Perfect

From Far Away

On a sunny afternoon, Ran and Conan walked towards their home. Ran has just finished her grocery shopping when Conan suddenly felt a very ill feeling that made goosebumps all over his body to stand. Usually, that says a danger coming or someone has been trailing them with ill intent. He looked back and forth, trying to dig every corner to see what was that about but to no avail.

Nothing was amiss. No one was there.

Looking at his unusually tensed behavior, Ran asked him "What's wrong, Conan-kun? You've been acting strange..."
Still feeling something isn't right, he tried to calm his nerves and threw an innocent smile to her "Nothing, Ran-neechan"
"But..." Ran wasn't able to finish her complaint when she saw a rock rolled over her and Conan's feet. Conan, that was also saw the rock trying to picked it up but before he could grab it, a blaring sounds could be heard along with an eye-blinding light.

Everything turned upside down before he could even process what has been happening. They were being pulled like there was a magnet in the end of the white mess. The last thing he could remember was the illuminating red sky over their head, slowly going far-away...

He grunted, it felt like his body were trapped inside a too small cage. He felt his body burnt, his heart ached, his limbs paralyzed he can't even move a finger "Oh, right. I was trapped in a child body, this is something I've felt the first time I shrunk"

Every time he feels this consciousness, he remembered he always wanting to grab something in the deepest of his heart that illuminates a dim light. But it was too far, no matter how hard he stretched his arms, the light drifted away from his grasp "What is it that I have to catch?" He was still trying to catch that light with his hand when he heard a faint voice calling him. This voice was so familiar in his ears it made the heartache subsided. Next was his arms, he felt the soft touch cooled down his burning skin. He knew she was calling him; but not the right him "Ran..."

He managed to open his eyes only to be presented by Ran's worried face. She lightened up a bit after she saw Conan's eyes blinking in wonder "Thank God. Are you okay?" She stroked his hair gently and checked whether he has a bruise or other wounds "I'm fine, Ran... nee-chan" he added the last words after fully digesting their situation. He was still in the body of a child, Ran was okay and alive beside him. The only thing he didn't know were their place "Where are we?" and what happened to us? might he add, but he didn't want to add Ran's worry by asking that. She started to look around "I wonder..."

Well, he would not blame her for he himself didn't have a single idea of where they were. It was like they weren't in the same Japan any more. Heck, it wasn't even in earth. They were surrounded by glistening, golden carpeted-like grass with a very big, shady tree in the middle of it. The sky were a dark-grayish color with no clouds.

He tried to walk further to see everything closer with Ran tailing behind him. But it only lead them deeper into the forest. The grass weren't golden anymore, it changed into dirt pathways with big and shady tree surrounding them.

"What really happened actually?" He heard her murmured those words before she choked and yelled "Conan-kun, watch out!"

In front of him stood a worm-like creature with sharp teeth in every inch of its big mouth. He managed to leap to his side before the worm gulped him alive. He looked for something to kick but found nothing. Ran's reflects saved him on time by kicking the creature out into the tree, bleeding a green-sticky liquid. But soon enough there were many of them coming from the shades, ate up their own colony. They were petrified by the sight, but there's no time to be lazing around since one of the worm tried to gulped them down again.

Ran then grabbed him and run as fast as she can, but she didn't see a hole in the ground, that made them slided down into a pitch black ground. They heard something fell near where they stood but they could see nothing until Conan turn on the light on his watches. It was the worm-like creature writhing in pain before staying still, probably dead. Luckily, the other worm only gathered upside, not wanting themselves dead by the darkness. They sighed releasing the tense. In the mean time, they thought they were safe in the dark.

They decided to go on to find a way out. Maybe there was something in the end of the pathway that lead them to a brighter place; they even hope they could find a way to go back home.

Shinichi didn't feel safe at all in this place, rather he felt like something was churning his stomach, he was scared and insecure for a reason he didn't know. The more they go, the uncomfortable feelings intensified. It felt like, he has to face something big ahead that will change his life forever. Whether he wanted it or not, he will eventually have to face it. He never liked his intuition for they were usually right.

It indeed right. He were being attacked in the stomach that made his tiny body flew in the air. He could hear Ran's screaming voice fading away. It was so sudden he could barely look at what had hit him.

Then he landed in what seemed like a big branch of tree, its root entangled his arms and foot so that he couldn't move an inch. Besides, looked like he broke a ribs or two when they landed him in the tree. So he was fully trapped. Then a ghostly voice came "I finally catch you" he could hear the voice loud and clear, but he couldn't see where it come from
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Asked him in a choked voice.
"You do know who I am. I'm Mokumen. But human called me The Darkness and I resides in your heart. I'm the one who created you. Now it's time for you to come back to your master"
He spat "What nonsense are you spouting about?"
"I believe you're clever enough to know that what I'm saying is the truth"
"The darkness... in my heart?" A chilled run down his spine when he could feel something unpleasant crept up, engulfing his body on it.
"Correct. You are The Darkness Knight. You were and always be" then suddenly the roots got him free, only to be welcomed by a creepy mask made out from dark liquid that's been trying to shackle him
"...Am I?"

He opened his eyes, he could see her tears falling from her cheek. Sad yet beautiful "Come back, Shinichi! Please don't leave me alone"
"Ran..."

THROB!
'Argh, my heart! Feels... so... hot!'

THROB!
'Hurts!'

THROB!
"Ran... I'm sor...ry..."

He reached his hands out to her direction which was above him. His body slowly slid from the tree. He knew he'd fall to the endless darkness. He thought this was the end. But then something unpredictable happened.

She jumped down while trying to catch his fallen figure. She pulled him out and hugged him, not minding even if she had to go down or even if she'd die because of it.

At that time, Shinichi's awareness has been lifted to the fullest "I am not the darkness knight" he then grabbed the light in his heart "I am who I am!"

He could feel all his burdens, his guilt, and his fear vanished, evaporated into thin air. Then a shining, beautiful wings sprung from his back, enabling him to lift them up and went to the source of light, leaving 'The Darkness' behind, destroyed beyond recovery.

His consciousness began to disappear slowly when he heard someone calling him desperately "...kun"
'Ahh, this voice...'
"Conan-kun!"
'I am not Conan... I am... who am I?'
"SHINICHIIIII...!"

GASPS!

At that instant, he opened his eyes, only to find Ran's gaze fixed on him "Conan-kun, you're finally awake!"
"Ran...née-Chan?"
His bewildered expression put her into a small smile "Seems like you were having a bad dreams, so I wake you up" he could only agape "It's okay now, go back to sleep" with that, she scouted to the door and shut it.

'So it was just a dream...' he sighed 'It felt almost like a real one, especially the pain... and her warmth'

Unbeknown to him, Ran was standing outside the door while murmured "Good night, Shinichi"