So rather than getting dust on everything in the bullet train, maybe we should go somewhere to wash most of it off. Somewhere like the ramen shop…?" Shinichi sighed.

"You're right," he said. "And it does save us the extra trip back just to see if anyone remembers Hori-san." Ran nodded grimly, absently pulling on the brim of her cap as people passed them on the sidewalk. He wanted to say something about it, but this time opted not to. Since they had just discovered a dead body, she was most definitely worried someone who'd gotten wind of it might recognize her.

With that decided, Shinichi pulled up the GPS on his phone and they headed to Dragon Ramen a few blocks over.

The owner, a very sweet and accommodating old woman, let Shinichi use the staff restroom to wash off the dust, since they didn't have public restrooms. Of course, he'd lied about how he got so dirty, but the story that he'd followed an out-of-season rhinoceros beetle into an old building satisfied her just fine.

"Really, children are children no matter the era. Right, young man?" Shinichi heard her say to Ran before closing the restroom door. He sighed at the comment—he knew she didn't mean anything by it. They never did. But it was really starting to wear at him. He began the rather annoying task of washing the dust out of his clothes.

When he was sure the worst of it was gone, he came back out expecting to give his thanks, possibly comment on the shop's history, and then leave once he got the information he wanted… only to find an enormous bowl of ramen waiting for him in front of the seat next to Ran, another giant bowl in front of her. He gave her a questioning look, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head, and discreetly pointed at the old woman.

"There you are!" said the woman, a big smile on her face. "I was just telling your niisan about how much you remind me of my late husband when we were young." She sighed wistfully. "He'd go hunting for beetles, too, regardless of the time of year." Shinichi forced a smile and prepared himself once again for his act.

"It's 'cause beetles are so great!" he chirped, climbing into the stool next to Ran. "It's even better when you find them out of season 'cause then you get to brag to your classmates." The old woman laughed in delight, just as he'd intended. He felt Ran glance at him from the corner of her eye.

"Quite so!" said the woman, nodding authoritatively. "My, it's just like talking with Ryu-kun…"

Ryu-kun? Shinichi hid a frown behind the action of snapping open his chopsticks.

"Was that your husband's name?" asked Ran as Shinichi took the time to gently stir up his noodles, mixing in the egg that had been placed on top.

"Yes, that's right," came the fond-sounding reply. "This was his shop, you know—he'd originally wanted to call it 'Kami Ramen,' but I'd pointed out that made it sound like the food was made from paper." She chuckled. Ran and Shinichi exchanged mildly amused smiles.

"So, you suggested using his name as a pun?" asked Shinichi. Even though it wasn't important, he found he was interested in spite of himself. Maybe it was the matter-of-fact fondness the woman's tone had when speaking about it.

"I did, though he was against it at first," she said. "Said it felt too pretentious. But it was catchy, and everyone responded positively to it, so he relented."

"You opened this place together, then?" asked Ran, genuine curiosity laced in her voice. Shinichi hid a smile: this kind of story was right up Ran's alley, after all.

"Oh heavens, no!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "No, we were only dating at the time. And even after getting married, Ryu-kun was more than happy to let me pursue my own career path. Of course, since that was very uncommon back then, our parents were less than thrilled…" From the mischievous glint in her eye, Shinichi could guess that she enjoyed stirring up trouble in her youth. Unbidden, an image of the old woman wearing a high school uniform with a scandalously long skirt popped into his head. The image completed itself with a mask and a bat, and he choked on his own snort. He didn't want to laugh, so he busied himself by starting on the bowl in front of him.

"Anyway," she continued, "I actually didn't start working here until a few years ago, when Ryu-kun passed away. I took over then." That was unfortunate, but Shinichi hadn't expected much, with the way this whole trip was going. He decided to try and fish for some information anyway.

"You mean he worked by himself?" he asked, putting as much innocence into his tone as he could. "That must've been pretty difficult."

"I'm sure he had some help, Conan-kun," said Ran, tone slightly admonishing. From the corner of his eye, he could see her slightly guilty expression at having to treat him like a child. He'd have to ease her mind about that—when they were in public, it was a necessity.

"Well, even with help, it was difficult when he started," said the woman thoughtfully. "Oh, excuse me." She went to attend to another customer. Shinichi turned to Ran.

"She's pretty chatty," he whispered as Ran attended her noodles. "Did you say something to her?"

"… I may have asked her about the 'boys are the same in every era' comment, half-teasing if her husband was like that…" said Ran. She stared sharply at him. "You know, kind of like what you did your first night as Conan."

He flinched and let out a nervous laugh.

"Ahaha… In my defense, at the time I really was just trying to tease you—I didn't expect… I mean…" He cleared his throat, mouth dry. At the very least, Ran seemed to find his floundering under her gaze amusing, because she snorted out a suppressed laugh.

"I'm not mad," she said at his confused stare, and then frowned. "It feels like such a long time ago…" Shinichi nodded to himself. So much had happened in the last six or seven months that it felt like a lifetime had passed. He absently ate some more ramen.

While the two teens were lost in their thoughts, the old woman came back to check on them. Unfortunately, Shinichi soon realized they weren't going to get much more information out of her, since she'd explained that before her husband died, she'd had no close contact with the shop. Which meant she probably wouldn't remember a random employee from twenty years ago, even if he did go missing. Pressing for more on the subject would look too forced, even for a curious child, so he bit back his disappointment and dropped the issue.

They finished their ramen and promised her they'd come back the next time they visited Nagano, and left, slowly walking back to the train station. Shinichi's shoulders slumped dejectedly as they walked.

"C'mon, stop sulking," said Ran. "You said yourself you weren't expecting to find anything from a twenty-year-old cold case."

"I'm not sulking," he grumbled, even as he turned his gaze away from her.

"Could've fooled me."

He glared back up at her. Just as he was about to retort, her eyes flicked towards something behind him and the color drained from her face as fear replaced mirth.

The change in demeanor was so abrupt, it had Shinichi whirling around to see what had frightened her. There was nothing but the busy street. Confused, he turned back to her.

"What—"

"They're here," she whispered, shakily pointing towards an old building across the street.

"What? Who's here?!" Shinichi asked, sharply turning again. "The guy who took you?" She shook her head, looking fearfully down at him.

"No," she said, almost too quiet to hear. "The men from the roller coaster."

Shinichi's heart stopped.

"What?!" he breathed, anxiously looking at the building she'd pointed to.

Gin and Vodka? Here?!

"You're sure it was them?" he asked without looking up at her.

"Positive," came the reply. "They aren't exactly forgettable." She glanced down at him. "Wh-what should we do…?"

Shinichi gritted his teeth. He didn't want to put Ran in danger, but he knew she wouldn't let him go by himself. He couldn't pass up this chance.

He very quickly pulled out his phone and texted Agasa to pull and save all of the Nagano traffic footage on his computer for him before resolutely turning back to look up at Ran.

"I need to find out why they're here," he said, tone giving her no room to try to talk him out of his decision. She grimaced in a way that told him she knew he'd say that.

"I'm going with you," she said firmly.

"Fine, but you'll need to do exactly as I say," he replied, just as firmly. She blinked a few times, evidently having expected much more resistance on his part. "You'll just tell me you won't let me go by myself, or try to follow me anyway if I say to stay here, right?" he pointed out. She at least had the grace to blush.

"S-so what's the plan?" she asked after awkwardly coughing in response to his point. He turned back and regarded the building with a grim expression.

"Did you see them go into the building, or behind it?" he asked.

"They walked in through the front door," she said quietly.

"Then we'll need to check out the back." He frowned, willing his racing heart to calm down, then turned back to look up at her, making sure to catch her eyes with his. "Whatever you do," he said darkly, "whatever you see—you can't make a sound. No screams, no gasps, no breathing hard—don't even swallow. Vodka might not catch it, but Gin has the ears of a bat."

Suddenly, she looked less than sure about her decision, but nodded gravely. He supposed she didn't really want to lose face after telling him she was going.

"A-and after that?" she managed to squeak out. Shinichi tilted his head. "I-I mean, we follow them in and not get noticed—what then? We're not… going to call the police? Or c-c-confront them?" Ah… He fervently shook his head.

"Definitely not. That's the best way to get everyone killed—including the police," he said, and she paled even more.

"Then why—?"

"It's too suspicious that they're here the day we discover a body related to your case," he said, keeping his voice low. "Those two in particular never go out in public without a reason. This… this is a very rare opportunity." He looked down at the ground. "For both of us."

"Both of us?"

"Well, yeah—we still don't know who's responsible for what happened to you. At the very least, if I can hear some of their conversation, I'll know whether or not their organization is involved. And even if their being here is a coincidence, I can still…" He cleared his throat to get rid of the lump that formed there and stared intently at his hands. "I might still get a lead on my case, you know?" The last part was whispered, and he suddenly felt very selfish. He balled his hands into fists, feeling Ran's eyes on him, but he wasn't confident enough to meet her stare.

Something warm and heavy settled on his head, and he finally looked up. Ran was giving him a weak, yet encouraging smile as she ran her fingers through his hair. She was trembling.

"Then let's go," she whispered. "I'll follow your lead."

He sent her a weak, appreciative smile of his own, and nodded. He faced the building again, deciding how best to approach it. He reached up and grabbed her hand, surprising her.

"We need to get past the front side as naturally as possible," he said, eyeing the pathway that would lead them most safely to the back alley. "Just in case someone's watching from the front." Ran's fingers shakily closed around his hand, and she nodded resolutely.

He led, hoping very much he looked like an eager child pulling against his guardian's grip. There was, thankfully, plenty of pedestrian traffic on this part of the street, so they didn't look too out of place on the sidewalk near the building, and they slipped into the back alley unnoticed.

Shinichi could feel Ran's pulse racing against his palm. He was certain his own pulse was just as rapid.

He stopped at the entrance to the back alley and quickly surveyed the surrounding buildings, just in case. Nothing. He hoped the lack of snipers meant no one was going to die today, but with someone like Gin it was hard to say for sure.

He cautiously led Ran into the alley, and silently instructed her to move along the wall of the building. He tried very hard to ignore the deafening sound of his heartbeat, so loud it drowned out the sounds of the busy street on the other side of the building.

They slowly made their way to the back door, Shinichi's eyes peeled for potential danger. It wouldn't do for Ran to meet the same fate he had, or worse. He glanced up at her, once more wishing he could tell her to wait for him from the safety of the train station, knowing at the same time she would adamantly refuse to do so.

As they neared the door, Shinichi grounded himself with the feeling of crumbling bricks scraping against the bare parts of his skin. This building seemed to be in even worse condition than the one they'd just been in, a fact that cemented itself when he saw that most of the metal of the back door had rusted and crumbled away, giving him a mostly unobstructed view of what looked like a stairwell. He peered inside, straining his ears.

Nothing.

He had hoped they wouldn't need to go inside, but he supposed that the extra potential hiding places could be advantageous in the event one was needed. He motioned for Ran to wait, and he slipped inside to make sure the surrounding area was clear. She peered in after him and watched him work. He suspected she was also making sure he didn't go ahead by himself, and tried not to feel guilty that the thought had, in fact, crossed his mind.

When he was satisfied the coast was clear, he signaled to her, and she slipped in quietly to join him again. They repeated this pattern as they picked through what Shinichi now recognized as an abandoned hotel building until they reached an empty doorframe that opened up into the lobby. It was there he spotted them, looking like shadows in the gloom.

Gin and Vodka stood near the front door, waiting for something. Or someone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Collapsing Theory

The two men stood in the dim light that choked through grime covered windows, their black clothes seeming to disappear in the darkness of the rest of the lobby. Vodka paced impatiently, kicking up dust as he went. Gin was very still; the only evidence of his discontent was a small frown on his face.

"He's late," snapped the stocky man. Gin only nodded, frown deepening.

"Call him again," came the low, chilling voice Shinichi often heard in his nightmares.

Shinichi pulled back, pressing himself flush against the wall behind him. He really didn't want to lose visual, but he didn't want Gin to glimpse him, either. He closed his eyes, straining his ears as if that would increase their ability, and listened to the sounds of phone buttons being pushed. The sound of the door opening interrupted the attempted call.

"You're late," came Gin's voice, dangerously calm.

"You're the ones who changed the meeting place!" hissed a man's voice. He sounded very nervous, with a faltering speech pattern.

"We gave you an extra ten minutes to make up for that—you should have had plenty of time." Gin chuckled darkly. "It's hardly our fault if you don't even check your messages properly." The nervous man spluttered a little before snapping back,

"I'm here now, aren't I? Why'd you change the location anyway? This wasn't what we'd agreed—" He cut his comment short, and Shinichi could just imagine the cold glare on Gin's face.

"… Unfortunately, some lost little sheep wandered into the other building and died. That place is crawling with cops now."

At those words, Shinichi blinked and shot an alarmed glance up at Ran, who returned his horrified expression with one of her own. Did they kill someone already?

"Does it matter?" asked Vodka impatiently. "One empty building's as good as another, right?

A dead person in an empty building—they could only be talking about the abandoned apartment complex. Shinichi relaxed a little, only to have a new chill run down his spine; if they'd tried to come in later in the day instead of early morning, they'd most definitely be dead right now.

It took everything he had not to swallow around the lump in his throat.

"… I suppose so," came the timid reply. Shinichi strained to hear over his pounding heart.

"Pleasantries aside," said Gin, tone only slightly amused, "I hope you brought what we asked for this time."

This time…?

"… You can't threaten me," came the timid, slightly unsure reply. "What you need is important, right?" Shinichi wished he could knock some sense into whoever this idiot was. Vodka scoffed.

"You really think you're the only one who can get this information?" he growled. Now the other man scoffed, feeling more confident for some reason.

"Naturally," he said. "You came to me after all."

Someone took a step, the sound echoing. If the man's tiny squeak was anything to go by, it was probably Gin, advancing with his blood thirsty glare.

"I don't know who you were dealing with before, Kitanabe-san," came the tall man's icy voice, "or what obnoxious flattery you may have misunderstood, but understand this—" As he spoke, steps echoed dreadfully in the empty halls. "The fact that we were called means you won't get another chance. You can and will be replaced; quite easily, I might add. We approached you simply because it was convenient for us to do so."

Vodka snickered, and Shinichi could imagine the sort of expression the man—Kitanabe, apparently—was wearing.

"Y-you—If you replace me, I'll report you—EEK!" There was the subtle rustle of fabric, followed by a metallic click.

A gun… He shouldn't have been surprised.

"As I said," came the frigid, emotionless words, "you won't get anymore chances after this. Now: we brought the money, so where is the list?" Frantic rustling sounded. "The money is the original amount agreed upon, of course."

"What?! But I—" He cut himself off as Shinichi heard what sounded like the safety switching off. "R-r-right. It-it's here—that list of biologists you wanted."

Biologists…? He supposed it made sense, especially if they hadn't yet found anyone to replace Haibara and her team…

He glanced up at Ran, who had her eyes closed, and her jaw set firmly as if it took all of her energy to be as silent as she promised him she'd be. All things considered, she was doing rather well.

Based on what they'd overheard, it seemed highly unlikely Ran's case was connected to the Black Organization. At the very least, he knew for a fact that they wouldn't kill anyone in the same building they planned to do a deal in. And since Gin and Vodka were utterly unconcerned about the dead woman (beyond viewing it as a minor annoyance), it seemed like whoever was behind Ran's change really was someone else.

The sounds of rustling papers and a light tapping on something solid tuned him back into the current deal.

"Pleasure doing business with you," said Vodka, and Shinichi could hear the smirk in his voice. Kitanabe quickly muttered something and the sound of shuffling and a door creaking signaled him scampering away. Silence dragged on for around ten seconds.

"… Are we really gonna let 'im go, aniki?" asked Vodka, tone more solemn than it was before. "He caused a lotta trouble, and he could still squeal on us."

"The boss seems to think we can still use him," came the detached reply. "And if he's foolish enough to cause more trouble, we'll be there to silence him for good." There was a rustling and a click. Shinichi smelled fresh cigarette smoke.

"Well, if that person says so, there's nothing we can do, huh?" Vodka clicked his tongue. "This building's even worse than the other one," he grumbled. "They should've torn it down ages ago."

"It's an expensive endeavor, doing it the legal way," chuckled Gin. Two sets of footsteps could be heard, and their voices got farther away. "Perhaps it would be best if…"

Shinichi didn't hear what Gin's thoughts were because the front door opened and closed, bringing deafening silence with it. More than anything, he desperately wanted to collapse with the relief that they hadn't been caught, but he didn't dare move for several minutes, lest the crows come back.

After what felt like an eternity, Shinichi finally let out a shaky breath, shoulders sagging. The surge of relief left him lightheaded. He looked up at Ran again, more than ready to get out of there. She was shaking. He cautiously tapped her arm and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"They're gone," he half-whispered, unsuccessfully trying to keep his voice from shaking. Ran pressed a hand to her forehead.

"… Do you…" Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. "You don't do this sort of thing a lot, do you?"

"'This sort of thing'? Eavesdropping, you mean? Because that happens whether I do it on purpose or not, since no one seems to care much if a small child overhears them." She gave him a flat glare. "I-if you mean following the members of the Black Organization, then no. No, I don't"

"Really?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion.

"Of course not!" he said. "In the first place, it's next to impossible to even find them. I usually only come across them the same way we did today—by coincidence." She stared at him for a few moments, searching his face for some sort of deception. Satisfied he was being truthful, she finally relaxed, shoulders slumping forward in belated relief.

"That was really scary," she managed to breathe out.

"… Yeah," agreed Shinichi. He peered into the now empty lobby area. "Let's… Let's get out of here." Ran nodded, and they began retracing their steps to the back door, since neither were much inclined to risk going out the front.

"We didn't learn much, did we?" lamented Ran as she looked dolefully at the peeling wallpaper they were passing. Shinichi glanced back at her.

"On the contrary; we actually learned quite a bit." He chuckled at her confused "eh?" and continued. "We learned that they're not responsible for the kidnappings related to your case, for one. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, though," he admitted in a low voice, "since it means we still have no idea who's behind it."

"But we didn't learn anything about your case, either."

"Sure we did!" He stopped walking and turned to face her. "You heard them making a deal to get a list of scientists, right?" She nodded slowly. "More precisely, they're looking for biologists. I can't imagine them needing to look unless they're still trying to find a good replacement for the one they lost—Haibara."

"Wait—didn't you say she was working with a team?" she asked uncertainly. "What about the rest of them?"

"She was their head scientist," he clarified. "And from what I understand, they blew up the lab she was working in after she disappeared from their confinement." His expression turned grim. "Knowing them, that means they probably also killed everyone who worked with her, just in case."

There were a few moments of silence as the weight of that reality settled around them. He cleared his throat.

"A-anyway, normally I'd follow them out, but…" He grinned weakly at her. "Since Kid gave me that traffic footage, there's no need to risk it." At those words, she looked significantly more relieved. He cleared his throat again and started to turn back around.

"Let's go ahead and get out of—" !!!

Ran abruptly scooped him up, covering his mouth when he tried to protest. She pressed her back against the wall right before the corner they needed to turn.

"Shh!" she hissed. He stopped his struggling and kept quiet to see if she would explain herself. She didn't have to.

"—dunno why we even agreed to tag along this time," came an irritated woman's voice. It sounded familiar.

"… I wanted to shoot, too," replied a man bluntly. That almost sounded like… A cold chill ran down Shinichi's spine.

Chianti and Korn! Why are they here?! They hadn't heard him and Ran talking, right?

"This isn't even our expertise—why're we doing this?" grumbled Chianti. Shinichi frowned behind Ran's hand. What were they doing? He could hear them moving around and fiddling with something, but since Ran was gripping him so tightly, he couldn't peak around the corner. Not that he'd want to risk it, with a loose cannon like Chianti there—she was already complaining about being denied a target, and he wasn't too keen on providing her one.

There was some incoherent mumbling, followed by a grunt and a click. Shinichi just hoped that when they left, they wouldn't come in this direction. He glanced around the hallway for the nearest door, just in case, and hoped it wasn't locked.

"That should do it," huffed Chianti. "Let's get the hell outta here." The sound of retreating footsteps could be heard, getting fainter as the two crows left—thankfully, towards the back door, rather than the front.

Once the footsteps were long out of earshot, Ran finally sagged against the wall she'd been pressed against, her knees giving out underneath her. She let go of Shinichi and clutched at her chest, trying to get her pounding heart under control. Shinichi, too, needed a few moments to settle his nerves. He'd almost walked right into… He shuddered.

"I'm sorry, I…" He choked on his words as he gasped for breath. "I di-didn't know they were here." It was a huge oversight—one he wasn't going to forgive himself for.

"Th-they don't know we're here, right?" breathed Ran. "How—shouldn't they have seen us come into the building?"

"… It's possible they were waiting for orders in one of the empty rooms," he replied. "But they definitely would have disposed of us if they knew we were here." Ran shivered, looking very sick at his words.

"What were they doing?" she asked, after nervously clearing her throat. Shinichi cautiously peered into the room.

"I'm not sure…" he replied as he swept his eyes across the empty hallway. His gaze landed on a black box that rested at the foot of a support beam. A tiny red light shone at one corner, looking like a beacon through all the dust in the air.

He had only half a moment to process that before the light started blinking with an ominous BEEP.

"Go, go, go, go!" he cried as he whirled around and grabbed Ran's hand. Startled by his urgency, she ran after him without question. They didn't get very far before the explosion blew through the opening, knocking some of the walls out along the way. The explosion was small, but the force of it made Ran stumble, and it knocked Shinichi off his feet completely. He scrambled up and kept going.

"A bomb?!" asked Ran between panting breaths. "Why would they—are there more?!"

"I think they only planted one," came Shinichi's breathless reply. "But that's not the problem right now—just keep going!"

The building groaned loudly around them, the walls splintering with the weight of the unsupported part of the structure. Shinichi kept his eyes peeled, mainly focusing on the ceiling—just in case. Large cracks were already forming. He picked up his pace.

"Wh-why… is this happening… with just the one small bomb?!" huffed Ran as she followed him back towards the lobby.

"They took out one of the support beams—and since the place was already practically falling apart, one was all they needed to—"

A crash sounded just as he rounded the last corner. A large piece of the ceiling fell right behind them, narrowly missing Ran by several centimeters. She shrieked in surprise. Shinichi quickly assessed their surroundings, looking for something sturdy enough to—there!

The closest room's door had been jarred open by the shaking. He grabbed Ran's hand and pulled her towards it.

"Stay in the door frame!" he ordered as more of the building crashed around them. "Cover your head and don't move until I say so!" Ran nodded, hunkering down with her arms over her head. He did the same in the other side of the frame, their knees bumping each other. But he kept his eyes open, trusting his glasses to help shield him from most of the dust and debris.

He had a clear line of sight to the front door. As he waited for the danger to pass, his mind was abuzz with questions.

Why did they set a bomb in the first place? The few times he knew of that they did such a thing was when they were erasing evidence after a plan had gone south. The deal today went through, so why? If this was just a replacement meeting place, the only thing they'd have left was footprints. And those could be from anyone passing through, given enough time.

Did they want the lot the building was on? He couldn't imagine it being very expensive given the state the building was in. But Gin had said it, hadn't he? That tearing it down legally was too pricey for the government to bother with. But if a bomb had been planted, they wouldn't be able to buy the lot for a while, lest suspicion fall. So why? It didn't make any sense!

A beam crashed to the ground right next to them, cutting his thoughts short. He nervously eyed the doorframe they were under, hoping the wood wasn't too rotted to serve them through the collapse.

The building continued falling, and there seemed to be no end to it. The loud roaring of crashing debris effectively kept Shinichi's mind focused only on the present. His view of the front door and most of the surrounding areas was obscured by heavy clouds of dust, dirt, and more falling debris.

After what felt like an eternity, the destruction finally subsided. Shinichi squinted through the dust as what was left of the building groaned dangerously; it almost sounded like a warning. Through the haze, he could roughly make out the now ruined lobby, and immediately realized the front entrance was completely blocked. Very slowly, he stood up, looking around at the chaos.

"Is it over?" asked Ran in a small voice. She peeked out at him from her arms. He nodded, and she cautiously lowered her hands.

"I think so," he said, carefully surveying the area. "It'd be wise not to touch anything, though." Just from what he could see, the building fell sideways, and was probably leaning against the building next to it. So they had enough space to maneuver to some sort of exit. "We should leave while the building's still standing."

"… Are we going out the back…?" asked Ran hesitantly as she slowly rose to her feet. Her head bumped against the top of the now broken and warped doorframe. She winced, and immediately froze as the surrounding structures rumbled dangerously in protest. Once it died down—thankfully without incident—she nervously sent Shinichi an apologetic expression. He let out a small, relieved sigh.

"If there's no other option, we'll leave through the back," he said, helping to guide her to a safer spot to stand up in. "But since Chianti and Korn went that way, it should be a last resort." She paled at the mention of the two snipers, then nodded, following Shinichi's lead.

"So, where…?" She glanced at the front door, but immediately discarded the idea as Shinichi had done upon seeing it blocked.

"I'm going to see if there's an opening on… that side of the building," said Shinichi as he located and pointed towards the structure's lean. "If I remember correctly, there's an alley over there that we should be able to sneak into without people realizing we were in here." He grimaced. "The last thing we need is to get onto the news as a 'miraculous survivor' story, where the crows could see it."

Ran grunted in discomfort as she followed Shinichi through the rubble, making absolutely certain she didn't accidentally bump something like she had earlier. Shinichi felt a strange pang of something like guilt. Even if he'd rather be his normal size, it was pretty useful being small in this situation. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful he had been poisoned, or if he should be wishing Ran were small enough to maneuver the area. It was a confusing feeling, and he forcefully discarded it in favor of escape.

"Shinichi," said Ran as they maneuvered around, "we're especially filthy, you know? Won't people ask questions?"

"Normally, I'd agree with you, but in this case it's fine," he replied without looking back at her. "Since this place's located on a busy street and it's the afternoon, there should be a sizeable crowd outside who got caught up in the building's collapse on that side… We can slip into the crowd and blend in fairly easily."

So they went on, freezing every time the building protested, and praying they could make it out safely. When they made it to the other side, Shinichi had to scout ahead, looking for an opening. To his immense relief, he found one. He gestured for Ran to follow, and led her under some fallen beams, into what used to be a room.

He'd expected a window, but was more than happy to use the jagged hole in the wall near the corner. It was just large enough for Ran to squeeze through. He peered into the alley on the other side of the opening, confirming it was void of people.

It looked almost as bad outside as it did inside. Rubble and ruin crowded the narrow alley. It would take some careful footwork, but they should be able to safely make it to the main street. He could hear the noisy hubbub of a surprised crowd, but thankfully this alley was, as near as he could tell, empty.

Despite his protests, Shinichi went first at Ran's insistence. Since he was so small, he could pass through the opening without any difficulty. Ran had to work harder for her freedom—she got momentarily stuck despite contorting herself into the best position. A little pulling freed her, but the panic that had briefly crossed her face would probably haunt Shinichi's dreams for a while.

He breathed a sigh of relief—they were almost there. He led Ran towards the sound of the now deafeningly noisy street.

Perhaps it was all the noise that he didn't notice it, or perhaps it was just that he'd tuned out the sound of the constantly groaning building, or it could even have been the slight ringing in his ears that persisted since the initial explosion; whatever the reason, the loud CRACK didn't register with him until a second too late.

"WATCH OUT!!!"

Ran rushed forward and swooped over Shinichi to grab him just as a huge chunk of the wall fell on top of them.

Everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: Waiting Room Worries

I can't breathe… Everything hurt, and Shinichi couldn't see anything even though he opened his eyes.

Where am I…?

He was vaguely aware of something big and warm on top of him. It was very heavy. He slipped back into foggy sleep.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, catching snatches of conversations he couldn't understand. The voices sounded so far away, and he was struck by the memory of that night at Tropical Land.

His eyes flew open. He only saw inky black, and the warm, heavy thing was still crushing him.

Not dead… I'm not dead, he reassured himself. But where was he…?

"There's another one over here! He's still breathing!" yelled someone close by. "Someone give me a hand with this!" Footsteps… Something shifted on top of him, and his eyes stung as a harsh light shone into them.

"Two of them—there's two of them!" shouted the voice from earlier. "A teenager and a boy!" Muffled shouts from elsewhere. There were sirens coming from… somewhere.

Shinichi blinked once. Twice. Recall came suddenly, painfully, and his eyes widened in realization. Ran was—? His eyes travelled up to the warm thing that was still on top of him.

His own, adult face was the first thing he saw: colorless, with a dark, ominous-looking streak caked on to it. A metallic scent mixed with the smell of dust and grime, and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe.

"You're awake! Little boy? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

He tried to speak, but could only manage a dry groan as he opened and closed his mouth in vain. There was too much dust—a thick layer of it coated his throat—and he struggled for air, his ribs being squeezed as they were.

"It's going to be okay," said the stranger. "We'll have this off as fast as we can, alright?"

The wall… His eyes snapped back to the lifeless face above him. Ran…? She was still warm, and after calming himself down, he found he could feel her heart beating against him. As his eyes focused, he was relieved to see the colorless complexion was mostly just dust and dirt caked on her face. But that dark streak was definitely blood.

As he took in the situation, the presence of others around him made themselves known. It took three men to lift the piece of wall that had Ran and him trapped. The sudden rush of oxygen made him dizzy, and as he coughed and choked on his dust-coated throat, Ran was carefully removed and put on a stretcher that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. He reached out, helplessly watching as they hauled her away.

"… nothing serious, but I think he's in shock," he heard someone say. He tried to tell them he wasn't in shock, but when he looked up to do so, he realized the sky was dark. His eyes grew wide.

How long were we under there…? He coughed again, the layer of dust stubbornly remaining, and as he only vaguely noticed someone was lifting him up, his vision swam and grew dark again.

He woke up in a white room.

He sat bolt upright with a loud gasp and wildly looked around. His eyes landed on a startled nurse holding a clipboard.

A… hospital…?

The nurse smiled warmly at him.

"You're awake," she said, the smile still there. "Do you feel pain anywhere?" He cleared his throat.

"I'm… fine," he rasped. "Just a little sore."

"Well, the doctor says you're fine except for a few mild cuts and bruises. Once I'm done here, I'll bring you some water." He nodded in thanks and cleared his throat again.

"That…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "W-what happened to the niisan I was with…?" She gave him an apologetic smile.

"I don't know, but I can ask for you. He's not in this ward."

"Right," he said quietly as a strange, calm panic set into his nerves. "Thanks."

"I'm almost done," she said lightly, oblivious to Shinichi's internal turmoil. "But I do need some information from you, since it doesn't look like your brother had your medical card with him."

What…? Shinichi stared blankly at her. She blinked in confusion.

"They found his wallet on the ground where you two were trapped," she prompted. "We've already called the guardian listed on his card, so you don't need to worry about that." Then he understood. He had pulled out his teenage wallet when he was still planning to ask Haibara for an antidote. He must have accidentally brought it with him instead of the one he used as Conan.

"O-oh," he said, laughing nervously. "H-he's—he's not my brother."

"What? But—you two look so similar!" she exclaimed in surprise. He coughed awkwardly.

"Ahahaha, yeah, that's… He's my cousin, and there's some strong genes, I guess?" he said lamely. Thankfully, she bought the pitiful explanation and he proceeded to give her his child information, and made sure she knew Agasa was Conan's representative guardian as well as his 'cousin's'. She left briefly only to return with the water she had promised. When she finally left, he sighed heavily, sagging back against the pillow behind him.

She's not in this ward? Was it very serious? He chewed on the inside of his cheek, going over the memory of the wall falling. Where had it hit, exactly? Since she'd shielded him from the impact, he hadn't seen it. He tasted iron, and sighed again. It was pointless jumping to conclusions until the nurse came back with Ran's whereabouts.

He glared at the glass of water the nurse left, and bitterly downed it as if it was the cause of his discontent. He anxiously fidgeted with the blanket while he waited for the nurse to return, silently praying for good news. At least the dust was finally gone from his throat.

When the nurse returned, she was with a doctor who bore a serious expression. Before Shinichi could react, the doctor stretched out a hand in greeting.

"Good morning, Edogawa-san," he said politely. Shinichi shook the proffered hand. "I'm doctor Kido, the supervising physician in charge of your cousin, Kudo-san."

Shinichi carefully made sure his expression didn't expose the discomfort he felt at that statement. He was 'Kudo-san,' and Ran was Ran. Of course, he couldn't say that out loud, so he just silently gritted his teeth.

"I-is Shinichi-niichan okay?" he asked, trying to sound like the child he looked like. He didn't have to feign the worried tone in his voice as he spoke.

"Don't worry, his condition is stable," said the doctor. He then coughed awkwardly, as if he just realized he was speaking to a child. "He came out with surprisingly few injuries, actually, given the size of the wall. He does have a head injury, and is currently unconscious, but he's in no danger." The nurse gave the man a flat look and berated him for continuing to use such big words with a child, but Shinichi wasn't paying her any attention.

Ran was still unconscious. He swallowed, hard. Even though the man had said she wasn't in any danger, he still didn't feel good about it. After all, if it hadn't been for him, she'd still be at his house, waiting for him to come back.

"Your doctor says you're good to go," said the nurse, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I can take you to see your cousin while you wait for your guardian. He should be here soon."

"Y-yeah, thanks," he said distractedly as the nurse motioned towards a small table next to his hospital bed. His clothes were clean and neatly folded on top, causing him to look down and belatedly realize he was in a hospital gown. He wasted no time in getting dressed before he followed the nurse to wherever Ran was.

He walked behind the nurse in a daze, a fog that refused to leave clouding his brain. She stopped at the entrance of a different ward, and explained the situation to one of the nurses stationed there. Shinichi was handed over to a new nurse, who kindly guided him to the room Ran was in. She opened the door. Despite his best efforts to compose himself, his breath caught in his chest when he looked in.

Ran was lying on the hospital bed, unconscious. The steady beeping of a monitor next to the bed alerted him of a normal pulse. He stared at the monitor for a moment, mouth dry. The nurse gently nudged the small of his back, guiding him towards the bed.

"I need to close the door," she said. "His guardian requested complete privacy." He could only nod as he allowed himself to be pushed forward. The nurse closed the door and strode forward to check the monitor, jotting something down in the clipboard she carried. She gave Shinichi a small smile before leaving him alone in the room with Ran.

Shinichi waited for the click of the closing door before he approached the bed. He looked Ran over, trying to assess how badly she was hurt. With a surge of hesitant relief, the only thing visible was the bandage around her head. There were no casts that he could see, nor did her breathing appear to be hampered in any way. She was just… asleep. He reached out and gently squeezed her hand.

"You're really… too reckless, you know?" he whispered, voice shaky. He drew circles in her palm with his thumb. "Thanks for saving me."

The steady beeping of the monitor was her only reply.

***

"SHINICHI!"

The professor arrived an hour after Shinichi had awoken in that hospital room, barging into Ran's room in a panic.

"Shhh!" shushed the nurse, giving the man a stern warning glare. Agasa hurriedly mumbled out an apology, and the door closed once again. He turned back around and spotted Shinichi sitting by the bed. He blinked in confusion.

"S-Shinichi? You're okay…" He frowned as his attention turned to the one on the bed. "… Ran-kun?!" Shinichi let out a morbid chuckle.

"Why are you surprised? It's not like the hospital staff knew she wasn't me."

"I… er…" Agasa coughed awkwardly. "I just got the call, and I guess my mind went blank." He stared meaningfully at the shrunken teen. "And they only mentioned your real name—so…" Shinichi waved him off with a sigh.

"You don't have to explain yourself," he said wearily. "It was an emergency call, and you panicked." He gave the man a smile that ended up looking more like a grimace. Agasa hummed absently as his nerves finally settled, and he gave Shinichi a sharp, worried look.

"What happened?" he asked, tone not quite stern, but definitely a bit harsh—it was to be expected. The sudden call from a hospital in Nagano had nearly given the man a heart attack. Shinichi retold the events leading up to his passing out with an increasingly numb detachment. He kept his gaze on Ran, hoping she'd wake up while he was talking, but she remained still.

"That… Why didn't you at least send her away?!" exclaimed the professor, pulling helplessly at the little hair he had left.

"You know what she's like!" snapped Shinichi. "If I hadn't let her come, she'd have secretly followed me anyway! With that in mind, it was just safer to be able to see where she was!" He rubbed his temples at the headache that built up behind his eyes. Safer… Right. At this point, he wished they'd just gone home. Even if they'd still be in the dark for a few things, he could still follow their movements on Kid's traffic footage, and Ran wouldn't have gotten hurt. He sighed heavily.

"It doesn't matter now, anyway. It's already happened." He looked up at Agasa, who, while he was still angry, had cooled off a bit with the realization that Shinichi was right. "Anyway, can you ask for the medical report? They…" He grimaced as he looked down at his small fists resting on equally small knees. "They won't let me see it."

"Right," said Agasa with a worried glance at Ran. "I'll… I'll be right back." He quickly left the room, and left Shinichi staring absently at the heart monitor.

Like the doctor had said earlier, the machine's readings all pointed to Ran's condition being stable. But that's all it did. The doctor mentioned a head injury, but without the medical report, he didn't know how serious it was. No matter what he told the staff, they wouldn't give the report to a seven-year-old. Part of him wanted to scream out that he was seventeen, but the rest of him managed to wait patiently for the professor, who was representing as Kudo Shinichi's legal guardian.

It wasn't fair.

He knew what they all saw, and he hated it.

Before he could follow that train of thought too deeply, the professor reentered the room, a stapled copy of the report in his hands. He straightened up as the door clicked shut, taking in the man's pale complexion and concerned frown.

"Well?" he asked impatiently. Agasa handed the papers over to him and cleared his throat.

"She's got a concussion" said the professor, expression grim. "And a fractured skull." The blood drained from Shinichi's face, and he quickly skimmed through the contents on the pages.

Closed linear fracture, located near the right parietal bone. Small lacerations on forehead… He frowned and turned the page. Suspected swelling in the brain, but no visible brain injuries…

He sighed. Some swelling would account for the continued unconsciousness and the fracture itself was one of the least threatening, thankfully. She was going to have the world's worst headache when she woke up, and he couldn't help but feel guilty about that. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I guess now we just have to wait for her to wake up…" he mumbled. The professor could only offer a helpless smile since Shinichi was right. He was so tired of being right. He hesitantly slipped off the chair, glancing between Ran and Agasa.

"Toilet," he muttered before Agasa could ask. The man just nodded and took the vacated seat as the small teen crept out into the ward hallway. He passed by a set of elevators on his way to the restroom, and a ding behind him signaled someone getting off on this floor. He paid it no mind until a familiar voice swore loudly enough to bring the nurses' wrath down on him. Shinichi spun around.

Kansuke was glowering venomously at him.

"Y-Yamato-keibu?!" he said after a few beats of stunned silene. "What are you doing here?!"

"That's what I want to ask," growled the inspector. "The chief's got me doing a routine check on the building collapse victims." His eye narrowed dangerously. "Thought you left town yesterday. Don't tell me you had something to do with this?"

"No, no!" said Shinichi, quickly holding his hands up. "We got caught up in the collapse on the side of the building. I only just woke up this morning." No need to tell him that they had actually been inside, since it was true that they'd only gotten trapped when they left. "… Do you know what caused it?"

Kansuke sighed heavily after looking Shinichi up and down. He didn't even seem to notice the intention behind the second question, thankfully.

"It was just an old, structurally unsound building that the government took too long to take down," he grumbled. "At that point, I wouldn't be surprised if a gust of wind had knocked it down."

Shinichi processed the information, careful not to let his expression show anything. The routine victim inspection was just a formality, but this meant that the police didn't suspect anything other than poor management and unfortunate timing. To be fair, the bomb had been very small, and was probably made specifically to look like rubble afterwards.

Telling the police about the existence of a bomb would only endanger anyone who tried to look for evidence of it. As long as there were no casualties, he supposed it might be better to keep that information to himself. Speaking of which—

"But why are you the one questioning the victims?" he asked, trying to sound just casually curious. "Isn't that a job more fit for Yui-san or someone else? No one died, did they?" He tried not to wince at the straightforwardness of the last question, but it was too late to take it back. Just act natural, and maybe he won't notice…

Luck seemed to be on his side for once. He watched the inspector heave a sigh as he swept his free hand over his hair, grimacing at whatever thoughts had crossed his mind.

"No, no one died—it'd be more than just me if that had happened. And as for why I'm the one doing this…" He grimaced again, idly scratching his nose. "… I might've said something that pissed off the chief…" Shinichi leveled a flat, unimpressed stare on the man in front of him. Kansuke coughed before getting back on topic.

"A-anyway, that's not important. After you I've got one more person to question, and they're in this ward, so…"

"Then you mean my cousin," said Shinichi quickly. "He's still unconscious, so you can't talk to him." Kansuke clicked his tongue, looking Shinichi over again.

"You seem none the worse for wear, though."

"… Because he shielded me," said Shinichi bitterly, voice barely loud enough for the inspector to hear.

Kansuke was silent for a while, studying the small boy in front of him who was staring at the floor as if the tiles could help relieve some of the guilt he felt.

"You were with him the whole time?" Kansuke asked softly. Shinichi nodded, unsure where this line of questioning would go. "And he can't tell me anything more than you can?" The teen looked up at that, and was met with an unusually soft gaze from the man in front of him.

"… That's right…"

"In that case, I'll just get your statement, since it'll be the same as your cousin's," he said, sweeping his hand over his face. Now that Shinichi was looking, he noticed Kansuke looked more haggard than usual—a feat he hadn't realized was possible, given the man's usual appearance. Had he been up all night gathering statements by himself?

What exactly did you do to piss off your boss that much…? He thought. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know.

"I'll need to see your cousin, though. Just to at least look like I'm doing my job," he said with a hint of a smirk. "But I promise I won't try to wake him," he added when Shinichi didn't react. Shinichi, who was still wondering about Kansuke's boss, quickly snapped out of it to give the man an answer.

"Ah, yeah—that's… that's fine. Should I take you to he-his room?"

"Nah, I'll ask the nurses after we're done talking. 'Proper procedure,' and all that." Which meant that the chief of police could potentially call and check up on Kansuke's work.

"… What did you do?" he asked before he could stop himself. The man scowled.

"None of your business," he snapped.

Shinichi wisely backed off, and quickly gave his statement, answering all of the questions Kansuke put to him as truthfully as he safely could. The inspector finally waved him off and headed for the nurses' station, and Shinichi watched for a few seconds longer before finally heading off to the restrooms.

After making sure no one else was present, he picked a stall in the back and sat down, hiding his face in his hands. He'd have stayed that way for a while if he hadn't felt his phone in his jacket pocket pressing against his side.

He absently pulled it out and looked numbly at it, not surprised in the least when he saw the cracked screen. It was off—either it was out of batteries, or broken. Or perhaps, the nurses had turned it off when they changed his clothes. Not that it mattered much.

After a moment of hesitation, he pressed the power button. He was, thankfully, in a place where it couldn't cause any trouble, but if it even still worked, he'd have to turn it back off before leaving the restroom. It powered on with no issues, and he was mildly surprised to see the battery only half-full. He'd expected it to be more drained than that. He shook his head to clear it as the first of an onslaught of notifications made the cracked screen blur with all of the vibrating. With a frown, he pulled up his messages and missed calls.

The first few calls and mails were, predictably, from Agasa, presumably as an attempt to get a hold of him after the hospital called. Or before. Since the man himself was here, it was a moot point. He scrolled past those. He had just enough time to see the name on the majority of what was left before his phone rang, that same name taking up the screen. He answered it.

"… Hattori…"

"Kudo! Where the hell are you?! I've been calling for hours!" A faint, tired smile tugged at the corners of Shinichi's mouth as he listened to the irate yelling. It was sort of grounding.

"I'm in Nagano," he said quietly.

"Nagano? What th—why are ya in Nagano?!" Shinichi chuckled dryly and cleared his throat.

"I had something to look into. I should've been back by evening yesterday, but..." He hesitated, wondering how much he should tell his impulsive friend. He caved in a second later, knowing full well that if he said nothing, Heiji wouldn't forgive him. "I'm in the hospital."

"WHAT?!"

"I'll tell you the details later—I'm not in a good place to talk about… certain things." His paranoid caution was justified as he heard the restroom door opening.

"Dude, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. But R—my cousin is unconscious." He emphasized the word 'cousin,' tipping Heiji off that he wasn't alone. Heiji caught on immediately, and swore.

"Neechan?"

"Yeah."

"When're ya comin' back?" Something about the way Heiji asked that made Shinichi narrow his eyes suspiciously.

"… Hattori," he started slowly. He could almost hear the other teen's eyes widen. "You aren't at my place, right?" The sheepish laugh was all the answer he needed. He sighed.

"To be completely fair, I didn't know you were outta town. An' if yer at the hospital, callin' ahead of time wouldn't have done me much good, anyway." He had a point.

Shinichi heard whoever was in the restroom with him pace along the stalls, probably looking for a preferred one. They were all empty, so they shouldn't be waiting for anyone.

"Look, I can't really talk right now, but if you're at my house you can do me a favor."

"Sure," said the Osakan amiably. "Just keep me updated, 'kay?"

"Okay. I'll send you a text with directions. I have to go now." He hung up before Heiji could say anything, and quickly sent a message requesting for Heiji to find and track the woman from the other building using Kid's traffic footage. He hesitated, and then sent a second request to track Gin and Vodka to wherever they'd gone afterwards. He wanted to check that footage himself, but he had no idea how long he was going to be here.

He probably should have expected the string of curses texted back, which of course were followed up by another expressing excitement over finally getting to see the crows himself. He smiled briefly before powering his phone off and left the stall feeling like a weight on his shoulders had lifted.

The person who had entered the restroom while Shinichi was on the phone was still pacing. A man in his early thirties shouldn't look like a nervous wreck, but given this ward was in the trauma center, he supposed the man's appearance was warranted. He hurriedly left to let the man break down in peace and headed back to Ran's room.

He spotted Kansuke reentering the elevator, and the man locked eyes with him. A grim smile and a lax salute was the only goodbye Shinichi got before the elevator doors closed.

Agasa looked up sharply as Shinichi opened the door, but relaxed when he saw who had come in. They both heaved identical, weary sighs and stared at Ran. The only thing left to do was wait.

***

After nearly three days and no sign of Ran regaining consciousness, it was decided to transfer her to Beika Hospital, which had more resources as well as being close to home for all of them. Shinichi had instructed Agasa to request the utmost privacy and secrecy, with the idea that making it known that "Kudo Shinichi" was hospitalized could cause some very unwanted attention, not just for him but for the hospital as well.

Since Shinichi's name and line of work were basically household information (even if he'd been out of the media and considered missing or dead for months), the staff was more than willing to oblige. Some of the nurses were probably hoping for autographs once "he" woke up. Shinichi had forced himself to ignore the excited whispering, silently repeating Ran's name to himself every time someone mentioned his name. It didn't really help with relieving the bitter feeling in his stomach that he and Agasa were the only ones there who knew the truth.

A day after the transfer, Shinichi found himself being dragged back to school by the Detective Boys. Not even Haibara could persuade them to give him a few days. He wasn't sick and he was barely hurt, so there was no arguing. He relented only with the understanding that he could not hang out after school, and no amount of pouting would get him to change his mind.

It was, all in all, a pretty tense, if boring, week at school. The children went with him to the hospital only once, but since the comatose teenager was—as far as they knew—more or less a stranger to them, they saw little merit in continuing to visit someone who was unable to appreciate the company. Haibara also visited the hospital only once, an unreadable expression on her face as she studied Ran's face. She'd said nothing, but the tenseness in her shoulders spoke volumes.

Heiji visited once as well, having skipped school in the middle of the week to come and personally berate his eastern counterpart for not checking his phone at all. He'd wanted to talk about the footage he'd pulled, but one look at Shinichi's tired face made him back off. He told Shinichi where he stored the footage, stared at Ran for a few minutes, and left just as abruptly as he'd come, promising another visit and a threat for Shinichi to actually start checking his phone at least every night. The smile Shinichi gave him did nothing to lift anyone's spirits.

School, hospital, home, sleep, school, hospital, home, sleep. The routine did nothing to make things better. It bled into Saturday, which he gratefully accepted as more time to be by Ran's side, as if him being there would wake her up sooner.

He was seated next to her bedside, trying to read a book he'd brought from home. He couldn't focus on it very well, but it was a slight change of pace from the ever-increasing feeling of dread that she would never wake up, knowing it was all his fault.

There was movement, immediately followed by a low, pained groan. His head snapped up from the book in his lap, frowning slightly as he looked at her still form and wondered if he'd imagined it. The beeping of the monitor sped up.

"Ran?" His voice was quiet, even to his own ears. Ran's face pinched in discomfort as another groan escaped her, dry and hoarse. A spark of hope lit in Shinichi's chest, and he stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to wake up.

An eye cracked open briefly before closing again, face scrunching up at the harsh fluorescent lights in the room. She slowly started to sit up. Her movements seemed a bit off, but sleeping for a week with a head wound would make anyone move a bit oddly. As she finished sitting up, she hissed sharply through her teeth and gingerly touched the back of her head. He reached out to help steady her.

"Shit," she muttered. Shinichi froze. Did she just…?

No sooner had she cursed, of all things, than her eyes snapped open in shock and confusion. Almost in slow motion, she looked down at herself with a frown that felt… wrong.

That growing dread was back, mounting higher and higher as he watched her study her hands, muttering a confused "What?" He shifted slightly, his book falling to the floor. The noise caught Ran's attention, and her gaze snapped up to him, careful not to move her head too quickly. Their eyes met, and the vague wrongness Shinichi felt intensified as her expression morphed from confusion to shock to fear, and finally suspicion. His blood turned to ice when she spoke.

"Who the hell are you?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 26: A Case of Identity

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

Ran was awake, but she was staring at Shinichi like he was dangerous. She'd cursed. Asked who he was. She was still aggressively glaring at him with unveiled suspicion, and a tiny voice in the back of his head screamed That's not Ran!

"Y-you're—" His words died in a dry throat as a nurse burst in, having probably been alerted by the heart monitor. Her eyes lit up.

"Kudo-sama, you're awake!" she said, just barely reigning in her excitement. Ran blinked a few times, breaking eye contact with Shinichi and turned to the nurse.

"Yes?"

Something in Shinichi's gut twisted painfully, and he couldn't help but take a step back. He watched the nurse talk animatedly to who was supposed to be Ran, listened to the person in the bed respond to the nurse without any uncomfortable grimaces the way Ran would when having to pretend to be Shinichi.

He took another step back, catching the attention of the teen on the bed, but he didn't stop, couldn't stop to face the painfully familiar gaze that didn't belong to Ran.

Without thinking, he fled from the room and bowled into Agasa, who was coming in for the first time that day.

"Shinichi?" he whispered after confirming no one was around to hear him. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Shinichi's mouth opened and closed a few times as he pointed to the door, the words stuck in his throat.

"S-something's wrong," he managed to rasp out just as the nurse from earlier opened the door again. She said something into the room that he couldn't hear, and then turned only to blink in surprise at the professor's presence. She greeted him properly after the door closed.

"You're Kudo-sama's current guardian, right?" she asked. He nodded. "He's just woken up—I'm going to call the doctor now." Agasa gave Shinichi a strange look while thanking the nurse. She left immediately to find the doctor in charge.

"Isn't it good Ran-kun's awake?" he whispered with a confused frown. He started for the door, grabbing the handle. Shinichi latched onto the hem of the man's shirt.

"S-she's acting strange," he hissed, staring up at the professor with eyes that pleaded for him to understand. "It's not—it's not her!"

"Now, Shinichi," sighed Agasa, turning the doorknob, "you said just the opposite when she first showed up, remember?"

"But—!" The door was opened before Shinichi could try to explain, and Agasa went in. He followed quickly, peering cautiously at the bed from behind the man. The person on the bed squinted suspiciously at Shinichi and spoke before Agasa could say anything.

"Professor, who is that?" Ran asked in a low, cautious voice. "And why am I…" the words trailed off when she saw Agasa's concerned expression. "What?"

It can't be, thought Shinichi with mounting dread as he listened to the too-familiar speech patterns. That's impossible!

He swallowed hard and stepped out from behind Professor Agasa. He took a deep breath, and with an authoritative confidence he didn't feel, said:

"I'm Kudo Shinichi."

Ran gaped at him for a few moments before giving him a scowl Shinichi himself was prone to wear at times.

"I'm Kudo Shinichi," she growled out. "I don't know what you did, professor, but this is a very bad joke." She faltered at the look of bewildered horror on Agasa's face. Shinichi couldn't feel the floor under his feet anymore, and the roaring of his quickening pulse flooded his ears.

The doctor came in before all hell could break loose, leaving everyone to silently scramble for what was left of their sanity.

As he spoke, explaining to Ran and Agasa some of the things they needed to keep in mind when she was discharged, the two teens stared each other down. Agasa stood in an uncomfortable daze, nodding absently at words he probably didn't hear, the doctor oblivious to the situation as his gaze was kept fixed on his clipboard.

"You've been very lucky, Kudo-san," the doctor said, bringing attention back to him. Shinichi bit back a scoff, unable to tell the man why that wasn't true. "There are a few tests I'd like to take care of now that you're awake, and I'd like you to spend the night here for observation. You should be able to go home tomorrow."

After receiving consent—despite it being more of an absent, distracted agreement—Ran was whisked away to do whatever it was the doctor wanted from her, leaving the professor and Shinichi to process the new situation they found themselves in.

"Wh-what… just happened?" breathed Agasa, still looking at the now vacated bed.

"I told you she was acting strange," said Shinichi as he reached up to cover his eyes. His heart was pounding against his ribs so hard he thought they might bruise. "This doesn't…" He swallowed hard. "It doesn't make sense."

"I'm sure it was just from the head injury," said Agasa gently, though his trembling shoulders told the teen he was consoling himself just as much as Shinichi.

Thinking you're someone else after a concussion only happens in cartoons, thought Shinichi as he hid a grimace. But she does know me well enough for something like that to be feasible, even if it's incredibly stupid. He rubbed his temples.

"And we can't ask the doctor about it without giving ourselves away, either," he groaned. Agasa patted him on the shoulder, though the action did little to lift his spirits. He consoled himself by telling himself that it shouldn't last very long. They just had to remind her who she was. Some research into the topic wouldn't be uncalled for, either.

So, as they waited for the doctor to return with Ran in tow, Shinichi slipped into the bathroom to make a phone call, updating Haibara on the new situation. She listened to him speak without interrupting.

"Hmmm," she said after a few moments of silence. "I have heard that delusions can occur after a brain injury, but… outside of media entertainment, I'm not familiar with any cases like this. Delusions of grandeur are usually symptomatic of a different issue altogether."

"I'd thought that, too," said Shinichi, gratified to know he wasn't the only one who thought it was strange.

"I need to do some research," said the scientist. "When did you say she gets discharged?"

"Sometime tomorrow, if they don't find anything wrong."

"Good. Spending too much time with people who also think she's you will probably make it worse. I'll see what I can find out here, but a copy of the diagnostics and x-rays will be most helpful." The telltale dial-tone was the only indication he got that the conversation was over.

He sighed and checked his messages. Nothing new, thankfully. He debated telling Heiji that Ran was awake; but then he'd want to visit, and Shinichi would be stuck explaining something he didn't want to think too much about. He had to tell Subaru, though. A brief explanation was all the man needed, thankfully. He would be ready when she was released.

… Perhaps a visit from Hattori would be beneficial… he found himself thinking. His finger hovered over Heiji's icon for a while before turning his phone back off. He could tell the other teen tomorrow if nothing changed. Maybe then, he wouldn't feel so shaken and would be able to articulate the problem better.

By the time Shinichi came out of the restroom, Ran was back in the hospital room. Once more, she looked suspiciously at him with a gaze that wasn't hers. His gut squirmed as they listened to the doctor talk, waiting for them to be alone again so that he could talk to her properly.

"… be reviewing the scans, and I'll get back to you when I've finished," the doctor was saying as Shinichi tuned back in. At the mention of the scans, he gave Agasa a meaningful look. The older man blinked a few times before nodding. He cleared his throat, drawing the doctor's attention.

"W-we, er… I was wondering if I could get a copy of those scans for his parents' records," said the professor.

"Yes, of course," came the reply. "I can include them in the report and statement before he's discharged tomorrow."

Ran frowned from her place on the bed as she listened to the exchange, confusion creeping into her features. The doctor left, and she spoke again.

"Professor, will you please explain what's going on?!" she demanded, again with Shinichi's speech pattern instead of her own.

"Now, Ran-kun," he started to say, but Ran's scowl deepened as she looked around the room.

"Ran's not here—who're you talking to?" Shinichi's chest felt tight around his heart. Her sharp gaze refocused on him. "And you still need to explain… whatever's going on with that imposter." Agasa sighed and glanced at the door before speaking.

"I'm talking to you," he said gently. Before she could refute that, he continued. "I know you must be confused right now, especially since you have a concussion, but you need to stay calm and try to remember who you are." Ran blinked at him a few times, mouth gaping open in disbelief. Then she looked back down at herself.

"… I'm dreaming, right?" she murmured as she absently flexed her fingers. "Yeah, that's it. That's the only thing that makes any sense." Shinichi exchanged a worried glance with Agasa.

She really does believe she's me… he thought gloomily.

"Ran-kun—"

"I'm not Ran!" she yelled, and abruptly winced, bringing her hand up to the back of her head with a soft hiss. The outcry, accompanied with the frantic beeping of the heart monitor she was still hooked up to, summoned a nurse who quickly shooed Agasa and Shinichi away for the rest of the day.

Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose as they headed for the parking lot, then checked his watch. Visiting hours were nearly over anyway. He could spend the rest of the evening trying to figure out how to get Ran to snap out of it.

Post-traumatic amnesia, he could deal with; there was a precedent for that sort of thing, after all. And some forms of delusions were to be expected when dealing with a concussion. He could tend to those, too, but… Something about this set his teeth on edge, and he couldn't shake the feeling that Ran's recovery wasn't going to be that simple. Agasa sent him a worried look as they got in his little yellow Volkswagen.

"What should we do, Shinichi?" he asked. "She obviously doesn't believe us—which is understandable, since she does look like you, and the doctors think she's you…" The distress he'd been poorly suppressing in the hospital came out unveiled, shaking his voice. Shinichi pulled off his glasses and covered his face with his hands for a few moments, releasing a long sigh that did nothing to calm his nerves.

"First, I think before getting her to remember who she is, we need to prove to her who she's not," he said. Agasa's brows furrowed.

"And how are we going to do that?" he asked as he started the car. They slowly made their way out of the parking lot, waiting at the street for an opening. "You two have been practically inseparable since preschool. She knows you almost as well as you know yourself. Perhaps even better." They were on the street, now. It had started raining sometime before they left. It had been sunny that morning. Shinichi irritably clicked his tongue.

"You think I don't know that?" he snapped. "I just need to think of something only I would know about." Agasa pursed his lips.

"That's going to be difficult, since you've told her just about everything since you outed yourself," he pointed out. Shinichi slumped in his seat.

"… Yeah…" He gazed ruefully out the window at the wet street rushing past; then he sat up suddenly, snapping his fingers. "I didn't tell her about Subaru!"

"You didn't?"

"No, since he is undercover, even if I was the one who helped him out. As far as she knows, Subaru and Akai are two different people."

Of course, he didn't think she knew Akai's name, but that wasn't really an issue, since he was certain she didn't know Subaru was a disguise. He wouldn't even need to reveal the deception—he'd just need to ask if she knew his secret. And hopefully, the fact that she didn't know the secret would help snap her out of it. It might not work if Shinichi was the only one who could prove it, but since Agasa (and Subaru himself, if the need arose) could back him up, it should be enough. He nodded to himself in satisfaction.

We just have to hope it's enough, he thought. Maybe she'll wake up normal tomorrow, and we won't even have to try that. It was a comforting thought, but not one he was willing to entertain for too long lest he get his hopes too high.

***

He was nervous. He'd gone over the plan with Agasa and Haibara (and mentioned it to Subaru, just in case), and it was decided that the professor would go by himself to get Ran, and bring her back to his house where Shinichi would confront her with the truth.

"Quit pacing, you're making me anxious," said Haibara from her place on the couch. She was reading a fashion magazine. Shinichi ignored her, stopping only to look out the window before resuming his trek.

"What's taking so long?" he grumbled. Haibara sighed and closed the magazine, setting it on the coffee table.

"I'd say it's very likely she's demanding answers from the professor, and is probably getting increasingly frustrated when he can't answer," she said. She bit back a yawn, and Shinichi noticed the dark circles under her eyes. He shoved his hands into his pockets, hating how clammy his palms felt.

"Did you find out anything?" he asked. She scowled and shook her head.

"Nothing like this," she said, frustration etching lines into her face. "Not any cases in real life, anyway. Every case resembling this one came straight out of movies and TV shows." She glared at the cover of the abandoned magazine. "I was up all night looking, and I've nothing to show for it."

Shinichi started pacing again, his mood souring further. He'd been up all night, too. As for concussions, a personality change was common; but, with a few exceptions, they didn't usually last long, and definitely never included actually believing one was someone else. He'd even looked up delusions of grandeur to be on the safe side, but found that those happened in the frontal lobe of the brain. Ran's injury was in the occipital area, and as far as he could tell from the reports, her frontal lobe didn't have any injuries or swelling that might cause that. He was completely at a loss.

The telltale sound of a car slowing down snapped the wound-up teen from his downward spiral, and he rushed back to the window. They were pulling up the driveway; Ran was in the passenger's seat, scowling the same way she'd done yesterday. He swallowed, hard, heart jumping to his throat.

Subaru was waiting on standby in Shinichi's house. He had a hunch that the man kept listening devices here somewhere, but he'd always been too busy to check. It didn't matter whether he did or not, though. Shinichi situated himself at the window facing his house. If needed, he could signal for Subaru who was waiting in a similar position at the Kudo mansion. He could come in and offer whatever extra support might be needed, should Shinichi and Agasa prove unsuccessful by themselves.

The front door opened, chasing Shinichi's thoughts away.

Agasa held the door open for Ran, who pushed her way past him, that scowl growing even deeper. Shinichi swallowed again, a lump forming in his throat, when he noticed she even carried herself the way he did. It was almost as if her existence had been erased. He suppressed a shiver at the thought.

"What was so important that I had to come here first?" she asked, looking around with unveiled irritation. Her eyes landed on Haibara and Shinichi, and the gaze turned icy, as understanding crossed her face. "You're still insisting I'm Ran, huh?"

"Isn't there some merit to multiple people insisting the same thing?" asked Shinichi quietly. He hated seeing her like this. She glared at him.

"My knowing Conan and I can't exist in the same room together should prove otherwise," she said coolly. "Add that to the obvious fact that I'm a boy," she continued, voice rising a bit, "and I think I have a rock-solid case, even if the professor was trying to tell me something outlandish in the car earlier."

Shinichi glanced at Agasa, who nodded, implying he'd given her a summary of events on the way over that she clearly did not believe. He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache looming just behind his temples.

"Your knowing the truth about Conan's existence is hardly proof, since I told you about it not long ago," he said, trying to keep his voice even. "And whatever Agasa told you in the car is true." She faltered when she heard that Shinichi's identity had willingly been revealed to her and the shock on her face was nearly comical. Shinichi decided to speed things along.

"The best way to prove who you are is this: what is Subaru-san's secret?" There. She wouldn't be able to answer, and could get on with remembering herself. He ignored Haibara's inquisitive glare, which he expected. He wasn't prepared for the blank look on Ran's face, though, nor for the question she asked.

"… Uh… Who's Subaru…?"

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, momentarily stunned.

"You don't remember?" asked Haibara, looking mildly interested, but a touch of concern glittered behind her eyes. Ran grimaced.

"You can't forget someone you don't know," she said, irritation in her voice growing. She winced a bit and reached up to her head, fingers hovering over the fresh bandage. Frustration seemed to trigger pain in the wound.

Shinichi glanced out of the window, and caught the man in question shaking his head. They couldn't use him anymore. Not if she insisted she didn't even know who he was. He closed his eyes, thinking.

"… Efune…" It was barely a whisper, but everyone's stares bored into him now. He opened his eyes again. "Do you remember Efune-sensei?" he asked, anticipating an answer aligning with Ran's knowledge. She frowned again.

"You mean that would-be kidnapper?" she spat venomously. Shinichi startled, staring at her with wide eyes as the blood drained from his face. He wanted to throw up.

"Y-you…" He swallowed around the growing lump in his too-tight throat. "W-why do you know about—how do you know about that?!"

At his panic, Ran's expression morphed from frustration to alarm, her face paling significantly as the blood drained from it the way Shinichi's had just done. This…

This wasn't Ran.

"I'm confused, who is Efune-sensei?" asked Haibara hesitantly as she looked between the other two teens in the room.

"A teacher who tried to kidnap Ran-kun in preschool, but…" said Agasa, trailing off as he stared hard at Ran.

"No one… Ran doesn't know about it. No one told her," whispered Shinichi in a shaky voice. "Even after thirteen years, no one told her the truth about that incident." Haibara's frown deepened as she looked towards who was supposed to be Ran. Shinichi felt lightheaded.

"So why do you know about it?" she asked. Not-Ran, still staring in shock at Shinichi, answered in a voice just as shaky as Shinichi's was.

"Because I'm not Ran," she—he?—said. Intense eyes bored into Shinichi's. "And you're not… an imposter, are you…?" Shinichi's breath caught in his throat as he shook his head.

"I'm not," he managed to whisper. His vision started to tunnel, blurring at the edges as he willed his breathing to remain even. Tense silence weighed heavily on the group as they struggled to figure out what exactly this news meant.

Ran was Shinichi now? Why? Nothing made sense, and the only thing that he knew for certain was that Ran had vanished.

"… So, this is like a clone thing or something, right?" asked Not-Ran. Not-Ran… Not Shinichi, either, as far as the original was concerned. The newly christened clone looked sharply at him. "Which means one of us isn't real."

Shinichi scowled.

"That'd be you," he growled. Not-Shinichi scowled back at him. Before a fight could break out, Haibara spoke up.

"Let's be logical about this," she said through an icy cool façade Shinichi saw through right away. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"… I was in the hospital," said Not-Shinichi slowly. Haibara sent him a flat glare.

"I meant before waking up yesterday," she snapped. He returned her ire with his own irritation.

"I meant before yesterday—I'd just been shot and was being rushed to the emergency room. It was right before the school festival, which I guess I missed." The last part was muttered. Shinichi gaped at him.

"The school festiv—but that was months ago!" he exclaimed, causing Not-Shinichi to startle, a surprised expression crossing his face.

'Months..?' he mouthed silently as Haibara recovered her wits first.

"Well," she said quietly, thoughtfully rubbing her chin, "if that's true, then we now know where they must have acquired your DNA, Kudo-kun." The clone frowned, but he didn't seem to hear Haibara's comment.

"Now that I'm thinking of it, how are the children?" he asked anxiously, absently reaching up again to the back of his head and halting when fingers met bandages. Everyone blinked.

"The children?" asked Agasa, confused.

"Yeah, the kids! Ayumi and them—my friends! The last time I saw them was in that cave with the murderers. You know: when I was shot." The last sentence was said in a 'that should have been obvious' tone, but something about it gnawed painfully at the back of Shinichi's mind. He couldn't place it, too distraught over Ran's… disappearance, so to speak.

"They're fine," Agasa quickly assured when the silence made Not-Shinichi more anxious. "They bounced back pretty quickly after that." The clone relaxed a bit.

"That was really months ago?" he asked quietly. At Agasa's nod, he looked down at his hands. "So I'm not…" He seemed lost, but Shinichi couldn't feel for someone who had essentially taken Ran's place.

"No, you're not," he affirmed, tone waspish. "We already told you what's going on." Not-Shinichi's scowl returned.

"My being a clone doesn't make me Ran—that doesn't even make any sense!"

Shinichi glared angrily at his copy. He was being so stubborn—the fact that everyone told him he was originally Ran should have been enough to convince him. Even Haibara didn't refute that fact, which should have alerted the clone to the truth, but he simply refused to believe them. It was all just circumstantial evidence. They needed something more concrete to show him. The sooner he realized the truth, the better. Then an idea popped into his head.

"Proof…" he said softly. The other Shinichi gave him a questioning stare.

"Yeah, you need some," he said. Shinichi shook his head.

"I have proof!" He wanted to smack himself for forgetting. "Unshakeable proof. Follow me." He headed out of the room before the copy could protest. There was an irritated sigh behind him, but the clone followed despite the frustration.

Shinichi led his copy out of Agasa's house and into his own. Not-Shinichi looked around suspiciously the moment he stepped inside.

"Why are there hidden cameras in my house?"

"It's my house," snapped Shinichi. He kept walking. "And we installed them a little while ago to help with the cover of an FBI agent."

"FBI?" The other Shinichi asked, surprised. He didn't know any FBI agents.

"I'll explain later," he said. "The point is, we haven't had time to uninstall them. They've been running the whole time." He stopped and turned to glare up at the taller boy. "Recording proof, that is."

Still skeptical, the clone followed Shinichi up to the second floor and into the room where he had monitored the exchange between Amuro and his father. The double watched silently, lips pressed into a thin line, as the shrunken detective booted up the computer and pulled up several windows. When he was finished, he hopped off the chair and pointed at it.

"Sit," he commanded. Seeing no other alternative, the other Shinichi sighed, strode over to the desk, and sat down.

"You can see it with your own eyes," he said coolly. "And there's sound, so you'll be able to hear her speech patterns. There're a couple of weeks of footage, so take your time." And with that he left the room, emotionally incapable of watching Ran on the screen while her 'borrowed' body was in the room.

His vision swam ruthlessly as he walked down the hallway, which seemed to stretch out forever before him. It hurt to think. It hurt to breathe.

He made his way to the music room—it was rarely ever used, but his parents had the room soundproofed when he was little, given that his father hadn't wanted to be distracted if he ever needed to write the same time his mother wanted to play something.

A look around the room confirmed he was alone. He locked the door behind him, but still felt too exposed. That stupid grand piano his mother used to train Shinichi with was still there, collecting dust now that his parents were away. Discarding his dignity, he crawled underneath it and curled into a ball, gripping his head tightly in his hands.

His vision blurred, head buzzing. He couldn't breathe properly, gasping on emotions he'd forced himself to keep hidden.

Ran was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The scream that tore itself from his throat did nothing to ease his grief.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27: A Short Reprieve

It was several hours before Shinichi even felt up to sitting. He took several shaky drags of air, but didn't budge from his place under the piano. Cotton wool stuffed his head, but he couldn't find it in him to care. His phone rang as he rubbed at eyelids that felt like they were made of lead. He didn't bother checking the caller ID.

"H'llo?"

"Kudo? You weren't still asleep this late, were ya?"

"… Hattori…" his voice came out too thick, pushing itself out of a raw throat, which of course Heiji picked up on right away.

"Did somethin' happen? Is Neechan okay?"

"Sh-she's…" Shinichi swallowed and shook his head. "She's gone…"

"WHAT?!" The small teen winced as the phone crackled in his ear. "GONE?! Y'mean she died?! When?!"

"She's not dead, Hattori, she's just… gone." There was the sound of a relieved sigh before the Osakan demanded an explanation.

The next hour was spent explaining the situation to the best of Shinichi's ability.

For once, Heiji was completely speechless.

"… That's… I… Kudo…" He groped uselessly for some sort of consoling words but was unsuccessful, and switched gears when he realized he couldn't say anything. "Is… can yer professor fix this?"

Shinichi sucked in a shaky breath before answering.

"… I don't know."

Those three simple words were terrifying. Things would have been very simple if she'd just had a normal delusion, but… since this seemed to be related to her kidnapping, that was no longer the case.

"Seriously, why now?" asked Heiji, snapping Shinichi from his thoughts. "I thought they hadn't messed with that part of her?" Shinichi absently shook his head.

"I don't know," he said again.

"D'ya think another knock on the head'll snap her out of it?" Shinichi might have laughed if the Osakan didn't sound so serious.

"Hattori…" he said, taking a breath for strength. "She's got a fractured skull—if anything, another blow might put her back into a coma if it doesn't kill her first."

"Just a thought," came the sheepish reply. They both sighed.

"Y'sure yer not cursed, Kudo?"

"Sometimes, I wonder."

"… That's it, I'm comin' up there," Heiji decided firmly. Shinichi didn't even have the energy to argue.

"Let's just… talk about this later," he ended up sighing. He hung up before the other teen could respond.

Looking around at what little he could see of his surroundings, he finally decided to drag himself out from his hiding spot. He didn't feel any better, and he highly doubted anything would lift his spirits at this point.

Maybe Haibara knows something… It's been long enough, right?

He made his way over to the professor's house to confront the small scientist, only to be dismissed almost as soon as he saw her.

"I'll be frank with you," said Haibara shortly after he walked into the lab. "I don't know what happened, or how to fix it." He opened his mouth, but she continued before he could say anything. "I'm looking over the brain scans from the hospital right now, and I will compare them to what we've collected from Ran-san before now, but you need to be patient."

Shinichi's shoulders slumped, and he was unable to respond since he had come to demand answers.

"Fine," he managed to mutter before he stalked moodily out of the lab, Haibara following to see him out. He stared at the front door, but found he couldn't make himself move towards it. Instead, he sat down on the professor's couch and stared blankly at the wall. Haibara hesitated a moment before awkwardly patting Shinichi's shoulder, then disappeared into the lab once more.

A few buzzes from the phone in his pocket suggested Heiji was still trying to talk to him. He sighed heavily into his hands.

Why is this happening? He pulled his knees to his chest and sank into the couch cushions. What am I supposed to—What do I do? What can I do?

He wanted to scream again. Screaming didn't help. It just made him feel worse. So he sat, curled into a tiny ball on the professor's couch.

He didn't go back to his house until well after the sun set. It was time to see If his clone had come to terms with the truth—he'd had more than enough time to review the footage, even if he hadn't seen all of it.

He slowly made his way back to the room he'd left the clone in.

The other Shinichi was right where he'd left him, sitting in front of the computer monitors and watching proof of Ran's existence. He was very pale, hand over his mouth, eyes fixed on the screen. It almost looked as if he was struggling not to throw up. Shinichi stepped forward, his weight making the floorboards creak despite his small size. The clone slowly turned to face him, a haunted look in his eyes.

"Give her back," said the shrunken teen, voice still weak from earlier. Not-Shinichi swallowed hard, shoulders quaking slightly.

"… I can't," he whispered.

***

It had taken all of Shinichi's self-control not to devolve into another fit of screams after the confrontation with his clone. At least he'd come to terms with the fact that Ran was there first, but that didn't mean much if he couldn't even bring her back.

He'd looked long and hard at the devastation on the other's face before turning on his heel, unable to hold his gaze without thinking about Ran.

"We'll discuss this tomorrow," he had said, too drained to feel much of anything besides weariness. He'd stared at the door to his room before adding, "You're in the second guest room." He didn't want the other him in his room, and it didn't feel right for him to use Ran's room, either.

He hadn't bothered to look back before heading to his bedroom. It was going to be a long night.

Sleep did not come easily, despite Shinichi's exhaustion. He didn't want to think anymore, but his treacherous brain kept him awake and alert, thinking of everything he could do nothing about. He stared up at the dark ceiling, unsuccessfully trying to will his mind to calm down.

He didn't get any sleep that night.

The next morning was spent wearily trudging down the stairs at the unexpected knock at the door. He opened it and blankly stared up at the visitor, too tired and drained to even feel annoyed.

Hattori Heiji stared down with growing alarm at the the dark-circled, dead-eyed boy that was his equal. There wasn't any of the usual annoyance or clipped quips at the sudden arrival, and Heiji was certain Shinichi hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Not that he blamed him, but it was more than a little disturbing to see the Detective of the East so lifeless. When he didn't even react, Heiji nervously put up a hand in his usual greeting.

"Yo."

Most disturbingly, the only reaction he got was a slow, tired blink. The small teenager backed up just enough to let him in, but otherwise didn't say anything. No "What're you doing here?" or "You shouldn't have come." Nothing. Heiji awkwardly slipped inside and shucked off his shoes.

Shinichi didn't even put up a token protest. The silence was eerie.

Heiji crouched down to face his friend properly, noting how swollen his eyes were. He placed a hand on his small shoulder, trying to figure out what he could even say in this situation. Then, something happened that Heiji was certain wouldn't ever happen again in this lifetime.

In an incredibly rare show of vulnerability, Shinichi leaned forward, bumping his forehead into Heiji's arm with a soft "thump."

Heiji grimly pressed his lips together, smart enough to not make any of his usual wisecracks. If he could be a wall of support, even if only for a while, he'd more than gladly do it.

He looked up sharply at a movement from the corner of his eye, and locked stares with Subaru. The older man, just passing by it seemed, took in the scene for a brief moment before silently moving on, the grim look on his face wordlessly requesting Heiji do his best with the despondent teen.

Heiji watched him go, eyes warily following the man until he was out of sight. After a minute, he quietly scooped his small friend up and carried him to the living room. Shinichi didn't even make a sound. If it weren't for his ribs moving as he breathed, Heiji might've thought he was dead.

The room was thankfully empty, so Heiji sat down on the couch and set Shinichi on the cushion next to him.

They sat in more silence for a while until Heiji decided enough was enough.

"You said she wasn't dead," he said softly.

"… She's not…" His voice sounded painfully hollow.

"So why're ya actin' like she is?"

Shinichi said nothing, but did manage to slightly change his expression, a small frown tugging down on the corners of his mouth. Heiji pushed on.

"I know yer hurtin', Kudo. I do. But if she's not dead, then mopin' isn't gonna do her any favors."

"She can't come back," whispered Shinichi, staring wide-eyed at the wall. "I talked to—to him. He can't bring her back." Heiji sighed.

"T'be fair, the other Kudo technically didn't send Neechan away, either." Shinichi looked up sharply at that. He gave him a pointed look. "Think about it. The other Kudo couldn't have come out if he didn't exist, right?" A slow, unsure nod. "And we already know Neechan exists. So, all we need to do is find a way to bring her back out without givin' her another concussion. Right? Nothin' about this situation says she can't come back. We just need ta figure out how."

Shinichi stared wearily up at the Osakan, and Heiji was relieved to see a small amount of emotion seeping into the boy's empty expression: a tiny spark of hope. Heiji flashed him his best grin.

"In the meantime," he said with a stretch, "I think ya need to take a break. A bookstore or the park, maybe—I don't imagine yer too hungry. Can't blame ya, with as tasteless as Tokyo food tends to be…"

"… It's Monday," said Shinichi flatly.

"So?"

"So, I have school. And so do you."

"Yer not goin' to school today, Kudo," said Heiji, tone brooking no argument. "I'm intervening." Shinichi opened his mouth, but Heiji went on, poking a finger between the small boy's eyebrows. "Think on it—yer friends'll know yer 'cousin' woke up, but yer over here actin' like someone died."

"There's a little something called acting, Hattori, and I've been doing it for around half a year," snapped Shinichi as he batted Heiji's finger away.

"Considerin' that anyone with a decent set of smarts in 'em usually start questionin' yer identity after the first meeting, I'd say you weren't doin' too great in that department." He grimaced. "Granted, yer better at it than me, but I don't think that's sayin' much." Shinichi bit back a scoff.

"Since I am a better actor than you, I don't plan on skipping again—"

"Kudo, a blind person can tell yer not doin' so hot; you really think a bunch of children wouldn't be able to sense somethin's wrong?" Heiji gave Shinichi another pointed look, easing up a bit when he saw the words strike true. "I'm just givin' you a day. Nothin' more. You can pass it off as spendin' time with your conscious 'cousin,' but you just need a day to yerself where thinkin's not on the table. Where pretednin' isn't forced on ya so early that it won't work; and it won't work, guaranteed, if ya go to school today."

Shinichi deflated. He was right, and it hurt to admit that. He wasn't okay, and his emotions felt much too raw to be able to slap a mask on them so he could pretend things were fine. He blinked the grogginess out of his eyes with a frown, and said nothing for a very long time. He half expected Heiji to say something, but the Osakan seemed content just sitting on the couch while he waited for an answer, fingers idly tapping out a rhythm on his knee.

"… Fine," he managed to whisper after the minutes of silence. Heiji beamed at him. He scowled back before glancing up towards the second floor. "What about… him?"

"What about 'im? If he's really another you, he can take care of himself."

"… It's still Ran's body…"

"Listen, Kudo," said Heiji, leaning forward on the couch, "Yer worried. I get that. You can check in on 'im before we leave—I won't stop you. But ya can't make any excuses. Bein' here today isn't good for ya. If it'll make ya feel better, you can ask that Subaru guy to keep an eye on things. I assume he knows what's goin' on." Shinichi nodded. "Good. Now go get dressed. I'll wait here for ya, unless you want some extra company upstairs."

In response, Shinichi just silently slid off the couch and slowly, sluggishly shuffled towards the stairs. He looked back at Heiji only once, the unsure hesitation mixing painfully with the desolate… lost expression, before heading up without saying anything.

Heiji waited until he was out of earshot before sighing heavily, shoulders slumping as he did so.

"I'm surprised you didn't just go up with him anyway," came a voice behind the Osakan. He nearly jumped out of his skin, lurching forward as he whipped his head around to see who'd ambushed him. Subaru stood there with his arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. Heiji relaxed only slightly.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really up ta seein' two Kudos with that expression," he said half truthfully. Unsaid was the fact that he himself wasn't ready to face that particular truth head on. Perhaps later that night, or even that evening, but certainly not at present.

"You really should be in school," said the older man. His tone was conversational, like he was talking about the weather. Heiji blinked away his confusion, having expected the adult to berate or accuse him. It was a little refreshing if he was being honest.

" 'S not like I can't make up the work," he said just as casually. "I can afford ta miss a few days, maybe a week." He wasn't sure his parents would let him miss the entire week, but he knew they knew he was smart enough to not technically be missing anything. As long as he got top marks, he doubted his folks would even mention his impromptu visit.

He fell back into the couch, watching Subaru out of the corner of his eye. Even though Shinichi had explained why the man knew about everything, and had vouched for him, the dark teen still felt rather leery. He didn't know this person, hadn't met him before this whole mess started. Something felt a bit… off to him, but he couldn't place what it was. Finally, he sighed.

"What do you do when ya don't wanna think about things?" he asked idly, turning back to look at the door Shinichi disappeared behind.

"I read," came the simple reply. "I'm really not the best person to ask, since I haven't been a teenager for a good many years." Subaru rubbed his chin absently. "Though, given the present situation… If you're going out, a place too crowded might make him feel isolated, while too few people poses the risk of idle thoughts. A movie, perhaps?"

Heiji grimaced. He'd come to a similar conclusion, himself. At the same time, he knew Shinichi's taste in movies and, as far as he knew, there wasn't anything out that the small teenager would like.

Museums are too quiet, he mused. Bookstore, maybe…? Nah, those're pretty quiet, too…

He sighed and pulled out his phone to check which movies were out, since that seemed the only viable option at the moment, and his eyes landed on an old theater showing reruns of Gomera movies. He did remember Shinichi once mentioning those were movies he liked…

Guess we're watchin' Gomera… Heiji nodded in satisfaction. The movies were pretty simple, adequately noisy, and required no complex thought processes from the older viewers. It would do, and if Shinichi was as tired as those dark circles suggested, he might even get some sleep out of it.

He looked up at the sound of soft footsteps in the hall. Shinichi came in looking even more drained than when he'd left, which meant he'd probably looked in on the other Shinichi.

"You all set?" was all Heiji asked. Shinichi sighed in resignation and nodded. Heiji stood up and turned around to give Subaru his trademark 'I don't trust you' glare, only to find the man had already gone. He blinked, looked around suspiciously, then shrugged it off.

"C'mon," he said, herding Shinichi out the door.

"Where are we going?" asked the boy.

"Movies. There's some old Gomera flicks playin' nearby."

"And we couldn't do that here because…?"

" 'Cause yer chillin' with me today, an' I say we're goin' out."

Resigned to his fate, Shinichi let Heiji drag him outside, where a taxi sat waiting; the Osakan suspected that was Subaru's doing, and since the cabby didn't refuse them entry, he decided he wouldn't dwell on that too much.

They could have walked, but with Shinichi as drained as he was, it was probably for the best this way.

The movie itself was appropriately distracting, though Heiji kept an eye on the shrunken detective next to him, noting with a tight chest how the boy's eyes glistened in the light of the projector with unshed tears.

After a third of the movie had passed, Shinichi's fatigue finally caught up with him, alerting Heiji to that fact by passing out against his arm. He slept for the rest of the movie, and was coaxed awake just long enough to get into the taxi back home. He wouldn't wake up again, so the taller teen simply carried the sleeping not-child inside and upstairs to his room. He felt eyes on him, but ignored it in favor of getting Shinichi to a proper bed.

After making sure Shinichi wasn't going to wake up, Heiji left the room and closed the door as quietly as he could before he looked across the hall where the horribly familiar figure stood, watching him.

"… So, yer really another Kudo, then?"

The clone nodded slowly, almost as if he was unsure, himself. Heiji noticed he looked just as terrible as Shinichi did and he wasn't sure if it was from the current situation, the concussion, or both.

Not-Shinichi ran a shaky hand through his hair, halting at the bandages still wrapped around his head before turning away from Heiji's scrutiny.

"Sh-she's gone," he whispered. "Ran's… gone."

Heiji suppressed a shiver at the near identical reaction both Shinichis expressed. He shouldn't have been surprised, but it was still a bit jarring.

"I know," he said. "Kudo already told me."

Not-Shinichi winced at the reminder that he was not, in fact, the real Shinichi. He held his head and crouched down, staring wide-eyed at nothing. His whole body trembled.

"She's… she's gone and it's my fault," he said, voice shaky. "It's—I can't—I-I don't know what to do!"

Heiji eyed the clone warily, but in the end decided not to think too hard about it. It's what he did best, after all—take things in stride, and ask questions later, if at all. He made his way to stand next to the other teenager, and leaned casually against the wall, staring absently at the ceiling.

"Y'don't hafta do anything," came the reply. Not-Shinichi flinched.

"Aren't you going to blame me, too?"

"Why? Do ya want me to?" At the silence, Heiji continued. "I might've if it were me an' Kazuha, but… well, it's not. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed t'be feelin' right now." He shoved his hands in his pockets with a sigh. "You should get some sleep, too. Kudo'll probably be ready ta talk in a few hours."

A shaky nod was his only reply; the clone silently got up and went back to the guest room.

Heiji remained in the hall for a while, wondering exactly when everything went wrong.

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: No Steps Forward, Ten Steps Back

Shinichi woke that evening feeling only marginally better, an ache in his head signaling mild dehydration. He blinked a few times, allowing the grogginess to linger a few moments before noticing a figure sitting at the edge of the bed. He frowned and blinked a few more times.

Heiji was seated on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone. He hadn't yet noticed that he had an audience. For some reason, the small teen wasn't ready to alert the other, so he lay still, watching through half-lidded eyes.

Heiji was looking for something on his phone, and if the growing frown was any indication, he wasn't finding whatever it was that he wanted. After a few minutes, Shinichi's curiosity got the better of him.

"What're you doing?" he said, voice hoarse with a dry throat. Heiji jumped, startled at the unexpected noise, before looking down at Shinichi with unmasked concern.

"You okay? Do ya need some water?" He reached over to the nightstand where a bottle of water stood waiting. He handed it to Shinichi as he was sitting up.

"You didn't answer my question," said Shinichi even as he gratefully accepted the drink. Heiji grimaced down at his phone.

"… There's somethin' I've been thinkin' about," he admitted. "Only I think I should wait to tell ya, 'specially seein' as how I can't find… well… yeah…" He frowned at Shinichi as he turned his phone off and tucked it away in a jacket pocket. "You need t'talk to the other Kudo first, I think."

Shinichi sorely wanted to tell Heiji to spit out whatever he was keeping to himself, but stopped. He knew from experience that Heiji wouldn't change his mind once it was made up, and he was still too emotionally drained to attempt to argue. He nursed the water and contemplated what it could possibly be. He glanced anxiously at the bedroom door.

"You've already seen him?" he asked quietly. Heiji nodded.

"Didn't really talk to 'im, at least not fer very long." He grimaced at whatever he remembered. "Long enough t'know you two need to talk, anyway." Shinichi sighed, absently rubbing his eyes. He just wanted to go back to sleep. At least then he could pretend everything was just one long, vivid nightmare. Heiji seemed to sense his reluctance.

"If ya dont' talk to 'im, I'll just keep my thoughts to myself," he warned, waving his now dark phone in between them. Shinichi scowled and weighed his options.

"… Fine," he grumbled, quickly realizing that Heiji wouldn't threaten him that way if he didn't think the information was important. "Is he awake, too?" Heiji shrugged.

"Dunno. Want me t'check?"

"… No. No, I'll… I'll go."

Shinichi sluggishly slid off the bed, rubbing his still tired eyes as he did so and absently noted he wasn't wearing his glasses. Heiji had probably taken them off. He would have looked for them, but suddenly felt tired of the disguise. There was no need for him to be Conan, he decided, and would confront the other Shinichi as himself without the poor excuse for a disguise.

With more confidence than he felt, he walked out of the room and down the hall. He halted in front of the guest room, paused, then knocked. He opened the door, not bothering to wait for a reply. The other him wouldn't care; if he wasn't asleep, he was probably staring at nothing while contemplating recent events. Or trying not to comprehend them.

He entered the quiet room. Not-Shinichi was sitting on the bed, staring desolately at the far wall. He made no indication that he'd heard Shinichi come in, prompting the smaller teen to cautiously walk up to the bed.

Dark circles rivaling his own ringed the clone's eyes, the orbs themselves red-rimmed and glassy. Without looking down at Shinichi, he spoke.

"She's gone."

"Yes."

"Because I woke up instead of her."

"… Yes."

Not-Shinichi buried his face in his hands.

"Why did I wake up?" he asked no one in particular, voice a shaky whisper. Shinichi looked down at his slippers.

"I don't know," he said quietly. He kept his gaze fixed downward, hiding a scowl. "But I do know that despite how it looks, that's Ran's body. Until we figure things out, I expect you to take care of it."

The clone winced, but nodded silently after a few moments. They remained in awkward silence for a while before Shinichi cleared his throat.

"Right. And… when your head feels better, maybe in a few days, I could really use your help going over my notes on this case." He hated admitting that, almost as much as he hated admitting Ran was gone.

"… Why? We're… we're the same, have the same thought process—what could I possibly add that you haven't already figured out?"

"You're a fresh set of eyes," Shinichi snapped, attempting in vain to ignore the icy feeling settling in his chest at those words. "Right now, I think that's what we need."

The other Shinichi didn't look at him, remaining silent for a few moments before hoarsely whispering an answer.

"Alright."

Shinichi nodded in satisfaction and managed to force out a dull "get some rest" before turning to walk back out of the room. He paused at the door.

"You're wrong, you know," he said quietly over his shoulder. "We're not the same." He left that statement hanging in the air, and shut the door with a false calm.

As soon as the door was closed, he took a shaky breath and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, wishing more than ever he could go back in time to stop all of this mess from happening.

Heiji was waiting for him in the doorway to his bedroom, leaning against the frame as he was wont to do. He didn't say anything, just jerked his head towards the stairs in a silent question. Shinichi glanced between his room and the stairs, then gave in with a sigh and a nod. A look at the clock told him it was past suppertime, but he wasn't hungry anyway.

Heiji followed him down the stairs and into the living room, watching as Shinichi hopped onto the couch and buried his face in his hands.

"… I take it ya didn't really clear the air between you two," he said with a restrained sigh.

"Not really, no," came the quiet reply. "That's…. going to take some time."

"Fair enough," Heiji said with a shrug. Shinichi could feel the hesitation in the Osakan's gaze, so he decided to speak first.

"So what was it you were puzzling out when I woke up?" he asked with a weariness to his voice he couldn't mask. Heiji came to stand behind the couch and looked down at Shinichi grimly.

"D'ya remember when we interviewed those people on yer list?" he asked in a low voice. "And ya figured that from an outside perspective, Kudo Shinichi was the one who came back?" Shinichi frowned, nodding slowly.

"Yes… What about it?"

"Well that means—from an outside perspective—Neechan never came back like the others did."

Shinichi blinked, slowly sitting up as that revelation sank in. From that perspective, everyone who went missing came back two weeks later… except for Ran. No clone showed up to take her place—why hadn't he recognized that? Technically, she was still missing.

"You're right," he whispered, mouth dry. This was important. Why was it important? He was missing something. He looked up at Heiji, much more alert now. "Is that what you were looking at? Did you find anything?"

"Just that she never turned up, alive or dead."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" snapped Shinichi, feeling the icy hand of dread tighten its grip on his heart.

"'Course not!" came the mildly offended reply. There was no heat in it, though, so Shinichi surmised Heiji was attempting to lighten the tense atmosphere. "I was just pointin' out that fact."

Shinichi forced the nausea that threatened to consume him back down, reminding himself that Ran wasn't actually missing. Everything would be fine given enough time for Haibara to do her work.

There's not another Ran, he told himself resolutely. I don't know why, but there's still only one Ran, even if she's not herself right now. It was a small consolation, but one that eased his anxiety a fraction.

That did pose a major question though. Why hadn't a clone of Ran shown up in the first place? Did it have something to do with the fact that Shinichi hadn't even been kidnapped, or was there an unrelated reason? He frowned to himself as the new revelation spun complicated webs of whys and what ifs in his mind.

"What do you think?" He asked quietly, thankful for the new, if concerning distraction. Heiji shrugged, looking very frustrated.

"I dunno," he growled, mussing his hair irritably. "I can't tell if she's the first or not, since we wouldn't know anythin' about the people who went missin' but didn't come back. Now all missin' persons're suspicious—or, I guess, more suspicious—and there's nothin' we can do about it."

Shinichi nodded slowly, the gravity of the new dilemma sitting on his shoulders like lead.

"Shit," he muttered, holding his head. The beginnings of a migraine pulsed behind his eyes. "I'll need to monitor all of the traffic footage—see if maybe I can find a pattern to help narrow down cases." He heaved a tired sigh. "I wonder how much school I can miss before it starts to look suspicious…"

Heiji let out a mirthless chuckle and walked around the couch to sit next to Shinichi. He sighed and glared up at the ceiling.

"Y'know… with as much shit as you go through, ya'd think there'd be an end to it." He absently scratched his cheek, grimacing as he recalled past events. "This's definitely the worst, though. I'm not sure I can think of anythin' that might even come close to toppin' this, so… I guess when this's fixed, everythin' else'll be a walk in the park."

It was a nice thought, but not one Shinichi planned to dwell on. It didn't help the issue at hand.

"Anyway, with that said—if ya wanna send me some of the saved footage, I can help ya sift through it. Just tell me what to look for." Shinichi inclined his head in a silent "thank you."

"I can't…" he swallowed, mouth dry. "I can't think properly right now, so I'll start sorting the saved files tomorrow." Before he could say more, his phone rang. He pulled it out and stared blankly at the screen for a few moments before answering.

"Haibara?" His voice wavered as hope sparked in his chest.

"Kudo-kun, get over here. I need to run some tests on you."

Shinichi frowned. "On me?"

"Yes. There's something I need to verify. Don't make me wait too long." A click signaled the abrupt end of the conversation. Shinichi stared dazedly at the wall, then sluggishly slid off the couch.

"Did the little Neechan find somehtin'?"

"I don't know. Maybe," he answered as he mechanically shuffled towards the door. Any hope he might have felt was drowned out by the bog of despair he was lost in. Heiji followed quietly behind, and if he noticed Shinichi's continued misery, he didn't show it.

The professor's house had never felt so far away.

Haibara was waiting for him just inside the door, impatiently tapping her foot. The moment he stepped inside, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the lab, barely giving him enough time to kick off his shoes.

"Yer in a hurry," muttered Heiji, mild surprise tinging his voice. "Y'do know it's past supper time, right? Dontcha need t'go to school tomorrow?" Shinichi suppressed a scoff at his hypocrisy.

"Don't you?" rebutted the little scientist. "This is much more important than repeating the first grade." She opened the lab door and pulled Shinichi to a large machine in the back corner.

"What's this even about? Did ya find somethin' or not?"

"Possibly. I need to check something first, and then I'll hopefully be able to answer that question sometime tomorrow."

Shinichi and Heiji exchanged bewildered glances. Why would she need him and not the clone? Unless it was something like the DNA comparison she'd done when Ran first came back…

"Sit down," she said, pointing to a seat attached to the strange machine. "This shouldn't take long." Shinichi hesitantly complied with a small frown.

"Is this one of the professor's? I've never seen this one."

"Yes, I had him modify some designs from existing medical equipment a while back to suit my purposes," she said idly while checking the settings. "Now hold still." Shinichi nervously complied. Agasa's inventions were typically hit or miss, the latter being the norm most of the time. On the other hand, since this one was made using preexisting blueprints, it was probably fine. Right?

As he was mulling over those thoughts, the machine whirred to life around him, breaking him out of his reverie. Heiji eyed it dubiously before asking,

"Didja use this on the other Kudo?"

"Not yet," she admitted somewhat absently, her eyes glued to a small monitor on the side of the machine. "I'm currently working with the data we already received from the hospital. I do plan to do some more thorough testing with him; but while he's recovering, the hospital records will serve cursory scrutiny."

Shinichi managed a quick glance at Heiji just in time to witness him pulling a sour face, probably at the no-nonsense, "don't speak to me" tone of voice Haibara was prone to using even when she wasn't working. She did try to tone it down around the children (with limited success), but to Heiji it probably sounded like she was looking down on him.

To his credit, the Osakan bit back any sarcastic replies he likely would have used in a normal situation.

"And before you ask, I have used this on Ran-san, shortly after she came back." She paused in her work, a far-away look glazing over her eyes. "I wasn't sure it was necessary at the time, but…"

Now it may be a major clue, thought Shinichi, satisfied that at least something was in their control. He didn't feel any less anxious, but it was something.

After several minutes of sitting absolutely still, and with Agasa's machine blessedly showing no signs of impending explosion, Haibara finally switched the thing off. Shinichi desperately wanted to ask if she'd gleaned anything from watching the machine's monitor, but abstained. She had already said she would have the results by morning. Heiji cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"So…" he began, looking from Haibara to Shinichi. "I think it's pretty clear ya need some sorta story…" The two shrunken teens exchanged confused looks.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Haibara. Heiji grimaced.

"Well, I kept Kudo outta school today so no one would question his attitude when his 'cousin' supposedly woke up," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But he can't keep missin' school, and one day obviously isn't enough ta get his emotions in check—no offense, Kudo." Shinichi rolled his eyes, but couldn't refute the facts.

"You do have a point…" said Haibara, tapping her chin in thought. She looked between Shinichi and the now blank monitor before answering. "We'll tell the truth."

"WHAT?!"

"Calm down and let me explain, Kudo-kun," she snapped. "It's a half-truth, anyway. We'll say he woke up, but lost his memories. It's not the whole story, but it's true enough that the other you has no knowledge beyond the cultural festival. And it would explain your not being very happy despite his being awake."

Shinichi sighed at how absurd the situation had become, but decided to go with Haibara's story. Another half-truth added to the ever-growing web of lies and other half-truths.

"… Fine," he grumbled, and glanced at the machine. "Are we done here?"

"Yes," came the cool reply. Haibara had already turned back to her computer and was swiftly typing something into the command prompt. "You can leave, Kudo-kun. I don't need anything else from you."

Shinichi slid out of the seat without a word and silently made his way out of the lab, Heiji following close behind.

"D'ya think she'll actually find somethin'?"

Shinichi stopped walking at the question. He paused and debated on whether or not he should stay at the professor's or go home.

"… I think," he started slowly, sweeping a hand through his hair, "it's very possible. She wouldn't have tested on me like that otherwise. Whether or not what she finds is useful, however…." He trailed off, leaving the taller teen to fill in the gaps.

Heiji hummed thoughtfully as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Guess we'll find out," he said with a dissatisfied scowl. He hated not knowing. Given the circumstances, Shinichi hated it, too.

"I guess we will," echoed Shinichi somberly as he looked at his house from Agasa's window. I guess we will.

Chapter Text

Chapter 29: Found Footage

Whatever Haibara thought she found, she never disclosed to the two detectives. When pressed, she'd snapped irritably at them—whatever it was, she was at her wits' end trying to figure it out.

Heiji tried to convince Shinichi to take one more day from school, but didn't push back too much when the boy flat-out refused, instead asking if he could start looking at the traffic footage in Shinichi's absence. Shinichi relented and told him what to look for—focusing mainly on red minivans. If they could catch the van that took Ran just one more time, they might be able to spot patterns specific to those particular kidnappings. Heiji saluted him before he went to the professor's house to wait for the children.

The other Shinichi was left alone to ponder his existence.

Heiji hadn't said anything, since he knew his best friend's emotions were still raw from grief, but he sort of felt sorry for the clone. It wasn't something he could portray in words just yet, since he was still trying to figure out his own feelings about this whole mess, but…

He shook his head. It's not like it was important. What was important was knocking out a chunk of the footage. So, he set to work, noting with mild amusement that Shinichi hadn't changed the screensaver or background from Kid's meddling since he'd last been there. He frowned.

The last time he had been on Shinichi's computer had been right after the building collapse that had put Ran in a coma. He was ninety-nine percent positive that the boy hadn't looked at any of the footage he'd pulled back then. A part of him itched to go over Gin and Vodka's footage, but… well, Shinichi wanted him to focus on Ran's case. The footage had been saved; it wasn't going anywhere. He set to work, determined to make as much progress as possible.

***

Shinichi had expected it, but being mobbed by his classmates and his teacher was more than a bit overwhelming. He still hadn't been able to school his expression, so the response Heiji had predicted naturally happened.

He was bombarded with comments like "Ai-chan said your cousin woke up," and "why aren't you happy he's awake?" To which he and Haibara both explained the fake situation, effectively shutting everyone up in a blessedly short amount of time. The only things that bothered him were the nearly constant gazes of sympathy and pity being directed at him.

He did his best to tune them out, instead once more mulling over what he already knew. He mentally tacked Heiji's revelation onto the growing list of questions without answers. He rested his chin in one hand, the other using his pencil to trace circles over and over in the margins of his worksheet, not caring if he was scolded for it later.

Ran went missing—was still missing, officially—and came back looking like him, despite him not having been kidnapped. Now she was him (like the kidnappers probably meant her to be) and according to Not-Him, Shinichi's DNA and memories had most likely been acquired during his stay at the hospital before the cultural festival. He frowned at that thought.

He'd been Conan at the hospital, but she was obviously seventeen, not seven. He blinked a few times, then blanched as he realized that whoever had taken his DNA probably had him listed as a child in whatever system they used to file that information away.

He glanced fearfully at Haibara, who was calmly doing her schoolwork. She didn't seem to have realized that their identities were compromised. Should he tell her? He chewed on the end of his pencil, frown deepening.

If they knew Ran was supposed to be a child, they wouldn't have let her go. It had been several weeks, and no one was tailing Ran or himself, save for Kaito Kid. Why? Was that something they didn't check thoroughly?

He shook his head. That couldn't be the case, else they'd have been caught long ago. And now that he was thinking of it, why even risk taking samples from the hospital when they had plenty of people by kidnapping them? How many more samples had been taken from the hospital? Who had taken them in the first place, and were they hospital staff or intruders?

When the initial panic died down, he decided to look into that branch of questions. After so many months, he probably wouldn't find anything conclusive, but since the rest of the investigation had basically turned up similar results, it couldn't hurt to check. Worst case scenario, he wasted some time on a dead end.

He closed his eyes and coasted through the rest of the school day on autopilot, mostly thinking of ways he could procure the information he wanted from the hospital. When school let out, he trudged home with no interference from the Detective Boys. He wasn't sure if Haibara had said anything to them or not, but he found he didn't particularly care. He didn't even realize the scientist was with him until she tapped his shoulder. He blinked, finding them alone.

"Yes?"

"Kudo-kun, what's wrong?" asked Haibara in a hushed voice. "You've been anxious ever since third period." Shinichi flinched. So, she'd noticed that.

"… I'm thinking about Beika General Hospital," he admitted. She tilted her head.

"… Beika General Hospital…" she said flatly. "Why does that have you so anxious?" He looked around the street before answering.

"Because, according to the clone's testimony, I was still Edogawa Conan when my DNA was taken."

Haibara paled considerably after processing what he'd said.

"No," she whispered, eyes widening in panic. Her gaze darted everywhere, desperately trying to find assailants that didn't exist. "No, no, no, no!"

"Haibara," he said firmly, planting a hard grip on her shoulders. "No one's after us. I've checked."

"You can't possibly know that!" she hissed, wrapping her arms around herself in a tight hug.

"Look," he said, gently steering her down the street so they could retreat to the safety of the professor's house, "whoever these people are, they're not with the black organization—I confirmed as much in Nagano. It's been a few weeks since Ran returned, but I've seen no movement from anyone. There's nothing suspicious besides the case itself.

"If they know something, they can't exactly act on that knowledge, since it would probably put their operations at risk. And if they don't know anything," he said, jaw setting in determination, "then their records are either compromised or they work in different filing systems from the ones doing the kidnapping."

They were in front of the professor's house by the time he finished talking. Haibara didn't exactly look convinced, but she was at least a little less anxious.

Before she could disappear into the lab, he grabbed her wrist and said, "I'll be on the lookout in case something changes, but remember that the more paranoid you look, the more suspicious you are to others." She gave him a flat, unimpressed glare.

"Work on your own reactions first, then I'll consider it." The door slammed shut, leaving Shinichi chuckling mirthlessly on the porch.

"Touché," he muttered before turning to look at his house. He could see Heiji sitting near his bedroom window where his computer was, and wondered how far the Osakan had gotten. Had he been there all day…?

Quit stalling, he scolded himself. He knew he was delaying having to pass Not-Shinichi's room, and he hated himself for it. They didn't know how long this would last, and acting like a petulant child would not help solve anything or change the fact that Ran was currently gone. So, he straightened his shoulders and walked purposefully to his house.

Subaru was nowhere in sight, which seemed par for the course recently. He went upstairs, crushing the anxiety in his chest down so it wouldn't show on the surface. He stopped at the top, and relaxed immediately on seeing the door to the clone's room was closed. And if he quickly rushed past said room, no one was there to witness it.

He swiftly entered his room and ditched his backpack before heading straight to the computer. Heiji only briefly glanced at him and muttered a quick "welcome back" as he continued to stare at the screen in front of him. The beginnings of dark circles framed his eyes.

"Find anything?" asked Shinichi. Heiji rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times.

"Uh… maybe…?" He opened a folder that hadn't been there before school. It had lots of folders inside. "I saved all the oldest footage by city," he explained. "Took maybe fifteen minutes. Since then, I've been goin' through, city by city, pullin' out all the footage with red minivans." Here he opened a folder named "Beika", which had more folders inside.

"Good idea," said Shinichi. He was a little disappointed the Osakan hadn't actually found anything, but considering the sheer amount of footage… "How far have you gotten?"

"Maybe halfway," came the tired response. "I was gonna start siftin' through the minivan footage when I was done sortin', but it's takin' a lot longer than I thought." Shinichi nodded as he stared thoughtfully at the screen. He gave Heiji a pat on the back.

"You can stop now," he said. "Ill do the rest. Take a break." He received a grunt in reply as the taller boy stood up, making way for Shinichi to sit. He climbed into the chair, ignoring the loud yawn and shuffling behind him.

"Stealin' yer bed, dude," said Heiji. There was a soft thud just before Shinichi turned around. Heiji was sprawled unceremoniously on the mattress, already out cold. He blinked, mildly stunned at the speed in which Heiji could fall asleep, before turning back to the computer in front of him to finish sorting the footage.

I'm not sure if I should be impressed or confused at his ability to take things in stride, he found himself thinking. On one hand, Heiji could come off as too laid back, which didn't really paint him in a good way at times. On the other hand, it let him get past some emotional blocks that Shinichi himself was currently having trouble with.

As he sifted through the footage, he grudgingly settled on being impressed. Heiji had just accepted Shinichi's situation immediately after learning about it. From there, learning there was another shrunken person didn't phase him that much. It took him less than an hour to come to terms with Ran's situation when he learned about it, and he didn't seem too put off with recent events, either. He just accepted there were two Shinichis now, even if he was rooting for Ran's recovery.

I bet if one of us had turned into an animal, he'd still end up being cool about it, he thought with a small chuckle. At least it was efficient. And as emotional as Heiji tended to be, it was more than a little surprising. He nodded to himself. Heiji was pretty impressive in that regard, though he would never admit that to anyone out loud.

For the first time since the clone woke up, Shinichi found himself feeling like a small weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It wasn't much, but it was just enough for him to get over moping about what he couldn't control. He would get through this.

Sifting through a few terabytes of video footage seemed easier now, even if he was still going at it by ten o'clock at night.

He didn't stop until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around, preparing to tell Heiji to leave the footage to him for the night, but his words died in his throat when he found Not-Shinichi standing behind him.

A small voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Heiji told him he should really write a dissertation on why silence got so loud at times. He immediately ignored it, fighting the urge to laugh at its absurdity.

"What do you want?" he snapped, doing his best to keep an uncomfortable scowl from his face. "I'm busy."

Not-Shinichi's gaze flicked briefly at the computer screen before it returned to rest on Shinichi's face. His expression was detached, but determined.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I'm basically in the dark here," he said, words steady in a way Shinichi recognized from when he himself put on a brave face. It was unnerving. "The professor gave me a very brief gist of things, but I would at least like to know the details." Shinichi scrubbed his hands across his face, momentarily displacing his glasses.

"Right," he said as he slipped off the chair. "You can look at my notes if you want, and I can answer any questions you might have that they don't cover." He walked out of the room, the clone following behind. "But until your wound has been healing for a few more days, I don't recommend anything more than just skimming over the file." He glanced up just in time to see a sheepish grimace cross the other's face, which he chose to ignore.

They walked in strained silence; the house seemed to stretch unnaturally before them, and Shinichi wished that his room was closer to the library, or that he'd kept his notes in his room. He shook his head at that last thought, reminding himself that Ran would have been furious if he'd holed himself up in his room the way he did in the library.

Down the stairs, through the hall, and into the library they went; the tension between them might have snapped something if it had taken them any longer.

Shinichi led his clone to his father's desk, where most of his notes of the case were kept. They were strewn across the surface, having been abandoned for school that morning.

"All the information is there," he said, tone clipped, as he gestured at the desk. "I need to keep looking through some traffic footage, so if you need me I'll be upstairs." He left without looking back.

As Shinichi climbed up the stairs, he checked his watch. 10:30 PM. He still needed to go to school, but he just… wasn't tired, at least not in any way that sleep could help. Heiji was awake and back at the computer when he reached his room.

"Y'got a lot done," he said when he heard the door close. "I think I can finish pullin' the van footage tonight." He glanced at Shinichi. "Y'know, ya still haven't looked at the Nagano footage I pulled for ya," he said quietly.

"I've been busy," Shinichi said as he climbed up to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Y'got a spare computer?"

"Yes."

"Then you should look at it while I finish this," he said, and tossed something to Shinichi. He caught it and looked down at a USB thumb drive. He looked back up to see Heiji giving him a pointed look.

"… Fine," he said with a sigh, and slid back off the bed.

Rather than go to another room with a desktop, he elected to pull out his seldom-used laptop. He wouldn't admit it, but he really didn't want to be alone at the moment. At least if the clone came looking for him, Heiji's presence might make the interaction a tad more bearable.

With laptop in tow, Shinichi climbed back onto the bed. He opened and powered it on, staring over at the screen Heiji was watching as he waited. When the computer was on, he reluctantly turned his gaze in front of him. He stared at the thumb drive in his hand for a few seconds before jamming it into the USB port.

Two folders greeted him:

• Jane Doe
• Kudo's Asshole Crows

He nearly choked.

He stared at the Crows' folder for longer than he cared to admit, his insides twisting as he thought back to that encounter. In the end he ignored it in favor of the Jane Doe footage, quickly opening the folder even as he told himself it wasn't just so he didn't see the other one.

He carefully combed over the footage, following the woman backwards to where she was hopefully dropped off.

The task was grueling enough to keep his mind off things, at least.

It was past midnight when he finally discovered the drop-off itself. He bit back a curse as he watched it. True to the other victims, Jane Doe was brought back in the middle of the night. The problem here was the incredibly low visibility of the actual return. The streetlights in the area appeared to be broken, and the vehicle itself was just a dark blur.

The worst part was that the side street was located next to a busy road, and the turnout was in the camera's blind spot. Without knowing what the car looked like, he couldn't' follow it to wherever it went, or track it back to where it came from.

He settled instead for examining the location itself. She'd been dropped off in front of another apartment complex, this one clearly in use. He frowned and sped up the footage a bit, stopping only when another person appeared and untied her. The lighting was better, so Shinichi looked at the time stamp. 6:47 AM. Jane Doe had been tied up and unseen for roughly five hours.

He watched as the two people exchanged words he couldn't hear, Jane Doe apparently waving off the man's concerns. She appeared to be trying to quickly get rid of him. When he reluctantly walked away and disappeared back onto the main street, the woman sighed deeply. She stared up at the apartment building for a long time before she slowly turned and walked away. Shinichi followed her through the footage just in case she stopped anywhere; she seemed to be wandering aimlessly, not even bothering to look at her surroundings. When she walked into the building she died in, he scratched his head.

If that other apartment was her home, why didn't she stay there…? he wondered as he navigated the videos back to the other building. He jotted the address down to save for later. If he couldn't get Kansuke to tell him about the Jane Doe, he would need to go back to Nagano to poke around that apartment himself.

A lump formed in his throat at the thought, and he resolved himself to go alone if it came down to that.

"Oi, Kudo," came Heiji's voice, cutting through his thoughts. He looked up to find his friend staring at him from his place at the computer. His eyes sparkled with excitement, effectively gaining all of Shinichi's attention.

"Yes?"

"Come get a look at this," he said, a grin slowly spreading on his face. Shinichi set his laptop aside, a forgotten hope taking root in his chest, and slid off the bed to look at what Heiji was so excited about.

"So I just finished sortin' out the van footage, right?" he began as Shinichi got close. "An' I accidentally clicked on one of th' other files." Shinichi peered up at the screen. The video was paused, angled towards an alley. His breath caught in his throat. Heiji hit "play."

A dark vehicle turned onto the street, slowing down just enough to dump what looked like a tied up body in front of one of the buildings. Shinichi's heart leapt to his throat as he looked at the time stamp: 1:15 AM. He gripped Heiji's arm to steady himself.

"F-follow it!" he managed to breathe out through the overwhelming tightness of his chest. "Hurry!"

Heiji dutifully clicked through the footage, following what appeared to be a blue sedan. Since Heiji was the one tracking it, Shinichi allowed himself to check the date on the cameras.

It was from two nights ago.

He swallowed hard, redirecting his attention to the car on the screen. He recognized some of the surroundings as being from Haido prefecture. His pulse roared in his ears as adrenaline flooded his system. He wasn't even sure if the car was related to Ran's case, but the fact that they dumped a bound body in front of a residential area in the middle of the night strongly indicated they were the same.

"SHIT!" yelled Heiji when he clicked into the next camera, only to find they lost the car. "Shit, shit, shit!"

He went back and checked all the nearby cameras, but the car had completely disappeared. Shinichi's grip on Heiji's arm tightened as he realized the car had entered a blind spot. He felt numb as he stared at the screen, the reality sinking in.

As amazingly useful as Kid's system was, it wasn't without limitations. Even if every street camera was available, it didn't change the fact that not every street had a camera. The cameras themselves were usually only placed in high traffic or accident-prone areas; the harsh reality being that anyone with enough knowledge could essentially travel completely unseen if they were so inclined.

"Where is this?" asked Heiji after he calmed down from his outburst. He scowled at the screen that was devoid of their quarry. Shinichi squinted.

"Looks like Shibuya," he said as Heiji clicked out to check the camera map, verifying it was indeed Shibuya. They both sighed.

"Guess now I gotta pull out all the blue sedan footage," grumbled Heiji. "Now I got twice as much work ta do."

Shinichi narrowed his eyes and took the computer mouse from Heiji. He rewound the footage, clicking through until he got a good view of the back of the car.

Gotcha.

"No," he said triumphantly as he zoomed in on the license plate. "We just need to see if it's possible to pinpoint this plate number in the system Kid gave us."

Heiji's grin was feral.

"It's not gonna be easy," he said as he rolled up his sleeves, "but I'll make it happen."

Now we're getting somewhere, Shinichi thought as he allowed a smirk to cross his lips. If they could actually make it work, he'd need to get the minivan's plate number from Takagi. Fake or not, it would undoubtedly show up on video.

Something tugged at the back of his mind—something still felt off, but he couldn't place what it was. He shook his head. This was a big lead, and nothing was going to spoil it for him. Things were finally starting to look up.

Chapter Text

Chapter 30: A Withered Will

Shinichi was too excited to sleep. Witnessing a drop-off by complete accident on Heiji's part and getting a clear view of the vehicle and its plates? He could have been on cloud nine had the circumstances not been so dire.

Heiji's frustration at not having a search option was starting to get to him, though. It wasn't a search engine, after all, even if that sort of feature would make their task so much easier. Once more, he was struck with the desire to have a means to contact Kaito Kid, cursing himself for not bringing it up the last time Kid visited.

"… The professor might be able to help," he said as he pulled out his phone.

"Really? For somethin' like this?"

"Well, he's an inventor—he'd need to know how to code. Some of the inventions he's made wouldn't work if he didn't." He was about to call the man in question when he realized what time it was, and cursed his inability to keep track of the time in these types of situations.

"We'll have to call later, though," he said dejectedly as he indicated the clock.

"Four A.M.?!" cried Heiji, looking at his own watch. "How'd that happen?" Shinichi managed a small huff of a laugh. At least he wasn't the only one that happened to.

The two detectives regarded each other for a few moments.

"Ah… I'm not really sleepy," Heiji admitted.

"Me neither," said Shinichi.

"More footage surfin' it is!" With that enthusiastic proclamation, Heiji got back to sifting traffic videos. Shinichi shook himself to get the ache out of his knees and elbows before going back to his own laptop to continue the search with what little footage he had.

He couldn't focus. Every five minutes, he found himself checking the time. Every five minutes, he was disappointed that Agasa wasn't awake yet. Every five minutes, he wondered what the use of having so much knowledge was if he didn't have the information he needed right then.

He would need to add coding to his list of things to learn, even if he never needed it again after this.

He scowled balefully at the files in front of him. There wasn't much he could check besides the footage of Gin and Vodka. His stomach twisted, but he clicked the folder anyway. If he didn't look at it now, he would never be able to bring himself to look later.

Focusing primarily on where they went after leaving the building, Shinichi began the arduous task of following the two men with the traffic footage. It was strange to think that only a month ago, he would have leapt at this opportunity. Now it only reminded him that he should have just made Ran go home.

He should have just gone home himself. There wasn't any need to follow them, not when they had this system of footage to look at.

This is all my fault.

Despite being unable to change the past, the thought plowed through him, making him choke on a fresh wave of grief and guilt.

The computer screen blurred as his eyes stung, and he blinked furiously to clear his vision.

Focus, he scolded himself. Just finish reviewing this footage. He tracked Gin and Vodka through the streets as they got in Gin's unique car and drove away. He followed until he lost them, though he couldn't even bring himself to be upset about that. He just jotted down the location they disappeared, saving it for later contemplation.

He sighed as he fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, all the excitement from earlier gone. He felt so drained.

The bed dipped next to him after a few minutes, followed by a loud, exaggerated sigh.

"My retinas're toast," complained Heiji. Shinichi cast a glance over and discovered his friend similarly sprawled on the bed next to him. He weakly kicked at Heiji's arm.

"Get off my bed," he murmured.

"Nah… 'S too comfy."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, but didn't have enough energy to make a fuss. He continued to study his ceiling. He just wanted everything to be fixed. He wanted to be big again. He wanted Ran back. He wanted the huge secret organizations that ruined their lives gone. He was helpless to do anything about it.

He rolled over to face the wall, briefly checking the clock as he did so. It was 5 A.M. He sighed and closed his eyes, too tired to even think about going to school.

Heiji, as he rested his eyes, listened to the small teen's breath evening out, signifying he'd fallen asleep. The Osakan sighed again, wishing he could be of more help. He reached up to rub away the ache behind his temples.

Ugh; Imma need glasses if I keep this up, he thought. He shuddered. Kudo'd never let me live it down if I had ta get real glasses while he's wearin' fake ones…

A knock at the door startled him out of those silly thoughts. He opened his eyes and sat up. He glanced down to check that Shinichi had actually fallen asleep before getting up to open the door.

A pair of glasses greeted him.

He blinked a few times, willing down the incredulous laugh that threatened to burst out, and looked at the man behind the glasses. Subaru stood there, an unassuming smile on his face. His guard flew up.

"What d'you want?" he asked bluntly. The man smiled at him, unphased by the mild hostility.

"I merely wanted to discuss something with Shinichi-kun; he's usually awake about now." The reply was pleasant enough, but Heiji still felt suspicious. He narrowed his eyes.

"How important is it that ya come to him first thing in the mornin'?" The man let out a genial chuckle at the question.

"It's not that urgent—I merely wished to talk to him before school. It's not the end of the world if I don't speak with him now." Heiji relaxed, but left his guard up.

"Well, ya can't talk to 'im now—he was up all night an' just fell asleep. He won't make it ta school, so ya have all day after he wakes up."

"That's perfectly fine," said Subaru with a smile. "I won't disturb him—you needn't act like a bodyguard."

Heiji frowned as he watched the man disappear downstairs, his own fatigue forgotten for the moment.

Seriously, why the hell does Kudo keep that suspicious guy around? He shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets before deciding to raid Shinichi's fridge. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

***

Shinichi woke up to the clacking of a keyboard. He opened his eyes, taking in the sunlight hitting the ceiling, and slowly sat up. The clock read 3 P.M. He missed school. He didn't care.

The clacking stopped for a moment, and he turned to find Heiji staring at him.

"Yer gonna turn into sleepin' beauty if yer not careful," he joked. When Shinichi didn't respond, he coughed awkwardly. "Oh right—yer creepy freeloader wanted to talk to ya."

"Subaru? Why?"

"Dunno; he didn't say," he replied with a shrug. Shinichi rubbed at his temples before sliding off the bed with a small sigh.

"Might as well go see what he wants," he mumbled, though he suspected it might be an update on the case search in America.

"He's in the kitchen!" called Heiji as Shinichi left the room. He grunted out an acknowledgement and slowly trudged to the stairs.

He paused on the landing, the smell of some sort of cooking wafting up to him. His stomach lurched and he found himself rushing to the toilet to throw up despite the fact that his stomach was empty. He dry heaved for several minutes before getting the reflex under control. He splashed some water on his face before schooling himself and forced himself to go down the stairs.

What normally would have smelled appealing sent spasms through his stomach as he neared the kitchen, the scent growing with every step. He found Subaru at the stove looking at a cookbook. He cleared his throat, stifling a gag as he did so. The man turned around and frowned upon seeing him.

"Shinichi-kun," he said, tone bordering on concerned, "when was the last time you ate?" Shinichi blinked a few times, taken aback by the question.

"Hattori said you wanted to talk to me," he said, ignoring the query altogether. Subaru's frown deepened as he studied the boy's face before turning to the fridge.

"I'll talk while you eat," he said sternly.

"I'm not hungry," countered Shinichi, stomach squirming again at the mere thought of food. A small voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Ran reminded him he hadn't eaten anything for at least two days, which could certainly account for some of the nausea.

Greif clawed its way up his throat at the small voice's similarity to Ran, and he found himself stifling another gag. Something was set on the island counter, and he barely registered being led to sit down.

"I'm sure you're not," came the gentle reply. "But like it or not, you're still a human being, and thus have certain needs which can't be ignored." A glass of ice water was set down in front of him. "Believe me, I do know what you're going through, even though the circumstances are very different."

That's right, he thought as he accepted the water. He was dating Akemi-san. And Akemi was dead. Ran was… well, she wasn't dead. There was still a chance she could come back.

He calmed down a little as he pondered that, then finally turned his attention to the plate of food Subaru had laid out for him. He raised an eyebrow. Cold tofu.

"Don't most people recommend warm food?"

"Not if you're as nauseated as you look." Subaru paused and studied his face. "Just eat that first—if you regain your appetite, you can have something else."

Shinichi looked back at the plate. There was a bottle of soy sauce next to it, should he choose to use it, but his churning stomach immediately rejected the notion. He took a hesitant bite of the bland food, the cold sensation soothing his nerves more than he'd anticipated. He took another bite.

"Now," said Subaru when he was sure Shinichi was going to continue eating, "about the investigation on my side."

Shinichi perked up, but didn't stop eating just in case the man stopped talking.

"My people have been combing case files, and have succeeded in searching about half of the country, but—" He held up a hand at Shinichi's excited look— "But nothing turned up. They'll keep looking, but if they haven't found anything so far then your perpetrators aren't in the States."

Shinichi nodded. Technically, that was a good thing. If they weren't there, the possibility of it being a local threat rose. On the other hand, he had no way of knowing if they were working in a separate country, either. And since it wasn't a US problem, he couldn't ask the FBI to help him—they were already breaking rules by secretly investigating the Black Organization in Japan. He hummed thoughtfully as he sipped on his water.

"Alright," he said with a frown. "So the FBI can't help." Subaru gave him an apologetic smile. "It's a stretch, but…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you have any contacts in other countries that can check as well…?" Another apologetic smile was given.

"I do know a few people, but none with that kind of access. I wouldn't trust them to be discreet, either, so they wouldn't have been ideal choices anyway." He refilled Shinichi's cup. "I think if you focus on what you can do here, you'll eventually figure out whether or not they operate outside the country." Shinichi sighed and gave a tired nod.

"That's really the only thing I can do at this point…"

"Well, it's not the only thing," said Subaru, voice thoughtful. "You could see if Amuro-kun knows anyone who could help." Shinichi narrowed his eyes and pushed his plate away.

"I hope that's a joke," he said darkly. "I trust Amuro-san with many things, but secrets aren't one of them." Subaru smiled and gave a slight nod.

"It was merely a suggestion," he said, voice placating. "I'll continue to keep an eye out, and let you know if I come across anything." Shinichi only nodded as he finished the glass of water. He slid off the chair, leaving half of the tofu uneaten, while at the same time feeling slightly less nauseated.

I guess it works, huh? He found himself thinking. As he left the kitchen, he belatedly realized that the disguised man hadn't turned off his voice changer: something he typically did when speaking about important affairs like this. Of course, considering Heiji and Not-Shinichi were unaware of his identity, he supposed it made sense. Speaking of…

The clone was in the library, staring dolefully at Shinichi's case notes. He was still wearing the clothes he wore when he came home from the hospital. Shinichi's eyes narrowed. He'd need to change eventually. Ran's clothes were out of the question. That was something he didn't even want to consider. Given they were the same, Not-Shinichi probably felt the same way. At the same time, he selfishly wanted to keep his own wardrobe to himself. The need to separate himself from the clone was irrational at best.

I'm not even able to wear my clothes, the logical part of him scolded. Buying new ones is pretty pointless. He took in a deep breath to ground himself. They were clothes. Why was he getting so worked up about something so pointless? He shook his head to clear it and took one last glance at the clone before turning to go back upstairs. He still needed to look into Beika General Hospital.

At the very least, I have a time frame to go off of, he thought. It was fortunate, since he wasn't sure he'd be able to find anything out of the ordinary if he had to scour the hospital's entire history. The only question now was… what exactly was he looking for? Was an outsider responsible, or one of the staff members?

He was already back in his room before even realizing he'd climbed the stairs.

"You talk to the squatter?" asked Heiji the moment he heard him come in. Shinichi sighed.

"He's not a squatter—I told him he could stay here. My parents agreed to it, too."

"He's still creepy," said Heiji with a grimace. "I don't trust him." Shinichi rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to trust him," he sighed. "Technically, you don't even have to deal with him—it's your choice to be here, you know." Heiji pulled a dissatisfied face, but decided not to push it.

"So whatcha talk about?" he asked. "He said it wasn't anythin' pressing, so…"

"Well…" started Shinichi hesitantly. How much could he tell Heiji without revealing the disguised agent…? "You already know that he found out about everything…" A nod. "Well, since he found out, he's been keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anything unusual he thinks might be related." That was ambiguous enough.

"Guess he didn't find anythin' since he said it wasn't that important," said Heiji, sounding a little smug. Shinichi rolled his eyes again.

"Well, you're right about that," he said as he headed for his laptop. "Especially considering what you just discovered last night."

Heiji preened, chest puffing up in pride. Shinichi chuckled to himself. The Osakan detective being a bit full of himself was a small price to pay if it meant he didn't feel the need to pry.

"Oh, by the way," said Heiji, thoughts about Subaru long forgotten, "didja get what ya needed from those files I gave ya?"

"Yes and no."

"Yes and—what's that supposed ta mean?"

"Well…" He tapped the mousepad a few times to turn his laptop back on. "I found where the Jane Doe was dropped off—even witnessed part of it—but the camera's location made it so I couldn't follow the car in question. If it was even a car." He muttered the last part, realizing perhaps for the first time just how many different types of vehicles there were.

"It's still somethin'," came the consolation. He nodded. "An' the Crows?"

"Lost them near Suzaka," he sighed. Heiji sighed, too, slumping in his chair.

"Well…" he said slowly, "It'll take a lotta work, but since all the footage from that time was backed up, maybe we can find 'em again?" Shinichi shook his head.

"If you want to look you can, but…" He absently rubbed the space bar of his laptop. "Honestly? I just…. don't feel like it right now." Heiji hesitated, turning to look at Shinichi searchingly. Whatever he saw in Shinichi's expression was enough to make him pause. He looked between his friend and the computer a few times before huffing out a light sounding sigh.

"Well, it can't be that hard ta keep an eye out fer 'em," he said with a careless stretch. "Provided I know what I'm lookin' for." Shinichi frowned a bit as he searched his memory. He'd never... told Heiji about Gin's car, had he? Just Gin and Vodka, who went basically everywhere together. He blinked a few times, then sighed, realizing Heiji wasn't going to let it go no matter how disinterested he seemed.

"Just…" He massaged his temples. "Fine. It's a black Porsche 356A coup—not something seen very often, so it technically won't be that hard to spot." Heiji gave him another smug grin before turning back to the screen in front of him.

"That reminds me—were ya gonna ask the professor about potential program searching today?"

"… Yeah." God he was so tired. "Let me do that now." He pulled out his phone only to realize he'd forgotten to charge it. He clicked his tongue, disgusted with himself, as he plugged it in. "Be right back," he mumbled to Heiji and walked out of the room again.

He bumped into his clone at the font door.

They both froze, staring at each other, a tenseness tinging the air.

One single word rose above the chaos and turmoil in his head at the appearance of the person he hadn't prepared himself to interact with today.

… Shit…

Chapter Text

Chapter 31: Tip of the Iceberg

After three seconds of staring that felt like an eternity, Shinichi shook himself out of the deer-in-the-headlights state he was in.

"Where are you going?"

The question came out in stereo, both Shinichis reacting to the other's presence identically in a way that made him feel sick. Shinichi closed his eyes and took a deep breath through gritted teeth before motioning for Not-Shinichi to speak first.

"… Haibara was just here," said the clone carefully. "She said she didn't want to wait any longer to run some sort of test." Shinichi thought back to her undisclosed discovery and nodded.

"I need to ask Agasa-hakase if he can modify an existing program," he admitted slowly. "We've come to a bit of a block."

They hesitated a few moments longer before stiffly and silently putting their shoes on and walking next door. Haibara was already waiting impatiently inside. She gave Shinichi a curious look, but said nothing, opting instead to whisk the clone away to the lab. Shinichi went in search of the professor.

The older man listened aptly to Shinichi's explanation: the limits of the software, and the request posited to him. He stroked his mustache thoughtfully.

"Hmm… Well, it's certainly not impossible…" he mused, studying the ceiling. Shinichi perked up at the admission. "Give me a couple of hours first—I'll need to check the program's code directly in order to determine the best course of action."

To say Shinichi was elated was a gross understatement. If the professor could pull this off, it would make things so much easier.

We could do searches in real time, he thought giddily, his mood from earlier turning so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. He bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet as he waited for Agasa to collect a few things, and then they were out the door. Shinichi tore into his house and flew up the stairs, at the same time lamenting how slowly his neighbor moved. His entrance into his room startled Heiji so badly he nearly fell out of his chair.

"What the—?! Kudo?!" He looked around anxiously. "Did somethin' happen?"

"Agasa-hakase's coming to check the traffic software code," he said breathlessly as he moved to push the bigger teen out of the computer chair. Heiji stood up quickly.

"Alright, alright—quit shovin' me." He adjusted his shirt as Agasa finally made it upstairs, wheezing at trying to keep up with Shinichi. The man sent a withering glare their way as he caught his breath before walking over.

He sat down in the chair, and both detectives immediately leaned in with anxious anticipation. Agasa sighed.

"A little elbow room would be nice, you know," he said offhandedly. Heiji immediately backed up, but Shinichi stayed glued to his spot. "I'll see what I can do, but you can't rush me."

The teens agreed, and Heiji let out a big yawn. He glanced at Shinichi before stalking over to the bed and commandeering it for a nap. Shinichi ignored him. He watched raptly as the professor got to work, filing away everything the man did for later. He only stopped when Agasa shooed him away, saying he couldn't concentrate.

He took a deep breath to ground himself, then willed himself to leave the room. He didn't go very far, choosing instead to make laps around the hallway. He did that for an entire hour before being stopped in his tracks near the landing.

Not-Shinichi was staring at him, hand raised as if to catch his attention. Shinichi crossed his arms.

"I take it Haibara's finished?" A nod. "Any ideas on what the conclusion is?"

"… Not yet. She said she'd call you when she's done analyzing."

"And?" he prompted when the clone showed no signs of going away. "Is there something you need?"

"Your notes mention recording a hypnosis session," he said quietly. His already pallid face grew paler as he thought about what was documented. "I'd like to listen to it directly." Shinichi pressed his lips into a thin line as he remembered the session. He nodded.

"Give me a minute—I'll meet you in the library."

Not-Shinichi went back downstairs with a short nod as Shinichi went back to his room to retrieve his phone. He wasn't entirely sure why he kept a copy there, and he couldn't wait for the day he deleted it; nonetheless, since it was already on the device, that was the quickest method to share its contents with his double.

As he unplugged his phone, he checked the battery, just in case, and nodded in satisfaction. He glanced around the room—Agasa was clacking away at the keyboard, and Heiji was still passed out on the bed. He left the room before he could convince himself to stay and bother the professor.

He set off downstairs once more, mentally preparing himself to face his clone again, with a recording of Ran in tow.

***

After basically reliving Ran's hypnosis freak out, Shinichi sat tensely on the floor next to his dad's desk, waiting for Not-Him to comment. The silence dragged on for several minutes while the clone processed what he'd heard.

"That…" he started, voice cracking. "That was… concerning, to say the least…" He cleared his throat. "And your notes say no children were reported among the kidnapped…"

"Strange, isn't it?" asked Shinichi. "But they're also apparently getting samples from elsewhere—like the hospital, if I'm right."

"I assume you haven't looked into that aspect, since it's not written here," came the reply, accompanied by the sound of papers shuffling. Shinichi pressed his forehead into his knees as he took a deep, steadying breath.

"That's right—since it's new information, and I'm still trying to figure out how to acquire confirmation."

There was a tired sounding, contemplative hum from the clone, followed by tapping. Then came the sound of Ran talking about the children. Another tap, and the audio stopped. More tapping, Ran talking about waiting for her turn. Shinichi stared at the floor between his knees as his copy repeated those two sound clips a few times.

"… She didn't mention the children here," he said after replaying the first timestamp. Shinichi lifted his head.

"What?"

"If there were children with her, why didn't she mention it while talking about waiting for her turn?" Shinichi blinked a few times as the revelation sunk in. "It's Ran, after all. Even under hypnosis, they would have been the first thing she'd remember."

Very slowly, Shinichi stood up and turned around. He gripped the edge of the desktop to steady himself as his mind whipped into action.

They'd been so desperate for information at the time that between the hypnosis working and Ran's subsequent collapse, it hadn't even crossed his mind.

"So who is she talking about?" he said slowly, frowning down at his white-knuckled grip on the desk. "They had my DNA, but they didn't kidnap me—that suggests they might not take children…" He shook his head. "But that—that doesn't make sense. Why take DNA from someone you're not going to kidnap? Why use DNA from someone you didn't kidnap?"

I'm missing something big, he thought, fear creeping into his chest and squeezing his heart. Something crucial.

It wasn't just kidnappings they had to worry about now. He already knew that, but the implications that brought was something he hadn't considered. How could one possibly track the discrete theft of DNA? Did they only take DNA from children, or did they take from adults as well?

And none of that train of thought explained why she didn't mention the children right away, anyway.

"Let's assume," said the clone slowly, hand gently pressing on the back of his head, "that they don't kidnap children." Shinichi opened his mouth to protest, but Not-Shinichi held up his free hand to stop him. "I'm talking hypotheticals here—we can't prove one way or the other, so we might as well try theorizing both routes."

Shinichi nodded begrudgingly. He had a point, and they couldn't afford to waste time arguing about it.

"Following that line of reasoning," he continued, wincing as he rubbed at the tender wound, "that means Ran couldn't have met any children during the time she was 'waiting', right? Otherwise, she'd have mentioned something."

"Right. I'd thought that, too," said Shinichi. He mussed his hair in frustration. "She could have met the children after her turn came up, but—"

"But then they'd have known something was wrong," Not-Shinichi finished. "So she didn't meet them before, and she couldn't have met them after."

The two Shinichis stared at each other, both faces identically confused.

"… So where did she meet them…?"

"Setting that aside for the moment," the clone began with a frown, "was she actually underground?"

"What?"

"In the recording—Haibara asked if she was underground, but she never actually said she was."

That's right, thought Shinichi. She only repeated the word like she was remembering something else.

"… And she only mentioned the children after that…" he finished. He scratched his head. "But before Haibara's question, she said she was somewhere cold and dark."

"That's true, but it makes more sense for that to have been in a facility somewhere," Not-Shinichi pointed out. "It could have been anything from a basement to something like a morgue or a dungeon. Or it may have even been surface level, and they just happened to keep all of their captives in cold, dark rooms. The point is that she didn't remember any children before Haibara's leading question." He winced before finally taking his hand away from the head injury. "The real question is 'what exactly did she remember?'"

Both Shinichis restlessly drummed their fingers on the desk, wracking their brains for some kind of answer. The clone winced again, hand going back to the head wound, catching Shinichi's attention. He watched his double curse silently at the persisting pain, and a horrid thought came to mind. His eyes narrowed as the thought took form, and he finally spoke, hoping desperately to be wrong.

"Y-you," he said, voice tight as he reigned in the emotions running rampant. Not-Shinichi's gaze snapped to him. "You said the last thing you remembered was being rushed to the emergency room after getting shot?"

"… That's right…" came the confused reply. "And you said that happened months ago." Shinichi waved his hand dismissively.

"Never mind about when that happened—what's important is where it happened."

"You remember that just as well as I do," snapped the clone. "That was in that cave-system with the shogi riddle with…" He stopped, eyes growing wide as saucers. "… with… the children…"

Not-Shinichi's face drained of color as fear crept over it. Shinichi felt sick all over again.

"Y-you don't think…?"

"It would make much more sense," said Shinichi quietly. His pulse roared in his ears as he thought back to the hypnosis session. Ran had suffered some sort of fit and then collapsed immediately after mentioning the children.

The other Shinichi grunted in pain and clutched his head.

"S-s-shit!" he gasped, doubling over so he could press his forehead into the desk. "Th-this is insane!"

Shinichi took a step back, eyes roving over the clone. The behavior he exhibited wasn't dissimilar to Ran's fit, but… A closer look revealed the clone's hands were focused near the wound on his head. Since he'd already shown signs that frustration aggravated the fracture, this pain was inevitable. Because he was technically 'Shinichi,' he couldn't just sit back and do nothing when something urgent was happening. And the amount of frustration this particular case brought with it was nothing short of monumental.

"Things have been insane since Tropical Land," he said with a sigh as he gathered up all of the case papers strewn across the desk. "I told you to take care of that body—at least wait for the fracture to heal some before you start overworking." He straightened the papers. "I'll be taking these with me so this doesn't happen again." Not-Him glared at him from his hunched over position.

"… Fine," he ground out. Shinichi merely nodded and brought the files upstairs to his room.

He felt numb. This new revelation should have left him in a panic, feeling sick, angry, something. He felt nothing, not even disgust with himself for feeling nothing. He should have felt concerned at that, he knew, but his mind was just… blank.

"Shinichi? Is something wrong?" asked Agasa when Shinichi reentered the room, files in hand. He cast a worried glance at the small teen. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Shinichi, still feeling detached, pondered that. If he looked that bad, then he must feel something right? He put the papers away.

"Shinichi?"

"… I need to talk to Haibara," he said, voice sounding hollow in his hears. "Keep working—I'll be right back."

"Shinichi? Wait, Shinichi!"

But he was already out the door.

Despite barging into the lab unannounced, Haibara wasn't at all startled. She didn't even look up from her computer.

"I'm not finished yet," she said in a weary voice.

"It's not about that," he said, then stopped to consider. "Well, it's sort of about that; I need to tell you something."

The explanation of the theory was short and succinct. Haibara listened with a grave expression, but didn't appear too surprised.

"That aligns with my current hypothesis," she said, rubbing her temples. "It won't be concrete proof, but once I'm done analyzing the brain scans, it should clear up a few things. If I'm right, anyway." Something squeezed Shinichi's chest, and he couldn't help asking a question.

"Do you think Ran's still in there?"

Haibara studied him for a few moments, pondering the question before giving him a reply that left him breathless.

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure she is."

***

Haibara took a full extra day to examine and reexamine those scans, leaving an anxiously hopeful Shinichi to pace sleeplessly around his house for hours. He spotted Not-Shinichi a few times as he paced, usually in the library, staring listlessly at the bare desk in the room.

Shinichi took some time to explain to Heiji and Agasa what he'd discovered, much to everyone's horror and frustration. They couldn't do anything about it, after all.

While Haibara worked, Agasa successfully modified the traffic program, though Shinichi was too distracted to fully appreciate it. In his stead, Heiji went back to work with the new addition. Whether or not he had any success, he would inevitably gloat to Shinichi about it once his attention was no longer split.

Both he and Haibara missed another day of school, much to the dismay of the Detective Boys. Agasa told Shinichi he'd intercepted them before they could demand entry, but that at least one of the shrunken teens needed to make an appearance at school the next day since neither of them were ill. Shinichi half-heartedly agreed, even if he thought maintaining his cover at this point was meaningless unless Ran was present. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud, of course.

Haibara called everyone over the next evening, to finally share what she discovered. Shinichi, Not-Shinichi, Heiji, and Agasa all stared at the little scientist, nervous and impatient, as she thumbed through a manila folder, preparing to speak.

"I want to preface this by saying I'm still missing a few pieces of the puzzle," she warned, glaring at Shinichi in particular as if daring him to complain. "But I've got enough to go on to at least make some educated guesses regarding… recent events." She led them to the living room table, gesturing for everyone to sit while she pulled three papers from the folder. She placed one on the table for them to see.

"This is a scan depicting Kudo-kun's brain." Before anyone could ask, she added, "The original Kudo-kun, that is."

Despite themselves, everyone leaned forward to see what looked to be a pretty standard brain scan. Nothing was out of the ordinary, no abnormalities. This was to be expected, but there was something novel about seeing it, since the technology wasn't readily available outside of hospitals.

"And this," she said, placing a second paper down, "is the brain scan I took of the other Kudo-kun." Everyone leaned in again.

Everything looked more or less the same, with a slight variation in shape since Shinichi's head was currently the size and shape of a child's. The only other exception were two small dark spots on the right side of the brain—something that was easily dismissed at a glance due to the nature of how brain activity shows up in scans. But Shinichi's frown grew as he studied those spots, attempting to recall what he knew about brain anatomy. As if she was saving him the effort, Haibara went on speaking.

"You'll notice those dark spots are located in the hippocampus and the lentiform nucleus—two parts of the brain responsible for memory, among other things." She stared at the scan silently for a few moments, as if picking her next words carefully. "At first glance," she began, finally breaking the silence, "it looks to be nothing more than brain activity." Everyone nodded or hummed in agreement. "What you're actually seeing, though," she continued, "is the complete lack of activity."

"Complete lack of—what? In the memory?" asked Agasa, his own troubled frown growing. "I don't—"

"It'll be easier to understand in a minute," she said with a raised hand. Everyone waited as she put a final paper down next to the other two. "This is what I got from Ran-san shortly after her return."

This scan was completely different from the first two, so it took a few seconds before Shinichi processed what he was seeing. Since Ran was a different person, all of the activity showed up drastically different to Shinichi—this made sense. That's how it was supposed to be. He scanned the image for a few more moments before noticing two more dark spots located on the left side of the brain, but otherwise in the exact same spots as the clone's: the hippocampus and the lentiform nucleus.

"… They're mirrored," murmured Not-Shinichi.

"They are," Haibara affirmed quietly. "I'm just hypothesizing here, but I'm mostly certain those dark spots represent you and Ran-san."

"How?" asked Heiji with a frustrated scoff. "This—how's this even possible?!"

"It shouldn't be possible," snapped Haibara. "It goes against everything I know as a scientist, even if I don't specialize in neurology. I don't think even a neurologist would believe it." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "And like I said—this is nothing more than a hypothesis. Worse than a hypothesis, actually, since I have no way to test it. It's only a theory."

"And the hypnosis session?" asked Shinichi. Everyone stilled, waiting for Haibara's input. Heiji had been especially curious since Shinichi told him about it, so he was practically buzzing with impatience to hear some sort of confirmation on the matter. Haibara sighed.

"Again, it's nothing conclusive, but I do think your theory is correct there." She stared down at the brain scans, tapping the one of Ran thoughtfully. "As it usually goes with hypnosis, while she was under, her mind was open to most stimuli and suggestions. Asking her about something that she herself didn't experience but that you did experience—in this case, being underground—we must have brushed up against the other Kudo-kun's consciousness."

Shinichi closed his eyes and forced his breathing to come out steadily. It stung. Not the inconclusiveness, but the sheer amount of sense it made hurt in a way he didn't know how to describe. He didn't need the proof to be completely certain that this was the case, and it hurt. A glance at the other Shinichi revealed he was experiencing a similar state of mind, if not identical.

"… So… is this fixable?" asked Heiji, awkwardly trying to break the silence.

"… Probably…" Her reply was hesitant, unsure. Which meant she thought it was fixable, but didn't have a clue where to start.

Which meant it would take an indeterminate amount of time.

"Does this at least help with figuring out the DNA aspect of this case?" asked Shinichi, trying not to dwell too much on how long Ran would continue to be 'gone.'

"No," she said, much more confident in this answer. "Based on what limited information I have, I'm at least certain that the physical change was a separate procedure from the neurological one."

"I'd say that at least it's progress, but since that wasn't originally an issue we thought we had, I think we're actually worse off than before," said Shinichi quietly. Haibara scoffed.

"Maybe it looks that way to you," she snapped, "and maybe I do have even more work to do, but it does help me eliminate some of my original theories." She put the scans back in the folder and stood up. "You leave this part to me and just focus on your job: locating the people who made this whole mess in the first place." She left the room with a finality that had no room for argument.

Agasa chuckled nervously and absently patted Shinichi's shoulder before following Haibara to offer his assistance. Heiji glanced warily between the two Shinichis, neither of which elected to move, and decided it was probably safer to leave them alone. He stretched and then left, throwing out a comment about continuing to monitor the traffic cams. Neither Shinichi responded, but he seemed to have expected that.

Shinichi was alone with his clone. They were silent for a few minutes, digesting the new information, before Shinichi spoke up.

"Looks like I'm stuck with you for the foreseeable future." He'd meant to sound accusatory, but only managed to convey resignation.

"Looks like it," said Not-Shinichi, sounding similarly defeated, and something else that was distinctly bitter.

Shinichi turned to study his clone for a few moments. He was pallid—much more so than he'd been earlier, which was understandable given the circumstances. The pallor accentuated the dark circles hanging from glassy eyes that held a hollow gaze which matched the feeling in Shinichi's chest.

Unable to think of any way to organically interact with the clone, Shinichi did what he did best: shove his emotions aside in favor of cold, hard, reliable logic. With his 'detective mode' functioning at full capacity, he opened his mouth and asked,

"So, how would you go about breaking into a hospital's filing system?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 32: A Sense of [Ab]Normalcy

Despite his best efforts to get information remotely, Shinichi ultimately came to the conclusion that he would need to visit Beika General Hospital in person. What he really needed was to speak with the staff—at the very least, discussing things with them might uncover some clues as to what exactly he was searching for.

Part of him debated dragging Not-Him along to act as the indulgent yet exasperated cousin, but he scrapped the idea pretty quickly. His clone needed to heal up first before engaging in an activity he knew would escalate into exacerbating the wound.

Another part of him debated dragging Heiji along, but… well, Heiji couldn't act to save his life, and even if he could they'd have a pretty difficult time convincing people they were related. Few people would believe they were friends, either, considering the supposed age gap. As a pair, they stuck out like a sore thumb, and because of that, he couldn't think of a plausible excuse as to why they would poke around the hospital without alerting the wrong people.

What he needed was a legitimate reason to be at the hospital, something he spent the rest of the week pondering. The children were blessedly undemanding, probably giving him space to cope with his 'amnesiac cousin'. They spent the remainder of the week whispering worriedly amongst themselves.

By Friday, he was seriously debating injuring the professor (with the man's consent, of course, though he had a feeling he wouldn't go for it). He cursed his inability to produce a decent solution, silently mulling over the issue on the way home from school. Haibara was similarly quiet, probably mulling over the brain scans and what to do about that. The children left them alone to plan amongst themselves, but not before wrangling a promise out of them to hang out at least three days the next week.

Shinichi and Haibara split up in front of their homes, each to work on their respective problems, each hoping the other had more luck in their search.

Upstairs, Heiji's voice could be heard down the hall, yelling at someone Shinichi couldn't hear. Based on the tone, he was probably on the phone with Kazuha. He blinked a few times, realizing she was probably out of the loop, then bit back a groan as he realized he hadn't told Heiji to be discreet with the new development. Which meant if she hadn't known before today, she probably would by the time the call ended.

He sighed, resigning himself to his fate, and just hoped this wouldn't create a new headache for him in the future. Heiji moodily hung up just as Shinichi entered the room.

"Something wrong?" he asked, even if he wasn't particularly interested in the drama. Heiji sighed heavily and irritably mussed his hair.

"Just Kazuha givin' me an earful about missin' the whole week of school," he groused as he shoved his phone into his pocket. "My parents started buggin' her when they couldn't reach me."

Shinichi didn't ask why Heiji's parents couldn't reach him—that much was obvious.

"'Course, she knows the gist of the situation, so she didn't yell too much," he sighed. Shinichi closed his eyes. There it was.

"You told her?"

"Well, yeah," came the nonplussed response. A pause. "Er… was I not s'pposed to?" Shinichi just sighed and shrugged, not sure if he actually cared or not at this point. "If yer worried 'bout her comin' here, I think she's too scared to see the other Kudo in person," he added. "Like I said, she only called me 'cause I skipped a whole week of classes."

Shinichi shrugged again and headed for his laptop. "Considering how much school I've missed, I can't really say anything—you sure you won't get in trouble with your parents?" Heiji grimaced.

"My mom'll tell me off," he said, scratching his cheek. "My dad… well, he'll wait 'til test scores come out before he decides to do anythin'." He folded his arms. "As long as I get top marks, it'll be fine."

Shinichi blinked. That was certainly a surprise—he'd expected Heizo to have a stricter approach to this sort of thing. On the other hand, he could only imagine what sort of punishment the man could enforce if he thought his son's excursions were affecting his grades.

"So you're going back when…?"

"Probably Sunday," came the casual reply. "I definitely won't get away with missin' more than a week." He shot Shinichi a sharp look. "Unless yer sick of me already?" The playful smug grin in his voice was enough to make Shinichi bristle.

"No. Do what you want." He probably should have felt annoyed at having been manipulated to let Heiji stay, but like most things recently, he found he couldn't bring himself to care much.

Heiji's grin made Shinichi roll his eyes.

They worked in silence for a few hours before Heiji stretched and left the room, saying something about food. Shinichi paid him no mind as he continued working to find some way to poke around the hospital discretely.

He wouldn't need to sneak around like this if he was his proper age—even if he'd been off the radar for a while, he was still technically a household name. He doubted he could convince Haibara with that line of reasoning. He growled in frustration.

If I'd known I'd need to poke around the hospital, I'd have done it while the clone was still there. Of course, that bit of information only came out after they realized what was going on.

He scowled at his computer screen, furious at how useless he was. The fact that they had all declined a follow-up appointment made him even more angry at himself. And they couldn't suddenly request a follow-up without raising some questions. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Everything was such a mess.

"Oi, Kudo," came a voice from the doorway. He looked up to find Heiji holding up his phone. "You see the news today?"

"…No…" he said slowly, watching as Heiji tapped the screen a few times. His phone buzzed, receiving an email. Grateful for the small distraction, he unlocked his phone to look at the article Heiji sent.

KAITO KID TO APPEAR TONIGHT

ELUSIVE THIEF SETS SIGHTS ON STARLIGHT SAPPHIRE

Shinichi stared at the headline for a few moments before scrolling down to read the rest of the article.

"You're really not goin'?" asked Heiji skeptically. He had doubted Shinichi's explanation when the thief in question had offered his help a while ago. Shinichi shrugged.

"I said I wouldn't," he said simply.

"Well, I didn't," said Heiji, a smugness in his voice that had Shinichi rolling his eyes. "I'm sure I could catch 'im if I put my mind to it." He was trying to bait Shinichi, who only sighed in response.

"You're welcome to try," he said dryly. Mildly curious, he pulled up a more recent article on the matter, skimmed it, then barked out a surprised laugh. "That's why he didn't want me to come!"

"What's why?"

"Hakuba Saguru is back in the country—it says here that he plans to attend the heist."

Heiji's expression soured instantly.

"That prick's in town?" He clicked his tongue. "Ugh. I think I'll keep my weekend jerk-free fer now."

"Good luck with that," Shinichi muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

***

The weekend passed much too quickly for anyone's liking. Heiji left to avoid getting in trouble, the KID Heist ended much like it usually did when Shinichi was present, and neither Haibara nor Shinichi were able to make any headway in their respective endeavors.

So basically, nothing changed.

In an attempt to distract himself after Heiji left, Shinichi decided to check the kitchen supplies. Ran had mentioned last time that the Osakan ate quite a bit more than expected, and that time he'd only been around for three days. He quickly quashed the new wave of grief at the memory before it could consume him.

There was only packaged ramen left. No ingredients to make something else, no rice. He was pretty sure he'd had a brand new bag of rice just before his clone woke up. The Osakan menace was a bottomless pit.

He sighed heavily as he closed the cabinet doors, making a mental note to berate his friend later. It wasn't a huge issue, since neither he nor his clone had much appetite, but there was someone else here that actually ate. And forced him and probably his clone to eat, now that he was thinking about it.

"I have a list," came a voice behind him. He did not jump, and anyone who said otherwise couldn't prove it. He turned around.

Subaru was smiling down benignly at him as if he hadn't just snuck up behind him. The man held out a folded up memo note.

"Why're you giving this to me?" Shinichi asked, even as he took the paper.

"Because you need to get out of the house, and so does the other Shinichi-kun. Staying cooped up inside is detrimental to one's health, as you well know." Shinichi scowled down at his slippers, unable to argue. "It would also save me some money," the man added mischievously. The small teen rolled his eyes.

"… Fine," he grumbled before shoving the paper in his pocket. He trudged out of the kitchen before he could be roped into running any other errands, and stomped his way upstairs with fake indignation. Once he cleared the landing, he stopped and took a look at the now crumpled paper.

The list in question required a trip to the department store if he wanted to get everything on it in a single outing. He sighed heavily. They couldn't have run out of dish soap, coffee filters, and trash bags at a different time?

Of course not, since the universe apparently had it in for him.

He stalked over to the clone's room and opened the door after a single knock before he could talk himself out of it. Not-Shinichi looked up at the intruder from his place at the desk in the corner of the room. There wasn't anything on said desk, so he was probably sulking at not being able to look at the case files. Shinichi bristled at the inquisitive eyebrow his double raised.

"Get dressed; we're going out," he said crisply.

"Where?" asked Not-Shinichi as he stood up from his chair.

"To the department store—we ran out of food plus a few other things we can't get from the market—I don't want to make more than one trip if I can help it." Shinichi turned and strode towards his room, Not-Shinichi following behind.

"And you're bringing me because…?" asked the clone with a frown. Shinichi had made it quite clear to him that his presence was only tolerated because the body belonged to Ran. Shinichi, for his part, was quickly settling back into Detective Mode™ and was slowly coming to terms with talking to another him. He also didn't want the clone to know they had both been recruited to do this task by Subaru—someone Not-Shinichi didn't know or trust at all, so he fibbed a bit.

"Hattori went home, Agasa and Haibara are busy, and Subaru-san has some post-graduate work he needs to complete," he said as they entered his room. "I need extra hands." As expected, Not-Shinichi frowned at the mention of Subaru, but ultimately refrained from voicing whatever thoughts he had on the man. He instead turned his attention to Shinichi's closet.

"I assume we're walking?" he asked as he eyed the clothes Shinichi was too small to wear.

"That was the plan," said Shinichi as he pushed past Not-Him to get to the child clothes he'd started storing near the back. "Walking's not gonna hurt your head, is it?"

"My legs are a bit sore," he replied as he sifted absently through the clothes. "But that's mostly from being bedridden for a week." Shinichi hummed in agreement as they both snagged clothes without really looking at them. He briefly closed his eyes as he tried not to remember how Ran liked to coordinate the outfits into something she deemed presentable.

"Well, we can walk there, and if you're still having issues, we can take a cab home," he said as he pulled the clothes he picked towards him. Not-Him hummed in acknowledgement as he did the same. Shinichi suppressed a shudder at the feeling of inherent wrongness the identical movement caused.

They dressed in separate rooms, and just before leaving Shinichi hesitated, wondering if he could get Not-Him to wear a hat. Ran was the one who felt secure with it, but at the same time it would probably be better if he couldn't be easily recognized. Shinichi debated for all of three seconds before realizing that a cap would aggravate a fractured skull. Not for the first or last time that day, he cursed his rotten luck.

They met at the front door, quietly put on their shoes, and left for the twenty minute walk to the department store. Shinichi doubted the wrong eyes would spot them, but he kept a vigilant look out for potential dangers and places Not-Him could be quickly tucked away out of sight should the need arise.

The silence as they walked was stifling.

Not so long ago, Shinichi and Ran had walked the same path, wistfully talking about nothing, and existing as two teenagers despite the world screwing them over. Remembering that brief bit of solace ached in his chest in a way he didn't realize was possible. He barely managed to shove another wave of grief away so he could focus on the task at hand.

They thankfully reached the store without incident. Before even approaching the doors, Shinichi was forced out of his thoughts by a light tap on his head. He looked up, finding his own eyes staring down at him. Not-Shinichi looked around before speaking quietly.

"I need my—your wallet," he said, bitterly correcting himself. "It'll look strange if you pay for everything while we're together."

Makes sense, Shinichi thought with a grimace, but made no complaints as he handed his wallet over. With that taken care of, they headed inside.

The shopping itself was blissfully quiet, with all of Shinichi's attention on finding and crossing off items on the crumpled list in his pocket. He somehow managed to keep his thoughts from spiraling, electing to document everything around him in his mind: from the family eating ice cream in the food court right down to the number of tiles on the floor. Any other wandering thoughts were dedicated to solving complicated equations or strategizing theoretical soccer games he couldn't play at the moment.

He almost felt normal.

He didn't feel so normal when they had to pay for their stuff. Watching Not-Shinichi pull out his wallet to pay with his money felt… painfully strange. He wondered briefly if that was how out-of-body experiences felt.

A little girl ran past him, happily giggling as her mother chased after her. Shinichi absently glanced at them, taking in their carefree bliss as a pang of envy closed around his ribs. He quickly turned back to his double who had just finished paying for the non-perishable items on the list. Not-Him also glanced wistfully at the family as he walked over to Shinichi. Neither brought it up.

"What else is on the list?" asked Not-Shinichi, exhaustion creeping into his voice. He gingerly brought a hand to the back of his head, rubbing lightly at the small bandage that had replaced the larger hospital dressings.

"Produce, meat, and dairy," said Shinichi. "Do you need a break?" Not-Him grimaced, looking very much like he wanted to keep going, before ultimately nodding in defeat.

"… Yeah, actually."

Shinichi looked at his watch with a hum.

"Might as well grab some lunch," he mumbled, even if he didn't much feel like eating. His clone grimaced.

"I'm not—"

"I know you're not hungry," snapped Shinichi. "I'm not, either. But right now we have two options. We either get something here, or Subaru-san forces us to eat at home. At least this way we'll get a receipt so he can't complain. And he can't prove we didn't finish more than a few bites of food." There was a new grimace on the clone's face now.

"And we care about that man's opinion because…?"

Oh. Right. Not-Shinichi didn't really understand why Subaru was even around. And Shinichi couldn't really explain things without giving the man's secrets away. He sighed.

"That's not important right now," he said, eyes scanning for a place they could grab something like a salad. "What is important is if we don't eat here, he will make us eat there. What's important is keeping that body—" He pointed at Not-Shinichi purposefully. "—maintained for Ran. Which won't happen if you're not eating properly. I'm only offering a half-way solution like this once."

The clone grimaced again before giving a tight nod. Shinichi led him towards one of the restaurants. They ordered two house salads, and two waters. The bowls were small enough to not be completely overwhelming to the quietly grieving boys. They ate slowly, wordlessly. Not-Shinichi stared blanky at the tabletop, Shinichi doing much the same. They only managed half of the small salads.

Shinichi stuck the receipt in his pocket to use as proof for Subaru while his clone got up to throw the rest of the salads away. While he was alone and waiting for the other's return, someone jumped him.

"Hi, Conan-kun!" yelled a familiar voice as he was lifted into the air in a tight hug. Shinichi let out a growl as he tried and failed to turn his head to give his assailant a glower.

"Sera-no-neechan," he huffed out, wiggling in a vain attempt to free himself. "Put me down." She complied with a cheeky grin, fang glinting as she stared down at him. Her expression was strained.

"How's the search coming?" she asked with forced chipperness. "Any news?"

"No," he said sullenly. "No news. Ran-neechan's still missing." Sera deflated, shoulders slumping at his words.

"Yeah, I figured," she mumbled. She straightened back up. "So? Whatcha doin' back here? Are you by yourself this time?"

"Nope," he said, noting his clone coming back, confusion on his face as he watched the two interact. "I'm here with my cousin."

"Your cousin," she said flatly. Not-Shinichi stopped just a few steps behind her. "Is this the same cousin as last time?"

"Yup," he said, giving his clone a pointed look. Not-Shinichi cleared his throat, making Sera whirl around.

"Who's this, Conan-kun?" he asked, slipping into a half-acting, half-detective state. "A friend of yours?"

"This is Sera-no-neechan," he replied. Not-Shinichi blinked at the female moniker before eying the girl more closely. "This is my cousin, Shinichi-niichan."

The color drained out of the girl's face as she looked between the two boys several times. The surprised gape quickly turned suspicious as she eyed the clone.

"Kudo Shinichi?" she asked, voice low. She got up in his face, studying his features with mistrust.

"Yes…?" Not-Shinichi blinked in confusion, leaning back even as she leaned forward. She squinted her eyes.

"You don't remember me?" The fanged smirk was triumphant. He scowled, lightly pushing her out of his personal space.

"No, I don't," he snapped irritably. Her triumphant grin grew larger, her snaggletooth gleaming. He blinked at that. "Huh. I… Have we… met before…?" He glanced at Shinichi, a mild panic flashing in his eyes at the possibility of accidentally outing himself. Sera was still glaring suspiciously at him.

"Yes and no," said Shinichi causally, doing his best to act like Sera's assumptions meant nothing to them. Not-Shinichi scoffed.

"Not helpful," he said, tone flat.

"You've spoken on the phone a couple of times," he explained, mind racing back to the interactions. "But that was pretty recently. After the cultural festival."

Not-Shinichi's eyes lit up in understanding—since they were going with Haibara's plan, it was fine he didn't know. It was Sera's turn to look confused. She rounded on Shinichi.

"What are you talking about?" she asked quickly. "Who is this?!" He sent her an unimpressed stare.

"I just told you—this is Shinichi-niichan. He just got out of the hospital with a skull fracture, and can't remember anything since just before the cultural festival; so he's missing quite a few months in his memory." Sera scoffed, looking between the two.

"Amnesia? That's a little convenient, isn't it?"

"What exactly are you implying?" asked the clone, eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms.

"I don't believe you're really Kudo Shinichi," she huffed.

"Why not?" He glanced at Shinichi, whose grimace explained the situation. Thankfully, Sera hadn't witnessed the subtle exchange. Taking the hint, the clone continued. "I'm right here in front of you, aren't I? If we haven't met, perhaps I could find a picture from an online article that could prove it."

"Conan-kun, I need the truth. Right now," she growled in a low voice. Shinichi raised an eyebrow.

"That is the truth," he snapped. "Why do you keep insisting I'm lying?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly aware of how insane she must look from an outside perspective.

"I—you—b-because—!" She scowled at him, seething. She sucked in a deep breath, and both Shinichis instinctively knew she was going to yell out his secret regardless of who was around. Panic set in, rooting them both to the spot, unable to stop her or dissolve the situation without causing more of a scene.

A loud scream from upstairs halted Sera in her attempt. All three detectives stared at each other before bolting in the direction the commotion came from.

"This conversation isn't over," hissed Sera as they ran.

No, it isn't, agreed Shinichi silently. I just hope we can figure a way out of it before the end of this.

Chapter Text

Chapter 33: Disruptive Calm

The scene that met the three detectives when they arrived could only be described as gruesome. The sharp, metallic smell of blood assaulted their noses before they even laid eyes on the chaos that was the crime scene.

Shinichi's stomach lurched as he caught sight of the body. A man, judging by what was left of it. But beyond the mutilation, the blood splattered and pooled everywhere, what stood out most was a little girl. She sat on her knees next to the body, covered in blood he suspected wasn't hers, eyes wide as saucers as she stared at nothing. She couldn't have been older than ten.

"Holy shit," muttered Sera, eyes glued to the scene. All thoughts of loudly outing Shinichi's secrets were, mercifully, forgotten for the time being. Shinichi mentally echoed her statement.

He'd seen hundreds of murder scenes—which should probably be concerning in and of itself—but this one was probably the most gruesome he'd ever witnessed. He inched closer even as a young woman flung herself at the scene before anyone could stop her.

"Hanako! Hanako!" she screamed, dropping to her knees as she pulled the little girl into a protective embrace. Shinichi kept a close eye on her movements, cataloging anything she might have disturbed. "Hanako, what happened?! Are you okay? Hanako?!"

The girl, for her part, hadn't moved, except for being dragged towards the woman's bosom. Sera surged forward with a growl.

"Hey, hey!" she exclaimed, squeezing her hands into fists. "You're disturbing the crime scene!"

Shinichi's ire welled up at her actions, but Not-Shinichi moved faster than him, a disapproving frown on his face. He grabbed Sera's shoulder, halting her from moving forward. He gave her a very stern head shake before turning a sympathetic gaze to the woman and girl. Since no one else seemed to have moved, Shinichi went ahead and contacted the authorities.

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am," said Not-Shinichi as his shrunken counterpart made the appropriate phone calls. Shinichi didn't miss Sera's eyes narrowing at the clone's kind tone. "I won't ask you to leave your daughter, but please refrain from moving from that spot until the police arrive."

The woman nodded as she held her daughter tightly to her chest.

"What's wrong with my Hanako?!" she asked, tears streaming down her face. "She won't answer me!"

"She might be in shock," said Not-Shinichi quietly as he studied the girl, Hanako. She still hadn't moved, and didn't appear to see any other surroundings. "An ambulance will get here soon, and they'll help her as soon as possible." The mother nodded despite the terror still in her eyes.

Sera continued to scowl at them, arms crossed, but thankfully didn't make any moves beyond that.

Gently, but urgently, Not-Shinichi dutifully collected some basic information, the original Shinichi paying rapt attention to the conversation as well as visually confirming the surrounding area and its inhabitants, tucking the data away in his brain to go through a bit later and form hypotheses and a suspect list.

Sera hung back, grumpily staring at Not-Shinichi work, though she did at least appear to be putting her suspicions on a backburner in favor of solving the brutal massacre strewn so messily at their feet.

The relief the two Shinichis felt at the police's arrival was nearly palpable.

Megure frowned at once again seeing both Sera and Conan at the crime scene, but before he could reprimand them, he noticed Not-Shinichi. It was nearly comical how his face lit up despite the circumstances.

"Kudo-kun! It's been a while!" he said jovially as he gave the clone a hearty pat on the back. His demeaner turned somber. "Shame about Ran-kun—we still don't have any leads, but don't worry. We'll let you know the moment we find something."

"It's nice to see you, too, inspector," said Not-Shinichi, a melancholy exhaustion weighing down his voice and shoulders as he managed to give the older man a sad smile. He observed the police officers moving around in his peripheral as he spoke, not quite facing Megure. Shinichi briefly wondered why that was. "I do appreciate the help."

Sera's eyes narrowed more as she heard them talk.

"I thought you had amnesia," she accused with a sneer. All the officers within hearing range froze at her words, and Megure's own surprised face turned back to the clone.

"Amnesia?"

"Partial," said Not-Shinichi shortly, sending the inspector a small, reassuring smile before he turned to frown at Sera. "And my having it does not mean I somehow didn't realize that Ran's still missing. Nor does it keep me from reading the case notes regarding her disappearance."

"Wait, back up—what's this about amnesia? Kudo-kun?" Takagi piped up from his place near the victim.

"Shinichi-niichan just got out of the hospital," said Shinichi as he glowered at the back of Sera's head.

Megure's eyes lit up with recognition, probably having been informed of the building collapse by the Nagano Police, as well as Shinichi and Conan's presence at the site. Not-Shinichi cleared his throat.

"We're not here to discuss my health status," he said firmly. Like a switch, the police all turned back to the murder scene, grimacing sheepishly at having stopped to eavesdrop. Megure reluctantly turned his concerned gaze away from the teenager to address his employees. He cleared his throat.

"Yes. Yes, you're right. Do we know the victim? Cause of death?" Takagi stepped forward, notebook in hand.

"Yes, sir! The deceased is Nakagawa Hachiro, 35 years old. He was stabbed forty-two times with a pocketknife found at the scene, and it's believed he was dead before the murderer finished the… stabbing."

Megure frowned at the sheer brutality. "Pocketknife?" he said, schooling his expression. He looked around the store. "… This is a clothing store. Why would the killer leave something that doesn't belong here, especially if it could lead back to them?"

"The victim's wife, Nakagawa Reina, 34 years old, said it belonged to the victim himself."

Shinichi's eyes narrowed as he mulled over that information. Megure let out a thoughtful hum.

"I saw a girl at the ambulance—was she attacked, too? Maybe she saw something?"

"That would be the victim's daughter, Nakagawa Hanako, ten years old," said Takagi as he frowned down at his notebook. "She was found sitting beside her father, covered in blood and completely unresponsive." His frown deepened. "So far, she doesn't appear to have any injuries—seems like the blood belongs to the deceased. She's still not responsive, and is likely in shock—we won't be able to ask what she must have seen, at least for a while."

Megure passed a heavy hand over his face, looking much older than he ever had as he heaved a disgruntled sigh.

"Murdered right in front of his own daughter," he muttered. "What sort of monster does that?"

As the inspector had his miniature breakdown, Shinichi set himself to scan the area for security cameras. The only one he'd seen so far was outside the store, pointed at the entrance. That wasn't too strange—this particular clothing store was a fairly recent addition to the department, and was either still in the process of setting up security, or didn't have the funds on hand what with being so new.

It was understandable, if incredibly unfortunate.

As luck would have it, after reviewing the footage of the entranceway camera, they were able to narrow down not just the time of death (based solely on public reactions), but they were also able to narrow down the suspects to just three individuals.

The wife, Nakagawa Reina, who was currently by the ambulance fussing over her despondent child; she and her family had come to the department store for restocking some household items—they saw the new store and decided to check it out. Evidently, after glimpsing the clothes, Hachiro ordered Reina to stand near the entrance while he had a "word" with the store's owner.

The store owner, Sakai Katsuo—at 52, he was surprisingly bulky, an impressive set of muscles hidden beneath the same sort of clothes he sold. It was his late sister's dream to open a clothing store, but she passed before she could see that dream fulfilled. He was suspected since he hadn't been seen leaving the store at all, making him present for the murder. He admitted to having spoken with Hachiro before his death.

Ueda Mei, surprisingly, lived next door to the Nakagawas. She claimed to have bumped into them at the store. As a 48-year-old woman who lived by herself, it was a little surprising to find her at a brand-new clothing store with clothes that didn't look anything like her style. She claimed to want to change her look. She denied speaking to the victim, and admitted only to saying hello to Reina near the door upon her entrance.

Unsurprisingly, everyone denied having seen anything to do with the murder. Shinichi absently wondered if asking outright had ever yielded a definitive answer before, instead of the vague not-quite clues such interactions usually came with.

Or in this case, no clear clues at all. He suppressed a groan as he listened to what appeared to be truthful accounts from the shopkeeper and the neighbor. Mrs. Nakagawa was still with her unresponsive daughter and refused to leave her side unless it was absolutely necessary.

There was nothing to indicate to the detectives that anyone was lying—no fidgeting, no slip-ups, no shifting eyes, no tells of any kind. It was driving the two Shinichis crazy; and if Sera had focused all of her faculties on the case instead of being suspicious of Not-Shinichi, she might have felt similarly frustrated by the lack of anything to work with.

Shinichi tiredly rubbed his chin as he stared at where the body used to be. At the blood that was so voluminous it probably wouldn't dry any time soon. Stared at it, silently demanding an answer from the splatters on the ground, wondering what the first few would have looked like—at least that might have given him a starting point. Whatever height the first stab might have occurred was buried beneath the forty other stabs succeeding it.

The fact he was stabbed forty-two times was telling, at least. He wasn't just disliked by his killer, but hated so viciously Shinichi had no comparison outside the realms of fiction. It wasn't cruel—a cruel murder wouldn't have looked like this. No, this… this hate looked desperate, and he wasn't sure what to make of that.

He was only half-paying attention when Not-Shinichi came to stand next to him, and he only looked up when his counterpart softly cleared his throat.

"Are you sure I haven't actually met Sera-san before?" he murmured softly. He was glaring at the puddle of blood, so Shinichi knew his faculties were split between the two mysteries at hand. He sighed.

"I've been trying to figure that out, too," he admitted bitterly. "She seems to know Ran and I from somewhere, and both Ran and I more or less agree we've met her before, but…" He sighed again. "She refuses to say anything about it, and only looks smug when either one of us asks."

"… Doesn't that mean she knows about you?" came the response as Not-Shinichi swiftly put two-and-two together.

"She thinks she knows about me," he said sharply. "She hasn't confirmed anything—there's a difference." The clone hummed thoughtfully as his eyes trailed along the edges of the blood pool.

"So, she obviously remembers us from somewhere, even if we don't remember her," he muttered darkly. "That… sounds like a problem."

"It is," said Shinichi quietly as he watched the girl in question move closer. "I'll explain the exact problem when she's not currently trying to pick our story apart." He rubbed his face tiredly as his double hummed in acknowledgement, and then redirected his focus on the crime scene.

"What're you two whispering about?" asked Sera as soon as she was close enough. Her tone sounded smug, as if she'd caught them in some act. Not-Shinichi spoke up first.

"Just trying to figure out how someone can be stabbed a total of forty-two times in succession without any witnesses." He blinked and tilted his head towards the paramedics. "Well, any coherent witnesses, anyway. Well… I suppose if he'd been stabbed in the stomach first—that would've knocked the air out of him so he couldn't scream right away…"

Sera's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but thankfully turned her attention back to the case at hand.

"Who the hell would do that in front of a child?" she asked, looking like she'd just bitten into a lemon. "And why leave the only witness alive, for that matter?"

And that was the cruelest part, wasn't it? Traumatizing a child so thoroughly they ended up practically catatonic: it didn't fit with the desperate anger of the crime itself.

"We need more information," Not-Shinichi grumpily admitted, turning his attention towards Takagi's location. "The only thing I could glean from their words as they provided their testimonies is that he wasn't very well-liked."

Shinichi snorted. That was an understatement. While they never said anything outright, it was quite clear no one seemed to mourn his death. He made the first move, leaving Sera and his clone to suspiciously glare at each other as they followed behind.

Takagi was talking to Ueda Mei, attempting to calm her down as she got more and more upset.

"I just don't understand why you're interrogating me!" she screeched at the man. "I didn't do it—I didn't do anything!"

"It's just for reference, Ueda-san," said Takagi gently, hands held up to placate the woman. "I just need to know where everyone was at the time—you're not the only one I'm asking."

"Then hurry up and ask someone else already," she snapped, not calming down in the slightest. Shinichi piped up before Takagi could continue the cycle.

"She was just here to buy some clothes, Takagi-keiji," he said innocuously, causing the older man to heave a resigned sigh. Mei's eyes lit up at the defense.

"See? He gets it!"

Shinichi made a show of looking around at the merchandise.

"Everything here looks kinda flashy to me, but I guess I'm too little to judge…"

"She already said she was looking for a change," said Takagi in a slightly condescending tone. Shinichi hated when people used that tone of voice, and it took everything he had to not snap at the officer. It was Sera who picked up the thread Shinichi had pointed out.

"Yeah, but usually when people try something new, the change isn't nearly so… drastic." She eyed the plain, modest clothes Mei was wearing; a stark contrast to the flashy clothes sold there—the target of the shop was undoubtedly college-aged students, not women in their late forties, no matter how the shopkeeper himself dressed. The woman flushed angrily.

"If you must know, I'm looking to start dating again," she snapped. No one wanted to mention the type of attention she was likely to get for her efforts. If she didn't know the sort of picture she was painting, the only thing that would make her wise up would be bitter experience. With her current attitude, imagining the possibilities was pretty vindictive.

"Like I said," Shinichi hummed innocently, "what would a kid like me know." He ignored the scoff sent his way in favor of pressing the next issue.

"Must've been a pleasant surprise to bump into your neighbor here." Another scoff.

"Pleasant, yeah. About as pleasant as getting a root canal." If she could get away with spitting, Shinichi had no doubt she would have.

"I take it you weren't close," said Not-Shinichi as he stepped up to place a hand on the smaller boy's head, acting as a cousin concerned his family's words might be too brash for the traumatized strangers. Shinichi squashed down the way the touch burned as thoughts of Ran bubbled to the surface of his mind.

"Kid, I don't think anyone was close to that jerk, save his wife and kid," she sneered as she glanced at the paramedics. "Even then, I'm not sure close is the right word. They're alright people when they're not hiding in his shadow."

She wouldn't talk much more after that, irritation radiating off her in waves. Shinichi hummed thoughtfully at the information as his double came to stand beside him. They both tensed as Sera came to stand with them, distrust dripping off her features.

"Seems like he'd been hiding a nasty personality," she said, sending Not-Shinichi a pointed glare.

"He's not the only one," grumbled Shinichi under his breath as the clone thoughtfully studied Sera's face. Her scowl deepened, daring him to deny the hidden accusation. He ignored her silent threats.

"You look very familiar," he mumbled instead, frustration lacing his voice with the failed attempt to identify her. Sera flinched in surprise, suspicious glare coming back in full force as her eyes flicked between the two Shinichis. She likely thought it was a coached comment, but couldn't discern the lie in his tone.

Shinichi ignored them as he wandered over to the store owner, Katsuo.

"Sakai-san," he said, pushing innocent curiosity into his voice as he tugged on the man's sleeve. "Did you really open this store just for your sister? Was it really hard to do?" The man blinked down at him and smiled gently, the tension in his frame easing slightly.

"I sure did," he said proudly, despite the sad smile on his face. "It took me ten years since I wanted to get everything just right. She was a perfectionist, even if I'm not—had detailed notes on how she wanted everything. The only thing that's not what her notes indicated are the clothes themselves, but that's par for the course when dealing with fashion trends."

Shinichi could only offer a pretend confused smile and a hum as his clone, followed closely by Sera, came to offer a more "adult" insight to the fashion in question.

"So, she wanted to sell flashy clothing?" asked Sera, still keeping a close, suspicious eye on the clone.

"She wanted to sell affordable date and club clothes," the older man corrected coolly, unimpressed with Sera's tone. She'd sounded terribly judgmental, and to be fair Shinichi couldn't tell if the tone was directed at the clothes or Not-Shinichi.

"I'm sure she'd be thrilled at what you've accomplished," said Not-Shinichi kindly, pointedly not looking at Sera. Katsuo preened, despite a lingering sadness just behind his eyes. Shinichi couldn't imagine the man risking his sister's dream for anything, but people weren't always logical.

"You said you talked to Nakagawa-san before he was murdered, right?" asked Sera. Her attention was still on Not-Shinichi, glaring at him as if doing so would reveal her suspicions about him. Katsuo glanced between the two teenagers, likely reading the hostility that was thankfully not directed at him.

"I wouldn't call it talking," he eventually said, wisely choosing not to comment on the charged tension in front of him. "He'd decided yelling at me for selling trashy clothing was more appropriate than just shopping elsewhere." He rolled his eyes. "Gave me an earful about how he wouldn't be caught dead letting his wife near my clothing in public. I told him he could shop elsewhere if he felt that strongly about it, but he just wanted to scream at me some more." Here his eyes turned cold. "He made some nasty comments about my sister when he heard about the shop's history."

Ah. That could be a motive. The two Shinichis glanced at each other, both probably thinking the same thing. Not-Shinichi quietly thanked the store owner before the two walked away, effectively pulling Sera away before she could ask any more rude questions simply because she was more focused on the mystery of the supposedly fake Shinichi to be bothered to read the room.

As Shinichi kept tabs on her from the corner of his eye, he suddenly remembered something Ran had said about the girl. He wondered if Not-Shinichi could use the information better than he had—the clone didn't have all the months of traumatizing events and realizations Shinichi had experienced since the shogi cave incident, so perhaps his mind wasn't quite as cluttered.

Now the only issue was relaying the small morsel of Ran's insight without tipping off Sera. If she thought he was coaching responses, they'd never get this issue taken care of.

He stared over at the new widow for a few seconds, then his eyes darted over to the paramedics where Hanako was still despondent, though noticeably cleaner. Since the two were near each other, he didn't think it would be too strange if he wanted to check on the child before speaking to the mother, just as long as he didn't use the syrupy sweet "Conan" voice he knew Sera would instantly be suspicious of.

Making a split-second decision, he grabbed Not-Shinichi's hand and pulled him towards the paramedics. The clone, seemingly having suspected Shinichi was planning something, went without complaint.

"Let's check on Hanako-chan before talking with her mom," he said, keeping his voice just on the friendlier side of neutral to avoid suspicion. He tapped out a message in code in his clone's palm as he led the way.

Ran hears ocean with Sera sometimes.

Not-Shinichi hummed in acknowledgement, brows furrowing slightly as he digested the information. He thankfully didn't glance at Sera, though Shinichi knew he probably really wanted to. He hoped Ran's candid comment proved to be a valuable clue, if not to himself then perhaps to the one currently piloting Ran's body.

To keep up pretenses, he didn't let go of Not-Shinichi's hand until they were right in front of the first responders. Shinichi bounced up to the now relatively blood-free girl, the other him stepping up quietly behind him. The clone glanced between the girl and her distraught mother—who was sitting a few feet away, babbling to the paramedics—a few times before deciding on leaving Hanako to Shinichi.

Shinichi climbed into a chair next to Hanako, trusting the other Shinichi to ask the right questions, and giving an unimpressed glare to Sera who thankfully didn't interfere with the investigation. She stood nearer to the children, but continued glowering at the clone. Shinichi snatched the opportunity to speak to the detective who was obviously emotionally compromised, while keeping an ear on Not-Shinichi's line of questioning.

"Sera-no-neechan," he said, voice quiet but sharp. She turned her cutting glare to him. He matched her gaze coolly. "Someone died. This isn't about you."

She blinked a few times before grimacing and raked a hand through her hair, looking properly chastised.

"I'm still tryin' to figure out where he came from," she mumbled, looking pointedly at him, though the expression was much less cutting than her previous glares. Shinichi bit back a sigh at her stubbornness. What detective wasn't stubborn, after all?

"If you don't believe us, I really don't know what to tell you," he settled on, feeling so, so tired. It wasn't even as if they were lying to her—the clone was Shinichi, even if the admission hurt Shinichi deeply. She merely scoffed, but didn't comment in favor of continuing her scrutiny. Shinichi left her to her devices and turned his attention to Hanako, who hadn't even responded to their presence.

He idly kicked his feet in the space between his seat and the floor, cataloging everything on the ten-year-old that hadn't been cleared away by the paramedics—she'd need to change her clothes soon, before forensics got antsy, but they were very understanding.

He tuned in to Not-Shinichi's discussion with the new widow. Evidently, there was no love lost there, but she had very little reason to murder Nakagawa Hachiro. The man was the sole bread winner of the house, and it sounded like he kept Reina on such a short leash that she actually didn't know how to function with him gone.

Sounds like textbook abuse, mused Shinichi, eyes turning back to Hanako. A ten-year-old would be smothered in such an environment. As Reina was hysterically babbling on about how Hachiro often lost his temper with Hanako, Shinichi's eyes happened to fall on the little girl's hands. He frowned.

There were strange cuts and indents half-hidden in her closed fists.

A creeping suspicion swept over the detective like spiders scuttling under his skin.

"Hanako-chan," he said quietly, unintentionally catching everyone's attention. "May I see your hands?"

Hanako blinked and, for the first time since the case started, acknowledged Shinichi's presence. She turned her head and stared at him, though there was still no life in her eyes. She slowly unfurled her hands for him. Not-Shinichi took in a sharp, startled breath, and quietly made his way over to the child.

The outline of some sort of grip cut into the skin of her palms, indicating such a tight hold on the object in question that its edges broke the skin in some places. Dawning horror blocked his throat when he recognized the shape as the handle of a pocketknife.

Not-Shinichi knelt down in front of Hanako and gently pulled her hands to rest in his. Sera looked curiously over his shoulder as he examined her palms in resolute silence. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as she registered what she was looking at. Not-Shinichi finally closed his hands over Hanako's and looked sadly into the girl's glassy eyes.

"That must have been very painful, Hanako-chan," he whispered. Her blank stare didn't look back at him, even as the tears started falling.

***

Given the circumstances, it was lucky Sera was still mostly distracted with the "Shinichi imposter," otherwise a scene might have been made as they quietly beckoned Megure and Takagi over to explain the devastating truth.

At age ten, Nakagawa Hanako became a murderer.

Evidently the abuse her father had inflicted on her and her mother went beyond just verbal and exchange of blows. The pocketknife she killed him with had been used on them both, featuring in what was becoming clear was a psychopathic psychological game.

Reina endured it for the sake of her daughter, broken by the man she'd married, and under the assumption that Hanako was safe as long as she complied with her husband's games.

She was wrong.

Based on the number of old and new scars the paramedics saw after finally getting the girl a change of clothes, it was clear who the man's favorite toy had been.

Shinichi had a strong suspicion that the fact Hanako snapped in public was because Hachiro was playing his "game" in public… Without video evidence, and Hanako still mostly unresponsive, they couldn't know for certain, but it didn't paint a pretty picture.

Hanako and Reina were both whisked away to the hospital, a few officers following. Hopefully, they could get those two some psychiatric help—neither could function without the sad excuse of a human being that had been Hachiro.

Everyone stood in horrified silence for a few minutes, trying and failing to compartmentalize the complete travesty the case turned out to be. It was Sera who finally broke the silence.

"Man, I don't think there's a single thing that can lift my spirits today," she said with a big sigh, turning to look Shinichi in the eye. "Not even a magician like you."

Just as he was about to snap back that he still didn't know what that meant, he caught Not-Shinichi's eyes as they lit up in recognition. The clone snapped his fingers and pointed at Sera.

"You're the kid from that beach case!" he said, the relief of finally remembering coloring his tone. "With the accordion playing brother who's not a Pierrot clown."

Sera's head snapped to look at the clone, all color rapidly draining from her face as she realized that this "fake" Shinichi actually remembered her. She quickly looked back at the child she was certain wasn't a child, denial and theories flashing behind her eyes.

Shinichi very carefully did not let recognition show on his face as he also finally recalled the event—and all the people involved—even as something icy and numb started to creep down his spine. He turned to his double, eyebrows raised in a curiosity he didn't feel.

"Shinichi-niichan, you've met her before?" he asked, voice deceptively light. Not-Shinichi frowned slightly, confused at the mood only he could pick up.

"Yeah," he said, looking up at the ceiling to avoid looking at Shinichi in confusion and concern, which might tip Sera off. "Mom took me and Ran to the beach ten years ago—she was there with her mom and… two older brothers."

Sera looked a little green, her mouth opening and closing with words that refused to come.

"Sera-no-neechan, are you okay? You don't look so good." If his voice had a little too much innocence laced in it, no one was going to call him out on it. "You should probably go home and rest. I guess it's not surprising with a murder case like this. I think Shinichi-niichan and I need to go home, too."

With that, he grabbed Not-Shinichi's wrist and marched them away from a spluttering Sera before anyone could see how Shinichi was rapidly losing control of the innocent mask he tried to wear. The police officers let them go without a fuss, likely nauseated at the prospect of a child killer.

Shinichi let go of his clone when they cleared the building, but kept walking.

"You're angry," Not-Shinichi observed carefully when he was sure the girl detective wasn't following. "What exactly am I missing?"

"She's been trying to out my identity ever since she showed up," said Shinichi, voice tight as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "To Ran. Publicly." Not-Shinichi hummed, frowning at the information.

"Hattori tried something similar," he pointed out. "Mostly it was blackmail to get us to tell him, but I've no doubt he'd have gone through with telling Ran that day if we hadn't stopped him. There were other people in the room at the time as well, so that also would've been 'public.' We told him. Why not tell Sera?"

"That was different. We didn't understand how dangerous the situation was, and Hattori didn't know any better."

"And Sera-san does know better?"

Shinichi stopped walking.

"I have a very hard time believing she doesn't," he said quietly. He wanted to scream. He wanted to march right back to the mall and demand to know what the hell she was thinking. But he couldn't.

The sound of gravel crunching behind him as the clone moved was the only sound Shinichi could hear over his ringing ears. A pair of legs came into view in front of him, and they bent, crouching down until he was staring at his own face. Determined eyes bored into his own fury-filled ones, begging for clarification. For facts.

"Explain."

"… Mary," said Shinichi, loading the name with meaning. Not-Shinichi waited, knowing the smaller teen was gathering his thoughts. "Sera's mother, she—" He took in a steadying breath and brought his hands up to his face, dislodging his glasses as he dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. "She's like me," he finally whispered. Not-Shinichi inhaled sharply through his nose, but didn't interrupt. "Sera's been dropping hints about it, trying to bait me into revealing myself."

"And you didn't confront her about it?"

"I tried to. I really did. If they had just come to me from the beginning, or even when I tried to get Sera to tell me what was going on, I would've tried my best to help. You know I would have. I… I tried to be subtle in my own investigation, but every time I actually brought up possibly knowing her in the past, she would ignore my comments." He brought his hands down and stared at them. "It was like she was playing a game with me, waiting for either me or Ran to remember her."

He blinked, remembering what she'd said about the picture of shrunken Mary that was on her phone's lock screen. The 'sister from another domain' suddenly made a whole lot more sense, and disgust at that realization—and how this whole matter was handled—made its way across Shinichi's face.

"Mary was MI6," he said, voice devoid of emotion.

"Shit," came Not-Shinichi's response, his own realization dawning.

A mirthless laugh scraped its way from Shinichi's throat, cold and disbelieving.

"They both knew better," he seethed, the fury coming back. "How the fuck does an ex-member of MI6—who's had that sort of contact with the Crows—justify how this was handled?" The question was rhetorical, but he really wanted an answer. He started walking again. "If they'd just… ugh!" He looked up at his clone. "They knew who I was before I knew about them—they were certain. All they had to do was come to me privately!"

"I'm just as shocked as you," said Not-Shinichi darkly. "What's the point in outing you publicly if it's also going to get them in trouble? I mean, what's the end game there?"

Shinichi didn't know, but there was a certain undercover FBI agent he could ask.

He stewed silently the entire trip home, and if he kicked every rock, stick, or can along the way? Well, the other him knew better than to comment on it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 34: Grapes From the Vine

The moment the two teenagers got home, Shinichi broke off from his clone to go in search of Akai. Not-Shinichi didn't follow him, opting instead to put their purchases away.

They hadn't gotten the produce.

After making sure he wasn't followed, Shinichi burst into the kitchen, where he was sure the older man would be.

"Your family sucks," he announced, tone waspish. Akai chuckled from his spot at the island counter.

"So you've remembered, have you?" he asked with a smile. Shinichi glared at him.

"You knew." A nod. "And you didn't mention it because…?"

"It wasn't important," he said easily. Shinichi's eyes narrowed.

"How was that not important?"

"Masumi would have kept pressing whether you remembered or not," he said, as if that was obvious. It was, but still… "When she and mother get an idea in their heads, it's next to impossible to persuade them they might be wrong. And as you've seen, they're not nearly as subtle as they seem to think they are." His expression darkened despite the ever-present smile. "There's a reason they don't know I'm still alive."

Shinichi's shoulders relaxed a fraction.

"That tracks, I guess… Do you know about Mary's current… status?" He should know if he didn't already—it was his own mother, after all. The slow frown he received was pretty telling on its own.

"I've got suspicions," he said blandly, but held up a hand when Shinichi opened his mouth. "It's best for now if you don't tell me. I'll let you know if that changes." Shinichi gave a hesitant nod and turned to leave the room. He stopped in the doorway and called out to the man over his shoulder.

"Also, we're getting takeout for dinner—we couldn't get your produce thanks to your sister."

A snort and a vaguely fond chuckle followed him out of the kitchen.

***

Shinichi was so sick of looking at his computer screen. On the one hand, he could very quickly find and track a few different cars that were very clearly involved in Ran's case. On the other hand, he almost always lost track of them before he could follow them to their base of operations.

Not to mention, he still didn't have a plan for visiting the hospital that wouldn't raise any unwanted attention. He needed a reason to wander around the ICU he had been in after surgery, but how?

Kid might be of help, with his skills in infiltration, but without a way of contacting the man, he was left to flounder on his own. He supposed he could go to the next heist just to ask, but… well, since he'd promised not to show up in exchange for the thief's help, he wasn't certain the man would cooperate.

He heaved a sigh and buried his head in his arms, the computer in front of him beeping away at finding another victim location. He'd follow the trail later, certain he'd be just as unsuccessful in that endeavor as all the rest.

He missed the ignorant bliss in which he used to conduct investigations, using his name or Kogoro's name to get vital information from eager-to-please gossips. Honestly, how the Black Organization hadn't caught him with that carelessness, he'd never know.

I'll just need to keep my eyes and ears open for an opportunity, he thought sullenly. He hoped the time wasted waiting would be worth it.

A knock on the door brought him out of his brooding thoughts. He straightened up and looked over his shoulder. Not-Shinichi stood in the doorway, looking wistfully around the room before settling his gaze on Shinichi. The look of helpless frustration on his face let the small detective know what he wanted before he even opened his mouth.

"I need to do something," he said resolutely. Shinichi nodded—doing nothing was bound to make him stir-crazy. He glanced at the computer, considering. Sifting through and reviewing traffic footage probably wouldn't be too taxing on the teen's injuries… He nodded to himself and gestured his double over to the computer.

After giving Not-Shinichi a rundown of the program and how to use the professor's add-on, Shinichi explained what he was looking for.

"It's fine if you can't follow them to their base—I haven't found it yet, since they disappear into camera blind spots. Just write down where they've vanished; I should be able to pinpoint a generalized area if we have enough surrounding data."

Not-Shinichi nodded, a grim determination overtaking his countenance. "What will you do?" he asked, not quite guilty enough to refuse the task given. But he wasn't sure what Shinichi had planned, since so much had happened in the months the clone was missing. Shinichi hummed thoughtfully.

"I guess while I'm trying to figure out how best to approach the situation, I'll be looking up hospital personnel files from around the time you remember and compare them to now. See if anyone's left the job, look into why they may have left… that sort of thing."

Not-Shinichi nodded again, and Shinichi could see a small amount of guilt behind his eyes vanish at the admission. Shinichi cleared his throat uncomfortably and turned on his heel to fetch his laptop.

They worked in silence for a few hours, and Shinichi was gratified to know his assessment had been correct: Not-Shinichi worked diligently without any obvious issues. Shinichi himself had discovered that, while there were new employees at the ICU now, no one had resigned or been fired since his stay. While that wasn't exactly a problem, it did make him more anxious to question the employees there.

He had a rather unpleasant thought, then. While a nurse or other medical personnel would have the easiest time getting Shinichi's DNA, it wasn't impossible that someone as innocuous as a janitor might have been able to pull it off. Janitors and custodians were not listed on the website. He let out a small groan.

Maybe I could just… go? he thought desperately. Even if I end up spooking whoever did this, I might still learn something. He shook his head. That sort of thinking would only get him in trouble. A spooked suspect would alert their bosses, which defeated the purpose of the investigation.

I wonder how feasible it would be to hack into the hospital's cameras… He pinched the bridge of his nose. That wouldn't help unless they also kept cameras in the patients' rooms.

Perhaps, from now on, he should start befriending the gossips of each profession so he has someone to "talk" to in the case of a similar situation. Short of injuring one of his own friends or having Kid infiltrate seamlessly, that seemed the most beneficial solution. But then, he'd have to keep in touch with them. While not impossible, it was incredibly tedious trying to maintain friendly relationships with gossips he didn't particularly care about.

Ah… that was an option, wasn't it? People who liked to gossip didn't usually care who they were talking to, did they? The only problem he'd really have to face, besides tracking down the employees most likely to indulge, would be to keep them from gossiping about him. He only needed to engage them and provide an equal amount of interest to any and all topics they brought up. That way, if the person gossiped about meeting him, no one would know what exactly he was after. It would take hours, but he could do it.

If he played his cards right, he wouldn't even need to show up at the hospital, lessening the chances of him being noticed even further. The beginnings of a plan sparked in his mind.

"Hey," he said, looking at the back of his clone's head. When Not-Shinichi turned a questioning gaze at him, he put the plan into action. "Your memories are fresher than mine—do you remember any particularly chatty nurses hanging around the Beika ICU?"

***

Tori Fumiko was rather aptly named, in Shinichi's opinion. He vaguely remembered the middle-aged woman from his time in the hospital. She was friendly enough, but didn't work directly with the patients—probably to keep them from the exact situation he now found himself in.

He "bumped into her" on her way home from a late shift, and she recognized him immediately. That might have been alarming if he wasn't frequently in the papers for being the "Kid Killer," which she evidently bragged about to anyone who'd listen about him being in her hospital ward once. Not ideal, since that meant anyone who worked near her would learn about today's meeting, but he could still work with it.

Despite the overnight shift she'd just left, she apparently had all the time in the world to talk his ears off. That might work to his advantage—if she was tired, she might have a hard time remembering what exactly she said to him, and might not even notice him subtly leading her gossip into certain topics.

As she chattered on about the various Kid heists she'd attended, he very easily led her by a café with an open door. She took two seconds to redirect her attention to some hunger she must have ignored during her shift, and he didn't even have to say anything for her to invite him to brunch so she could keep talking to him. He made a token protest he knew she'd interpret as being modest before "relenting" and allowing her to buy him food.

He politely listened and feigned rapt interest in a few ramblings—asking pointed questions regardless of the topic all while planting breadcrumbs for her to latch onto a new topic. It took three hours before she started ranting about her long shifts—which were apparently extra long recently since she'd taken time off to attend the last Kid heist.

"You'd think the other nurses would be more understanding," she said with a sigh, "especially since I know a few of them are also Kid fans."

"Maybe they also wanted to take time off but couldn't?" offered Shinichi as he sipped his iced coffee. Fumiko's expression turned considering.

"Y'know, I hadn't thought of that… Huh…" She drank some of her coffee. "I suppose hearing about it from me is a pale comparison to being there in person. It's just a pity they mind so much afterwards—the only one who doesn't get onto me is Miko-chan, but she's… sort of weird." Shinichi hummed thoughtfully, careful not to let the interest show on his face.

"Weird?" he prompted, putting some childish innocence behind the word.

"Yeah, she's happy enough to let me take time off, but isn't the least bit interested in hearing about Kid's heists," she said with a frown. Shinichi suppressed the urge to roll his eyes: she was probably happy to not work with the woman for a night if that was the case. He deigned not to comment on that. She continued anyway.

"Very diligent, that one," she said, almost conspiratorially. "She double checks some of the patients when she thinks no one's looking." Shinichi made a noncommittal hum through a sip of coffee, trying very hard not to perk up at that. "Though I think I've only caught her checking up on children. She's got a soft heart, despite that standoffish antisocial act. I'm not fooled a bit." Fumiko nodded to herself as she bit into a pastry. "Now that I'm thinking of it, I think she checked in on you, too, back when you were in our ward."

"Heeeh? That was very nice of her," said Shinichi. His mission completed, he put extra eagerness in his next words to feign boredom with talk of her workplace. "Tell me more about Kaito Kid's last heist. You were there, right?"

With that, Fumiko happily recounted the entire heist, play by play, admonishing the Kid Killer for missing such a grand performance. He apologized, citing that he knew "Hakuba-niichan" would be there, so the jewel owners were in good hands.

He let her talk his ear off for another hour about whatever she felt like before he finally begged off, since he had some homework he'd "procrastinated" on.

Her goodbye took another ten minutes.

***

"You know, it could be Tori-san," mused Not-Shinichi after the smaller teen had come home and relayed the information. His clone sat lost in thought for a few moments.

"I'm not discounting that," said Shinichi. "It would be refreshing, even, if the gossip herself was the mole—at the very least it would be a different change of pace."

They sat silently while Shinichi pulled up the hospital's employee files. Sato Miko. Possibly mid-thirties—very serious expression. He pulled up Fumiko's information, too, just in case.

"Tori-san walks to and from work," he said, quietly mulling over the fact. "Or at least, she did today." He looked up at the clone, who swung back around to the computer to check the traffic cams.

"Walking seems to be her go-to," he confirmed after bringing up and sifting through the saved footage. "I'd keep an eye on her regardless." He pulled up several windows surrounding the hospital before turning back to Shinichi. "What does Miko-san look like?"

Shinichi turned his laptop around. "Sato Miko—worked in several different hospitals over the past five years. She transferred to Beika last year. Doesn't say why, and I assume if there was an obvious issue surrounding the transfers, then she would have been fired a long time ago."

"It's definitely suspicious," agreed Not-Shinichi. He turned back to the computer to search for her. "She's not showing up as a pedestrian, or at any bus stops, so I think it's safe to assume she drives," he mused. "But I can't see into the cars to see who's driving, and we don't have eyes in the hospital garage, either."

"I'll take care of that," Shinichi said dismissively. "The hardest part's already done. It's just waiting for the information now." Not-Shinichi just nodded, already predicting which method Shinichi was likely to use.

It felt strange, not having to explain or justify his actions or choices. There was little to no resistance since both minds had the exact same ideas.

He wasn't sure he liked that.

He wasn't sure he didn't.

He quickly excused himself from the room to talk Agasa into setting up a hidden camera in the hospital parking lot for him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 35: The Cat Returns

Shinichi spent Sunday evening at Agasa's house, morosely reviewing his emotions.

Agasa, himself, had left an hour prior, his mission to plant a camera in the hospital garage surely almost finished. Shinichi wasn't ready for him to return, and he refused to go back to his own house while his feelings were all muddled. Perhaps what he was doing was childish, but it felt… important.

He didn't have to explain his thinking process to his clone. That much was obvious, but why did he feel guilty about it? Was it the ease and smoothness of an operation that came with it? Or perhaps it was the relief that there wasn't any potential for misunderstandings—something that happened even with Heiji, since his thought process (while still on par with Shinichi's) was different.

He didn't get long to think on it before the front door opened, revealing Not-Shinichi's determined expression. Sharp eyes flicked to Agasa's couch, landing harshly on the tiny teenager.

"I found a discrepancy," were the only words it took to launch Shinichi off the couch and follow the clone back home. He could have his mini crisis later.

"What discrepancy?" he asked as he jogged up next to Not-Shinichi.

"I found footage of the same car—with the same plates—in two different cities at the same time."

Shinichi's brows crept up to his hairline.

"They're using duplicates…?" he wondered out loud, then frowned. "They would get caught doing that eventually." Not-Shinichi shook his head.

"I don't think it was intentional—I went back to check the saved footage, and only found two other instances, with two other car models. They probably rotate out on a schedule, just in case repairs need to be done. It's likely an employee mistake, since it happens so rarely."

"Hmm…"

It didn't exactly help them, but it did flesh out some of the bigger picture. Shinichi frowned as he absently rubbed his chin. Why did they even need multiples of the same cars, anyway? It would certainly be much less of a hassle to just have… however many cars they had. Since Shinichi appeared to be the first person who even knew about them, it didn't make a whole lot of sense unless something else was going on.

"At the very least," he said slowly as he frowned at the screen, "we should assume every car involved has a double." Not-Shinichi nodded agreeably. Even if they were wrong, anticipating the possibility wouldn't do any harm. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out to check the email he received. "Looks like the professor's done, so he'll be back soon."

"Any chance he patched the feed through the network here?" asked Not-Shinichi, flat tone indicating how high a possibility he thought that was. He probably just said it to fill the tense, awkward silence in the air. Shinichi stared at the computer screen for a few more moments before answering.

"Since this was meant to be a temporary bug to avoid suspicion, it's more likely he has remote access," he said, fatigue edging its way into his voice. He smothered a yawn. There had been way too many emotional upheavals for him, and he really wanted to go to sleep. Except sleeping meant he'd have to face the reality of elementary school again when he woke up, and he didn't want to do that, either.

He noticed a similar fatigue weighing his clone's shoulders down.

"I think, after Agasa gets back, we should both sleep early," he said, too tired to put any kind of inflection in his voice. The sentence came out flat and monotone. Anyone who heard him would probably take offense. Not-Shinichi merely nodded, shoulders drooping in some form of exhausted defeat.

The action made Shinichi's chest tighten bitterly.

Deal with it, he told himself. Ran would come back. He just had to ignore the wrong footedness he was experiencing until then. He just needed to be patient.

He tried not to think about the possibility she was gone for good.

***

School was a welcome reprieve for Shinichi, as much as he hated to admit feeling suffocated in his own house. He even let the Detective Boys drag him off to an after-school game of soccer. While he couldn't find it in himself to enjoy the activity, he wholeheartedly relished in the distraction.

Haibara stared knowingly at him, but thankfully chose not to bring it up.

As the children eventually went home, Shinichi made it a point to go with Haibara to Agasa's house to inquire about remote access to the feed from his planted camera. A controlled glance was cast on his house as he went in, hoping it looked casual. Haibara narrowed her eyes, but once more deigned not to say anything, for which he was grateful.

Before long, he was out of excuses to leave. Agasa gave him what he'd asked for, he'd taken a short rest on the couch, eaten a pre-dinner snack that tasted like ash in his mouth.

He wasn't stalling. He just wasn't ready to go home.

He stood in front of his door much too soon for his liking. Not allowing himself to keep thinking about it, he pushed through the door, shucked off his shoes, and headed wordlessly to his room. The other him, thankfully, wasn't in the room when he got there.

He stared at the computer's screensaver, eyes traveling to the new papers on the desk. Notes he didn't write were scrawled out in his own handwriting. He closed the bedroom door, hoping to dissuade reentry for the night, and made his way over to his desk.

Many locations were listed under a column marked "lost track." His eyes skimmed across the page absently before focusing on a map printout of Shibuya. He frowned and looked back at the list. Almost all of it was marked in locations around the ward, something he somehow hadn't picked up on when he'd started.

He looked back at the map again, noting most of the cars disappeared somewhere around the Ebisu district. He cocked his head, pondering. Ebisu was a major shopping district with high foot traffic. Were they hiding in plain sight? That probably shouldn't be surprising, all things considered, but right in the middle of a major shopping district in a major city? They had audacity, he'd give them that.

As he pondered that, his fingers restlessly fidgeted with the paper edge, which brought his attention to a final page of notes. He hummed curiously as he moved the sheet on top. He froze. The other him had been tracking Gin and Vodka.

It wasn't like Shinichi hadn't thought about it—he did. Constantly. It was difficult not thinking about it when he was physically seven years old and retaking the first grade.

But the crushing guilt he felt that Ran was gone because he just had to follow the bastards kept him from seeking out any form of progress on his own case.

He wondered if the other him knew that.

He wondered if the other him felt guilty, too.

He wasn't entirely sure if he felt relief at not being the one to look into the crows, or angry that he wasn't the one to progress—

His cheeks were wet. Why were they wet? He blinked and hot, bitter tears escaped from his eyes.

"Shit," he murmured as he shakily set the papers down. He put the other notes back in place, hiding the offending page from view. He took in a deep breath, held it, then slowly exhaled.

Those bastards can wait, he told himself as he scrubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to erase the tears. If he wants to look into It, fine. I need to focus on Ran's case.

Turning the computer back on, he did a quick sweep of the streets around Ebisu and noted all potential blind spots—he would need to enlist Agasa's help again unless he could somehow contact Kid. Surveying vehicle and foot traffic alike would hopefully pinpoint an exact location as far as potential headquarters was concerned.

The buzzing in his pocket broke him out of his musings. He pulled out his phone just to see Heiji's email.

Coming back on Friday, it read. Got a long weekend I can spend helpin' on yer case.

Shinichi huffed out a resigned sigh and texted back a disgruntled, Fine. Trying to talk the Osakan out of helping would only result in… more aggressive help. The triumphant grinning emoji Heiji sent back made Shinichi click his tongue, though he couldn't find it in himself to be too annoyed.

He put his phone away and stared at the computer for a few moments before he turned the monitor off. Progress had been made, and his emotionally taxed mind would be unsuited to more forced work. He was exhausted, but not sleepy: one of the most annoying combinations if someone were to ask him. He got ready for bed anyway, and spent most of the night staring numbly up at the ceiling.

As sleep finally claimed him around 3:30 in the morning, he vaguely recognized the tell-tale prickle down his neck that indicated someone was watching hm. His eyes closed, and dreamless sleep consumed him.

***

The rest of the week slipped by in a very similar manner to a week not so long ago, with Shinichi feeling eyes on him any time he was home. The other Shinichi felt it, too. Shinichi would catch him stopped in a doorway or in the halls, looking for the source of the feeling.

Since Shinichi was ignoring it, the other him was only hesitantly suspicious.

Shinichi made sure to casually mention that Heiji would be returning to help them out that Friday, making absolutely certain he felt the eyes on him when he said it. He was reasonably sure that the surveillance was Kid, more than likely studying Ran's new development. And while Shinichi himself had promised the thief he wouldn't pursue him, Heiji did not. He'd even said as much the last time he'd visited. If Kid wanted to show up with the wild card that is Heiji present, that was up to him. Shinichi was just making sure he knew that.

Kid did not, in fact, wait for the weekend to show himself. It was Thursday evening when he finally made himself known, materializing from the shadows in the library, where both Shinichis had decided to work with physical maps—both needing an extended time resting their eyes from blaring computer screens.

"Well, now, isn't this an interesting scene?" came the mischievous voice behind them, putting the clone on high alert, and the smaller teen in a relatively tentative relaxed state.

"We're working on it," Shinichi said dismissively as he went back to the map he was marking. "Where's that eyesore you call a suit?" Kid grinned at the jab.

"Aww, do you miss it?" he teased.

"Hardly," came the scoff. Not-Shinichi's eyes darted between them like he was watching a tennis match, and Shinichi saw the exact moment the evidence clicked for him. The clone tentatively relaxed, tense shoulders lowering just a fraction.

"Were you the one watching all week?" he asked, tone only slightly accusatory. Kid gasped, flinging a hand to his heart in mock offense as he turned his gaze to Shinichi.

"You didn't talk about my involvement? I'm surprised at you!" he playfully scolded, eyes twinkling from within the shadows of his cap. Shinichi rolled his eyes. The other Shinichi scoffed.

"Of course I know about your involvement," he said. "I just wasn't informed about your stalking tendencies, though I suppose I should have guessed it."

"There is a precedence," Shinichi agreed. Kid grinned, though the action seemed a bit strained.

"How else is a thief supposed to gather intel?" he said lightly.

"You could have just asked," Shinichi pointed out. "Especially since you're already working this case."

"Where's the fun in that?"

The two Shinichis shared an exasperated look.

"There's fun, and then there's important. You wasted a lot of time observing a situation you should have been able to parse after the first day," Shinichi scolded.

"I'm a thief, not a detective," came the reply, as if it was obvious. "There's no real precedence for this situation, and I did find myself more than a little confused." His tone darkened. "I don't take surprises of this magnitude lightly." I can't afford to, was left unsaid, but heard anyway.

Shinichi snatched at the opening left in that statement with ruthless efficiency.

"Well, if I'd had a way to contact you, this could have been avoided in some capacity." He left the veiled request hanging in the air as he went back to his maps, pretending the thief's response didn't matter much.

It mattered.

It mattered so much, and he hated that. They needed all the help they could get at this point, never mind that Kid's help already put the investigation leagues ahead from where they'd started.

Kid hummed thoughtfully as he stepped further into the room with a careless grace one might see in the movements of a dancer. If Shinichi wasn't already working with him, he might have been tempted to pick that tidbit apart. As it was, he filed the information away in the back of his mind for possible future scrutiny.

"I suppose you're right," he said, voice carefully light. Shinichi got the impression of a cat trying to decide if the treat between two dogs was worth it. "Then again, you're the one who disposed of my ears last time, Tantei-kun. You can't exactly fault me for that."

Shinichi closed his eyes and bit back a sigh. If he'd known he would need more assistance, he'd have kept one of the bugs he'd swept for after learning about them. In normal circumstances, he would have kept one, but he'd been so indignant at the time.

"It was short-sighted of me," he managed to say without too much bite. He could feel Not-Shinichi's eyes on him, and hated that the man undoubtedly knew what he was feeling, even if he had to take a moment to deduce why. There was a distinct lack of privacy he wasn't at all used to that shouldn't be fair given just how much Shinichi went through that the clone had not.

If Kid was surprised at the admission or had somehow picked up on the inner turmoil, he didn't show it. Instead, he rocked back on his heels, hands stuffed innocuously in his pockets as he seemed to ponder his next course of action. He hummed again before freeing a gloved hand and producing a small object with a flourish. He presented it to Shinichi.

"This will have to do in a pinch, until I can arrange something else," said Kid, not moving his hand even as Shinichi cautiously plucked the device from it. He idly wondered if not flinching in the immediate vicinity of a detective was part of the man's poker face, or if he genuinely wasn't afraid of said detective making a move against him. He looked at the object he'd been given.

It was a fairly simple listening device: easily blocked and easier to keep the batteries full. As Kid said, it would do in a pinch. He gave it a once over before stowing it in his pocket with a curt nod. Kid clapped his hands together.

"Great! With that out of the way, what are you working on? And with maps, no less," he said, directing the tense atmosphere to the task at hand.

Shinichi briefly explained what they'd been doing, derailing only for a moment to go over Agasa's addition to Kid's program (the thief's eyes lit up in interest, cheerfully claiming the add-on to be "handy" before focusing back on the matter at hand). As the blind spots and subsequent plans were presented to him, Kid's expression became thoughtful.

"The main problem," sighed Shinichi, "is I don't know if the professor can handle creating an entire hidden camera network, at least not without wasting more time to figure out the logistics of it, and definitely not without being seen." Kid waved his hand dismissively.

"I can take care of that," he said, mischievous tone gone for the moment as he scanned the map Shinichi was marking. An urgent tension in Shinichi's muscles relaxed before he'd even realized it was there. For all of Kid's faults, he was nothing if not thorough. Shinichi sat back and closed his eyes to rest them.

"I heard Hakuba's back in town," he said lightly, mostly in an attempt to tease the thief that he wasn't getting a break during his heists even without Shinichi there. "He must be keeping you on your toes." Kid clicked his tongue.

"He's a stick in the mud, is what he is," he grumbled. It made Shinichi wonder if he was getting a peak at the thief's true personality. "He's fun to tease, but not nearly as fun to play with as you are."

"I'm flattered," Shinichi deadpanned.

"Hakuba like the police chief Hakuba?" asked the other Shinichi. Kid flinched imperceptibly—the only indication he had been startled.

"It's the police chief's son, actually," said Shinichi. "Hakuba Saguru. He spends most of his time in England." Kid turned to cast a glance at the clone.

"… You haven't met him?" he asked. Not-Shinichi raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"From his perspective, he's only met you three times," explained Shinichi. Kid's eyes flicked between the two detectives, mind whirring through their past interactions before realizing that Kid himself was present for Shinichi's first meeting with Hakuba.. A carefully placed smirk crossed his face.

"You're not missing out on much, then," he said lightly. Shinichi was close enough to see the nervous tension in the thief's fingers, even as his shoulders were deceptively relaxed. "Well, unless you wanted to meet his pet hawk, Watson."

The clone's nose scrunched up in the same distaste Shinichi had felt on that first meeting. As nice as it had been meeting another detective his age that was also a Holmes otaku, Hakuba's obsession was like Shinichi's on steroids. The fact that he was even more pretentious than Shinichi himself hadn't really helped much.

"He's a great detective," he conceded. "He's just…"

"A stick in the mud," Kid repeated, eyes glinting.

"You say that about anyone out to arrest you, though," he pointed out. Kid flashed him a grin.

"We're getting off topic," he said in lieu of an answer. Shinichi rolled his eyes, but turned back to the map in front of him, pointing out areas of interest to get Kid's opinion.

It was a very productive evening, all things considered.

Too soon, Kid had to leave. He disappeared from one blink to the next, the only evidence he'd even been there was a Kid card promising his return and the listening device tucked securely in Shinichi's pocket.

"What exactly did I miss out on for you two to be so friendly with each other?" asked Not-Shinichi. Shinichi shrugged.

"He's helped the children out of some tough spots," he said as he sat down. "And people very rarely die at his heists, so going to… participate is more or less refreshing." He paused, considering. "That and he's never treated me like a child, even before he knew who I was…" That's not something he ever really stopped to think about. Perhaps that's why he enjoyed the heists so much.

The other Shinichi looked thoughtful at that, no doubt coming to his own conclusions about the thief—ones that probably varied very little to his own:

Kaitou Kid was a cat in a tiger's skin.

The enigma of a man was a mostly harmless entertainer and a powerful ally to have. And if he was inclined to do so, Shinichi might look deeper into the man's "take and return" situation. Perhaps he would in the future, when he's not bogged down by the urgent despair losing Ran left him with.

For now, though, they had a lead to follow.

Chapter Text

Chapter 36: Overdue Assets

How Kaitou Kid managed to set up street cameras in every blind spot in Ebisu overnight, unnoticed, Shinichi wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. But there he was: checking his computer before school, and a new add-on program somehow already in place with a typed message from Kid himself explaining that the add-on footage worked the same way the initial program did. He'd even integrated it for smoother operation.

The postscript merely asked him to skip a few more heists than planned. He had an inkling that meant Hakuba was spending more time in Japan. His phone buzzed.

Heiji was on his way over already, and would arrive while Shinichi was still in class. Lucky him. He texted as much and put his phone away before he could receive a reply, and went in search of the other him. They bumped into each other in the hallway, and stared for a few moments before Shinichi broke the silence.

"The camera add-ons are up already," he said, causing his clone's eyebrows to shoot up.

"Kid works fast," he said, voice laced in something like respect. Shinichi could only nod in agreement.

"Also, Hattori will be here before I get back," he continued. "If you wanted to keep looking at the footage, then ask him to go back over the case notes—I've added a few he hasn't seen, yet." Not-Shinichi resolutely nodded, and Shinichi left to wait for the Detective Boys next door.

He was greeted by an especially exhausted-looking Haibara. Behind her, the professor didn't look much better. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You guys look awful." It was hypocritical of him to say, knowing he looked just as bad, but he couldn't help it. Agasa let out a jaw-cracking yawn before giving a reply.

"We spent all night isolating the brain anomalies," he said. "I'm working on a simulator to run the scans through." Shinichi perked up in hopeful interest.

"Don't expect too much," cautioned Haibara after glimpsing his expression. "We're going to need to run a few more tests on both you and the other Kudo-kun to make absolutely sure we're not missing anything." Shinichi nodded fervently. She held up a warning finger. "This also doesn't mean we can get Ran-san back yet. At the very least, this should eliminate a few of the theories we've been working with. If the professor can get the simulator working, that is."

Shinichi nodded again, more hesitantly as he deflated. It was a step in the right direction, at least.

The children arrived before more could be discussed, and they headed to the school with Shinichi feeling slightly more optimistic than he had been lately. He walked behind the kids, taking up the rear and absently listening as they chattered on about one thing or another. Haibara slowed to walk beside Shinichi. She was silent for a few minutes before addressing him.

"In the interest of saving time," she whispered, expression carefully neutral, "I've asked Agasa Hakase to run the first tests with the other you." She paused, listening to the budding shouting match between Genta and Mitsuhiko about… carrots? "If you can't do it today after school, we can test you tomorrow, but... Well, the sooner the better."

Shinichi nodded agreeably, watching Ayumi attempt to mitigate the fight. About carrots. He hadn't heard that wrong. "We'll try to get it done today," he said. "Provided no interruptions happen first."

With that, the conversation was over, and the two shrunken teens found themselves jogging up to the rest of their group in an attempt to diffuse the shouting match before arriving on school grounds.

The school day was mostly uneventful, and Shinichi's peace was only interrupted once, at lunch. Heiji had just arrived, only to find himself locked out of the Kudo Mansion. He demanded to know where everyone was.

If Subaru's not there, then he's either on campus or grocery shopping, he informed.

And the other Kudo?

Next door. Agasa is testing something—I didn't realize it would take so long, sorry.

He put his phone away after getting confirmation, then turned his mind to pondering his clone's current isolated position.

… He had no way to contact anyone unless he bothered with the landline—which he wouldn't, simply to avoid getting on their parents' radar. He blinked.

Ran had been similarly isolated… Not that she would have called anyone given the chance, but the chance should've been available in the first place.

He pressed his lips into a tight, thin line, resolved to rectify that the moment he got home.

It was an excruciatingly long day.

The children must have sensed his mood, because they mostly left him alone, only sending worried glances his way after class let out. He might have felt bad for neglecting them if the guilt from his earlier realization wasn't weighing so heavily on him.

"Kudo-kun?" prompted Haibara once they were alone. He shook his head.

"Just need to take care of something," he muttered. She dropped the issue, but kept sending him mildly curious glances all the way home.

The moment he got his shoes off, he set off through the house on a mission, marching up the stairs until he stopped in front of his room. Peering inside revealed Agasa had finished whatever he'd needed the clone for. Heiji was seated on the bed, all of their notes spread out on the blanket in front of him.

Before he could lose his nerve, Shinichi purposefully strode over to the computer as his hand curled around his own phone in his pocket. It took only half a moment for his clone to notice him and turn his attention to him. Steeling himself, Shinichi pulled the phone from its prison and held it out to the other him. "Here."

Sharp eyes lit up in recognition at the phone being presented to him, followed by his eyebrows disappearing up into his bangs. His gaze flicked to Shinichi's face, eyes narrowed.

"… Why?" he asked, even as he gingerly took the phone. You made it very clear I shouldn't be here, was left unsaid. Shinichi heard it anyway.

"Just in case," he answered, knowing the other him could hear the subtext. Just in case Kudo Shinichi is needed. Just in case you need something, and no one is around to help.

Shinichi was allowing Kudo Shinichi to exist with Edogawa Conan present. The other Shinichi's eyes grew wide. A throat cleared behind them.

"… Do you guys have any idea how creepy that is?"

***

It didn't take very long for Shinichi to inform Heiji, Haibara, and Agasa to contact him through Conan's number since he gave his 'Shinichi phone' to his clone. He hadn't needed to bother Subaru, since the man only had Conan's number—if he needed to call the other Shinichi for whatever reason, he could take it up with the clone himself.

Heiji, who had actually witnessed the exchange, merely shrugged, unbothered. Agasa looked worried, but Haibara seemed… angry.

"Do you have any idea how risky that is?" she hissed as she dragged him to the lab. Since he was already there, running the tests she needed was convenient for them.

"Risky?"

"It'll be too suspicious if he uses that phone for your correspondence," she seethed as she strapped him into a new machine. He scoffed.

"He's not going to use it any more than I do—it'll actually be less suspicious, since he doesn't have to hide himself to answer the phone." She gave him an incredulous look. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to deny that I'd use it more often if I wasn't Conan—you know that. This is different, and he knows that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he's me."

She searched his face, met only with his conviction, and nodded.

"… I'll believe you for now," she said, voice still tight with mistrust. Shinichi tried to look smug, but a weak grimace was all he could really manage. Conversation was stilted after that, which was for the best as he was instructed not to move for the duration of the testing.

He wasn't entirely sure what they were looking for, but it seemed like it would take just as long as his clone. Several hours in, Heiji came in and quietly observed, rhythmically tapping his foot on the floor or fiddling with his jacket zipper as he waited. Shinichi was just glad at not having to engage in conversation, and just let his mind wander for the rest of the testing.

By the time they were done, the sun had long since set and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep forever. The only reason he didn't do that was for the simple fact that Ran wouldn't benefit from that sort of absence. He couldn't help get her back if he was sleeping, nor would he be able to help get her back in her own skin. But damn, if it wasn't tempting to just close his eyes and sleep the stress away.

As if sleeping ever helped his emotional state before.

Distantly, he was vaguely aware those were the symptoms of acute depression, but he steadfastly shoved the trivia down. He didn't have time to deal with it.

Something must have shown on his face, because Heiji grabbed the back of his shirt just before he got to Agasa's front door.

"We're eatin' out fer supper," he said in a firm voice. Shinichi blinked tiredly up at him and saw grim determination and a defense for his choice at the ready, showcased by the stubborn set in his jaw and glint in his eyes. Shinichi sighed and, with a shrug, said,

"Okay."

Heiji spluttered, not expecting Shinichi's agreeable response. Shinichi would have laughed at him if he didn't feel so terrible. As it was, he settled on a tired smirk and walked out first, the Osakan teen stumbling after him.

"Just like that?" he asked incredulously, still not quite believing Shinichi, who merely shrugged again.

"I mean, our options are limited this late, but okay."

Undeterred, Heiji just grinned.

"Saw y'all got a Welcome Burger nearby—they should still be open." Shinichi offered a small half-smile.

He didn't have the heart to tell him he couldn't even stomach the thought of greasy food. At least one of them needed to be some degree of happy.

That was how he found himself shoved into a corner booth at the blessedly empty fast-food place, listening to the larger teen chatter away about anything and everything that crossed his mind, really. He did notice a good chunk of it was dedicated to the recent cases the teen worked on in his home city.

He nibbled absent-mindedly on the apple slices from the kid's meal he'd insisted on, despite his friend's confused concern. It was still a waste of food, considering the ever-present nausea, but there was less food in a kid's meal to waste. The apples, at least, weren't greasy.

If Heiji noticed him pushing the burger and fries away, he said nothing in favor of giving life updates from Osaka.

If Heiji ate said burger and fries himself, Shinichi said nothing, either.

Just to have something to do with his hands (and maybe a little to keep up appearances), he opened the toy that came with his meal—some kind of car, he wasn't really looking—and began spinning the wheels with his fingers.

When Heiji finally ran out of things to say, they sat in amicable silence. Shinichi switched to rolling the car back and forth on the table, resting his chin in his free hand. It was all so painfully normal in the face of the current situation.

"So," began Heiji after looking around to confirm their solitude, "what d'ya think the little neechan will find with those brain scans?"

"Nothing, probably," sighed Shinichi as he leaned over to rest his cheek in his arm on the table. The little car rolled forward and backward, his other hand still keeping up the repetitive motion. "At least nothing they can use without the simulation program the professor is working on. Theoretically, they should be able to plug in Haibara's scans to start… er… eliminating theories, I guess." He sighed again. "He's having some trouble coding it, though, so I don't really know when they can start."

Heiji sat back with a thoughtful hum, fingers drumming rhythmically on the table.

"It's still progress," he pointed out after a while. "That, plus the new cams and everythin', I'd say things're lookin' up." A small smile tugged at the corner of Shinichi's mouth.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess they are."

Heiji offered up a reassuring grin. He got up to throw the trash away, and they headed back. Shinichi felt a little more stable, emotionally, even if he didn't think he could bring himself to look at the footage until tomorrow. Things would be okay.

***

Shinichi woke up Saturday morning feeling more rested than he had since before the other Shinichi came home from the hospital, even though technically his waking was a rude one.

Heiji had, for reasons known only to him, decided that the best way to wake him up was to take a running leap onto Shinichi's bed, successfully knocking him loose from his comfortable sleeping position. Shinichi sent him a scathing glare after shaking off the disorientation.

"What was that for?" he growled out. Heiji shrugged.

"I made coffee," he said instead of giving an explanation. Shinichi stared incredulously at him for a few seconds before giving up trying to understand his friend. He heaved a sigh and wiggled himself out of bed, making sure to send a kick to Heiji's ribs on the way down.

The unrepentant laugh made him want to kick harder, but since he was already on the floor, he settled for a glare. Coffee was a much more appealing prospect, anyway.

Shinichi's slightly improved mood somehow didn't tank when he ran into the other him in the kitchen. Nor when he saw his favorite mug already in use. He simply grabbed the mug Ran had favored—a sky blue thing decorated with birds—and filled it up with bitter morning nectar. There was a brief moment of giddy, irrational schoolboy euphoria at the mere idea of using Ran's cup that only served to boost his mood.

He blinked away the feeling when heat started creeping up his neck, thoroughly burying it in cold logic before that heat could spread to his cheeks. Soon after, Heiji came into the kitchen, none the wiser to Shinichi's lapse of control.

The other Shinichi, thankfully, was completely unaware that Ran had taken a liking to this particular mug; and as such, since Shinichi hadn't let any of those emotions slip visibly, was blissfully unaware as well.

"So," came Heiji's maddeningly chipper voice as he leaned against the island counter, "we doin' anything today besides look at camera footage?" Shinichi tilted his head, considering.

"Probably not," he conceded. He drained his cup quickly and filled it back up. "Besides the traffic footage and the new cams for the blind spots, we need to check on the hospital footage to see if Sato Miko consistently drives and, if so, track her car as well."

"Ugh—sounds boring as hell," grunted Heiji as he slumped over the countertop.

"It's necessary," said Not-Shinichi before draining his own cup. "You know that very well."

"Doesn't make it less boring, though, does it?"

Neither Shinichi deigned to respond, and the smug look on Heiji's face let them know he took it as a personal victory. Shinichi rolled his eyes and moved out of the way as his clone went to the coffee pot for another cup.

"What d'ya need me ta do?"

"Did you read the updates?"

"Yup."

"… Do you have any extra thoughts on those?" Shinichi's voice wavered, and he tried very hard not to think about how desperate he sounded.

"Not any more'n you guys've already come up with." His tone was apologetic, and Shinichi had to force his expression to remain neutral. They needed to look harder. He looked up at the other him nursing his second cup of coffee.

"Kid said the new cams were integrated into the system, but I haven't looked at it yet. Have you?" A nod. "Is it completely integrated, or can I access the files from a separate computer if it's using the same wireless network?" Not-Shinichi tilted his head and looked up at the ceiling as he recalled what he'd seen of the newest addition.

"We'd need to take a look at it, but I think you should be able to access it from elsewhere. It might take a little work, though," he said carefully. Shinichi nodded, knowing it wasn't a definite thing. But if the other him thought it was a possibility, it probably was.

"Then one of us can sift through the garage footage, one of us the traffic footage, and one of us the blind spots." He eyed the coffee pot—half empty: prime for the taking. "I don't think it really matters who looks at what, so if anyone's got a preference…?"

"I'll look at the traffic footage," volunteered the clone. Shinichi squinted up at him, and judging by the way he averted his gaze, he was probably going to be looking into more than just the cars for their current case. Not-Shinichi coughed, and quickly refilled his cup of coffee, offering a refill to Shinichi as well to get the attention off of him.

It worked, the bastard.

"I guess I can look at the garage footage…?" asked Heiji, seemingly oblivious to the exchange. "Unless you wanted ta?" Shinichi shrugged, focusing on his newly acquired refill.

"I'll need to show you who you're looking for, first, but that's fine."

"Great! That's settled, then," chirped Heiji, happily moving towards the fridge. "Whatcha got food-wise?"

"Ramen," said Shinichi flatly. "Or fruit. Take your pick." Heiji grimaced but didn't complain. He'd done worse for breakfast, Shinichi was sure.

Shinichi, himself, found some tangerines that hadn't been there the day before. Curtesy of Subaru, no doubt. He picked the smallest one he could see, and set about peeling it while he watched Heiji boil water for three-minute ramen.

It was so domestic, he wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Not-Shinichi also grabbed a tangerine, silently watching Heiji make what he proudly dubbed a "breakfast for champions." Shinichi's mood finally began to dip.

He wanted Ran back.

He wanted to hear her quietly and politely complain about the amount of food Heiji was singlehandedly able to put away.

His chest was too tight. He swallowed the feeling down with a slice of tangerine.

The sweet fruit sat bitterly in his stomach.

Chapter Text

Chapter 37: The Other Shinichi

Being Shinichi was, according to some, a daunting experience—such people typically couldn't keep up with him intellectually, and the ones that could had very different interests. Those people usually weren't too interested in interacting with Shinichi, and vice versa. Life hadn't been dull, per say, nor lonely, exactly, but those words sat just a step to the left of his existence—before Tropical Land, anyway.

Being Shinichi's clone, however—that was lonely. He'd woken up thinking things had somehow been fixed, only to learn that his own body didn't even belong to him. His friends weren't his friends, and—perhaps worst of all—because he woke up, Ran didn't exist.

He'd only ever wanted to keep Ran safe, but now his very existence was a threat to hers.

Finding that out—being shown the proof of it—that blow had been devastating. He spent his days feeling cold and hollow, a pain in his chest that was purely psychological but no less excruciating.

He couldn't even wallow in his own self-destructive way, since that would hurt Ran even more than he was already hurting her.

So he went to work, mostly in the hopes that being busy could keep the guilt at bay.

He never imagined he would ever feel guilty for just existing. He tried not to be too resentful about that—and failed miserably.

The amount of work he was allowed to do wasn't nearly enough to escape from the sensation of drowning, but it was something to keep his mind at least semi-occupied.

Then the… original Shinichi… handed him that damned phone, and all at once the drowning came back, and he seethed with jealousy. It ate at him all night as he stared up at the ceiling, pretending sleep would come claim him.

He stared at it, now, long after the farce that had been breakfast, sitting innocently on the desk. Taunting him. He hadn't been able to bring himself to unlock it; it was his phone, but it wasn't, and he hated that. He couldn't stay too upset for very long, though, as a throb of pain pressed against the back of his head, causing lights to dance in front of his eyes and scattering his thoughts.

It wasn't nearly as bad as when he'd first woken up in the hospital, the fracture being much fresher, but it still rattled him. This injury… was the reason Ran was asleep. It was the only reason he or anyone else was aware of his existence in the first place.

He wished he'd stayed asleep. Stayed unaware of the nightmare he'd been thrust into.

Biting back a sigh, he waited by the desk as Shinichi got what he needed from the software's coding. Heiji had already confirmed he could bring up the professor's camera footage from Shinichi's laptop. The clone, himself, would be working with the main computer they'd initially been using, and his original… More than likely, he'd be using one of the many new computers that hadn't been in the house before the clone woke up.

For the FBI agent Shinichi apparently knew.

He never explained when that happened.

Not-Shinichi wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know, considering his life wasn't even his. What would he even do with that information? He couldn't use it in the future, since… well. Since he probably wouldn't exist in the future.

A shudder ran down his spine, cold clawing its way into his chest, but he simply closed his eyes and tried to wait the feeling out. His breath hitched in his chest—inaudibly, thankfully—as he wrestled with his feelings on the matter. It was better if no one noticed, since he didn't think he could answer any questions regarding that particular train of thought. Not without a massive break down, at any rate.

Thankfully, he was snapped out of those thoughts as the little him hopped out of the computer chair, excusing himself to take care of the last portion of footage. Shinichi sent the clone a long glance before he left the room, which Not-Shinichi figured was an unvoiced hesitancy over what footage he would actually be looking at.

He sat down, pointedly ignoring the phone looking innocently up at him, and pulled up two separate windows from Kid's program: one to look at cars for Ran's case and one to search Gin's car. He paused, curiosity tugging at his attention, and turned to look at Heiji who was already focused on the laptop in front of him.

"Hattori."

"Yeah?"

"… Do you know anything about an FBI agent?"

"Which one?" he asked without looking up. Not-Shinichi opened his mouth only to close it again with a frown.

"He knows more than one?"

"Yeah, he knows a few. I've even met two of 'em—Jodie-sensei, and that Andre Camel guy with the scary face." He looked up from the computer. "There's two more he mentioned, but I'm pretty sure one of 'em died a couple'a months ago."

That was… pretty interesting, actually.

"Why does he know four FBI agents?" he asked. Heiji grimaced.

"I'm not sure about the other three, but I know Jodie-sensei was undercover as an English teacher at yer school fer a bit. Taught Neechan and her Suzuki friend." Not-Shinichi's mood soured at the reminder that Ran wasn't even here. Heiji continued, unaware of the mood change. "As fer why there's FBI guys in Japan at all, they're here stalkin' yer Guys in Black." That got his attention, previous mood dip forgotten.

"So, was the one he helped with recently also for dealing with the Black Organization?" he asked. Heiji scowled, sending him a very unimpressed look.

"You guys don't tell me shit, y'know?" he said waspishly. "Kudo's pretty tight lipped about what's been happenin' recently, so if ya actually want answers, yer gonna hafta see if he'll give 'em t' you."

The clone grimaced, but opted not to ask anymore. If Shinichi was not forthcoming to Heiji, it meant a life probably hinged on the secret being kept. Otherwise he'd have compromised with a vague explanation that, while not exactly satisfying to the Osakan detective, would at least have plied him enough to move on to a different topic.

He cleared his throat and turned back to the computer, settling in for however many hours of tracking he could get away with before someone remembered to tell him to take a break.

Which would probably be Ran, if he was—no. No, not Ran. Ran wasn't there.

He closed his eyes against the guilt and grief, waiting for it to abate before going back to his task.

***

It was Heiji who snapped him out of his work to take a lunch break.

He made a half-hearted grumble of a protest, but ultimately followed the other teen downstairs, since his body didn't even belong to him.

Allegedly, it belonged to Ran, which was reason enough to make sure he kept it maintained whether his appetite wanted him to or not.

Early on, he'd entertained the idea that the body itself wasn't Ran's, and that whoever had been in charge had put two people's memories in by mistake. That theory was discarded almost immediately—there would have been fail safes in place to prevent that sort of thing form happening, especially since these people were operating for at least twenty years with no one noticing.

That being said, something must have happened, some sort of malfunction no one noticed, for Ran to have retained what was obviously meant to be erased.

And in order to retain those memories, she had to have been there first. And if she was there first, then the body that looked so much like his must have been hers. Must have been born, grown, raised to be her before being snatched away and rudely changed into something she wasn't.

A ball of ice formed in his chest as he tried to swallow around the golf ball sized lump in his throat.

He was an interloper in his own home, in his own body, and he found he couldn't even be angry about it. He was upset and bitter and jealous and tired, but not angry.

Arriving in the kitchen revealed the stranger living in his house. Subaru Okiya, if he remembered correctly. The man was overly polite, if a little off-putting, but now the clone had an idea forming in the back of his head. It was just an inkling, really, but after the conversation with Heiji, some puzzle pieces were beginning to click into place.

The original Shinichi knew several FBI agents, and one of them allegedly died. Per his own admission, the hidden cameras in the front of the house and the living room were for helping with "the cover of an FBI agent"—something Heiji hadn't been told, which meant something like a life-or-death sensitivity when it came to what sort of information Shinichi typically allowed to get out to others.

It was highly probable, then, that this man was an undercover agent—more than likely having faked his death. And since he was living here… then Shinichi had likely either helped with the faking of that death, helped with the making of a new identity, or both. It was most likely the second one, but he wouldn't be at all surprised if it was actually both.

He glanced first at Heiji, then at the smaller version of him. If Heiji didn't know, the other him wouldn't take too kindly to him bringing it up, so he filed away the information for later speculation. He turned back to find the man quietly studying him, covert enough to not attract the attention of the other two. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end under the scrutiny.

Subaru smiled at him, and instantly he knew the man knew that he'd deduced why he was there.

He wasn't entirely sure it counted as an identity reveal, since he had no clue who Subaru was actually supposed to be.

Whoever he was, that sharp intellect was rather terrifying—and now he kind of knew what his criminals must have felt when he found them out.

The man said nothing, just handed him a plate and left the room. He looked down. Cold tofu?

"That guy gives me the creeps," groused Heiji once Subaru was out of ear shot.

"If it makes you feel better, he gives Haibara the creeps, too," came the unbothered reply. Heiji huffed as he dug into his own plate of what looked like curry.

"Dunno how you can stand him."

"He's a Holmes fan."

"He is?" asked the clone, eyebrows rising in surprise. Heiji just rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Of course he is," Heiji sighed.

Not-Shinichi looked thoughtfully back down at his plate… Okay, maybe the guy wasn't that terrifying, after all.

***

Not-Shinichi sighed into the sink. He'd been the last to finish lunch, the other two teens eager to continue their respective searches. Heiji, unsurprisingly, had been the first to finish, wolfing down his meal with a gusto that surely rivaled a comic book character's. The other Shinichi finished not long after, having only downed half of his food—cold tofu, just like Not-Shinichi. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Not-Shinichi had forced himself to eat all of his food, for Ran's sake. It was slow, and while the cold blandness was somewhat soothing to his agitated stomach, he sorely wished he had the luxury of skipping his meals altogether.

He'd wanted to talk to Subaru—if he really was an FBI agent, and the FBI was here for the Black Organization, then perhaps he could enlighten him on a few things. He couldn't really ask Heiji, and while he could ask Shinichi, being around himself was acutely uncomfortable in a way he couldn't really explain.

Unfortunately, the man had disappeared during lunch, and he didn't know enough about him to guess where he might have gone. He supposed he could technically search every room, but. Well. He didn't really feel like doing that. And since the information was already known by the other Shinichi, his questions weren't exactly urgent.

He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He looked up and stared into the tired, sunken eyes of his reflection in the mirror. Stared at his face. His cheeks, his nose, his chin. The person in the mirror was undoubtedly Kudo Shinichi.

He had never felt so detached from his own reflection, even as Edogawa Conan.

His fingers were numb as he gripped the sides of the sink, knuckles white from the force of it.

He stared hard, searching for any sign of Ran. Searching for clues that weren't visible.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he stared into his own eyes. "I'm so, so sorry."

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and the relief that flooded him as he turned away from the reflection made guilt settle in his gut like an icy stone. He shoved the feeling away and looked at the call screen before answering.

"Haibara?"

"Grab Kudo-kun and get over here—I've got another test to run." The line went dead.

He slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, letting his hand drop to his side. He stared at the floor for a few seconds, breathing steadily in a forced rhythm before letting out a dry, mirthless chuckle.

He was Shinichi. He was Shinichi, but he wasn't. It wasn't fair.

Making sure to keep his eyes from straying to the mirror, he went to find the original Shinichi.

As he suspected, he found him in that accursed computer room, flipping through the new footage with a quick efficiency only organized desperation could provide. He leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms, observing the small tells that this Shinichi had experienced more than him. The nervous tick to his jaw, the subconscious tension in his shoulders, the tired paranoia in his eyes—proof that he'd lived through so much more that the clone had not, regardless of the fact that he was only missing time for about six months.

It painted a dreadful picture. One that had little hope for the future—just enough to keep him pushing through the despair, but not enough to keep his head above the waves.

He hated it.

"Forget to charge your phone?" he said instead of knocking. For whatever it was worth, Shinichi didn't flinch. The clone watched numbly as the tension in the boy's shoulders crescendoed—so tight he was worried something might actually snap—but he'd be hard pressed to actually call it flinching.

"I guess I must have," he replied, scrubbing at his eyes in a vain effort to play the not-flinch off as exhaustion. Not-Shinichi obliged by not mentioning it, and they both knew it. "Why?"

"Haibara called—she needs both of us for another test."

"Did she say what it was specifically?" asked Shinichi as he pushed away from the desk and hopped out of the chair. They both began the short trek to the front door.

"No—she hung up after demanding our presence."

"Figures," came the scoffed reply.

As they walked, Not-Shinichi silently debated over whether or not he should bring up his questions about Subaru. Just on the surface, he could tell Shinichi was in no mood to talk about the crows, especially since he seemed to be blaming Ran's current absence on his compulsion to follow after them. He supposed it didn't matter if he got the answers or not—one thing was becoming increasingly clear:

The Black Organization was much more dangerous than he'd initially thought.

He was quiet during the testing—something similar to an EEG, it looked like. Haibara asked questions or made leading statements to get both Shinichis thinking. For the most part, the monitors showed the same brain activity, showcasing the fact that they were the same person. But…

But there were a few instances where the monitors showed very slightly different activity—a sign that something had changed in the way Shinichi thought. It was so slight most people wouldn't even notice it, especially if they weren't looking for it.

Then, there were also those ever-present dark spots where Ran was thought to be sleeping.

Another pang of jealousy hit him as he stared at the spots—thankfully after the testing had been completed. He didn't know what jealousy looked like, but he knew they would realize he wasn't thinking about what he needed to for the scans. While they were unlikely to ask questions, the thought of silent scrutiny wasn't very palatable while his emotions were so raw.

Whatever it was Haibara was looking for in the testing, she wouldn't say. She looked to be in a good mood, though, so the data must have been promising.

Quiet resentment bubbled hot in his chest as he watched the other Shinichi—the original Shinichi—light up with half-forgotten hope as he hovered behind Haibara, much to her irritation.

He left before the resentment could build into something unmanageable. It cooled into bitter resignation the closer he got to his house, and a deep, aching hollowness filled him as another thought hit.

I don't have much time left.

He stumbled into the house, but didn't dare stop—running into anyone, or having Shinichi catch up to him (especially if Shinichi caught up to him), might actually break him. He staggered his way to the abandoned music room, chest painfully tight, where he knew no one would bother him. He didn't allow himself to think, feel, or otherwise process anything until he was safely holed up away from people with the door securely locked tight.

He didn't bother with the light switch; there was more than enough daylight coming through the window to make out the layout of the room. Glassy eyes swept over the dusty instruments and stacked boxes before alighting on that stupid grand piano his mom used to train him Shinichi with. It was tucked away into the far corner of the room (or as tucked away as something so big could be), but most importantly, the open space underneath it offered shelter from the too exposed air that threatened to swallow him.

After double-checking the door was locked, he put his pride aside to crawl underneath the large instrument. It was a tight fit, and his back was sure to complain later, but the relief he got from its cover was worth it. He pressed his back to the wall so he could face the door, and allowed himself to exist.

He didn't know how long he sat there letting his thoughts form properly—several hours, if the pain in his hunched shoulders was anything to go by. If he happened to cry at some point, no one except the other him would suspect anything.

Eventually, the tension in his chest eased up a little—enough to function around people without the threat of breaking, anyway—and the icy cold grip around his heart mellowed into a static numbness he could ignore without much difficulty. His head thrummed with a migraine, but that was nothing in the face of everything else. During his time ruminating, he steeled his resolve and was left with two terrible certainties:

No matter what happened, he would never see Ran again.

Ran would never be safe unless the Black Organization was completely gone.

Whether they fixed this cloning business or not, if the crows were still out there then Ran's future would be nothing but misery. As long as he was able, with the time he had left, he would track down as many leads as possible. Whether he saw the end of the Black Organization or was only able to leave enough information for the other him to see to their end, he could at least do this.

If he couldn't be with Ran, he could still make damn sure she was safe.

Chapter Text

Chapter 38: "Catch Up" Isn't a Condiment

They were close.

According to Haibara, the latest test resembling an EEG gave her a much better understanding of how the brain worked around Ran's sleeping consciousness. She even had a few hypotheses to test—methods she could effectually start ruling out or improving on as needed once she plugged the new data into the simulator.

Shinichi went back to his house, teetering dangerously on hope, despite everything being terribly theoretical. It was still a step in the right direction, still a step closer to getting Ran back.

They were so close.

He went back to the computer room, already feeling his focus slipping from the task he'd set for himself, and sat down. He closed his eyes and breathed as he willed himself to turn the hope into attention. When he was satisfied his thoughts wouldn't hamper his work, he opened his eyes and began the search anew.

He hadn't found anything, yet—since Kid's hidden cameras were still so new, he would need to wait for one of the cars they knew about to surface. Thankfully, once they knew where those cars were going, it would be much easier to parse out the other vehicles they used. Besides knowing how many cars were in play, there may be a way to head off future kidnappings. While he wasn't entirely sure how he could get that to work, he was certain he'd think of something eventually. What was more important now was finding the headquarters.

As he waited for a ping on a known vehicle, he idly flipped through the more pedestrian cams, hoping to spot something suspicious. He did spot a pick pocket, but the man was apprehended almost immediately—an amateur among amateurs. He sighed heavily and continued flipping through mind-numbing monotony.

After a few hours of nothing, he resolved to check on Heiji's progress. Perhaps if they had the nurse's car plates, they could find out if she regularly went anywhere not home or hospital. If he got a hit while he was gone, the alert would be waiting for him.

Mind made up, he went to his room. Heiji was sprawled out on the bed, laptop in front of him, a notebook cast off beside him. He looked bored out of his mind.

The other Shinichi was absent.

"Hattori."

Heiji's head snapped up to attention, reminding him of an overzealous puppy.

"Kudo!" Shinichi never failed to be in awe of Heiji's enthusiasm upon seeing him.

"Why're you so excited? You saw me at lunch—you're in my house."

"That was hours ago!" came the reply, not quite a whine. "An' I didn't wanna bother ya while you were workin'." Shinichi rolled his eyes even as his best friend huffed. "'S not my fault yer good company."

"I don't feel like good company," he admitted despite the warm fondness settling in his chest.

"Good company deserves company when they're feelin' down," Heiji said with a shrug, as if that explained anything. Maybe it did.

"That aside," dismissed Shinichi, uncomfortable with that level of attentiveness from anyone not Ran, "I wanted to know what you've found on your end." Heiji perked up again, reaching for the discarded notebook next to him.

"Yer Miko-neechan typically drives a blue four door sedan."

"Typically?"

"I only have a few days' worth of footage so far, but that's the car she's been drivin' up 'til yesterday. Then she switched out with a beige coupe." He scratched at the back of his head thoughtfully. "Dunno if maybe there was somethin' wrong with her car, or if the coupe is actually what she drives while the sedan was a loaner—that's somethin' that requires more than just a week of footage." Shinichi nodded.

"We can still plug both models into the search function of Kid's program." He headed for the computer and frowned. "Where's…?"

"I haven't seen either of you since lunch," supplied Heiji.

So I'm the last one to see him, he mused. It's been a few hours since then…

He shrugged it off—if the other Shinichi still didn't show up by dinner, he'd look for him then. Otherwise, he needed to get back to work. Heiji gave him a half-hearted smile, unsaid opinions hanging in the air, but ultimately dropped the subject, opting instead to give the tiny teen his notes. Shinichi thanked him quietly, and turned to the computer.

It didn't take long at all to get the evidence they needed—the blue sedan did appear to be Miko's main vehicle. Sifting through all the saved footage, he noted that she disappeared in Ebisu roughly once a week, which put her very high on his suspect list. He just needed to catch her on the new cameras to see if she just shops once a week or if there was actually something more sinister going on. While her actions were incredibly suspicious, she might still be innocent in all of this. It would mean the loss of a massive lead, but he wished she was innocent—there were far too many reasons for him to not trust people already.

"Time to cross reference this…" he muttered. He opted to stay in his room for this, since he was already there. If the clone came back before he was done, he'd move his work back to the computer room, but for now… Well, the company wasn't unappreciated.

Heiji hung over the back of Shinichi's chair, watching the screen with interest. There wasn't much else the taller boy could do, so Shinichi didn't bother objecting to it.

Pulling up the saved footage for the new cameras could sadly only reveal one trip Miko made, but it was still much more than they'd had before. She was driving the blue sedan.

He tracked the car all the way to the Garden Center, past the Yebisu View Tower, and into a large parking complex. There were no cameras planted in the building, so he waited to see whether she would come out as a pedestrian or not.

An hour after the blue sedan went into the garage with no signs of a pedestrian Miko, the beige coupe they'd tagged came out.

"What building is that?" asked Heiji.

"It's a parking garage, mostly used by visitors that don't want to pay the premiums of parking in the buildings attached to the businesses around the area," said Shinichi as he tracked the coupe out of Ebisu back to an apartment complex in Haido he'd need to check for the blue sedan at. "The rates are cheaper there, so the people can spend the whole day shopping if they want." He marked the location with the coupe, ultimately deciding this was probably where she lived before going back a few days in the footage to confirm it with the other car.

"So, definitely not a rental agency," laughed Heiji. "Do ya think that's our place?"

"I think we need to keep an eye on it—it's definitely suspicious, but I need to see more than just Miko-san coming and going."

"Great, more waitin'," moaned Heiji as he slid off the chair back and onto the floor.

"You don't have to be here," Shinichi pointed out once again. "In fact, isn't today Sunday? Shouldn't you be on your way home by now?" Heiji waved his hand dismissively.

"So maybe I'm extendin' my long weekend fer a day or two more—Kazuha's even been takin' notes fer me, even though I keep tellin' her not ta bother with it." He hummed thoughtfully. "I can't stay the whole week, though—got some tests comin' up on Friday."

"Lucky you."

"Speakin' of tests, how the hell're you even passin' school right now?"

"I'm not," was the deceptively easy reply that did nothing to ease the vice grip that suddenly grabbed his heart. "I'll need to take the remedial tests to graduate—honestly, my hope is to have everything taken care of by then, but… Well, it's looking more and more like I'll have to try and convince Haibara to give me an antidote to be able to pull it off."

It was something he couldn't bring himself to think too deeply on, lest he lose himself to even more despair. He had more than enough on his plate without that sort of distraction.

"At the very least, I do email in my homework. I didn't, originally—not until that first prototype antidote allowed me to go back for a day and I was able to tell my teachers I'm away on a case." Not until that first inkling of hope for a cure, a whispered promise at returning to a normal life.

It had been short-lived, but damned if it wasn't the best twenty-four hours he'd had in what felt like a lifetime.

"And they let you get away with that, huh?" To his credit, Heiji didn't ask what Shinichi's parents thought—he'd met Yukiko, whose attitude said more than enough about both her and Yusaku's stance on things.

"To be fair, I did have a reputation—that's what brought you to Tokyo in the first place, remember? Other than that, my previous test scores say more than enough for my ability to keep up, on top of being labeled a know-it-all pretty solidly by my classmates. I've been known to correct teachers, at times."

He had the impression that the teachers at least were relieved to get a reprieve from his cocky attitude. Quite a few of his classmates, too, if he was being honest. There were a few that missed him, as was evidenced by his brief return to class, but they weren't especially close and weren't too upset by his leaving again for a 'case.' 'School friends' his mom had called them once, a long time ago. Close at school but nowhere else, with no pressure to be acquainted outside of the mandatory hours.

He vaguely wondered what those interactions might look like in the future, now that he's been so thoroughly humbled.

Heiji snorted out a laugh. "Correctin' the teachers, huh? Why doesn't that surprise me?" Shinichi just rolled his eyes. It wasn't his fault they were wrong sometimes. He was just making sure his classmates had the correct information for testing.

Okay, it was really for Ran to have accurate notes—the rest of the class just benefited by virtue of being there.

Unfortunately, all this talk about the normal life he no longer had access to was making his mood take a nosedive.

He was sixteen when he'd been poisoned.

He was seventeen, now, and had been for quite some time. He'd been stuck as Conan on his birthday, no hope of a cure in sight, hiding in a bathroom while fielding a phone call from a very distressed Ran who didn't understand why he couldn't come home.

His entire tenure as a seventeen-year-old he'd been stuck as Conan, with a very few brief reprieves.

Heiji must have noticed his souring mood because he quickly changed the subject.

"So, have ya found anythin' in your footage search?"

"Not yet—the Ebisu cameras are even newer than the hospital garage camera, so there's even less to work with," he explained gloomily.

"Which means even more waitin'," concluded Heiji with a big sigh. "Feels like that's all we've been doin', recently."

"To be fair, when stuff is actually happening, everything seems to go wrong."

"Hmm… We'll just hafta make sure nothin' else goes wrong, then."

How are you so upbeat? wondered Shinichi.

His stomach growled unexpectedly, and he groaned.

"Guess it's suppertime."

"I'm not hungry." His stomach loudly disagreed, the traitor.

"Ya sure about that?" His tone was lightly teasing, thankfully, rather than accusing or demanding. Shinichi sighed heavily.

"Fine," he grumbled as he pushed the chair back and hopped down. Heiji just grinned at him from his place on the floor before getting up himself.

"It's only three times a day," he laughed. "It doesn't take up too much time."

It's not the time I'm complaining about, though, thought Shinichi.

***

The other Shinichi was already in the kitchen by the time Shinichi and Heiji got there. He was eating what appeared to be hiyashi chuka—unseasoned, just like the cold tofu Shinichi had come to expect. There were two more bowls sitting on the island counter; a small one without seasoning, and one twice as big as Not-Shinichi's which was fully seasoned. Subaru was nowhere to be found.

Heiji's face lit up at the extra-large portion and he didn't hesitate to dig in, seating himself more as an afterthought than anything. Shinichi was just glad the food remained light enough for his stomach not to rebel.

"So where've you been?" asked Heiji once he'd downed half his bowl.

"I needed a break," said Not-Shinichi blandly, idly gesturing to the back of his head. Shinichi nodded, but Heiji looked incredulous.

"A break? You?"

"Thinking too hard irritates the skull fracture," he said flatly. Heiji blinked a few times as he processed the response.

"You're pretty much screwed, huh?"

Not-Shinichi sighed as he leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Seems like it," he said, not even bothering to put up a token protest, which clued Shinichi into the exhaustion he kept tucked away under the deadpan reply.

"It sounds like an early turn-in wouldn't be a bad idea," came Subaru's voice from the doorway, signaling the man's entry. Shinichi turned to look at the man, watching as he made his way to the sink. Heiji scoffed.

"Have you met any of us?" he asked, tone mostly teasing. Subaru just smiled.

"It's merely a suggestion," he said serenely. "I'm well aware I can't make anyone do anything they don't want to." Heiji watched Subaru with narrowed eyes as he polished off his bowl.

"As long as you know, then," he murmured before excusing himself out of the room. Subaru smiled pleasantly as he eyed the two Shinichis that were listlessly pushing their food around with their chopsticks.

"You know about me," said Subaru after Heiji had been gone for more than a minute. The comment was aimed at the clone, but Shinichi found himself stalling his chopsticks just in front of his mouth at the implications. Not-Shinichi glanced his way before focusing on the disguised FBI agent.

"I don't know who you are, if you're worried about that," began the other Shinichi slowly. "But I'm ninety-eight percent certain I know the situation."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Subaru asked, clearly entertained by the whole thing, even if Shinichi couldn't find any humor in the situation at all.

"That you're an undercover FBI agent who faked your death."

Shinichi really shouldn't have been surprised.

"And your reasoning?" asked Subaru as he collected Heiji's discarded bowl to take to the sink.

"When I first came over here from the hospital, I noticed a bunch of hidden cameras set up in the entrance and living room. When I asked about it, I was told it was to help with an FBI agent's cover, but that wasn't elaborated on."

Oops. So much had happened since then, Shinichi had completely forgotten he'd said he would explain it later. "Sorry," he mumbled. Not-Shinichi waved him off in favor of continuing his line of reasoning.

"Where my memories stop, I haven't met any FBI agents. I asked Hattori about it. He didn't know anything about the cameras, but he did reveal he knew about the existence of four agents that Sh… that Shinichi had dealings with, and that one of them had died." Shinichi didn't miss the way he stumbled over his name. It left a sour taste in his mouth.

"You," he continued, pointing at Subaru, "have no purpose being here that I can see, unless Sh-Shinichi has a reason. I've been told the FBI is here for the Black Organization, and that Shinichi hasn't been forthcoming in recent information to Hattori—which means a life is being kept secret. In that case, the only way for the cameras and your presence to make sense is if you were the FBI agent that needed helping."

Subaru applauded the deduction, that serene smile never leaving his face.

"Very well done," he said before reaching up to turn off his voice changer. "I had wondered when you would come to me about it, but hadn't realized you were working with such limited information." The clone startled a bit at the undisguised voice. "Then again, I really shouldn't be surprised since you share a mind with the orchestrator of my death and subsequent birth, as it were."

Shinichi rolled his eyes at the dramatic phrasing as he put his chopsticks down. His clone sent an appraising glance his way, but wasn't at all surprised at Subaru's words, which meant he'd also deduced Shinichi's involvement in the plot.

Again, Shinichi shouldn't really be surprised. He was the one to come up with that plan, so it only made sense another him could figure it out.

He shoved down the panicked discomfort that it hadn't taken much for Amuro to figure it out, either.

The other Shinichi silently studied Subaru's back as the man washed Heiji's dishes.

"… Can you tell me about it?"

"Not without outing a few more covers," came the easy reply. Not-Shinichi looked disappointed, but not that surprised.

"Right," he sighed as he continued to pick at his food. "is there anything else I should expect to not know about?" His tone was resigned, but with the slumped shoulders and pointed glare into his food, Shinichi could see the pout for what it was.

Shinichi hated not knowing things. Even worse, he hated knowing that sometimes others withheld information from him. Heiji was the same, and for all he had to keep from the other detective, he made sure to throw as much information his way as was safely doable. Unlike Heiji, Shinichi could often accept limited to no information. Sort of. If it was unimportant enough.

This was not one of those times, and Shinichi could already see his clone valiantly attempting to ignore the mystery. It would eat at him until he got wind of something else, which wasn't at all helpful in resting that injury.

There was something that needed to be addressed, though, so…

"We should probably warn you about Amuro," he decided. Rather than a tidbit or a redirection, this was an actual problem that needed to be taken care of in some capacity. Subaru nodded thoughtfully, likely seeing the potential issue.

"Amuro?"

"Amuro Tohru," said Subaru absently as he reached up to turn his voice changer back on. "Hm, yes, I see the problem." Shinichi saw the gears turning in his mind, wondering what to divulge. He also saw the exact moment the man decided "screw it," knowing full well what kind of deductions Shinichi was capable of, and elected to catch the clone up to speed, if not completely divulge everything. The other Shinichi must have noticed it, too, and perked up considerably.

"He's working undercover as a Black Organization agent called Bourbon."

"… More FBI?"

"PSB," said Subaru. "The problem comes from the fact that he'll do almost anything to secure his position in the organization and move up their ranks."

Not-Shinichi frowned as they gave a brief overview of how the officer in question was willing to expose that Subaru's identity was still alive, which in turn would have guaranteed not only his death, but the death of the undercover CIA agent who helped him pull it off.

At the mention of CIA involvement, the clone sent a flat look to Shinichi that screamed, "really?" Shinichi could only shrug, since it wasn't like he went out of his way to have the most complicated, life altering case possible just land in his lap. He'd evidently given up any semblance of normalcy the night he followed Vodka.

"Ideally, you won't meet him at all," Subaru said, tone deceptively light. "But if you do happen to run into him, please keep in mind what he's willing to do. Since he's one of the organization's top information gatherers, he likely already knows Kudo Shinichi is meant to be dead. He wouldn't be below revealing that status as incorrect in an attempt to take Gin down a peg, similarly to how he cornered Miyano Shiho not too long ago. He doesn't know you two have shrunk, and it's best you keep it that way."

"He cornered Haibara and still doesn't know about the shrinking?" asked Not-Shinichi incredulously.

"He cornered Kaitou Kid disguised as Miyano Shiho," snapped Shinichi. "We were on a train, and I uncovered Kid as he was scoping out a potential… target." He paused, before reluctantly muttering, "and I almost got him killed…" He still held a lot of guilt over that, even though he wouldn't have asked for the help if he wasn't certain Kid would escape.

Likely sensing the landmine of a subject, the other Shinichi decided to drop that part of the conversation.

"It sounds suspiciously like I can't even leave the house," he said, latching onto the more important topic.

"When that wound heals a bit more, you can wear a hat," said Subaru apologetically. "Ran-san usually did, though it was for an unrelated reason."

Shinichi made a mental note to warn Ran about Amuro as well, and could have slapped himself for forgetting. It was easy to forget what the man was willing to do for his perception of the greater good, since otherwise his demeanor was usually quite pleasant.

At the mention of Ran, Shinichi noticed a subtle shift in the other him. His jaw clenched as his shoulders set back. A resolved glint in his eyes made his thoughts difficult to parse out. He wasn't at all sure what to make of it.

That… for once, he didn't know what his clone was thinking. Should he be scared? Relieved?

… Should it be normal to feel so apathetic about it, or was he subconsciously putting off any emotions he had on the matter?

…

He would explore that later. There were much more pressing things presently than his own muddled mess of feelings.

"A hat, got it," muttered Not-Shinichi solemnly before excusing himself from the table. "Thanks for telling me." He quickly left the room, leaving the other two to, in Shinichi's case, finish eating. Subaru apparently ate beforehand, since there was no evidence of another plate. Shinichi quietly pushed his food around, trying to ignore the prickling gaze the man regarded him with.

"You're not treating him fairly," came the unexpectedly gentle voice. Shinichi paused his movements, not looking up from the long since unappealing food. "I know you're having a hard time right now, but so is he," he continued. "Just something to think about."

Shinichi gave a curt nod before slipping off of his chair, Subarus' words coiling unpleasantly in his gut.

Logically, he knew that. He knew taking his frustrations out on the other him—blaming him for something he couldn't control—was unfair. Ignoring him altogether wasn't feasible, and didn't really make him feel better anyway. Distancing himself from the other him didn't feel good, either, but if he let himself think too long about it, about Ran's dormancy, he might break. He just wasn't…

He wasn't ready to face him properly. He knew that wasn't fair, but he just.. wasn't ready.

He trudged back upstairs and looked down the hall. The clone's door was closed. He shuffled past it and into his own room to find Heiji browsing the cams on his computer. That was fine—he didn't feel much like continuing anyway, his thoughts swirling around relentlessly in his head.

"What kept ya?" asked Heiji absently as he clicked through the footage. Shinichi debated how many more philosophical problems he could stomach before settling on an answer.

"I was 'playing catch up'," he said, using an English phrase he'd often heard his dad use when they were in Hawaii. Heiji frowned.

"Ketchup? Didja have omurice or somehtin'?"

Shinichi blinked a few times, mood forgotten in his shock.

"… What?"

"What?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 39: A Good Business Model

Monday brought with it a cautious optimism that had Shinichi buzzing with barely concealed excitement. Despite needing to waste half of the day with school, he was eager to start checking the new footage to see if any known vehicles used the Ebisu parking garage.

The garage itself was fairly innocuous—even he'd been there a few times, when Kogoro deigned to rent a vehicle rather than take a taxi, and Ran wanted to shop. He hadn't noticed anything back then, which was probably why he was so excited now. There was nothing to suggest it hid any sort of nefarious operations, nothing to catch his interest. Had it been used very long? Or was it a recent thing?

As he sat through class, body on autopilot, he made a to-do list in his head. He would need to start with researching the building's history. Find out who built it, and when. Determine whether ownership had changed at all. Find what renovations had been made, if any, and when. If the building was too new, he could look at the plot's history, instead. Find out what was there before the parking garage, and all the people associated.

The mystery was rather enticing, and if Ran wasn't tied up in it, he might actually enjoy himself. As it was, the prospect of being one step closer to finding out how to turn Ran back held its own kind of excitement. The need to do something buzzed under Shinichi's skin as he found himself counting down the seconds to the end of class.

Until he was rudely reminded he was on cleaning duty.

He couldn't get out of it—he'd run off one too many times for them to let him go this time. He wanted to fight it, but… well. Heiji was still there. And the other him. Between the two of them, he's certain they would find something. He just hoped there was still something left for him to look through by the time he got back.

He wondered how feasible it would be to get Agasa to drive him over there. Snooping so close to potential enemy ground was an extremely foolhardy thing to do, especially after what happened with Mizunashi Rena. He'd learned his lesson then, but the desire to move in was very hard to ignore. This wasn't the crows, so he doubted things would escalate to such a degree, but big things weren't always the worst-case scenario.

He'd found, in the last seven months alone, that the worst scenarios often happened with small things. Like hiding in a coin locker.

Or accidentally bugging an undercover crow.

He shuddered. Okay, investigating on site might have to wait until he could build up a reasonable scenario—a bored child playing with a marble or a paper plane, perhaps. He'd used those before, with moderate success. He shook his head. Not now.

"Being weird isn't gonna get you outta helping this time, Conan," said Genta, an air of smugness in his words. Shinichi shook himself out of his musings and grabbed a broom.

"I wasn't being weird," he grumbled. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Right, right! How's your cousin? Does he still have amnesia?" asked Mitsuhiko as he dusted erasers. Shinichi's grip on the broom tightened in an attempt to ground himself.

"… Yeah," he bit out. "Heiji-niichan's here visiting to help him out with some stuff." Ayumi perked up at that.

"Your detective master's here?" she asked excitedly. Shinichi was sure the vein in his forehead would explode soon. "That's good! Your cousin's memories will definitely come back with him helping!" Haibara was snickering at him, shielded behind Genta's back. He plastered on a grin that strained his cheeks.

"I'm sure he'll try," was all he managed to grit out. The children all nodded decisively.

"That's settled, then. We're all going to the park when we're done here," said Mitsuhiko, and Genta glared hard at Shinichi, daring him to try getting out of it.

"W-wait a minute," started Shinichi. "I can't—"

"You can," said Mitsuhiko coolly, giving him a rather judgmental side eye. "You haven't been out to play in weeks, Conan-kun, and it's starting to feel like you're avoiding us."

"That's not true," he said firmly. He hadn't gone out of his way to avoid them; there were just too many other things he needed to do. If anything, he'd prefer to keep an eye on them, since they seemed so prone to getting into trouble.

"You're not being fair to him," said Haibara, stern but not unkind. Shinichi only barely managed not flinching from the words she chose that were so like Subaru's to him. She plowed on before the children could protest, unaware of Shinichi's thoughts. "What would you be doing if someone—maybe a parent or a sibling—got amnesia? Especially after the disappearance of another family member?"

The kids had the grace to at least look chastised.

"He still needs to play today," said Genta, his stubbornness not giving any leeway. Mitsuhiko and Ayumi both nodded emphatically.

"That's right!" said Ayumi. "You just said your detective master is here!" He really needed to get Heiji to set the record straight on that.

"And amnesia or not, your cousin is still a detective, too. Right?" said Mitsuhiko.

"I mean," said Shinichi uncertainly as his shoulders slumped, "yes, but—"

"Then they don't need you there," said Genta, unknowingly making the teen flinch. Was that true?

"A day away won't kill you," said Haibara, likely sensing the nerve Genta ignorantly prodded. "At the very least, they'll have things well in hand."

The children's pleading faces ate through his resolve like acid. They grinned triumphantly when he let out a loud, defeated sigh.

"Just for today," he said, hoping to head them off of any further attempts to pull him away. They didn't know he was working to get Ran back (which would technically "solve" the amnesia problem), and he hoped they never found out. He didn't know what the body swappers would do if they caught the kids snooping around.

Nothing, probably (hopefully), if they were ordinary children. Unfortunately, Shinichi had unwittingly created a group of child detectives-to-be that had moderate recognition as well as police attention. It was too much to risk the off chance they'd be recognized.

"At least once a week, Conan-kun," said Ayumi, expression unusually serious. "No one will think badly of you for taking a break." It was surprisingly mature, and he was certain she must have heard the sentiment from her mother, but it worked. His shoulders sagged.

"… Fine."

The cheers were a bit on the obnoxious side, but he couldn't find it in himself to begrudge them for it.

***

Playing in the park turned out to be a game of hide-and-seek that, though the mindless activity was grudgingly accepted, Shinichi really could have done without. Give him soccer any day. At least he'd taught them enough awareness they no longer considered open car trunks a viable hiding spot. The fact that he could find them so quickly was still a sore spot with them, so he really didn't know why they kept wanting to play that particular game. Maybe they hoped they could beat him at it if they kept trying.

He had texted Heiji the moment he caved. After a few moments of hesitation, he texted the other him as well. Texting his own phone felt extremely surreal, and he very quickly decided not to unpack those feelings lest he spiral. Again.

Heiji replied pretty quickly, as was usual. The other Shinichi didn't answer for at least fifteen minutes. When he did, it was a single thumbs up emoji. If he was being honest, he hadn't expected a reply at all, but the wordless text more than enough conveyed the clone's discomfort at the situation as well.

He half expected one of them to call him to get him out of the situation. Unfortunately, they both seemed to agree he needed the distraction.

They kept him outside until the sun went down when Haibara finally called them off. Once they'd all said their goodbyes and the teens were alone, Shinichi rounded on the scientist.

"You couldn't have done that three hours ago?" he seethed. She merely smirked.

"It's fine, isn't it?" she asked without a hint of remorse. "The children are satisfied, which means they won't try to corner you again before next week, and you look less like you're about to keel over from overworking your big detective brain again." Her smile faded. "Ran-san's not here this time to help you recover if it happens again."

Shinichi's face flushed and he glared down at his shoes as they walked. She was right, damn it.

Ran wasn't there to help. Just two scientists and three other detectives, only the eldest of whom might be able to do something which Shinichi would probably disregard anyway. It left a sour taste in his mouth, so he opted to refrain from speaking on it.

He left Haibara at the professor's house and went straight to his own, taking a deep breath once he was safely inside.

He was so tired.

Subaru greeted him in the library.

"You're back late," he observed.

"The children commandeered my evening," he said, not giving any further explanation. Subaru didn't ask. He simply offered a late meal, but didn't push too hard when the teen opted out. Shinichi went upstairs with no further comments from the scarily perceptive man, the computer in his room the main impetus for his actions.

He arrived to find the other Shinichi standing behind the computer chair, arms crossed and a serious, focused expression on his face. Heiji was seated in the chair, typing away, various windows appearing or disappearing on the screen in front of him. The other him noticed his presence first, glancing over at him before returning his attention to the screen. Shinichi dropped his backpack by the door and walked in.

"What did I miss?" he asked as he peered up at the screen. They looked like forum threads. Heiji glanced at him briefly before returning to his task.

"Just lookin' at the parkin' garage's history," he said, grunting in frustration before pulling up another window: another forum page. "The garage itself is only ten years old, but I'm having trouble findin' out what was there before."

Shinichi frowned and cast his gaze up to the ceiling as he tried to recall if anything had been there before. At six years old, he hadn't been nearly as observant as he was now, even if he'd pretended to be. He's sure his mother must have dragged him to shop in Ebisu before, but since he hadn't particularly enjoyed those excursions, the boredom he'd experienced basically acted as a memory dampener for the current him. He looked up at the other Shinichi, who grimaced and shook his head. Shinichi hummed and pulled out his phone.

"Have either of you asked Agasa-hakase?" he asked, even as he pulled up the contact list.

"Nope," said Heiji, while the other Shinichi gave a short "no." Shinichi hit call and turned it to speaker. Agasa answered after the third ring—good. He wasn't too busy, then.

"Shinichi? Is something wrong?" He sounded tired—Shinichi guessed a full day of analyzing a code would do that. He hummed and got straight to the point, skipping the formalities.

"You know the Ebisu parking garage? The big, stand-alone one?" When he received an affirmative, he continued. "Can you remember what it was before it was parking? Like ten plus years ago."

"Hmm… If I remember correctly…" Shinichi could almost hear the way the professor looked up at the ceiling. "Was it a warehouse…? Hmm…" There were a few seconds of deliberation before he decided on an answer. "I'm almost positive it used to be a warehouse, but I couldn't tell you who owned it." Shinichi thanked him and hung up.

"A warehouse, huh?" asked Heiji, chuckling darkly. "Doesn't really narrow it down, does it?"

"It's a start, anyway," said the other Shinichi. "We just need to find the contracts for the building."

"Easier said than done," huffed Heiji.

"I suppose I could get to them either disguised as a social studies project, or using occhan's name," mused Shinichi.

"But if they have someone at the hospital, they might also have someone at the records office," concluded Not-Shinichi with a sigh. Heiji made a face that was part amused, part discontented.

"… I guess yer not wrong about that," he said slowly, "but that kinda thinkin'll make it impossible ta look fer clues at all." He absently tapped the keyboard. "I can think of two ways around that, just off the top of my head."

"Which are?"

"First, since ya have access to the traffic cameras, you can check the cars of each official at the office. See if they regularly go to the garage." He leaned back and stared at the monitor. "Dunno how long that'll take, but yer not exactly pressed fer time, and it's the safer option." Shinichi nodded thoughtfully.

"And the other option?" he asked. Heiji hummed and mussed his hair.

"Go the detective route," he said. "Use the old man's name, or bring one of us with you—but ask about an unrelated buildin'. The social studies project approach might getcha into the buildin', but they ain't gonna let ya go through anythin' without supervision."

"It might be a good idea to go with the second option even if we wait for the traffic footage," pointed out Not-Shinichi. "Just in case." Shinichi found himself nodding—it was the safest option, even if it was going to take some extra time.

Shinichi's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out only to let out an amused scoff.

"What is it?" asked Heiji, craning his neck as if he could see the screen from where he was sitting.

"Kaitou Kid," he said, waving the phone a bit, showing a blocked email. "I forgot to isolate the listening device."

"How's he have yer email address?" asked Heiji as Shinichi opened a desk drawer to pull the device out.

"He probably swiped it the last time he was here," said the smaller detective before holding the thing up to his mouth. "Oi. I'll use this if it's urgent, but if you want updates, either unblock your mail or come in person." With that, he wrapped the device in several clean handkerchiefs before shoving it into the back of the drawer.

"What'd he say?" asked Heiji, voice tinged with amusement. Shinichi rolled his eyes and read the email out loud.

"I agree with tantei two-kun, both of tantei-han's options are the best course of action." There was a small Kid doodle image attached at the bottom.

"In other words, he won't help," said Heiji.

"It's something we can do ourselves; he doesn't need to help."

Heiji held up his hands in a placating manner. "I'm just sayin', fer someone that seems ta like stickin' his nose in yer business, it's a bit surprisin' he's not helpin' out this time."

"He's probably busy with his own stuff. Besides, being nosey and helping are two separate things, even if they're the same to you," said Shinichi, tone flat. Heiji grinned, not at all upset at being perceived as nosey. Most detectives were, after all.

"Do we know the owner of the building, at least?" Shinichi asked, getting back on topic. "Or the company that built it?"

"Hagiwara Genji's the owner, according to their website," said Heiji, minimizing a few windows before pulling up a website that quite frankly needed an update.

"What, did he make the site himself?" asked Shinichi as he squinted past the flashing words. It looked similar to Kogoro's attempt a while back before Sonoko took pity on him and intervened by shoving a web designer her family used his way. Heiji snickered.

"Seems like it," he said lightly. "It's a good thing he fills a popular demand, 'cause in normal circumstances this would drive customers away." Both Shinichis hummed in agreement.

"And the construction company?"

"Not a clue," Heiji sighed. "I've been lookin' at the old forum posts, but no one mentions anythin'. Regular people ain't interested in those kinds of details, just the prospect of somethin' new—or in this case, better parking."

Figures, thought Shinichi with a sigh. While regular people's limited ability to catalogue information generally worked in his favor when it came to his identity, it was terribly inconvenient for just about everything else.

"There's also the possibility the posts were scrubbed," Not-Shinichi pointed out. "It's doubtful, since most people won't think twice about construction work, but if they wanted to have an extra layer of security, wiping certain forum posts would certainly help."

All three detectives hummed thoughtfully as they peered at the screen.

"In that case, we'll find out when we can get to those files," sighed Shinichi. It wasn't ideal, working with so little information, but they'd get it if they were patient.

"Just out of curiosity, do we even have cameras on the records building?" asked the other Shinichi. Heiji frowned.

"One of you need to look—I don't know where that is here."

Shinichi strode forward and pulled the keyboard towards him, only absently registering Heiji vacating the seat as he typed. He moved to the center of the desk, no longer hampered by the legs that had been in the way. There was a chuckle followed by hands lifting him from under the armpits. His typing was momentarily interrupted, but before he could complain, he was being lowered into the chair, and his typing resumed like nothing happened. He grumbled something that might have been a thanks under his breath, but didn't slow down as he pulled up all of the cameras near the records office building.

Everyone watched with bated breath as he sifted through the footage—there!

Shinichi leaned back with a sigh of relief. By some miracle, there was an intersection with a camera that happened to have the government office building in frame. Even better, the building's garage exit was in view as well. That was one less thing they needed to plan for, at least.

"Guess that answers that question," said Heiji somewhere above Shinichi's head. He was probably leaning over the back of the chair. "Who's gonna be on lookout duty?" There was a brief silence. "Shifts?"

"Shifts," agreed both Shinichis simultaneously.

"Shifts," repeated Heiji with a decisive nod. He stretched before glancing between the other two and then at the clock. "Right. I'll go first. You two: bed. Now."

"But I haven't done anything today!" exclaimed Shinichi indignantly.

"Ya do know the little neechan has my number, right?" he asked flatly. Shinichi faltered.

"… What did she say?" he asked cautiously.

"That you can and will make yerself sick from stressin' too hard."

Snitch.

When he didn't move from his spot, Heiji merely scooped him up and held him under one arm while simultaneously ushering the other Shinichi out of the room.

"If one of you can get sick doin' it, both of ya can," he said. "Bed. Shoo." The other Shinichi grumbled half-heartedly, but ultimately did as he was told in order to not exacerbate the pain he got from his skull fracture. Shinichi, who had no such injury, squirmed uselessly in Heiji's hold.

"I'm not going to get sick!" he complained, even as Heiji deposited him on the bed. "When did Haibara even tell you that?" The taller teen sat next to him. He had half a mind to make a run for the computer room and lock himself in.

"It was sometime after ya messaged me about playin' with the kids," he said. Shinichi scowled at his view of Agasa's house from the window. She must have done that from her hiding spot during hide-and-seek.

"Kudo," said Heiji, getting back his attention. His tone was equal parts serious and soft, and it left the smaller teen feeling wrong-footed. "That neechan told me what happened last time." Shinichi's scowl deepened as he looked down at clenched fists. Heiji leaned forward and poked him between the eyebrows. "Ya can't help her if ya keep getting' sick." Shinichi shoved the offending hand away.

"I'm not going to get sick," he said again, though all the wind had blown from his sails.

"Ya've already gotten sick," Heiji pointed out calmly. "And yer scientist friend wouldn't've called me if she didn't think you were in danger of doin' it again."

Shinichi kept quiet as he let his friend's words sink in. Mental fatigue was a very real thing—he knew that, even without experiencing it firsthand—but it was so difficult to admit when he needed a break, even to himself. Holmes wouldn't have gotten sick. But Holmes wasn't real.

With a helpless groan, he shoved the heels of his palms into his eye sockets, dislodging his glasses. Heiji took the glasses off and placed them on the bedside table, the bed shifting heavily with the movement.

"I'll let ya have the computer all to yerself after school tomorrow," he promised. "Just get some rest, please."

"Oh, like you've never overworked your brain before."

"Believe it or not, I actually haven't." That… That was surprising, given Heiji's persistent personality. Shinichi squinted at him, trying to determine if that was actually true. After a few moments, he sighed heavily.

"Fine," he groaned. "Just let me get ready for bed first." Heiji beamed at him and backed up to give him the space to move unimpeded. He scooted off the bed to go and brush his teeth.

If he hesitated at the doorway and muttered a quiet "thanks," no one mentioned it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 40: Cautious Compromise

Tuesday brought with it the boring, monotonous routine Shinichi was more or less used to. Thanks to Heiji's persistence, he was particularly well-rested, even if he was anxious to get back to his computer at home.

The Detective Boys, having had their fill the day before, didn't demand for more play time, even if he could tell they wanted to. As long as he kept his promise to play once a week, they wouldn't drag him away from his objective. Naturally, that would change if they got involved in a case, but the school had been blessedly case-free for a while, and searching for lost pets was something the kids had gotten quite proficient in handling by themselves, so he didn't see a need to interfere with those.

As they broke off from the children, Shinichi waited for them to be out of sight before quickening his pace back home. Haibara gave him a questioning look which he answered by simply shaking his head. If she was that curious, she could join him or call one of the other two detectives in the house. Heiji would probably give her a satisfactory, if incomplete, answer.

Once he was home, he headed straight for his room to check on the progress. The other Shinichi was stationed at the computer, and informed him things were slow-going. Shinichi expected as much, but waved off the offer to use the computer. He could use the computer room—somewhere he had a feeling the clone was disinclined to go. It didn't take much thought to realize why, and Shinichi was more than okay with holing himself up in that room instead. He spared a glance at Heiji, out cold on the bed, before moving to the other room.

As he sifted through footage, he made a mental note to grab the notes on which cars were already being monitored. While it might be more thorough, he could find other uses of his time that didn't include going over the same footage the other him was currently looking at.

He supposed he should at least check to see if the Jane Doe in Nagano had been identified—if not, he needed to somehow direct the police to her drop-off location. He really should have taken care of it before, but. Well…

He cleared his throat before calling Kansuke.

"What d'ya want, kid?" came the gruff, if tired, greeting after three rings. A pause. Then, in a softer tone, "How's your cousin?" Shinichi's chest constricted, and he had to clear his throat a few times before he could answer.

"He's awake. Has partial amnesia." His voice was clipped, and he really hoped he wouldn't be asked to elaborate. Kansuke swore softly on the other end of the phone.

"Sorry to hear that, kid." He didn't press. Shinichi's shoulders sagged with relief. There was a pause before the inspector continued. "I'm gonna make an educated guess and say you're calling to ask about the Jane Doe." A smile tried to tug at the corner of the teenager's mouth.

"How'd you know?"

"It was an unanswered question—I've seen how your mind works. You might've been indisposed with the hospital stuff, but I figured you would call to ask eventually." It was stated as an indisputable fact, and not for the first time Shinichi wondered why the man didn't question it.

"You got me," he said with a forced laugh. "So… Did the Jane Doe stay a Jane Doe?"

"Nope. It took a while, but we finally identified her as Sato Risa, age thirty-two. It took a while since no one knew she was missing."

"… No one knew?" he asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. "No friends, family, not even a boss or landlord?" The humorless huff of laughter answered the question, but the inspector did deign to elaborate.

"No one, kid. A few years ago, her entire family died in a plane crash on their way to a vacation in China. She'd stayed behind to sort out some issues she was having with her passport. A tragedy like that? She couldn't focus on her work, even after taking time off for grieving. She was fired a few months ago. Seems like her landlord evicted her a few weeks before we found her, since she wasn't paying her rent." He sighed heavily, the sound crackling through the receiver. "Seems like after that, she just… gave up."

Shinichi hummed, frowning as he mulled that over. She must have been taken right after being evicted, since it didn't look like her kidnappers had updated information. They never would have left her in front of that apartment otherwise. Beyond that, she really had appeared to have given up on life. She didn't even bother telling the police she'd been abducted.

Kansuke mistook Shinichi's silence for guilt. "Don't beat yourself up about it, kid. You couldn't have helped—she'd already been dead half a week. You can't save them all."

"… Yeah," said Shinichi after a shaky breath. "You're right."

"Was there something else?" There was. There were so many things he could ask. But he wasn't ready to get the police involved. Not yet. Not until he was sure it was safe to do so.

"No. No, that was it," he managed to choke out. "Thanks, Yamato-keibu."

A beat of silence. Then, "Stay outta trouble, kid." The line went dead.

Shinichi set his phone down and rubbed his eyes. Another dead end, he thought glumly.

Sato Risa's history left a dark could over his already sour mood. She'd lost so much she hadn't even cared she'd been kidnapped. Would she have died if she hadn't been taken? Or had that been the straw that broke the camel's back? There wasn't anything but speculation.

He wondered what he'd do if he lost Ran permanently.

He didn't entertain that thought.

With a determined scowl, he started sifting through the traffic cameras, no longer caring if he went over already reviewed footage.

***

It was well past midnight when Heiji came to find him. Though Shinichi's eyes burned from the prolonged LED exposure, he didn't even bother to turn around at the intrusion for a much-needed break. The taller teen took in the scene before leaning over the back of the computer chair.

"You got a lot done," said Heiji as he eyed Shinichi's notes.

"Yeah," came the short reply. He couldn't be bothered to take his attention away from his work. Heiji's hesitation was palpable.

"… Ya can't find all of it in an evenin'," he said quietly.

"I know that!" snapped Shinichi. He closed his burning eyes and took a deep breath. "I know that," he repeated softly. "I just… I can't do nothing."

"Yer not doin' 'nothing'," said Heiji, not unkindly. "But you an' I both know neechan wouldn't like how hard yer pushin' yerself." Shinichi's shoulders sagged in defeat. He slumped forward, putting his head on the desk.

"I know," he muttered. He couldn't seem to help himself, though. Without Ran there to mitigate some of his more self-destructive tendencies, it was becoming glaringly apparent that he had little to no self-control when it came to pacing himself in certain activities.

… It might have been apparent to everyone else, though, now that he was thinking about it. Technically even he knew it was a problem—he just never really considered it to be an issue before.

The two detectives were silent for a few minutes before Heiji spoke up.

"So, I've gotta go home tomorrow." He looked at the clock and grimaced. "Or, uh... later today, I guess."

"So?"

"So, I'm not gonna be here ta monitor yer bullshit behavior, ya ungrateful brat." The accusation was heatless, tone a friendly tease. Shinichi couldn't be bothered to pretend offense. Heiji clicked his tongue when he didn't rise to the bait. "Ya need ta take better care of yerself, ya moron."

Shinichi managed a half-hearted, "okay." Heiji sighed and pulled back the chair, forcing Shinichi to sit back up. He crouched in front of him and pinned him with a serious expression that bordered on concern.

"Y'know, the other Kudo gets stuck inside his head, too," he said softly. Shinichi frowned. He hadn't considered that… It made sense, of course, but since Shinichi hadn't really considered it a problem before now, it had completely escaped his mind altogether.

"… I'm not sure what you think I can do about that," said Shinichi slowly. "If we both lose track of time, it's not as if we'll suddenly remember not to." If they remembered at all, it would likely be after burning themselves out, when remembering was pointless. Then the cycle would continue.

Heiji hummed thoughtfully, sitting back on his knees. "I can text him at lunch," he said carefully. "Or we can set yer creepy freeloader on him. What ya both need is an alarm—and then actually acknowledge the alarm."

Shinichi slowly nodded. He'd heed an alarm if it meant ensuring Ran's body remained healthy.

"… I think I can do that," he said quietly. Heiji gave him a grin that looked a bit strained.

"I also think ya really need ta sit down and talk with 'im," he said, almost apologetically. Shinichi bit down on the inside of his cheek, but did manage to give him a terse nod.

A talk wouldn't fix anything. It wouldn't abolish the grief that turned his stomach inside out, wouldn't ease the anxiety that squeezed the air from his throat or warm the icy cold vice grip around his heart.

But it might loosen some of the tension that never seemed to go away.

Heiji clapped his arm encouragingly before standing back up with a stretch and a yawn.

"Bed sounds pretty good right now," he said as he left the room, hinting that Shinichi should turn in, too. He didn't push this time, but he seemed to know that the small teenager would follow anyway, motivated by the guilt of hypothetically disappointing Ran.

After going through his nightly routine, Shinichi laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as the sounds of Heiji getting comfortable cut through the darkness, and wondered what exactly he could even talk to the other him about.

It was a very long night.

***

Shinichi was quiet the next day. Heiji was content to fill the silence at breakfast while both Shinichis wordlessly struggled to keep down unobtrusive fruit. When it came time to leave for school, the Osakan saw Shinichi off with a pointed glare. He would likely check in to make sure that talk had taken place, so there was no more procrastinating on it once he got home.

School was pretty subdued—not unusual for a Wednesday—so his thoughts were left to wander.

He knew what Heiji wanted. He wasn't going to deny that the idea of being less painfully uncomfortable around his clone was as tempting as it was unlikely.

The end of school came much too quickly. He still wasn't ready. You'll never be ready, he scolded himself. Just suck it up and get it over with.

The children seemed to sense something and left him alone even though he wished they'd distract him even just a little longer.

Haibara—whether she sensed something or spoke with Heiji, it wasn't clear—said nothing to him on the way home. No updates or demands for more hours-long testing, which he wouldn't have objected to at all. Anything to delay the inevitable.

He was in his house and it was too late to stall.

He swallowed down the anxiety and headed to his room to ditch his backpack. He was sure the other him was already in there using the computer, and was surprised to be greeted with an empty room. The computer was on and the screensaver he still hadn't changed bumped around the corners of the screen.

He slowly lowered his backpack to the ground as he took in the sight.

… If Hattori wanted us to talk, then he must have also told the other me…

With a small frown, he turned back to look at the hallway, eyes scanning the doors. The other him's door was open.

He squared his shoulders and walked across the hall before he could change his mind.

As he stood in the open doorway and looked into the dark room, he made out the form of the other him curled up next to the window. One hand rested on his knees while the other loosely covered his eyes like he was debating whether or not to rest. He looked drained.

Shinichi knocked once on the doorway to announce his presence before walking in. The other him made no indication he'd heard.

"Thought you'd be on the computer," he said, stopping just out of arm's reach.

"I was," came the tired reply. "I guess Hattori spoke with you, too."

"… Yeah." He hesitated before joining the other Shinichi on the floor, still keeping a few paces away. He leaned his head back against the wall and stared blankly up at the ceiling.

They sat like that for a while quietly reviewing the past couple of weeks, neither much inclined to start the conversation. The silence wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't exactly unpleasant, either. He thought it would be awkward, and was surprised to find out otherwise. The other Shinichi was the one to eventually break the silence.

"I wish I'd stayed asleep," he whispered, as if admitting a shameful secret. Shinichi kept quiet, sensing the other him was searching for more words. "I wish I'd stayed asleep," he repeated a little louder, "and I know you do, too, but we can't change that. Not now, at least." Shinichi pressed his lips into a flat line.

"I can't see that being awake's bad for you," he said without thinking. His voice was only barley accusatory, not much heat in it, since he was much too tired to muster up any anger over the whole thing.

The other Shinichi huffed out a mirthless laugh.

"There aren't any advantages to my being awake, except maybe for Haibara's research," he seethed. His words weren't raised, but were laced with enough bitter jealousy to sour even Genta's stomach. "You get to see Ran again, eventually," he whispered. The words that followed were just barely loud enough for him to hear. "I won't."

Oh.

Like a candle being snuffed out, any lingering animosity Shinichi felt dissipated.

Shinichi's entire world could be summed up in three different parts: Ran, detective work, and soccer. Before Ran's disappearance, he might have believed he could take one of those things out of the equation. Now, though, the only way to safely remove Ran from that lineup without hurting him would be to go back in time to prevent them from meeting, so ingrained was she in his life.

Now, the other Shinichi's bitter resignation made a lot more sense.

This Shinichi wouldn't have Ran if he continued to exist. Shinichi's chest grew tight and unbearably cold.

"Sorry," he rasped out quietly, hating how constricted his throat felt.

"… 's not your fault," came the nearly silent reply.

The tension in the room bled out, leaving tentative relief, which the two spent in silence for a few minutes.

Shinichi spent the silence ruminating over the information, and came to a few realizations.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that simply having a clone of himself wasn't really an issue for him. In any other situation, he might even have been incredibly curious about it, but it likely wouldn't have bothered him much.

Not getting to be with Ran never even occurred to him as an option. Another version of him would obviously also be in love with Ran, unless the memories weren't there.

He couldn't even be mad about it, since—as was just pointed out—this him wouldn't get to see her again.

He couldn't imagine knowing for certain Ran wouldn't come back into his life.

The grim determination he'd seen the other day began to make sense if Shinichi put himself in those shoes; not being with Ran didn't mean not helping her.

After another hour of quietly thinking, the other Shinichi spoke up again.

"Hey."

Shinichi turned to look at him. His own eyes stared sharply back, blue contrasting brightly against the dark circles under them.

"I know you're blaming yourself and the men in black for this," he said, jabbing his thumb towards his chest. Shinichi flinched at the reminder. "I know no one can convince you it's not your fault." True. "But you need to stop avoiding them." He held up a hand as Shinichi opened his mouth to protest. "While I'm here I'll be looking for them. You don't need to worry about that for now. But—and this is very important—if you want Ran to be safe and stay safe in the future, they need to be gone."

Shinichi searched his own face, gaunt with grief and exhaustion, and was met with an iron-clad conviction.

He swallowed hard, steeled himself, and gave a single, resolute nod.

The other Shinichi leaned back, tension bleeding out of his shoulders, and regarded Shinichi with tired approval.

"Good. Now, under threat of Hattori flying back early to beat some sense into us, I think we should probably eat something."

Shinichi agreed, and the two got up to find supper.

Chapter Text

Chapter 41: Glitch

Heiji, true to his word, called Shinichi just before midnight.

"Didja talk?" he asked the moment Shinichi picked up.

"Yes," replied Shinichi with a roll of his eyes. "Did you call this late because you thought we'd be long?"

"Nope. I figured ya would both procrastinate. Then maybe awkwardly sit fer an hour or two before actually talkin'." Shinichi felt an embarrassed flush warm his cheeks. He coughed to avoid commenting, which unfortunately told Heiji everything he needed to know. "Thought so," he chuckled.

"Shut up," he muttered.

"Sooo," drawled Heiji. "Didja get anythin' done afterwards, or was I right to wait 'til midnight?" Shinichi let out an indignant scoff.

"What do you take me for?" he asked, ignoring the fact that he'd actively been hoping for a distraction after school let out, and the fact that his "talk" had taken a total of three hours to complete. "You could have called a few hours ago. Yes, I took care of some footage afterwards."

"Right, what was I thinkin'?" The mirth in his voice was very audible. It sobered pretty quickly with the next question. "Found anythin' yet?"

"No," Shinichi sighed. "We're keeping an eye on the cars coming and going from both the office building and the parking garage, but…" He scowled down at his toes. "Getting anything conclusive will likely take a lot of time, given the circumstances."

"Yeah," agreed Heiji. "It's been a long day. Get some rest, okay?" Shinichi was quiet for a few seconds before begrudgingly agreeing. He bade Heiji goodbye and ended the call, leaving him to stare at his dark reflection on the now dormant phone screen.

It had been a long day. Rushing though the available footage while his nerves were still running high wouldn't do anyone any favors, but he wasn't ready to sleep despite the lateness of the day.

The footage wasn't going anywhere, so Shinichi left the computer. His emotions weren't going anywhere either, so sleep wouldn't come no matter how exhausted he was.

He went to the library in the hopes a good book would sort him out.

He wasn't the only one with that idea.

Tired resignation sat in his shoulders as he and his clone stared awkwardly at each other. It didn't last long, and they both grabbed a book—Shinichi let the other him go first, so they didn't try grabbing the exact same book—then quietly retreated back upstairs to their respective rooms

Shinichi settled into his bed, book unopened in his lap, and reviewed the day he'd had. It definitely hadn't been the worst day he'd had—that was a three-way tie between Tropical Land, Nagano, and that damned coin locker—so he supposed he'd take that as a good sign.

The book he chose gave little comfort, the mystery stale and predictable, despite being Sherlock Holmes. He wondered if he might enjoy it more under different circumstances.

He stared at his book, resentful that it couldn't take his mind off the day, well into Thursday morning.

***

The Detective Boys were relentless at school, bragging about a lost pet they'd found without Shinichi's or Haibara's help. Congratulating them didn't shut them up; they preened at the praise and took it as permission to painstakingly relay every bit of unrelated information, which was woefully out of order.

Shinichi's head throbbed with exhaustion. He thought he might be able to catch a quick nap once class started, but Kobayashi zeroed in on him like a hawk locating prey. When the class finished laughing at him, Haibara leaned towards him, keeping her eyes glued to the board.

"Was your discussion so profound you had to lose sleep over it?" she asked in as low a whisper as she could manage. Shinichi blearily glanced at the teacher before responding.

"Something like that." It hadn't been. The whole affair had been rather anticlimactic, really. The relief of it being over and done with combined with the cut tension between the two Shinichis had left him so very drained, but his mind was alive and busy with the knowledge that he wouldn't have to bother looking for the crows for a while, along with the concession that his clone was right.

He couldn't' keep postponing his quest to dismantle that damned organization. Not if he wanted to keep Ran safe.

He didn't notice what Haibara was up to in time to stop it.

"Sensei, Edogawa-kun isn't feeling well. Should I take him to the nurse's office?"

Shinichi's head snapped up, and he subsequently blacked out for a moment. Shit…

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he tried to assure, but he must have looked worse than he thought since Kobayashi was staring worriedly at him.

"Yes, yes of course. Ai-chan can take you to the nurse's office, Conan-kun. I'll let them know you're coming. Just Ai-chan." The Detective Boys grumbled at the stern denial, but told him to feel better soon.

Shinichi was shooed away by Kobayashi, assuring him she'd keep notes for whatever he missed. He found himself blinking at the closed door in the hallway. Haibara grabbed his shoulder and steered him down the hall.

"Hattori-kun mentioned setting an alarm," she said, almost conversationally. "I may have to set one myself, if only to keep you from inadvertently killing yourself." The dangerous calm in her tone made Shinichi only put up a token protest, and he let himself be led away.

"It wasn't on purpose," he found himself muttering.

"It never is, Kudo-kun. But right now you look like death warmed over, so you will take a nap in the infirmary, or I'll start slipping sedatives into your food myself."

He didn't try to defend himself after that. She must have been very worried to even make that kind of threat. Arguing meant a bigger headache, anyway, so he let it go.

The nurse took one look at him and decided he needed his temperature taken, which he tried to protest. Haibara's grip on his shoulder tightened in warning, causing his protests to die in his throat, which allowed the nurse to do her job.

He had a fever.

Haibara glowered at him before whipping out her phone. She seemed to be texting someone. The professor, maybe? Or Heiji? It would be just his luck if she and Heiji started working together to keep him in line.

The nurse dismissed the seething Haibara, who gave him a pointed glare before leaving him to the mercy of the unusually stern school nurse. He was given a fever reducer and sentenced to bedrest while the medicine did it's thing.

He had just enough time to wonder why he kept getting sick before sleep finally claimed him.

***

He was awoken by the sound of a hushed conversation somewhere near him. His mind was too sluggish to catch what was being said, and his headache hadn't gotten any better, so he resigned himself to ignorance. With eyelids that felt like lead weights, he managed to crack his eyes open.

I thought sleeping would make me feel better, not worse, he thought grumpily as he tried to will his blurry sight to clear up. Smears of color moved across his vision, and he felt the bed dip beside him.

"Hey," came his own voice in a murmur above him, soft so as not to be overheard. "You look like shit." He blinked slowly, and the blurred image of himself staring down at him slowly came into view.

"I feel like shit," he retorted, just as quietly. The other him snorted. "What happened?"

"Mmm… You had a fever," said the other Shinichi. Shinichi nodded. He remembered that. "The nurse gave you a fever reducer, but even after a few hours, your fever didn't go down. It's actually higher now that the medicine's worn off." He sounded slightly concerned. Shinichi groaned as he closed his eyes against the throbbing in his head.

"Great," he muttered. "Haibara's mad enough as it is. I'm not sure I'm up to the tongue-lashing she's sure to give me later."

"It's not your fault this time," the other him assured. "Seems like you caught the flu from one of the kids in 1-A."

"Ah… Yeah, that'd do it," he grumbled. He seemed to always be the first to catch anything in 1-B.

"Do you think you can walk?" asked the other him. "The school called Agasa, but he left for another science convention earlier this morning; he sent me, since we're supposed to be cousins."

"Yeah," said Shinichi with a grunt as he struggled to sit up. "I can—"

Lights danced in his eyes as his headache throbbed easily into a migraine. He shut his eyes against the pain and slowly lowered himself back down. "Shit," he muttered.

Large, familiar hands gently lifted him up and out of the bed. "Here," came the other Shinichi's voice, too close to his ear. He was too tired to protest, and let himself be settled in the other's arms. His head was guided to a shoulder before it could loll off into a neck injury.

The scent of his own bar soap invaded his nose, his natural body scent lingering just underneath that. His eyes stung dangerously and he shifted his head through the pain to face outward, away from the crook of the other Shinichi's neck.

He very carefully shoved the memory of Ran's preferred strawberry body wash and shampoo to the back of his mind.

His thoughts hazed over, and he was only vaguely aware of a loud commotion at the doorway. It took a few embarrassing moments to recognize the children's voices.

"What happened to Conan-kun?" and "Kobayashi-sensei told Ai-chan to bring his things here." And "He looks sick, is he sick? You need to feed him some eel soup if he's sick!" and "Why're you holding him like that? Does he need to go to the hospital? Is he dying?!" all mixed together in his ears, making the throbbing behind his eyes and the base of his skull intensify. A hand pressed itself firmly between his shoulder blades, easing some of the trembling he hadn't realized had started.

"It's just the flu," rumbled the other Shinichi's voice against the ear pressed to his shoulder. "It's hit him a lot harder than it should have. No, he's not dying, and he doesn't have to go to the hospital. I've already contacted a doctor who's agreed to make a house call, since my house is closer than his office."

A doctor who makes house calls? wondered Shinichi absently, his mind continuing through the migraine. He wished it would stop. He must mean Araide-sensei—he's the only one who fits the criteria.

The hand at his back left, presumably to grab the backpack the children brought, and Shinichi's involuntary trembling increased. A frigid coldness was starting to seep into his bones even as his skin felt ready to burst into flames.

"Let's get you checked out," murmured the other Shinichi, the undisguised concern confusing the smaller boy. The sensation of movement penetrated his hazy thoughts enough to register the clone had started walking.

"What're you so worried about?" Shinichi managed to ask between stabs of pain. "You've had the flu before."

"Not like this," came the terse reply. "The flu's never hit this bad before; and we get sick so rarely anyway…"

Shinichi frowned at that. He was sick an awful lot, recently. He wracked his brain for his clone's timeline before realizing this Shinichi had only been sick a handful of times as Conan.

"I've gotten sick a lot, since Tropical Land" he said quietly. "Even the colds hit harder than they should, if you can remember your last cold as Conan." He whispered the last part so no one would overhear, given the echoing feedback he heard meant they were still inside the building. He felt some tension bleed out of the shoulder his cheek was pressed into.

"Huh… does Haibara know why that is?"

"I haven't talked to her about it—too much other stuff was happening during those times."

They were outside now, and the steady rocking motion of the clone's steps pulled sleep into Shinichi's shivering muscles. He was glad for the brief reprieve, but the pain and the chill meant he only lightly dozed off, waking at the sound of every passing car or bird chirp.

The sun's light behind Shinichi's closed eyelids suddenly went dark, and cool air kissed his scorched skin, causing the chill in his bones to increase. There were hurried voices being spoken above him, but he was much too focused on trying not to let the throbbing headache split his skull wide open.

He barely registered a sharp prick in the crook of his elbow, and finally blacked out into pain-free nothingness.

***

The other Shinichi was, decidedly, not having a good day. The talk last night, while not pleasant, had been… not therapeutic, really, but definitely beneficial. It had left him feeling raw, but it also had strengthened his resolve. His sleep was unfortunately hindered by bad dreams he couldn't seem to shake no matter how many nights he had them, so he wasn't feeling any kind of rested. He hadn't been prepared to face anything bigger than mind-numbing footage scouring today.

It started with the traffic program. Nothing big, just a minute lag between clicking a link, and actually getting the link's feed. It was only offset by a second, but it was consistent enough to get on his nerves.

He powered off the computer and took a break, hoping that refreshing the RAM would fix the issue.

It did not.

After an hour, he returned—unrested, unfortunately—and booted the computer back up. The one second delay persisted. It was a mild inconvenience at most, so he resigned himself to be irritated.

A call at lunch time was a nice reprieve. Until it wasn't.

"Sick?" he'd asked incredulously. "What, did the nurse run out of cold medicine?" Did the original Shinichi overdo it again?

"No, no—I think she said it was the flu. I have to go, I'm sorry. Ask Subaru-kun to take you."

"Ah wait, Subaru's not—" A click ended the call. "… here." He heaved a sigh.

Guess I'm walking, he thought tiredly. I suppose another break from this stupid lagging issue will be nice.

He gingerly tested the back of his head to see if a hat was feasible, and got a zap of pain for his troubles. He'd be able to wear a hat soon, but definitely not now. He grumbled irritably to himself the entire walk to Teitan Elementary.

***

He was worried. He was more than worried. The flu wasn't supposed to look like this. Not for him, anyway. Shinichi never got this sick from something like the flu, no matter what the small boy in his arms had told him. He was glad Araide was already waiting for him at his house, having rushed over directly from his previous house call; Shinichi's breathing had become concerningly ragged halfway home.

He gave the man a very brief explanation of the day's events as he knew them (whether or not Shinichi could share more information remained to be seen), and the doctor very swiftly administered a much stronger fever reducer than the school nurse had been able to provide.

With the most concerning threat taken care of, the other Shinichi guided Araide to the guest room he'd been using to lay the small him out on the bed for a more thorough examination. He could move back into his own room later—the doctor needn't get suspicious. Not that the clone thought that would be a problem, as he'd read a little in Shinichi's older notes about the man's recent history with the crows. Still, he wasn't in the know, and he wanted to keep it that way.

After being assured several times that this sort of reaction was typical in those with weakened immune systems, and that "Conan" would get better with proper rest, Araide left some medicine to be taken before bed and in the morning, and promised to return the next day with some prescriptions.

The other Shinichi was left watching the original, waiting impatiently for him to wake up. Logically, he knew he'd be fine since the doctor was unconcerned, but fear took hold of him anyway. He needed Shinichi to wake up.

Waking up meant he was okay.

Waking up meant he could still take care of Ran.

He paced restlessly around the room for a few hours, trying and failing to think rationally. All he could think about was Ran being left alone.

He didn't stop until Haibara barged in, back from school and shaking off the other children, demanding to know what exactly had happened. Her ire waws muffled when told he'd just caught the flu from someone in 1-A.

"Ah, yes; Sugiura-kun got it recently—he was pulled out sick a few days ago, when they caught it," she mused, staring at the sleeping Shinichi. The other Shinichi only vaguely recognized the name from passing in the halls, and figured they must have met sometime after the cultural festival, so he put it from his mind He was much more interested in finding out why Shinichi's immune system wasn't the same, which he voiced aloud.

"As near as I can tell, a weak immune system seems to be a byproduct of having nearly everything except for the nervous system affected by the apoptosis. I would need to do some more research to figure that out, though, which would take time away from figuring out how to fix Ran-san."

He supposed that made sense. A nearly adult nervous system would probably clash with the less developed systems of children, causing an immunodeficiency as the more developed part attempted to function with its less developed surroundings.

Like trying to run modern software on an old computer.

He absently waved Haibara off when she went back to Agasa's house, the candid analogy taking over his thoughts. Maybe something similar was causing the lag in the traffic footage? How old was his computer? One, maybe two years old? Not quite old enough to cause problems, but since the traffic program was a recent addition, maybe an upgrade was in order.

He itched to test the theory on the much newer computers in the other room, discomfort be damned, but he still needed to make sure Shinichi woke up. He'd be too distracted otherwise.

Frustrated exhaustion built into his shoulders as he waited. He stared at the medicine Araide-sensei had left for the other him. If Shinichi didn't wake up on his own before nine o' clock, he would need to forcefully wake him up to take the medicine as instructed.

The fever was finally coming down, at least.

Just as he was checking the clock, Shinichi managed to wake up on his own. Relief relaxed the clone's shoulders even as the pained, groggy groan Shinichi let out filled the room.

Shinichi, for his part, felt like he'd just been wading through cement. His eyes struggled to open, the lids feeling like weights, and was met with the sight of a completely different location from his last foray into consciousness.

"Ugh… what happened?" he asked, tongue strangely sour and bitter in his mouth. Yuck.

"You passed out again," supplied his own voice somewhere beside him. He turned his head to see his clone sitting in a chair next to the… bed? His eyes quickly raked over the room, and he determined he was in the room the other him had taken up residence.

Right, he thought sluggishly as he blinked slowly back to the other Shinichi. Araide-sensei was supposed to meet us here.

"Here," said the other him, large movement catching his attention again. The other Shinichi held out a glass of water along with what looked like medicine tablets. "You need to take these now, plus more in the morning; Araide-sensei's coming back some time tomorrow with more medicine."

He took the proffered items with weary resignation. Despite sleeping all day, he was ready to succumb to unconsciousness once again, under the watchful (and… relieved?) eyes of the other him.

***

Sunlight assaulted Shinichi's senses before anything else did. He let out an undignified whine as he turned over and pulled the blankets over his head. His bones were still freezing, and his skin was broiling, but the light was simply too painful for him to care about those things. He would take the discomfort of fevered chills over the migraine that didn't want to go away.

There was a rustling sound, and he felt rather than saw the warmth of the offensive sun recede. More movement, then a hand nudging his shoulder.

"C'mon; you need to take the morning medicine. Araide-sensei will be here in a few hours, too."

He groaned again, but slowly lowered the blanket back down. He couldn't even complain as he was assisted in sitting up. The proffered medicine was once more taken, chased with a cup of cool water that soothed a too dry throat.

As he sat against the pillow, he took in the tired expression of the other him. "… You look like shit." The other him chuckled darkly.

"I feel like shit." He sobered quickly. "I've just been having a little trouble with the traffic footage."

"Trouble?"

"Just a lag. Not big enough to cause a problem, just… irritation. I thought a newer computer might fix it, so I tried the ones in the room you set up after you went back to sleep, but the issue persisted. Which means it's probably an issue with the program itself. I'm going to ask Agasa to look at it when he gets back."

Shinichi nodded, but couldn't help the frown that made its way to his face. He might have said he had a bad feeling about that, but he was also very sick. Any off feelings were drowned out by the overwhelming discomfort he was already in.

Despite the curtains being closed, the light still made his head throb relentlessly, so he closed his eyes for a few moments. A hand on his shoulder made him open them again, only to be startled by the appearance of Araide-sensei.

Must've fallen asleep… he thought absently to himself.

After giving Shinichi a brief check-over, Araide told him he'd be on strict bed rest for three days, plus another week and a half of no school—to be added to if necessary. The man would come back at the end of his sick period to make sure he was safe to go back to school.

To Shinichi's irritation, his medicine was handed over to the other him. Logically, he knew the doctor was just doing his job, but despite what the man believed, he wasn't a kid. He hated that he couldn't tell him that. He scowled at Araide for the rest of his time there, but the man paid it no mind.

When he finally left, the other Shinichi handed him the pill bottle with a smirk. He rolled his eyes, but accepted the medicine with a smirk of his own.

He basically had two weeks without the interference of school. Being sick wasn't ideal, but he could work around that. The three days of strict bed rest… Haibara wouldn't let him out of that. She might even call Heiji if she thought he wouldn't comply.

It might be feasible to work with a laptop—he wouldn't even need to leave the bed. But it would need to be done sparingly. He chewed the inside of his cheek, and decided that barely getting work done was better than being forbidden to work at all.

His eyes found the other Shinichi's, who grimaced at having guessed his thoughts before staring at the clock for a few moments.

"One hour total, each day of bed rest," he said finally. "I don't think I can negotiate more than that from Haibara."

Shinichi's shoulders slumped, but he nodded. Getting Haibara to agree to even that much was going to be difficult, and he was sure the girl herself would monitor his work time, but again: some work was better than nothing.

He absently turned the medicine bottle over, skimming over the instructions. One pill thrice daily with food. His nose scrunched up. He didn't think he could stomach any food, but the alternative was more nausea. The other Shinichi leaned forward to look at the bottle, too.

"Tofu, maybe? Or yoghurt?" he asked after a moment.

"… Maybe."

The other him left the room, presumably to acquire yoghurt, since he was pretty sure they didn't have any.

He closed his eyes again.

***

The mounting frustration the other Shinichi was feeling came to a head when, after asking Subaru to get some yoghurt the next time he was out, he was confronted by a phone call from Haibara. She was using her lunch time to make sure he ensured the real Shinichi took his bedrest seriously.

He'd assured her he was taking care of it, but she kept nagging about it, clearly suspicious of his easy compliance.

"I know you, Kudo-kun," she said, exasperation tingeing her voice. "Neither of you are going to be content just recovering."

"I need him to be okay!" he snapped though gritted teeth. "If he's not okay, Ran won't be, either. I know you can't trust him to rest properly, but please. Trust that I'm taking care of it."

Haibara was silent for a few moments while the clone berated himself for voicing those thoughts.

"… Alright," she said quietly, sounding quite chastened, then hung up without another word. The clone sighed heavily, burying his head in his hands.

He was so tired.

He still needed to convince her to let Shinichi do an hour's work, but he also supposed that that hour could be snuck in without her knowledge—while she was at school. It would work until tomorrow, anyway, being Saturday and all. That's when they'd have to beg her for it.

With that decided, he brought a plate of cold tofu Subaru had given him to give to Shinichi. He had to shake the boy back awake so he could take the food and medicine.

"Can you even work an hour?" he found himself asking. "You fall asleep practically the moment I leave the room." Shinichi gave a weak shrug, eyes already half closed.

"… Probably not… today, anyway."

The clone hummed noncommittally, resolved to check in on him during the hours Haibara was still in school.

"Get some sleep—when you're awake enough, you can text me for you laptop," he said. Shinichi nodded sluggishly.

It was a very long day.

Between focusing on the ever-lagging traffic footage, and checking on a sleeping Shinichi to make sure his fever didn't go back up, Not-Shinichi felt incredibly strung out. High on anxiety and full of frustration, he took his third break that afternoon, shoving himself away from the computer.

Haibara was already back from school, and there hadn't been so much as a peep from Shinichi, pointing to his continued sleep. That was probably for the best—with how groggy the boy was when he was awake, any work done might need to be redone.

He found himself smirking at the irony, though the mirth was rather short-lived.

The lag was a bit more than one second, now. Agasa wouldn't be back to look into it until tomorrow.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and clicked back into the cameras around the government building, intent on monitoring yet another car.

It was only for a split second; the screen blacked out and came back on so quickly he thought he might've imagined it. He blinked a few times, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Staring intently at the screen, he made to click the link again. The screen blinked out again, this time coming back in increments, the formatting appearing to reapply itself over and over.

"What—?"

After a few more seconds of blinking out and reformatting, the footage cut out completely, replaced by a screen full of rapidly scrolling code. He stood up abruptly, knocking the chair over, and tried to get the program to reload.

"No! No no nonononono—!"

The code disappeared, leaving behind a frozen screen. One last blink out and reformatting kicked him out of the program completely, leaving him gaping at the desktop.

Trying to reopen the app only led to error messages.

"Shit!"

Chapter Text

Chapter 42: Strange Dreams

Not-Shinichi woke slowly, feeling much like he hadn’t slept at all last night. On top of the program crash, the nightmares he’d been plagued with—slow, relentless, and existential things—had kept his sleep fitful. There was something else, too, that accompanied them. Something too hazy to remember. Just a flash, really: something he felt quite certain he should know, but by the time he woke it was buried deep under the other dreams.

He sighed, rubbing his face. It was only four in the morning, but he didn’t fancy going back to sleep just to wake up more tired, so he sat and stared out the window until the sun rose.

***

Being sick, Shinichi thought—perhaps naïvely—that he’d get a lot of extra work done. He forgot that, as Conan, being sick typically came with a period of incapacitation.

The flu, in particular, was a very uncompromising illness for him. All of Friday was spent sleeping off the worst of it. When he woke up Saturday morning, he expected things to be marginally better.

He woke up, took his medicine, downed a small bottle of yoghurt that was waiting for him on the nightstand, and assessed himself. He wasn’t worse off than the day before, but he didn’t feel much better, either. He was still exhausted, and the thought of looking at the LED computer screen made his headache twinge in warning.

Just as he was berating himself for succumbing to a mere migraine, the door opened and the other him walked in, looking even more haggard than yesterday. The ever-present dark circles under his eyes were somehow worse, painting a bleak picture.

“What’s wrong?” were the first words out of his mouth, an urgent command in spite of his exhaustion. The other Shinichi grimaced helplessly, causing Shinichi’s heart to beat wildly.

“The traffic program crashed late last night,” he said quietly, as if he were apologizing. It felt all wrong. “I called Agasa-hakase, but he needs to look at the code himself. He told me to check it again in the morning, just in case. It’s still down.”

Shinichi opened his mouth, then closed it again as he realized he didn’t know enough about coding to help, either. His head throbbed, and he bit down a grimace.

“What time’s the professor getting back?” he asked. The other him glanced at the clock.

“Some time after lunch, I think.”

That doesn’t help us right now, does it? he thought irritably. “Do you remember where I put Kid’s listening device?” The other him nodded. “Take it out and explain what’s going on—I doubt he’s listening for something, but I would bet he’s got some way to alert him of a message.

The other Shinichi left the room again, leaving Shinichi to lean back on his pillows and massage his throbbing temples.

Looks like I’m getting that stupid bedrest, after all, he thought caustically. The professor was unlikely to be able to fix the problem in a day, and who even knew what kind of schedule Kaito Kid had.

He grumpily resigned himself to recounting all of the aspects of Ran’s case in his head, pushing through foggy thoughts thicker than molasses. It was difficult, and it did his migraine no favors, but it was something to do even if his mind wasn’t coherent enough to find any new clues hidden in the already combed through information.

He closed his eyes and his sticky thoughts slowed to a crawl. Once more, a hand on his shoulder forced his eyes back open only to discover he’d slept through to lunch.

“This sucks,” he grumbled as he took his medicine.

“It does,” the other him agreed raggedly. He looked miserable, though Shinichi couldn’t see any indication he was sick. But then, the other him didn’t have any work to distract him from his own thoughts. Going over the case notes without the handicap of severe brain fog could only do so much in the way of distraction. No wonder he looked miserable.

“Any word from Kid while I was asleep?”

“He said he was indisposed for at least a week. He advised us to continue with the professor’s expertise and hope for the best until he can examine the code himself.”

Shinichi pressed his lips into a thin line. The circumstances were far from ideal. He took a deep, grounding breath and reminded himself how lucky they were to have the thief’s help at all.

He begrudgingly conceded with a gritted out, “fine,” and slowly pulled the blankets off of him.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to the toilet—I can’t very well do that in bed, can I?’

The clone snorted. “… Well, technically you could…” Shinichi sent him the flattest side eye he could muster.

“You’d be the one who has to clean it up,” he finally said, feeling smug at the disgusted grimace on the other Shinichi’s face. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He pushed past him to get to the hallway and found the toilet quickly to relieve himself.

His legs felt like jelly, feet lead weights. This really is the worst, he thought miserably as he slowly made his way back to his room.

***

When Agasa came back and the problem was explained, he got right to work, delving into the coding of Kid’s program. He worked on it for the rest of the day.

And the next day.

And the next.

Evidently, either the program was beyond him, or the issue was more than he could handle. They needed Kid, but he was busy.

Shinichi gritted his teeth. He’d worked without the program before, he could do it again. He just needed to switch his focus.

It was already Monday. His bedrest was over, but he was still stuck in his house. He could put on a mask and go out to do what he needed, but no one would let him. Not even the other Shinichi.

And didn’t that sting?

He understood the reasoning—he did—but he also needed progress to be made. If progress couldn’t be made remotely, he needed to go out and do the legwork for it. The other him knew that. He certainly couldn’t do it. Not if Ran’s captors recognized who they released.

He found himself back in the library, pouring over the case notes again. And again.

And again.

The other Shinichi joined him. Neither made any new progress. He wanted to growl in frustration, but his throat was already sore thanks to the flu.

“… It’s concerning how dependent on Kid’s program we’ve gotten…” the clone mused, brows furrowed slightly. Shinichi nodded, mouth thinned grimly.

“Kid’s program is easy, despite how much we seem to complain about it,” he agreed somberly. The other him hummed and they both turned back to the notes.

“I do have a question about these interviews,” he said after a while. He pulled two papers out and held them up. Shinichi looked up from his notes, squinting at the files above him.

“What about them?”

“These two are the only ones that you mention had strange dreams, but you haven’t followed up on that.”

Shinichi hummed, sifting through his still sluggish thoughts until he could pick out the memory and analyze it.

“Ah… I asked Ran about that but she said she wasn’t having weird dreams, and since we don’t really know what those two were dreaming about, I dropped it as a dead end. I didn’t mark it because it didn’t matter.” He’d remember that the question went nowhere. The other him nodded in understanding.

“… It might still be a good idea to question the other victims about it,” he said slowly. Shinichi squinted up at him before his jaw went slack with surprise.

“Did you find something?”

“… Have you even looked at the victim list Kid gave you?”

“Not… recently…” He’d skimmed it when he first got it, the day before he took Ran to Nagano. So much had happened since then that he hadn’t had a chance to peruse the more recent victims. He stared sullenly at his slippers, an embarrassed flush creeping up his neck. With any luck, his fever hid it from view.

“Tanaka Akito was taken and returned five years ago,” said the other Shinichi, holding up a new file he must have printed up at some point. “He’s still alive, so we could question him when you’re not banned from leaving the house. Or I could go myself to save some time.”

Shinichi grabbed the paper from the other him and looked it over. Tanaka Akito: age 37. Gunma. He scanned further down the page. He claimed he’d been abducted by aliens. Shinichi nearly choked.

“Aliens? Really?”

“He said he dreams about it sometimes. Being back there.”

Shinichi’s eyebrows rose as he looked back at the file. It didn’t include the specifics, but he did claim to remember something. It was definitely worth a look.

But Gunma…

As much as he would prefer to go himself, just the possibility of running into Yamamura made his fever spike in anticipation. The other him noticed his hesitation.

“I can hear the battle in your head. What’s wrong?”

“… Inspector Yamamura.”

“Inspector? When did that happen? How did that happen?”

“He was promoted a few months ago. I’ve met him quite a few times since your last encounter with him, and I may have… taken liberties…” He wasn’t especially proud of that one, but it had been necessary. Every time. The other Shinichi’s expression morphed into the most unimpressed deadpan he’d witnessed that month.

“I see it now.” He rolled his shoulders back before continuing. “Well, I don’t plan on interacting with the police, despite our atrocious luck on that matter. Plus, I know exactly what questions you want to ask. On the other hand, since he seems so adamant about his ‘encounter,’ we might find something on a blog.”

“Could we look for a blog first?” asked Shinichi quietly after a moment of thought. With the other him asking questions. He knew he wouldn’t have to worry about missing anything, but… Well, he still wanted to do it himself. Or at least be there in person. Just in case. The clone nodded, having already guessed at the hesitation.

“With any luck, we won’t even need to head out to Gunma at all,” he said, leading the way to the computer room. Agasa was still in Shinichi’s room trying to puzzle out whatever was wrong with Kid’s program.

Once in the room, the clone stopped, eyeing the sole chair before turning an assessing gaze on Shinichi. He pointed to the chair wordlessly. Shinichi let out an annoyed huff, but took the seat without argument. The other him leaned over the back of it to see the screen.

His cheeks grew warm as he pulled up Glegle and searched ‘Gunma alien abductions’ followed by Tanaka’s name.

Oh god, there’s a video, he thought somewhat hysterically, the fever doing his emotional regulation no favors. He pulled up the video—an interview—and listened to the excitable man chattering on about his abduction.

“—and I woke up in a—well, not really woke up; it was more like I was already awake, and I just was suddenly aware I was in a room with bright lights. My skin was buzzing—from a probe, I think, they do that y’know—and there were people in white coats looking at me. I say people, but they didn’t show any kind of emotions, y’know? Not even interest in what they were doing. I think—no, listen—I think it was some kinda disguise, right? Meant to keep my fragile human mind from exploding, or going insane, or something else that might’ve broken me somehow.

“Anyway—”

Shinichi glanced at the other him to see what he made of this nonsense, but quickly paused the video, finding himself utterly shaken by the clone’s pale, stricken expression.

“What is it?” he managed to choke out.

“I…” Not-Shinichi swallowed hard—hard enough for Shinichi to hear it, to understand the weight of his next words. “I remember that,” he whispered.

“WHAT?!”

“Not—not that exact scene,” he amended quickly, raising his hands defensively. “Definitely something similar, though. I’ve been dreaming about it on and off since waking up in the hospital.”

“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?!”

“I didn’t really remember it,” he said apologetically. “Not until I heard him describe the scene. It was very brief, and much hazier than I assume this guy’s remembering. I’m talking two seconds at most. It was typically followed by vague and unrelated dreams, so when I did manage to remember I’d dreamed something, I didn’t really have a reason to connect it with Ran’s case.”

Shinichi nodded slowly, his sluggish thoughts finally picking up speed. A fleeting moment (two seconds at most) would have slipped past him, too, especially in a realm as inconsistent as dreams tended to be.

“… What do you remember?”

“It’s a lot like Tanaka’s account—I was just aware I was awake, rather than waking up. Everything hurt, but the pain felt… fleeting, I guess. Like whatever it was that hurt was gone, and the pain itself was lingering—fading. I’m… I’m not sure if my skin was ‘buzzing’ like he said his was, because everything was so hazy, and I must have blacked out immediately, since the memory was so short…” He frowned down at the keyboard, thinking.

“There were definitely people in white lab coats, but I can’t remember any faces, and they… hm… they didn’t seem as disinterested as the people in Tanaka’s account, but I’m not sure why. I can’t remember the room, either, though I think it was brightly lit, but…” He shook his head. “I just can’t remember.”

“I can’t believe I wrote this off,” groaned Shinichi, tiredly rubbing at his face. “Just because Ran said she didn’t have weird dreams… I thought the other two were just a coincidence.”

“When have we ever been lucky enough for a coincidence to be just that?” His tone was lightly teasing, but the truth of it didn’t make it sting any less.

“Now I have to interview everyone on Kid’s list,” groused Shinichi. “No one talks about dreams when discussing their own kidnapping—why should they? Why couldn’t this be simple? Just once?”

“Maybe you don’t have to interview everyone,” said Not-Shinichi as he leaned forward to pull up a copy of Kid’s list. “Just the ones here in Tokyo, and over in Osaka.” Shinichi frowned and looked up at the other him, not following.

I never want to catch the flu again, he found himself thinking. Between the fever, the fatigue, and the brain fog, his cognitive functions were an absolute wreck. “Why just them?” he asked instead of grunting in frustration. The other him could already clock his issue, and didn’t bother to tease or berate him for it.

“We have a fairly decent sample size in just these two cities, even taking into account the few who died. Either everyone will remember similar dreams, or they won’t. But if there’s a chance they do, we should probably document it.”

Shinichi nodded, his mind thankfully working only a half-step behind instead of functioning at the pace of a slug. If everyone in Tokyo and Osaka had the same dreams, then it followed everyone else probably did, too. If only a few had the dreams, then only a few more across the board did. It wasn’t as thorough as he wanted, but it more than got the job done.

“Okay,” he said, trying to force his mind to work at the proper speed. “Okay—to start with, you should probably work on remembering more details.” The clone nodded solemnly. “After we finish the video interview, we need to figure out how to proceed from here.” Another nod. He rubbed at his eyes again before resuming the video.

The rest of the interview was utter nonsense, with the victim waxing poetic about what the ‘aliens’ could possibly have wanted from him. The interviewer kept hyping him up, and the two ended up discussing other (already debunked) abductions, and what it meant for the future of Earth ‘as we know it.’

All in all, most of it was a complete waste of time. Shinichi sighed heavily, but accepted the idiocy—it wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before from Yamamura himself. He pulled out his phone.

“Let’s update Hattori first,” he muttered as his fingers skimmed across the phone screen. “So he can go ahead and start on his end.”

“If you want Kudo Shinichi to remain off the radar, then our own end can’t really start for another two or three days,” said Not-Shinichi as he carefully probed at the back of his head. “My fracture’s much better, but I don’t think I can wear a hat just yet.”

Shinichi grumbled his discontent, since he wasn’t allowed out yet, either. Sending the Detective Boys wasn’t an option since—besides the case being too dangerous—the victims had already encountered the children once. Even if they made sure to switch up what child interviewed which victim, those children always introduced themselves as part of the Detective Boys. It would draw too much attention.

Haibara couldn’t do it; she was too busy trying to figure out how to bring Ran back. That, and she couldn’t be inconspicuous to save her life, despite constantly and unfairly telling Shinichi to tone down his more ‘mature’ tendencies (which he only really exhibited when presented with a mystery). Hypocrite.

Agasa couldn’t do it, either; besides trying to fix the traffic program, he needed to be available to tinker for Haibara’s endeavors. He’d been allowed to go to the science convention because there were neuro and bioengineers there who had panels discussing new neurology-based technology. It was all still theoretical, unfortunately, but the potential for new venues usually sparked the professor’s technical creativity. Whether attending the convention bore fruit or not would inevitably reveal itself in time.

Any other option involved either implicating the FBI in more illegal activity on their part, or bringing new people up to speed. Amuro couldn’t be trusted despite his loyalty to Japan, and Sera had been openly and spectacularly conspicuous about outing Shinichi’s own secrets.

There was only one good plan he could think of, and it necessitated his presence.

“Do you think we can persuade Haibara to let me go out a few days early?” he asked. The other him frowned disapprovingly. “You’d be with me,” he pointed out, hoping the prospect of monitoring his condition would alleviate the trepidation. “And I wouldn’t be contagious by then, either.”

The other Shinichi uncrossed his arms with a sigh to the ceiling. “Dream study for a social studies project?” Shinichi’s grin hurt as it stretched across his face.

“Naturally.”

***

It took two days to convince Haibara to let Shinichi go out. She couldn’t actually keep him home, but she could drug his food or make doing anything next to impossible by contacting the right people. Her go-to was usually Ran; but in this case she resorted to bringing up how disappointed Ran would be in him. Ordinarily that would have worked, but he was desperate to go out, so he pointed out (both to Haibara and to himself) that Ran would let him go after the worst had passed, plus he would be monitored (granted, the monitor was another him, but he’d been pretty strict about Shinichi’s health).

She’d stared intently at the clone for a long time before she finally relented with an aggrieved sigh and an eye roll. She faced Not-Shinichi again.

“You will bring him back at the first sign of trouble?” she asked, tone laced with threats no one wanted her to voice. He nodded gravely. Shinichi rolled his eyes at the dramatics.

“It’s not like I’m going to collapse,” he grumbled.

“You already have!!!” she hissed, even as she shooed them away. He didn’t respond, since she was right.

They left without preamble, eager to do something other than rehash the same notes for the hundredth time.

They started with the three in Beika, keeping close for now; the three in Haido and the two in Shibuya had to wait until they could assess how Shinichi was faring. He resented that, but conceded he must have scared everyone pretty badly for them to go so far to police his actions.

As they neared the first victim’s apartment, Shinichi mentally went over his schoolwork pitch. He hoped having the other him there acting as an exasperated sibling would help sell the act.

Sasaki Emiko looked thoroughly unimpressed when she opened her door only to find a child grinning innocently up at her. Shinichi wondered which of the detective boys had tested her hospitality.

“Hello!” he chirped. “I’m doing a school project about dreams! My teacher says the things that happen during the day usually ends up being processed in your sleep, and she asked the class to talk to people in our neighborhood about it.”

Emiko relaxed a little at hearing this, and looked curiously at the other Shinichi.

“I’m just here to keep my cousin out of trouble,” he said casually. “We’re going to be out all day, and he might get bored after a while.”

She relaxed even further and invited them in. “You’ll excuse me if I only offer you tea,” she said, not quite apologetically. “My last visit from a strange child resulted in my pantry being emptied, and I’m not too keen on tempting fate to make that happen again.” Damnit, Genta.

“Sounds like you had a run-in with one of the Detective Boys,” said Not-Shinichi, tone conversational. She looked at him in surprise.

“You’ve met them?”

“A few times, yeah.” He shrugged. “They’ve worked with the police on occasion as well.” It was more accurate to say they butted in on police business (enabled by Shinichi, no less), but she didn’t need to know that. Seeing her agitation finally diminish, though, gave Shinichi the green light to start his own line of questioning.

“So!” She turned back to him. “Do you remember your dreams?” he asked.

“Just out of curiosity, what happens if I say no?”

“I’ll move on to the next person until I get someone who remembers their dreams. Can’t do a project about dreams if you don’t remember them.”

Emiko stared intently at him, nodding slowly as she digested his words. She seemed to accept the ruse and straightened up with a smile.

“I remember them most days,” she said lightly. Shinichi beamed at her and pulled out a pocket notebook—he’d made sure not to bring the Detective Boys notebook, in case it was recognized.

He spent the next hour asking clarifying questions, keeping as close to his cover story as possible: What did she do? Where did she work? What she ate, how she typically felt during the day, what were the noticeable outliers from a typical day? Then he moved on to ask about her dreams.

They were typical dreams, occasionally pinpointing or highlighting stress. Then she hesitated.

“There’s one more,” she said with a frown. “It’s a short, recurring one I’ve had for a few years now. I’m… not sure what to make of it, compared to the other dreams.” Shinichi tilted his head, careful not to let his anticipation show too much. Thankfully, she wasn’t looking at the two detectives anymore, opting instead to keep her gaze glued to her hands. Her brows were furrowed.

The dream was very similar to Tanaka’s and Not-Shinichi’s. Not really ‘waking up,’ just becoming aware that she was already awake only to find herself in the throes of a rapidly waning, buzzing pain and a bunch of indifferent white coats observing her. Nothing really stood out as different than what he’d already heard—just that she was lucid for around ten seconds before the memory ended and proceeded to a real dream.

Shinichi was itching to leave and interrogate the next victim, but he needed to stay long enough to wrap up the conversation organically.

“Huh. That’s really weird,” he said, hoping the forced innocence didn’t sound too strained. “Any idea why you keep dreaming that one specific thing over and over?”

“Not a clue,” she admitted ruefully. “Though I guess it coincided with my kidnapping a few years ago, so maybe it’s related?” Shinichi made his eyes go wide.

“You were kidnapped?” he asked, pushing childish shock into his voice. “Was it scary?” Emiko was silent for a few moments, looking thoughtful. Shinichi surmised she was mulling over her recent revelation.

“I don’t remember,” she finally said, voice quiet in contemplation.

***

Perhaps motivated by the success of the first interview (or maybe through spite), Shinichi found the energy for three more. The next one necessitated interviewing the rest of the victim’s family as well, to keep the ruse from crumbling, but the result was ultimately the same: Tendou Hikaru had a recurring ten second dream of the same ilk as the others.

As did Shimada Keishi, just three blocks over.

Sano Rui did not remember, which wasn’t unexpected, even if it was disappointing.

Shinichi’s flagging energy must have shown through, because Not-Shinichi cut the outing short.

“We’re already halfway through!” he protested, despite knowing it was pointless.

“So, we can finish the other four tomorrow,” came the stern reply. “After Araide-sensei’s check-up, that is.”

Ah. He’d… forgotten about that, not that he would admit it out loud. He simply grumbled, displeased, as he allowed his clone to steer him towards a taxi.

***

Despite feeling fine and no longer being contagious, Araide tacked on three extra days for Shinichi’s recovery.

Shinichi stewed in silence while the other him saw the doctor out.

When they were certain Araide was gone, they got ready to go back out. Shinichi managed to convince his clone to do the remaining four in one day, provided he promised to rest properly for the remainder of his sick leave.

Only one of the four remembered their dreams

On the bright side, of the three left in Osaka, two did remember dreams in the same vein as the rest.

“Why do some remember, but others don’t?” wondered Heiji during his phone call. “There’s gotta be another variable, right?”

“The memory in question ranges in duration, between eight and ten seconds, except for the other me’s, which only lasts up to two,” said Shinichi slowly. “The way they describe the scene ending make me think that it’s likely how long they were awake for… whatever was done.”

“Mmm? Hang on, if they ‘became aware’ they were awake, doesn’t that mean they were awake fer longer than those ten seconds?”

“Physically awake, maybe,” said Shinichi thoughtfully. “Remember, they only have one side of the story.”

“Haibara said the memory part was likely a separate procedure, remember?” added the other Shinichi. “So, the two parts of this story are: what happened before, which Ran subconsciously remembers; and what happened after, which I subconsciously remember. It’s likely we were awake when the memories were transplanted. Or overwritten, in the others’ cases.”

Apparently one of the victims had a concussion shortly after returning. Shinichi still doesn’t know how she did it, but Haibara was apparently able to get the brain scans, which didn’t have the dark spots Ran and Not-Shinichi’s did.

It was a complete rewrite.

Shinichi shuddered at just how close they’d been to actually losing Ran.

“An’ if they’d stayed unconscious or passed out before the transfer, there’s nothin’ ta remember,” mused Heiji. Shinichi could practically see the deep frown on his friend’s face as he mulled that over. “An’ no one remembers seein’ anythin’ besides the room and the mad scientists?”

Shinichi bit back a snort at the moniker.

“They didn’t mention seeing anything else,” he confirmed. He looked up at the other him in silent question. He shook his head. “Neither does the other me. Why?”

“I’m willin’ ta bet the equipment they used fer the memory stuff was somewhere near the victims.”

“I think you’re right,” said Shinichi slowly. “The other me is already working on analyzing what he remembers.”

“I can’t promise results,” warned the other Shinichi. “It’s become clear to me that my memory is the foggiest of all the victims, and I only have two seconds of it, while they have around ten.”

“Yeah, but yer a detective,” said Heiji, completely unbothered. “The other victims aren’t. You’re the only one who knows what he’s lookin’ for and how ta look for it.”

“Right.”

“Now, Kudo—get some actual rest,” said Heiji as the conversation was coming to an end. “If yer still sick by my next visit, I’ll tie ya to the bed myself.”

“And just when exactly should I expect your interference?” asked Shinichi dryly.

“Wouldn’t you like ta know? Bye.”

Click.

The two Shinichis stared at the now dark phone screen for a few seconds.

“Which parent does he take after, exactly?”

“… I don’t know.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 43: Forlorn Farewell

By the time Sunday rolled in, Shinichi had helped the other him examine every angle of the two second memory they could possibly think of, as well as compare it against what they were able to get from the other victims. It wasn't much, but Not-Shinichi did think he might have seen a large machine sitting in the corner of the room.

It couldn't have been used for memory transfer given its proximity, but perhaps it had been used to change their DNA? Since everyone remembered a waning buzzing or pain or painful buzzing, or something similar, it stood to reason that said discomfort had been caused shortly before their awareness began. Which might indicate the DNA and memory procedures were both done in the same room.

Unfortunately, the haziness of the other Shinichi's memory meant that the machine he saw was blurry, and he couldn't provide any details beyond the fact that it was quite large.

He also called attention to the clone's memory of the not-so indifferent scientists. Everyone else mentioned that the people in white coats seemed detached or disinterested, indicating a repetitive monotony that likely desensitized the perpetrators to what they were doing. He had no doubt they showed more reactions twenty years ago, when they either first started their project or first started succeeding in their endeavors.

He sincerely hoped that first victim in Nagano was actually the first victim. The alternative was too distressing to entertain at the moment.

"So, if the scientists weren't eerily reactionless, what exactly changed?" Shinichi asked. "Can you remember anything else? Maybe not a visual, but a sound or a smell?" The other him frowned as he strained to remember more details.

"Uh… I think there was a rapid beeping sound coming from behind me…" He tilted his head. "Or was it above?"

"Do you think that's where their memory device was?" asked Shinichi, interest coloring his tone as he noted the beeping down. It must have been very fast if the other Shinichi heard 'beeping' instead of just one beep during those two seconds.

"Maybe," came the thoughtful reply. "And no one else heard beeping, either, so maybe it malfunctioned?"

"That would certainly explain the incomplete rewrite," said Shinichi. "As well as the different attitude from the scientists." He blinked, frowning. "And possibly the shorter memory."

"Hm?"

"If it malfunctioned, that's the most likely reason Ran's still in there. You must have passed out immediately due to the process being interrupted or incomplete, or whatever it was that happened." He furiously scribbled out notes on a fresh sheet of paper as he spoke. "And the reason Ran woke back up afterwards." He frowned. "But why did they let you go?"

"Maybe they assumed the malfunction happened after the transfer?" It was weak at best and highly improbable, but not necessarily impossible.

"Do they not have a way to check…?" wondered Shinichi, disbelief seeping into his voice.

"That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."

"Technically, it did happen. If we assume they did have a way to check, it's possible you were still… uh… in charge? Before Ran woke up…"

"That doesn't sound right… It would make more sense to think my rapid blackout happened because Ran was still dominant," said the other Shinichi as he rubbed his temples. They stared at their notes, stumped at the issue.

"My, my: what kind of conversation is this?" came a familiar voice. The Shinichis whirled around to find Kaito Kid standing in the doorway, what little was visible of his face deceptively innocent, and brimming with curiosity.

Shinichi stared at the thief for a few moments before giving the other Shinichi a look he would correctly interpret as 'I'm telling him,' to which he received a nod.

He told Kid what they'd uncovered. Despite the laid-back appearance of the man, and the unwavering, nearly predatory smile, he could practically feel the incredulity Kid exuded.

"Chasing dreams, now, tantei-kun? You can't be that desperate, can you?"

"I wouldn't bother if they were actually dreams," scoffed Shinichi. "But at least seven people report having almost the exact same dream, which reoccurs semi regularly with no variations at all." The corners of Kid's mouth turned downward.

"That's… not normal…" he said slowly, all mischief gone from his voice.

"It's not," agreed the other Shinichi. "Which is why we're looking into it."

"So you suspect this to be a memory untouched by the subconscious?" asked Kid slowly, like he was testing the accuracy of the words. "That shouldn't be possible, normally."

"We know," sighed Shinichi. "But as you've seen, nothing about this case is normal." Kid let out a noncommittal hum. Shinichi's eyes narrowed as he noted the faraway look on his face. "Do you know something?"

"Just remembering something. Not about your case," he said dismissively. "And on that note, I really should be looking at your computer." Shinichi frowned at the clear change of subject, but ultimately decided to drop it. If Kid thought it was important to the case, he would likely have said so.

"Then you're in the wrong room," he pointed out instead of pushing.

"Can't I greet my favorite detective before slaving away on a case that's not even mine?" he asked lightly as he followed the two detectives up to Shinichi's room. Neither missed the way the thief relaxed ever so slightly at the successful evasion of the prior topic. There was something there, if they cared to look, but they didn't want to risk losing the extra help.

"Is it really 'slaving away' if your help is voluntary?" countered Shinichi. Kid hummed as they reached the door to his room, but Shinichi wasn't really expecting an answer. The professor was still sitting at the computer, so Shinichi announced their presence with a knock to the doorframe.

"Oh, Shinichi!" said Agasa as he looked up from the screen. "I still haven't figured this out, yet, before you ask." He looked just as frustrated as the two Shinichis had been just minutes before.

"That's okay; I brought help." He moved aside to let Kid in. Agasa's relief was palpable.

"Thank goodness!" He sighed heavily, then stood up. "I'll leave it to you, then, alright? I need to work on something for Ai-kun." He pushed past the group and hurried back to his house. Shinichi didn't think he'd ever seen the man so frustrated with a code that was accessible to him.

"What sort of program can stump Agasa-hakase like that?" he wondered, even as Kaito Kid took the vacated seat.

"The kind that can stump Interpol's brightest," replied Kid as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "I'm highly impressed he even managed to add the search function, but I'm not too surprised he couldn't fix whatever the issue is."

"… I keep forgetting you're internationally wanted," murmured Shinichi.

"How rude!" said Kid with feigned offense. "How could you forget how famous I am?" His fingers didn't slow even once as lines of code danced across the screen.

"To be fair, you've only been active in Japan since returning from that extended hiatus."

Kid's fingers did falter briefly at that. Shinichi tucked that information away to scrutinize later. An idea was trying to form in the back of his mind, but he wasn't inclined to look into it at the moment in favor of getting through this case.

"What can I say? So much time is wasted traveling. Nowadays I prefer my gems to come to me."

Shinichi shrugged, deciding once again to drop the subject. Even if the statement were a lie, it was true that foreign bodies brought their jewels to Japanese exposés to show them off, despite knowing Kid operated within the country. Sometimes even because of it.

Kid worked quietly for a few minutes, picking out strings of code and examining them before moving on to another. The Shinichis watched over his shoulder (or over his elbow, in Shinichi's case), cataloguing the process just in case it was needed later. Kid spoke up again, even with his eyes still glued to the screen.

"So? What were you discussing when I came in?" he asked. "You told me the basics, but not what had you looking just as frazzled as the good professor." He clicked open another string of code, but didn't close it, instead following some path only he seemed able to see.

"We were trying to figure out why they still let me go, even though it seemed like there was a malfunction, based on my memory," said Not-Shinichi as he watched the code flashing across the computer screen.

"A malfunction?"

"Yeah. I mean, besides the obvious fact that Ran's still here, I heard a rapid beeping coming from somewhere."

"That's certainly compelling, but not necessarily indicative of a malfunction," muttered Kid. His eyes narrowed at a particular portion of coding. "There you are." Rapid typing sped up into a frenzy as he continued to hunt for something only he knew how to find.

The conversation lulled as Kid worked, leaving both Shinichis to continue to think on the memory issue. After a few minutes, the thief grunted and closed out of the program, looking satisfied, but not quite triumphant.

"Did you fix it?"

"Nope," he chirped brightly, leaving the other two confused. "I need to go on site to fix this—a few cameras in Hokkaido were replaced recently, and with that, a security update. My program isn't linked to the newest update, and it crashed the entire system. It's fixable but you need to give me two more days to pull it off."

"That's… good? I guess?" said Shinichi. Kid didn't seem too bothered by it, so he would just have to trust that it would be taken care of.

"Now," said Kid as he stretched, fingers and arms making loud popping noises, "this beeping you remember hearing: tell me about it?"

"I can't really tell you much, just that something was beeping, though I'm not sure if it was coming from behind me or above me. The scientists, or whatever they were, weren't indifferent like in everyone else's memories." Kaito nodded slowly with a contemplative hum.

"Why shouldn't the sound have been coming form both directions?" he asked. "Or, since your memory is so foggy, it's quite possible that your ears weren't working properly at the time. Do you recall experiencing tinnitus?"

"I don't."

"And you didn't see what was causing the beeping sound?"

"I didn't."

"Do you recall feeling anything apart from that waning pain?"

"No—like I said, my memory of the event is much fuzzier than the others, and I wasn't lucid for much more than two seconds."

"In that case, the rapid beeping does seem to point to a malfunction of some kind, doesn't it?" He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "But if they'd had any reason to suspect the machine didn't do it's job, they wouldn't have let you go." His fingers tapped out a rhythm against his arms. "That does bear looking into. Whatever the case, they obviously believed that the transfer worked, so I suppose that's really a moot point, isn't it?"

Shinichi's shoulders sagged forward. It was a moot point, wasn't it? They could find out what exactly happened once they knew the best way to infiltrate what they believed to be the base of operations.

"In any case, I do have the name of a lab your little scientist friend may find interesting," he said casually. The tenseness in his fingers was back, Shinichi noted. "Though, I'm unsure if she can find much on it, since it was independent, and was destroyed last year." He stood up. "And I'm not quite certain how helpful it will be, but I do think it's worth a look."

Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine," he muttered. "What's it called?" He looked back up, but Kid was gone, a Kid Card sitting on the keyboard the only indication he'd been there. He looked back to find his clone looking around the room, meaning he'd missed the moment of departure as well.

"I'd love to know how he does that so quickly," he sighed as he picked up the card to look at. There were only three words on it:

Ogami Electronics Laboratory

***

"It's suspicious that the Kaito Kid even knew about this obscure research," said Haibara flatly as she scrolled through old articles of an old scientist named Professor Ogami. He seemed to have disappeared from the public eye nearly ten years back, but died just a year ago, around the time his home-turned-lab exploded. Police reports indicated a generator overload, but couldn't agree whether or not he died in the explosion. That would have been a tantalizing mystery in and of itself, if Shinichi didn't have other things to worry about.

"He died just a little bit after Kid's hiatus ended," Shinichi pointed out. "Perhaps they met? What sort of research did he do?"

"Robotics, mostly," sighed Haibara. "He didn't publish anything after he disappeared, but his papers before that were geared more toward programming an AI with human tendencies. He didn't succeed, as far as I can tell, but the very last paper he published delved heavily into the study of the human brain and trying to replicate that artificially."

"Can you use any of that? Kid seemed to think it had the potential to be helpful," said Shinichi. Haibara shook her head.

"No. In the first place, Ran-san is an organic human being. Whatever this Ogami-hakase was working on, it couldn't have been utilized the way our perpetrators are using. Although…" She scrolled through the articles. "There is a theory in here for the potential extraction of memories. I'll need to look more closely at that to determine whether or not it's of use. Again, I find it suspicious that he knew about this—it's not even related to his thievery."

"I'll ask when he comes back," said Shinichi. He was pretty curious, too. It was a pretty niche subject, even if AI itself had been a steadily growing topic lately.

"At any rate, I don't think this will help us get Ran-san back," continued Haibara. "We aren't trying to extract memories, after all; we just want to wake her up. I'm very close, I think, to achieving that goal, anyway." Shinichi immediately perked up.

"Really?!"

"Yes. I just need to run a few more tests, but I do think I have the right method to do it. Agasa-hakase's inventions have been very helpful in that regard. He just needs to finish one more machine for me to test with."

Shinichi bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. Close! They were close!

"How soon?" asked the other Shinichi.

"… Soon," said Haibara apologetically. "A day or two, at the earliest." Not-Shinichi closed his eyes. "Anything you need to do, you should take care of it now." He nodded before turning, and headed back to the Kudo mansion.

Shinichi watched him go, feeling conflicted.

The extra help his clone had provided was invaluable, and he would miss that. He'd miss having someone who knew exactly what he was thinking and why he was thinking it, which cut down on time wasted explaining himself. It was unnerving, yes, but it was convenient.

But that body was Ran's, despite it's current circumstances. There was no outcome where that Shinichi experienced a happy ending, even if the original himself died so he could take his place. He wouldn't survive long, knowing Ran could never be part of his life if he stayed.

The thought left a bad taste in Shinichi's mouth as he briefly imagined himself in that scenario.

He went back to his house, elation subdued for the moment. He sent off a quick text to update Heiji of Ran's imminent return, and turned his phone off to look for the other him in peace.

The other Shinichi was found back in Shinichi's room, sitting in front of the computer. There were a few tabs pulled up—different views from Glegle Maps, both satellite and street. A notebook was open in front of him, in which he was scribbling down notes.

Shinichi entered slowly, taking in the serious focus on the other him's face. He stopped just a few paces away. If the other him noticed, he didn't acknowledge it.

Watching the scene was surreal, and his chest constricted painfully the way it typically did when he found himself dwelling too long on this subject.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there watching the other him work. Long enough for his legs to start protesting. Just as he was considering going back downstairs, the other Shinichi spoke up.

"Come here," he said, the command almost too quiet. "This is important." Shinichi moved forward, knees protesting after having been locked in place for so long. He stared at the buildings on the screen, located in places he was very familiar with. He walked by at least two of them on a daily basis. The others were in places he'd been numerous times—places with high foot traffic. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"What is this?" he asked, voice only just above a whisper.

"These," said Not-Shinichi, eyes tracing the streets visible on the screen, "are the buildings most frequently visited—" He turned to look at Shinichi. "—by Gin and Vodka."

Shinichi's breath caught in his throat, eyes growing wide as saucers.

"I haven't finished compiling everything," the other him continued, "and I don't know if the headquarters is even on this list. If Haibara's calculations are correct, then I won't be able to find out. You will need to keep searching. At the very least, I recommend starting a detailed search in the buildings I've already located, and continue from there. Since this is a case the FBI is also working on, you can tell Subaru-san if you need the extra help."

Shinichi stared hard at the screen before the other him caught his attention again.

"Perhaps most important of all," he said, pinning Shinichi with that sharp gaze. "Do not let Ran come with you again."

Shinichi met that gaze head on, his own eyes smoldering with a resolute promise.

"I won't."

***

Not-Shinichi spent most of the next day going over his notes on tracking Gin and Vodka around Japan, and showing Shinichi how he'd finally settled on which buildings were most important. There were quite a few the two men went to, but he'd ultimately dismissed the ones only visited once or twice. He didn't have months or years of footage to look through, either, but he was willing to bet that the most frequented buildings in the last month or so were established bases, in some capacity.

Shinichi's reaction was more or less what he'd expected: near paralyzing hesitation over his guilt with what happened to Ran, and an overwhelming resolve to see to it they could never be a threat to her in the future.

He wished he could see their downfall. Even if Ran wouldn't come back for a while, he wouldn't have gone. He couldn't put her body in that sort of jeopardy, even if he ached with the need to see this case through to the end.

It was too soon. There was more work he needed to do. If only Kid's program hadn't crashed, he'd be able to get more done.

He poured himself into working on what little he still could. He'd all but exhausted everything his foggy two second memory could provide. Whether or not it was actually helpful was still up in the air.

Heiji came to visit that evening. He wasn't quite his chipper self when greeting Not-Shinichi. There was a regret there the clone did not want to think about. He sequestered himself away from the others, retiring early.

He didn't sleep.

Haibara called for him the next morning.

He wasn't ready. He thought he was ready, but he wasn't. It was too soon, it—

He took a deep breath and forced himself out of the bed, meeting with Heiji and Shinichi at the front door.

Shinichi was shaking, though his expression remained subdued. Heiji's eyes glinted with something Not-Shinichi didn't care to interpret. They silently made their way next door.

Upon seeing Haibara, Heiji waved a greeting to the unimpressed girl before asking, "So, how's this gonna work, exactly?" Haibara stared impassively at the clipboard in her hand as she ushered the group to the lab.

"As of right now, we can't completely get rid of the other Kudo-kun," she stated dully. Not-Shinichi wasn't sure how, but he simultaneously tensed and relaxed. It was as painful as it was confusing.

"Why not?" he asked sharply, earning an incredulous stare from Heiji, even as Shinichi's gaze was painfully understanding.

"I don't know how," admitted Haibara. "I would need to know how you were added in the first place in order to do that."

"So what's gonna happen to him?" asked Heiji, glancing at him with something he recognized as pity. He clamped down on the urge to snap at the other teen. He didn't need or want pity—he also wasn't going to be there long enough to be offended by it. Haibara spoke as he settled his nerves.

"If this works as intended, he should go back to sleep, the way Ran-san is, now." The way he was before was left unsaid.

"And if it doesn't work?" he found himself asking. "What's the worst-case scenario here?" She studied his face for a few moments before answering.

"According to my tests, the worst scenario is that you will sleep, and Ran-san won't wake. You'll both essentially fall into a coma until I can fix it."

He relaxed just a tad. It wasn't an ideal scenario, but the worst scenario he could come up with ended in some form of death, so he'd willingly take this risk over the alternative.

"Just to be clear, a complete wipe will not happen," said Haibara, confirming Not-Shinichi's thoughts and reassuring the others in the room. "And the event of a coma is only a seven percent risk." The original Shinichi relaxed as well, though Heiji remained skeptical.

Agasa was waiting in the lab by a new machine he must have spent all of yesterday tinkering with. It looked similar to the others they'd tested on Not-Shinichi.

He sat down as instructed, and waited as a helmet-like apparatus was lowered over his head.

His nerves were well past panic, and they numbed into a hollow calm that solidified into ice lodged behind his sternum.

He wasn't ready.

He'd never be ready.

Ran needs to be okay.

He swept his gaze over the room's occupants in a silent farewell. Agasa looked a little sad, but not deeply so. They hadn't interacted much. Haibara wouldn't meet his gaze. Heiji gave him a melancholy nod.

His eyes landed on Shinichi, who met his gaze with that unspoken promise to keep Ran safe. There was regret, there as well, as if he was saying For what it's worth, I'm sorry.

I know, his own expression relayed back. It couldn't be helped, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

He closed his eyes as the machine whirred around his head, and kept his expression as impassive as he possibly could. He was simply going back to sleep. He resisted the urge to swallow around the lump in his throat.

He wasn't ready.

The hollow ice in his chest seemed to spread as he clamped down on the want to exist that threatened to consume him.

He wasn't ready.

Ran needs to be okay, even if he's not ready.

He felt himself start to slip into darkness, much like what he'd feel if he lost a long battle to sleep. He was so cold.

Something brushed past his mind as he was on his way under. A rush of calm like a summer breeze in the dead of winter. Something wet slid down his cheek as he marveled at what he could only assume was Ran's consciousness sliding past his own.

Huh, he thought just before he slipped completely into darkness.

It's warm.