Absent Young Souls

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This is a scenario imagined, based on the anime series Detective Conan. The basic story is about a 17 year old high school detective Shinichi Kudo, whose intelligence, deduction prowess and observation skills rival those of his idol, the immortal Sherlock Holmes. He could solve extremely complicated murder mysteries which no other could. One day while witnessing a shady transaction between men clad in black, he was hit from behind and forcibly fed a drug, Apo toxin, which instead of killing him as intended, shrunk his body to a seven-year old child, keeping his mind and brain intact. In order to protect his childhood sweetheart and best friend Ran Mouri from being on the men’s blacklist, he lied about his true identity to her, saying he’s Conan Edogawa. Leaking out the fact that he’s still alive might endanger everyone he knew and loved. Now he’s an elementary school student, living with Ran in her single father Kogorou Mouri’s apartment, who also happens to be a detective. Albeit lazy and dimwitted, Detective Mouri was Shinichi’s hope for finding the men in black in secret, and as a result he's now forced to unveil all the mysteries of the innumerable cases which come to Mouri’s doorstep. It is a little after five in the afternoon. Ran is asleep, cuddling her pillow as she cries from her incessant nightmares. Nothing good has happened for the past one year, since Shinichi disappeared. She has tried to hold out for him. But it’s been a long time. Once he appeared as a shadow and talked to her, saying some gang’s after him so he’s got to go undercover. But most of the time, he only calls for a brief time on the phone, and then hangs up abruptly. She tries not to care, she’s not his girlfriend after all. But those deep dark feelings won’t go away, and it’s affecting now even when she tries to sleep. So many dark scenarios flash away in a slideshow, showing what could really have happened to Shinichi. Her worry grows every day. She doesn’t know how exactly he feels about her, and that makes the whole thing even more confusing. “Ran-neechan,” a voice comes from the hallway. (Neechan is a form of summoning older people of the same generation.) Ran barely hears it. She turns to the other side and silently wipes her tears. Her breath is catching in gasps, and she still cannot open her eyes. She doesn’t want to be in the reality just yet. She wants to be with Shinichi a little longer….. “Here you are, Ran-neechan. I’m home.” There is a scurry of small footsteps and someone hovered over her face. After a pause, small hands wipes her tears away. Ran’s lips curls. She opens her eyes slightly, which is brimming with more tears, and through a haze, she can make a familiar outline. “Shinichi….is that you?” she whispers. More silence. Then a chuckle. “It’s me, Conan. I’m hungry! Is there any food in the kitchen?” “Conan!” she jumps up, surprised. “You’re home early!” “The last class was cancelled.” Conan continues merrily, “And all my friends went home, so I came back!” Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Ran gets up and brings out two rice balls from the refrigerator along with a chicken preparation she has made yesterday. She feels an urge to go back to bed, but then realizes it won’t do anything good, it will only bring bad memories to the surface. She decides to talk to Conan a little longer. However, Conan surprises her by saying, “Are you expecting someone? You called me by a different name.” “What? No, no….of course not!” Ran smiles. Only she knows how forced that smile is. “How I can I expect someone else when there’s you, Conan? My knight in shining armour!” She presses his cheek and goes to the bathroom to freshen up. Conan slowly eats the rice balls, saying nothing. True, after being in this child’s body he has saved Ran’s life countless times, and she has done the same for him too. If only she knew how much he missed Shinichi too…..there is nothing more painful than seeing Ran crying for him. So many instances he was tempted to tell her the truth in the past year, but the more he has followed up on the Black Organization’s scarce activities, the more he is convinced that telling Ran would only result in danger for her. The Organization does not leave any loose strings, so maybe it’s better that Ran moves on with her life. Her waiting for Shinichi is a path riddled with huge obstacles and insurmountable peril. “Ran-neechan! I’ve forgotten something of mine. It’s with Genta-kun now, I’ll go get it!” And he hurries out of the apartment, running as fast as he can with his small legs. Ran stares after him from the bathroom with surprised eyes. What could he have possibly forgotten? For a kid, he’s so mature and understanding. She thinks. And he notices such intricate details all the time, he’s quite smart. But most of all, he’s a good kid. Cares about me and Dad a lot. She smiles. It has been only her and her dad before Conan came. Detective Mouri used to swap flies with his hands, sleep becoming drunk and flirt with any woman he came across. That’s why her mother left him. Since Conan, there’s been a boost to his agency and a terrific mood upliftment. Like he’s a good luck charm. That’s only how her dad treats Conan, though. For her, whenever he is around, she never feels alone. Somehow she feels he’s watching over her, protecting her, like Shinichi did. The phone rings, abruptly muddling her thoughts. She picks it up. “Hello, Mouri Detective Agency.” “Hello, Ran.” She stops breathing, literally, for two whole seconds, before walking with support and collapsing on her bed. “Shinichi…..” “Shinichi, where the hell are you? Why haven’t you called more, you baboon?” She cries out, trying to sound annoyed, but secretly filled with a strange mixture of sadness and joy. “I’m hiding right now, I had to go out of the state. You know that gang I told you about? They are on my tail. I think I can lose them though…..” A peculiar horn blazes over the line. A custom-made one. He must be somewhere very far from here. “Be careful, Shinichi. Return alive or I will kill you! You know I’m a Karate black belt champion right?” Ran angrily said with a hoarse voice. “Are you crying? You’re still a child aren’t you? What happened this time?” “I’m not crying, idiot! I’ve got a cold. Now where exactly are you?” “Can’t tell you Ran. The call might be intercepted. Or worse, traced back to you.” She suddenly can’t find her voice. Shinichi cares about her that much? Why doesn’t he show it then? Why doesn’t he tell her…… “Umm, Shinichi, I wanted to know…..uhh…..” she hesitates. “What, Ran?” Why can’t she tell him what she feels? “Oh no, I’ve got to go. Later!” And just like that, he ends the call. Just like that. She lays down on her bed, tear trickling down one eye. It is very hard, she realizes. Too much. Maybe he isn’t coming back. But when she least expects it, Shinichi is always there for her. When she’s in danger, like Conan, he saves her, one way or the other. What should she do? A minute or two later, Ran cannot be sure, the door opens. Conan enters, managing his bow-tie. He is just able to hide the voice modulator attached to its back when Ran turns to him. “Welcome back, Conan! I’m going shopping!” She is gleaming in joy all of a sudden. “Today is going to end with a special dinner on the menu!” She leaps up and goes to fetch her purse near the cupboard beside the window. Then she hears a familiar sound. That custom horn. Exactly the same. She frowns. Is Shinichi here? Did he lie? She ponders while getting ready. But why would he? He’s on a case. Unless….. Conan calls out, “Ran-neechan, I’ll go with you too!” Is it possible? That Conan is….. The ridiculous thought makes her laugh out loud. Conan looks at her in surprise. What can she be thinking now? A woman’s moods, so strange, he thinks. Ran walks towards the door, turns back and says, “It’s just a silly thought!” to a baffled Conan. “Come on, Dad will be home soon from that horse race.” “Huh.” And he walks out with her as the setting Sun casts an orange glow across the sky, streams in through the window into the empty room, lighting it up in the absence of two young souls who care for each other. It waits patiently and longingly for their return.