Don't own Case Closed. Never have, never will.
How I Feel
Chapter the first: You Don't Know
Conan drummed his fingers on the table impatiently as he waited. He sighed and rested his head in one hand let his eyes wander around the crowded restaurant. A tall man with a shaggy beard and small, beady eyes caught his gaze. He looked away quickly.
Conan was no ordinary eight year old. He was actually high school detective Kudou Shinichi. He was force-fed a poison that made him shrink to child size.
He searched around the room and saw a woman with small glasses and blond hair held up in a messy bun sitting alone at the bar, glasses on her face and chewing on the eraser of her pencil. Another man was frantically throwing papers over his shoulder, searching for his pen, which was situated neatly behind his ear.
He glanced out of the corner of his round blue eyes toward the bearded man again and then averted his gaze to the door. The bell jingled merrily, alerting the owner of a new customer. He grinned lopsidedly and motioned for Heiji to sit across from him. He slid into the booth and smiled.
"How's it going Kudou?" he asked jovially.
"You're late Hattori," Conan said shaking his head.
"Oh whine about it why don't you! Get over it," he rolled his eyes. Conan's own eyes glittered with laughter.
"So where are the girls?" Conan asked.
"I have no idea actually," Heiji said, reclining in the booth. The bell jingled again and Kazuha and Ran entered, chatting animatedly and giggling.
"Heiji!" Ran called. He waved.
"Hi Ran," he said, scooting over to make room. Kazuha sat next to him and grinned.
"Hi Ran-neechan!" Conan exclaimed.
"Hello Conan-kun," she greeted with a smile, ruffling his hair. He blushed and flattened his hair back to his head.
"Did you have fun in Tokyo, Kazuha?" Heiji asked.
"Yes," she replied absently. She was staring off into space. Heiji waved his hand in front of her face, but she didn't even blink.
"What about you, Conan-kun? Did you have fun spending time with Heiji in Osaka?" Ran asked curiously.
"Yeah it was a real blast," Conan said unenthusiastically.
"Brat," Heiji muttered.
"Moron," Conan grumbled.
"What happened?" Ran asked.
"He dropped me off at a kiddy center," Conan scowled.
"I told you I had to go to the station!" Heiji objected.
"But a kiddy center?! Couldn't you have locked me in a closet or something?" Conan asked.
"Kids go to kid centers," Ran said.
"But he didn't even pick me up! I walked here," Conan complained.
"You didn't wait for me!"
"You were an hour late!"
"Okay, okay, calm down," Ran tried.
"No, he's a jerk and he left me there on purpose!" Conan snarled.
"You baby!" Heiji snapped. "Get over it! It was a mistake, okay? Stop acting like a child!"
"I – You – Ugh! I give up!" Conan snarled, slamming his fist on the table. He left the booth angrily and stormed out, slamming the door behind him and knocking the cheerful bell onto the floor.
"Brat," Heiji grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Heiji, he seems really upset," Ran said.
"So?" he asked.
"So? I think you owe him an apology," Ran said.
"I don't," he said stubbornly.
"Kazuha, help me here!" Ran said.
"Don't drag me into this," she said, taking a sip of her water. "I don't want to be in the middle."
"Look if you want me to apologize to the little twerp, I will but I don't know how this whole thing started," Heiji said, clueless.
"Did you leave him at the day care?" Ran asked.
"I forgot!" Heiji said exasperatedly.
"Well then just apologize for forgetting," Kazuha suggested.
"I'll go get him. I don't want him to get too far, it's getting dark," Ran said, getting up. Heiji shook his head and slid out of the booth.
"No I'll get him," he sighed. He left the restaurant and headed toward the direction that Conan went. It didn't take long to find him. He was sitting on a bench in the nearby park, watching a few soccer players in uniform kick around the ball. Heiji assumed they had just finished a practice. He walked up behind the bench and leaned on it, resting his arms on the top.
"Hey Kudou," he said. Shinichi ignored him. "Come on, it was a mistake, I didn't know I was going to have to stay late."
"You shouldn't have left me there at all." Shinichi said angrily, not looking at Heiji.
"I know, I know. But they said I couldn't bring a kid to a crime scene," Heiji said.
"That never stopped you before. Plus, I'm not a kid!" Shinichi snapped.
"But you look like one."
"Do you think I want to look like this?!" Conan snarled furiously. "It wasn't my choice you know! I'm eighteen freaking years old! I don't want to look like a freaking eight year old!"
"We're trying to find those guys but there isn't anything that we can do until we find them. They could be anywhere," Heiji said. "I know this is hard for you, but –"
"No! Don't even say you know how I feel because you don't," Shinichi said, glaring at him. "You say you know how it is, but you'll never know unless it's happened to you. I'm supposed to be in high school, not elementary school! I'll probably never be in my body again. I'll be Conan forever. It isn't fair. Ran doesn't want an eight year old. She wants someone her own age. But the boy she loves is dead. You're nemesis is dead. Shinichi Kudou is dead. And he's never coming back."
With that, Conan slid off the bench and started walking away. Heiji watched him for a while, thinking. Then he followed. The sky had turned dark, and the streetlights had come on. He caught up with his friend and tried to talk to him.
"Come on Shinichi, we'll get you back to your own body. I'll do whatever I can to get those guys in black," Heiji said.
"Don't even bother," Conan muttered.
"But Kudou –," Heiji started, surprised.
"I said it doesn't matter. Kudou's dead. I'm just Conan," he said.
"Fine, just blow off some steam. We'll get you a goodnight's sleep and you'll be fine by tomorrow," Heiji said. "Let me take you home."
"I can find my way. You go, I'm going to just wander for a while," Conan said quietly.
"You shouldn't walk alone in the dark," Heiji said.
"I can take care of myself," Conan replied.
"But you don't have anyway to protect yourself if someone tries to kidnap you," Heiji said.
"Just leave me alone Hattori!" Conan snapped angrily.
"Fine Kudou, but don't come crying to me when you're in trouble," Heiji growled, turning on his heel and heading the other way. He grumbled furiously under his breath and heading towards the restaurant to pick up Kazuha and Ran. But then, he was attacked from behind.
Something hard, a metal pipe most likely, slammed into his back. He stumbled, gritting his teeth. He started to fall foreword, but someone caught him by the sweatshirt and flung him backwards. He landed hard on his back. His attacker took the front of his shirt and yanked him up to his feet. Then, the attacker punched him hard in the face, sending him flying back to the ground. He was pulled back to his feet roughly and an arm snaked around his chest, trapping his arms. A thick cloth was shoved into his mouth, choking him. His eye was beginning to swell and his nose was bleeding. Successfully gagged and helpless, his attacker smiled.
"You were so worried about the kid you forgot to worry about yourself," the unknown person breathed in his ear.
Heiji let out a muffled protest and tried to twist away, but the attacker just laughed and held strong.
"Don't try to squirm kid, you'll just make it worse for you," the man chuckled lowly. Heiji paused, but kept trying to get away. There was a sharp pain in the back of his neck and he drifted off into swirling blackness.
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