Ran new that she would probably never be as smart as some of the people in her life, but truthfully, she didn't want to be. She saw, as few people really see, the darker side to brilliance. She saw it in her mother as she stalked the truth through solemn courtrooms. She saw it in her father, back when he was witness to constant violence on the police force. Even Shinichi, or maybe especially Shinichi, was affected. It had something to do with pride, with having an ego much larger than most people are entitled to. Also, the stakes were much greater in the games they played. Knowing that your actions can mean the difference between innocent and guilty, just and unjust, truth and lies. The little voice of uncertainty that cannot be banished, no matter how conclusive the evidence is. Ran knew that this is what her important people lived with, dealt with. No Ran preferred her own role, the silent supporter, the voice of reason, the foundation that keeps everything standing.

Ran wasn't a thinker, but she wasn't a fool. She tended to trust her own instinct and act on impulse. She laughed when she felt like it and cried when she felt like it. She was also a wonderful actor. When she chose to keep her feelings, her thoughts, to herself, she did so. She did so with the greatest of skill. Even those brilliant and important people that had come to rely on her could be completely duped when she took it upon herself to keep a secret.

Perhaps part of the reason Shinichi never truly recognized this ability in Ran was his disproportionate ego. His confidence in his own ability's kept him from seeing that he had been seen through. Conan was a brilliant disguise, as brilliant as everything else Shinichi had done. But Ran was not a thinker; she was more of a feeler. She felt what she couldn't figure. Shinichi counted on the sheer impossibility of shrinking people to hide himself, and for a long while, it was enough. For a long while, Ran was blinded by a shroud of logic that Shinichi wove using all of his skill. For a long while, she doubted her own thoughts. But Ran was not a great thinker, not like Shinichi, anyway. Once she began to trust her feelings, everything fell into place.

Even though Ran often acted on impulse, she almost never acted without carful consideration. She could be hotheaded at times, but when it really counted, she was patient and careful. She knew Shinichi; she knew him on a level that went beyond mere knowledge. She loved him, and trusted him. She knew how important he was to her, and felt how important she was to him. Ran knew that Shinichi would never hurt her on purpose; that he must have a good reason, even if she did not know what it could be. So she would, keep his secret, though it hurt her that he didn't trust her with it. She would keep it so well that even he didn't know she had it. Ran had the picture without having all the pieces, and she trusted that one day, it would all be explained. Until that day came, she would stand behind her most important person, being his support and keeping his secret safe, all without him ever realizing. It was a thankless job, but someone had to do it. She knew that it would all be worth it.