Dedicated to: Fouinar and Yuu3. I don't know if you'll ever get to read this, but I just want to thank you two for reviewing my story 'Rescue'.

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan in any way possible.

Author's Note: This was supposed to be a short fic. So much for the planning. I needed to submit this quick because it's Shinichi's birthday so forgive me for the errors. I promise I'll attend to them next time. Please leave a review. Even a simple 'Happy Birthday, Shinichi' will do. I just have to say that I particularly like the ending. Happy Birthday, Shinichi / Conan!

Perfect

It would be his birthday again tomorrow.

It could be Conan's or Shinichi's. Either way, it never really mattered, did it?

Everyone thought that Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi were two distinct entities in the universe save for his parents, Professor Agasa, Haibara, Hattori and perhaps even Gin and Vodka – he could only cross his fingers that these two creatures of the evil hadn't any kind of suspicion towards his existence.

What about the others? If he would tell them it would also be his birthday (as Conan) tomorrow, would they be chary of his real identity? What more if it was Ran?

Come to think of it, it would be his eighteenth birthday. If the fate hadn't turned its back against him, he would've enjoyed the idea that his birthday would bring about a celebration.

Celebration that would be spent with his family – his mother and father, that is, if they could even bother coming back to the country, and friends ,with the exception of Ran from the list because she was special.

He imagined having a small dinner celebration. He would invite everyone that had somehow made his life rich with joy-filled memories with a tinge of not-so-good ones here and there.

Later on, he would bring Ran to Tropical Land.

Tropical Land.

Whenever he spoke of that place in his mind, there was always a deadly tone that those two words carried. Tropical Land was the place where Conan was born and apparently, where Shinichi was killed.

He frowned at the memories suddenly resurfacing. Ran and he were only supposed to have fun that fateful day. It was a friendly date though it didn't really mean romance wasn't included somewhere along the line. He was supposed to walk her home but inevitably left her alone instead.

If only he didn't succumb to that niggling feeling to follow those men in black, then curiosity wouldn't have killed the cat.

But despite the downbeat feeling the place kept on casting upon him, he still knew how much Ran loved that place. What else could he do but to love whatever and whoever she loved.

" Eh, Conan-kun? You're still awake?"

He frantically adjusted to a sitting position when he heard her voice. He was zoning out a bit, mulling things over while he was lying in a sprawl on his bed, watching the second hand of the clock making revolutions, when the voice interrupted him.

He didn't even hear the creaking of the door. He must be really deep in his thoughts.

" Ran-neechan…"

He laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head. It was eleven o' clock in the evening, and he was still awake. For how many times had he gone to serious discussions with Ran about the effects of lack of sleep to a six-year-old kid like him? He couldn't afford undergoing that again.

" You should be sleeping now, you know. Kids like you should be getting eight hours of sleep..."

Ran sighed resignedly perhaps not wanting to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Conan then noticed the package she was holding. From how it appeared, it seemed like a bottle case or wine.

" Ne, Ran-neechan. What's that you're holding?" He pointed to her hand carrying the package.

" Oh, one of father's clients gifted him a bottle of wine…I guess?"

She then lifted up the package to her gaze and examined the inside. Soon, she began pulling the object out of the box.

" Pai-Ku-Ro," she read.

Suddenly, he stood frozen like those times when a thread of sudden understanding would connect him to the answer to the enigma he was figuring out.

It was the alcohol that had once brought Shinichi to life again.

" Oh, like what Hattori-kun brought us before when Shinichi appeared in the middle of a case…" she trailed.

He found her voice laced with nostalgia as his name escaped her lips.

" Ran…"

The ambience around them was suddenly filled with the shadows of their yesterdays – the yesterdays that their hearts were yearning for. It became bleak all of a sudden when a staggering rough voice cut through.

" YOKO-CHAN!"

Ran slapped her forehead and shook her head in disgust.

" I forgot about Otou-san. Mou…" she glanced back and added, "Conan-kun, go to sleep now. I'll go check on Otou-san."

She smiled at him before closing the door.

" This is my chance. It might work for the third time…"

He traipsed towards the door and reached for the doorknob which was a little bit placed higher than what he could reach, requiring him to tiptoe.

While he was looking around for any sign of Ran's presence at the same time for the Paikuro alcohol, he was recalling the time he had tried drinking it for the second time to achieve the same positive result. But he ended up drunk, and Professor Agasa concluded that it was because his body had formed immunity towards the alcohol making it ineffective that time.

He could fail again this time, but that didn't stop him from trying. Failures would never stop him from trying.

He could chalk it up to pure luck for having spotted the Paikuro left unattended on the table.

She must have left it here in her hurry towards Uncle. Lucky!

He stalked like a fugitive towards the table, and once he cleared the area, he grabbed it swiftly and ran back to his room silently closing and locking the door.

He immediately sat on the bed and opened the cap of the bottle.

" Here I go."

And he gulped it down.

He anticipated for any reaction the alcohol could evoke out of his system. And this time, his system did not fail him.

His heart throbbed irregularly. He sweated profusely. He felt like his innards were being churned and burned. He was being depleted of Oxygen at a fast rate. His eyelids were becoming heavier by the second. He passed out.

…

His heart steadied in a perfect rhythm. He felt the air slapping his skin and for an unknown reason, he chilled. His insides were no longer hurting, they felt normal. He resumed breathing at an even pace. His eyelids were aching to open once again. He woke up.

The first thing he did was to check himself in front of the mirror.

He gawked unbelievingly at the reflection staring back at him.

His original form was back. Oh, what a birthday gift. And it had to be the greatest gift he had yet to receive.

He noticed that a shred of light was peeking through the slit of the curtains. He opened them fully and marveled at the perfect weather unfolding.

It was finally Shinichi's birthday. He had no idea if somewhere in the middle, it would be Conan's birthday, too, but he didn't want to linger at the thought. He didn't want to worry over the future which he could never guess. He only wanted to make the most out of his time.

He opened his closet and began rummaging for any clothes that he could don. It was a good thing that he packed some of his clothes and a pair of shoes from the professor's house and hid them under the piles of Conan's clothes because he knew that there would be a day he would need to dress himself in Shinichi's clothes again.

Satisfied with his olive vintage jersey tee paired with black pants, he gently opened the door to minimize its creaking. He glanced at the clock nailed on the wall just above the cupboard and from what he could see, it was only 7:05 A.M.

But Ran was an early riser for she had always busied herself preparing their breakfast and afterwards, Conan's and Uncle's uniforms. Although it was a Saturday, her sleeping habits never changed.

She would make a good wife.

He shook his head vigorously cursing himself for even thinking such a thing.

Not wanting to be caught off guard, he made a run for the main door and exited from the Mouri's Agency.

Ideas were jumbling in his mind. He was thinking of ways on how to approach Ran and act like everything was positively normal. The sudden disappearance of Conan was another case, and he had to fabricate some sensible reasons to cover up for that.

Ending up with nil plans, he headed for the door again and knocked persistently.

A faint voice could be heard behind the door. In a minute, it flew open.

" Sorry for the wait…" Ran bowed down in apology before straightening up in a swift motion with eyes wide like saucers.

" SHINICHI!"

Either she said it in astonishment or horror, he couldn't place it.

" After not seeing each other for months, this is how you're gonna welcome me? With a scream?"

He was teasing her because he knew she'd fall for it anyway.

" Then it'd be better not to see each other ever again! Mou…"

The door closed loudly at his face. He sweat dropped. He knew that it wouldn't be long until Ran opened the door again.

And he was right.

" Fine. What do you want?"

He could tell she was just pretending to be uncaring.

" Oh, you forgot? It's my birthday!" he grinned.

Her mouth fell open. She seemed to be in shock, and he couldn't believe it.

" You really did forget about it?" his cheerful tone dropped.

" No…not really. I've been thinking about it for days and then you suddenly showed up, and I – I just forgot…" she took on a wistful note.

He could feel her. It was his fault. It was destiny's fault.

" Nah. How about we just celebrate today? You know, it's my birthday so I'll treat you to – "

" Hai! Come in. I'll just go change."

He could only thank Kami for being on his side. She didn't notice Conan's disappearance. At least not yet.

Few minutes after, she came out of her room. Shinichi could just stare at her forever as she was donned in chic light blue lace cocktail dress with matching flats and wheat-colored summer hat. She had no make up on but her simple beauty was enough to screw up his logical mind.

" You're…beautiful…"

They both stared down at the ground as they blushed furiously.

Shinichi was the first to recover from the effect of the tingling butterflies so he broke the awkward silence.

" So, shall we go?"

He offered his arm which she shyly took.

…

To say that they were having the best time of their lives would be an absolute understatement. Words could never describe and define the ambience they were basking in and the feelings they were mutually enjoying.

He took her to Tropical Land…to their place. They went straight to the Castle's observatory deck and were bowled over by the grandiose image of the park from above. They rode on the Mystery Coaster, and Shinichi had to count how many times Ran hugged his arm. They rode on the Ice and Mist Labyrinth next, and this time he had to drape his arm over Ran, for how many times, to keep her from shivering. They also rode on the Carousel ( due to Ran's constant plea) despite the glances the children were throwing them. They took a break by boarding the Train that took them around the castle area of Dream and Fairytale Land. They also watched the parade with the vibrant colors everywhere.

By the end of their celebration which could already be considered a date, they had almost finished visiting all of Tropical Land: Dream and Fairytale Land, Horror and Fantasy Land, Wild and Ancient Land, Adventure and Pioneer Land, Science and Space Land. Their muscles were aching but they weren't tired. After all, they had enjoyed each other's company.

When it was time for the fireworks, they headed to the Tropical Ice Land to skate, at the same time watch the fireworks together for the place was deemed to be the perfect spot to witness the display.

The last place they went to was Ran's favorite Water Fountain Plaza. They walked to the center waiting for the fountains to be activated. Once activated, the fountains would soar up high enveloping the two of them and secluding them from the rest of the people.

While waiting, he managed to strike a conversation. They had been conversing for hours but this time, it would be different. This had got to be one of the special moments they would share together.

"So…are you enjoying?"

" Oh, yes! Thank you, Shinichi, and Happy Birthday!" she beamed at him, and he could've sworn that her smile was much more wonderful than the firework display they had seen.

He smiled warmly at her in return.

" Ne, Ran. I'm really sorry for not showing up for the past few months, I've – "

" I know. You've been into cases after cases. But forget about that, at least you're here now, and I couldn't be any happier."

He couldn't contain his happiness for having Ran by his side. He felt guilty having her understand him every time. He knew he had to tell her, but something was holding him back. She could or would be in danger. He could only protect her by hiding his identity from her.

And there was that bothering fact that as Conan, they had bathed together several times. He would surely get a punishment once she had known all about the circumstance.

He took her hands and held them gently. He might not get another chance to tell her. Once the news about his return spread like fires and reached the Black Organization, everything might get out of hand. If he would end up lying in his coffin – God forbid – at least she'd know.

If I couldn't tell her that, then at least I could tell her this.

" Ran."

She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes.

" I want you to know that you're the most important person in my life, and I love you…"

Before he could even lower his gaze, Ran had hugged him and said, " I love you, too, Shinichi."

The fountains were activated and soon it was only the two of them. Ran broke the hug as she gaped at the magnificent scene that was vividly playing in front of her eyes.

Knowing he couldn't put this off for another time, he softly held her chin. She stopped admiring the fountains as she focused her eyes on Shinichi's.

He tipped her chin and slowly, slowly ,he dipped his head down. He leaned in closer and closer until they both gradually closed their eyes. He could feel her breathing against his lips.

Just a little bit more and…

…

He woke up to the sweet fragrance touching his nose. He opened his eyes only to find him face to face with Ran. He immediately ran his fingers across his face, torso, and arms. He was Conan once again.

He tried to move lightly so as not to wake up Ran. When he did, he suddenly felt a bit tipsy.

I must've gotten myself drunk.

It was still silent and dark which meant it wasn't morning yet.

It was all a dream.

He smiled. But it was a wintry smile. Just when he finally thought he could be with Ran again and just when she was about to give her first kiss to him…fate just had to be cruel to him again.

He glanced up at the clock on the bedside table. Exactly 12:00 A.M.

He turned on to his previous side facing Ran's sleeping face once more. The proximity didn't bother him. It was his birthday after all and having the chance to be this close to her was enough to make him happy. Perhaps being Conan really wasn't that bad after all.

He had a perfect dream; he could have a perfect reality as well.

He leaned in closer and…

…

Fin.