A/N: Thanks for the reviews! In the words of Kaito Kid...now...on with the show!

Chapter Two: The Real Beginning

"Hi, Conan!"

Conan looked up at the sound of the cheerful voice that belonged to his long-time friend Amy Yeager. Now his only female friend, since Rachel was killed, he didn't find her quite as annoying anymore. He'd learned to cherish the friends he had especially so after the fall of the organization and Vi's disappearance. Mitch was with her, and even though Amy lived in another part of the building down the hall, she spent a bit of her time here because of the agency, and just to see Conan.

"Hey, guys," Conan said, sitting at the desk with a few sheets and files of work in front of him. Amy sighed and walked over, taking mostof them from him and placing them in a drawer.

"H-Hey! I was working on those cases!"

"You work too much on those cases, Conan," Amy said and looked down at him, placing her hands on the desk. As Conan looked up at her, his heart nearly skipped a beat. He thought he saw Rachel staring down at him for a minute. But when he realized it was indeed Amy, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah...I just need some fresh air." He said, standing up and walking from behind his desk. Amy and Mitch watched him with frowns on both their faces, staring at him until he closed the door behind him.

"He's not our Conan anymore, is he?" Amy asked. Mitch shook his head.

"There's something going on with him we'll probably never understand. He hasn't been the same since Rachel was murdered."

"Of course not. She was his guardian."

"No, that's not all. I think, as strange as it sounds...Conan was in love with her, Amy."

Amy paused. She'd suspected that years ago, Conan's affections towards Rachel were more than just brother-sister type love. But how was that even possible? When Conan first arrived, he was seven, not seventeen! There was no possible way for them to work out.

But that still didn't stop him from loving her.

She saw the way he acted around her. When he was with her, nothing else mattered. He'd go back into a burning building if it meant she be safe.

Amy sighed. She should have seen it coming after her death. Conan hadn't even cried at the funeral. He'd stayed behind after everyone had gone home. She didn't know what happened when he did that, but he hadn't been the same since.

"I'm worried about him, Mitch. He needs to move on. It's not good for him to be cooped up in here surrounded by all this paperwork."

"I know. Maybe we can cheer him up somehow."

~*~

"Ah, hello Jimmy."

Dr. Agasa looked up from his latest experiment as he entered. Dr. Agasa pretty much looked exactly the same as he did back then, besides the fact that he had lost a little bit more hair.

"Doc, what have I told you about calling me that? I've been Conan for the last few years now." He sighed, sitting on the couch.

"Right...sorry, I forget sometimes." Agasa said before returning to work on his latest invention. "You should come by more often. I haven't seen much of you since you moved out."

"I've been working on a lot of cases," Conan said leaning back. "So I haven't been out much."

Agasa sighed. He'd noticed it too. Rachel's death had changed him, and not for the better. "Jimmy..." At the boy's look, he didn't correct himself. "I'm talking to Jimmy, not Conan." The boy blinked several times but Agasa continued. "You need to move on. Put the past behind you. No matter how many cases you solve....it won't bring her back."

"Stop..." Conan whispered, his eyes closing tightly as his hands balled up into small fists. "Just stop... you don't understand. No one does."

"Then try to help us understand, my boy," Agasa said worriedly, looking over at him, but he stared at the wall. Agasa sighed once more.

"I came here to get away from all the stares and people trying to 'help' me...alright, doc?" he asked, stifling a yawn. "I'll be fine eventually...I just need time to heal."

You've had ten long years, Jimmy...

No one understands the pain I'm going through, Jimmy thought, glancing out the window. I didn't just lose my first love. She protected me...without knowing it was really me. I lost her without even telling her who I really am.

A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter, I haven't had much energy to do anything lately because of these pills I have to take. . Which is why Faded also hasn't been updated. I'd already started on this last week...but I really don't feel like updating anything at the moment. Maybe later or tomorrow I'll work on something? And I'm getting caught up in DC episodes (though I had to skip a few cause I couldn't find them anywhere, but I find its an anime you can skip eps and not get totally confused). I'm at episode 312, and the previous one was just epic. I'm on movie 12 now too, but I haven't finished it.