Author note: so this is a one shot about a scene that's been in my head for quite a while. It is set towards the end of the series as the fight with the organization nears.

Enjoy

Characters: Kudos Shinichi, Mori Ran and Miyano Shiho.

I don't own detective Conan or any of the characters.

Stay

I'm not really sure what is happening. There's a buzz in the air. The atmosphere is tense and foreign. Everybody's on edge. I've seen things in the past couple of days. Terrible things. Danger lurks in every corner. I'm in danger. We all are. Even him. Especially him.

As he begins to leave, he tells me not to worry. He tells me that he'll be fine. I can feel him slipping away, and this time I truly believe that he will never come back to me again. I ask him to stay. I beg him to stay. He smiles and promises me that he'll be back. He kisses my forehead and says he'll see me soon. He starts to walk away. Every step he takes digs a deeper hole into my heart.

He's reaching for the door when she asks him to stop. He turn around again. This time facing her. There's something familiar about her but I can't seem to place it. I met her two days ago. I don't know much around here, but I know that she is important, to him at least. She asks him to stop. To stay. He tells her what he told me. Tells her not to worry, that he'll see her tomorrow. She asks him again to stay. He tells her the same thing, wording it differently this time. I can tell that she feels the same way I do. She know that if he were to leave, he wont be coming back.

I hear a gunshot. I don't register what I see. Because I see the man I love on the ground. I see his blood on the floor. I see pain in his face. I see shock In his eyes. I'm not registering what I see.

Time seems to freeze. No one moves.

1 second,

2 seconds,

3,

I panic. My mind begins to spin out of control. Trying to make sense of what just happened. I trace the trail of the bullet with my eyes only to land on her hand, holding a smoking gun. I run to him. At least I try. Someone holds me back. I turn to find his mother holding me in place. I try to break free from her grip but in vain. I look at her, searching for a reason as to why she's not running to his aid herself. But she's determined. Determined and set.

She's still holding the gun. Her index finger is still on the trigger. She's walking towards him. I again struggle in my chains. Desperate to keep her as far away from him as possible. I can't watch him die.

He's sitting up against the wall panting. His hand is bloodied. His fingers shake. His face twists from the pain. She kneels in front of him.

She tells him that she cares about him. I'm angry. Because you don't hurt someone you care about. But a part of me is grateful. Because now he gets to live. I hate seeing him in pain, but I think I would hate it more if he were to die. So I'm angry that she hurt him, but I'm relieved that he will be here with me tomorrow. Anger and relief, I don't know if such an emotion exists.

She is still kneeling in front of him. She places the gun next to his injured leg. She's looking him in the eye when she asks him to shoot her. I think I can hear the echo of her voice. Because no one talks. Everybody watches. He's looking at her. He doesn't know how to feel. He doesn't know what to feel. She sits back and demands he shoot her. He says nothing. Silence settles.

She reaches a hand to his injured limb. He winces at their connection. She pulls back her newly bloodied hand and stares at for a while. She holds her red hand to his face. She's calm. She's cold. She doesn't budge as she tells him to shoot her a third time.

He says nothing again. He eyes the gun for a second but doesn't move. She asks him if he is still leaving. He is. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't have to. His eyes are determined. He is going to fight, I know it and so does she.

Again he's confused when she tells him that she won't let him go until he shoots her. That only when he discards his moral principals will he be allowed to fight. He asks her why.

She's talking to him. Every word she utters is honest. Every sentence is pure. No deception and no meaningless praise. She shot him and now she's talking to him. He is listening. And so am I.

"The principals we uphold on our selves do not govern the world around us. Our ethics and morals can only ever reach those who live to love. Those who live to laugh and those who are able to cherish the precious memories they create with the people around them. To lead a fulfilled life is to be able to blow away a breath knowing that if this were to be your last breath, you would have no regrets. But breathing and living are not always unanimous. There are people roaming the earth with death in their sight and destruction in their dreams. There are people who view righteousness as a weakness and love as a distraction. Those are the kind of people you are up against. To win you need to be able to fight back. Your logic and morals are weapons not for you to fight them with but to justify yourself for yourself after doing what needs to be done. In this life there is no pick and choose, out there its shoot first ask never and if you are not willing to be the first one to pull the trigger, there will never be a second chance," that's what she tells him.

Her words are slowly creeping their way in to his heart. Mine too. I don't understand much of what she's saying, but looking at her now. I know it must be true. She's not done speaking, I am not done listening.

"I care about you. A lot more than I care to admit. You are a detective and I respect that and I'm quite fond of your work and I will never stand in the way between you and doing what you love. I realize that in your mind that's what you are doing right now, that this is just some other case and you may well believe that you are able to take them on. But I don't. No one knows what's going to happen tonight and most likely you will be faced with a situation that will force you to make a decision. Kill or be killed. I need to know that you will make the right choice. Which brings me to this, I don't think there's a single individual that has caused you more unhappiness than i. I ruined your life, turned it upside down, I forced my nightmares onto you and tonight I shot you. So I need you to channel all the anger you have towards me and I need you to prove to me that you can break your principals, prove to me that you can do evil," she says.

I think he finally understands. He breaks a smile. His face softens and he reaches a hand to her before she slaps it away. She is frustrated and it is starting to show.

"Shoot me, punch me just hurt me please, give me a reason to believe that I will see you again. I'm begging you," she's desperate.

He smiles at her again. And again he reaches a hand to her and this time she lets him, "we really need to talk more often otherwise it wouldn't have come to this," he points to his leg, "I'm sorry, I really am but I can never hurt you, believe me I've tried to hate you for so long but I just can't seem to do it. Besides, I think I've hurt quite enough already," he tells her and I'm curious.

"As to this whole thing I know what I am up against, but it is still my fight. I have to do this. I need to do this and I don't know what choice I will make if it ever came down to it but I have to find out. But know this, this is the life I have chosen and I didn't chose it because I enjoy it. I chose it because after what happened to your sister I vowed that I will not stop until all evil is gone and I know that is an infinite ambition but I've seen the pain in your eyes and it is going to stop. I will stop them. And If Its my morals that are going to get in the way then I will deal with that. I can't promise you that I will come back tomorrow. But this is still my fight."

She picks the gun off the floor and stands up still facing him. He's looking up at her now. "Well then I have one last request. Don't go tonight. Let me. I'll go and I will get you the antidote. And I can't promise that I will come back but if I do, then you are going to have your life back. You taught me what it means to value life, and you showed me that life is worth living, and I value my life. I really do but unless I right some of the wrong I did to you I'll just end up where I was before, especially if you are not here to save me this time. That scares me. You have your fight and so do I, so let me go first, let me have the first round, that way I may still have a chance at a happy life regardless of what happens to you."

She doesn't give him a chance to respond. She's walking away. She's walking out. His hand finds her leg.

"So you just going to shoot me and leave?" He asks her.

"It's just a flesh wound, no big deal."

"No big deal, amazing."

He's not saying anything. He's still holding on to her, she doesn't move away. He looks away from her.

"I suppose it would be unfair of me to ask you to stay," he says.

"It would be."

"Well then you better come back because our story is not over," he says.

She chuckles.

She opens the door and looks back at him one last time. "For what it's worth, I enjoyed shooting you quite a bit."

She's gone.

I'd like to think that she convinced him to stay. But I realize now that this is who he is. This is who he always was and that he will never change. He's never going to stop risking his life for what he believes in. It hurts me. He knows that but it is his fight, and I can't stop him.

One thing has become crystal clear to me, he needs her.

He needs someone that is willing to hurt him in order to save him.

He needs someone that is going to break him in order to fix him

He needs someone that can ground him.

He needs someone to turn him into the man I know he can be.

That someone is her.

So I do what I can do. I pray for her safe return.

For his sake.

Reviews and suggestions are welcomed : )

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Thank you.