A/N: This is a short drabble starring Edogawa Conan and Mouri Ran. Pairing: Shinichi x Ran. Some secrets can make or break a person…As usual, the characters of Detective Conan do not belong to me but to their esteemed creator. ENJOY!

Secret

'Ran-neechan…'

Mouri Ran looked up from her homework as a soft trembling voice broke the silence of her room. Her searching gaze fell on the slight figure of one she had come to consider as her younger brother. Seeing him in such distress though was not something she was used to and alarm bells went off in her head. 'Yes, Conan-kun,' she asked gently, 'is something the matter?'

The said boy scuffed his feet on the floorboards, never meeting Ran's eyes. 'I have something to tell you,' he murmured, the distant whispery quality never leaving his tone, 'Please, just hear me out.' Edogawa Conan, usually self-assured and confident, had been reduced to a terrified bundle of coiled emotions. Ran stiffened. This had to be bad, and judging from his phrasing in words, it was something concerning her.

'Just tell me, Conan-kun.'

And, that was all the prompting that he needed before launching into his desperate tale, of intrigued, betrayal, fear, regret but above all, love. As the expressions flashing across Ran's face went from stunned realization to dark rage and finally, pale ghostly white, Conan ploughed on, knowing that his entire life depended on this. He had to make Ran understand, he just had to. However, even he, as eloquent as he was, couldn't draw out his disturbing tale any longer.

Silence reigned.

'You mean to tell me…' Ran's voice, delicate as fragile glass, rang clear in Conan's ears, as he waited, waited for the judgement that could make or break him.

'…that you lost the ring Shinichi gave me?!'

Gone was the peace for even Ran couldn't forgive her adopted younger brother for something so unforgivable. As she yelled and lectured, furious, flustered and distressed, she never noticed the sly smile lurking at the corner of a supposedly remorseful Conan's mouth.

It wasn't like he had unintentionally lost the ring, just intentionally hidden it. After all, he had to know Ran's ring size so that Shinichi could order another for her as a Valentine's Day gift.

And, she wouldn't have any excuse not to wear the new one.